Naija Delicacy: How to prepare delicious Bitterleaf soup (Ofe'onugbu)

To cook a very tasty meal one must pay lots of attention to, not just the ingredients, but the methods.  For instance, if a particular part of your cooking is over-done or under-cooked, it affects the final outcome. 

To start with, you'll need to ensure that all your required ingredients are available.

For a small pot of soup for a family of six, you'll require:

(1) 1\2 kilo of meat cow, goat, or chiken. 

(2)  Some freshly washed bitterleaf

(3)  1\4 kilo of pounded cocoayam

(4)  Pieces of stockfish (Okporoko) and some piece of dry fish (Mangala or catfish)  

(5) Palm oil

(6) Local Igbo (Ogili)\ 1wrap  

(7) Conventional spice (Knorr or Maggi)

(8) Ground crayfish 

(9) Salt

(10) Ground dry pepper

                  How to prepare 

Cut the meat to size, put in a moderate pot. 

Add some stockfish. 

Add water a little above meat level in pot. 

Add 2 cubes of Maggi or Knorr. 

Add salt to taste.  

Allow meat to cook till it's soft to taste.

  Note: The softer the meat the more delicious your soup will turn out as your spices would have permeated it properly.

Add your properly washed bitterleaf in the boiling pot of meat.

  Note: If you bought your bitterleaf pre-washed at the market, do spare some time to briefly boil and wash them again as they are not always thoroughly done by the sellers. 

Allow to cook for 10 minutes while the pot is left open. Do not cover pot. 

Add molds of your pounded cocoayam into the boiling pot. This acts as a thickener, be mindful not to add too much. 

Add 5 spoons of grounded crayfish. 

Stir soup intermittently

Add 2 spoons of pepper to wrap of Ogili and stir in a mortar. 

Add the paste to the cooking soup. 

Add some dry fish. 

Allow soup to cook until cocoayam mold completely dissolve. 

Stir and bring down

Enjoy.