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One of the most nourishing soups you can cook using palm nuts is Banga Soup. To improve this soup, all it takes is a variety of spice flavorings, a variety of meat and fish, and a touch of beletete towards the end.
It’s a simple recipe that yields fantastic results!
What Is Banga Soup?
Banga soup is a delectable soup made from palm nut fruit, an assortment of spices, and a variety of meat and fish. It’s a popular soup in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, especially among the Urhobo ethnic group.
Banga is also known as palm nut soup, and it is a delicacy not just in Nigeria but also in Ghana and Cameroon.
Abenkwan is the Ghanaian word for palm nut soup and it’s known as Mbanga in Cameroon. Banga soup is the name given to it in Nigeria, with variations such as ofe akwu, oghwo amiedi, or izuwo ibiedi depending on the tribe, the ingredients used, and the method of preparation.
Where Does Banga Soup Originate From?
Nigerian Banga Soup or Ofe Akwu is native to the Niger Delta and the South Eastern parts of Nigeria.
In the South-Eastern parts of Nigeria, Banga Soup is referred to as Ofe Akwu where Ofe means Soup / Stew and Akwu means palm fruit and is used mainly as stew for Boiled White Rice.
Is Banga Soup Good For The Body?
- It is mineral-rich.
- It has unsaturated fat in it.
- Vitamin A insufficiency is treated with this supplement.
- Vitamin K and antioxidants are abundant in this food.
- Many nutrients that assist proper brain function, as well as a lot more!
Palm Fruit Oil Vs Red Palm Oil
The palm fruit oil extract used in cooking Banga Soup / Stew is quite different from the red palm oil used in cooking Nigerian food recipes.
Palm Oil is pure oil extracted from the palm fruit pulp at high temperatures while the palm fruit oil extract used for the Banga Soup is extracted at a very low temperature and is a mixture of oil and water. Palm fruit oil extracted for Banga Soup contains less saturated fat than palm oils.
How To Cook Banga Soup
- Cook for 30 minutes, or until the palm kernel fruit is tender.
- Place the nuts in a mortar and carefully pound them, being careful not to break them.
- Pour some boiling water over the crushed nuts, squeeze, and strain out the extract with a sieve – repeat this process until you have extracted all of the extract from the nut.
- In a pot, heat the extract until it thickens and the oil rises to the top. Then carry on with the rest of the steps in this recipe.
Notes:
- In this recipe, I used canned palm nut concentrate. This makes producing bangs a little easier and quicker than the traditional procedure, which needs you to prepare your own palm nut extract. However, I’ve included a note below on how to produce Banga from fresh palm nut fruit.
- Depending on the sort of meat you use, you can cook it for longer or shorter than 30 minutes. Tougher beef cuts will take longer to cook, whereas softer meat cuts would take less time.
What To Eat With Banga Soup
Other Delicious Soups and Stews You Will Love:
- Ogbono soup: A viscous and hearty soup made with Ogbono seeds (wild mango seeds) that is laden with meats and fish and cooked in a light, delectable broth.
- Okra Soup: A well-loved soup!
- Chicken Pepper soup: This easy to put together chicken pepper soup is loaded with spicy, bold, and hearty flavors. It’s so easy to make and you can hardly go wrong putting this together.
- The best Egusi soup recipe: Trust me on this. It’s the best!
Thanks for reading this recipe, if you made this recipe, don’t forget to leave me feedback. Enjoy!
Banga Soup
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 tsp Cameroon Pepper
- 1.5 lb Beef or any other meat of choice
- 1 large onion
- 2 tsp Seasoning powder or Bouillon cubes
- 3 Medium Stockfish Panla, Okporoko – soaked in hot water
- 1 Can Palm-nut Extract
- 2 Scotch bonnets
- 1 Tablespoon Banga Spice
- 1-2 Tablespoons Crushed Obeletientien leaves or Dried bitter leaves.
- 1 Oburunbebe stick
- 2 Medium Dried Fish – soaked in hot water and deboned
- 4 to 6 Cups Water/stock
- 1 tbsp ground crayfish
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Instructions:
- Rinse the meat, add the diced onions, Cameroon pepper, seasoning powder, and salt. Stir and leave to cook till the meat becomes tender.
- Add the stockfish and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Remove from the meat, stockfish, and meat sock from the pot and set aside.
- Pour the palm nut concentrate inside the same pot. Dilute with some water and leftover meat stock from the boiled meat. Cover and leave to cook until the oil begins to float on top of the soup.
- Meanwhile, blend the scotch bonnet pepper and the remaining half onion and add to the palm nut.
- Add the Banga spice, smoked fish, meat, seasoning powder, salt, crayfish, and Banga stick. Cover and leave to cook for another 10 minutes.
- Stir in and bitter leaves. Leave to simmer till thickened to your taste.
- Serve hot with starch, pounded yam, semolina, garri or fufu
