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The inhabitants of Owerri, the capital of Imo state, are known for their Ofe Owerri soup. The ugu and okazi leaves are what make this soup special, though some people also include uziza or oha.
Another important component is the thickener, which might be ede (cocoyam), ofo, or achi.
An Igbo song, “onye n’ejighi ego ona eri ofe Owerri?” translated as “he who is not rich does not eat Ofe Owerri” popularized this delicacy. This is due to the fact that it is an expensive dish made with made using a variety of meats and seafood.
Ofe Owerri is literally one of Nigeria’s most expensive and controversial soups, made with various meat and fish portions including snails, dried fish, and stock fish.
How To Prepare Ofe Owerri
Here are a few tips from the All Nigerian Recipes platform on how to prepare this delicious meal.
Tips On The Ingredients
- You’ll need just enough cocoyam paste to achieve a medium thickness for the soup.
- The vegetables should not be too much in the soup.
- If you do not have habanero pepper, cayenne pepper is good too.
What To Do Before You Start Cooking Ofe Owerri
- Boil the meat and fish with the seasoning cubes till done.
- Cook the cocoyam till soft, peel and pound into a smooth paste with a mortar. You can also use your blender, see the video below.
- Pick the vegetables, rinse very well and chop the ugu into tiny pieces. Cut the okazi into thin slices.
- Soak the dry fish in water, when soft, clean, de-bone and break into small pieces.
- Chop the habanero peppers.
Ofe Owerri
Equipment
- Mortar and Pestle or Blender For the cocoyam
Ingredients
- Assorted Fish, Dry fish, Stock fish, Assorted Meat, Beef, Snails, Cow skin (ponmo)
- 10 corms medium cocoyams
- ½ cup palm oil
- ¼ cup ground crayfish
- Habanero pepper (to your taste)
- 4 small seasoning cubes
- 1 medium bunch ugu (Nigerian pumpkin leaves)
- 1 small bunch okazi (Afang leaves, Gnetum africanum)
Instructions
- Set the boiled meat on the stove. Top tip: the quantity of liquid in the pot should be just a bit less than the level of the meat and fish (see the video below).
- Add crayfish and the dry fish. Cover and leave to boil.
- When it boils, add the palm oil and the cocoyam paste (in lumps). Cover and continue cooking on high heat.
- Once the soup thickens, you can see the consistency in the video below, take off the undissolved cocoyam paste (if any).
- Add the chopped peppers and the vegetables.
- Cover and once it boils again, add salt if necessary.
- Stir very well and transfer the soup to a cool container immediately so the veggies will remain green.
