BITTER LEAVES SOUP (OFE ONUGBU)

Bitter leaves soup is a native food serve with a traditional clay plate from Eastern or Igbo part of Nigeria; the food is made with palm fruits squash and a native Eastern Cocoyam for thickness, serve with either Fufu, Eba or Pounded Yam.

INGREDIENTS Serves 4

– 100g Palm kernel

– 100g Periwinkle

– Shrimps

– Crayfish

– A handful or more Bitter leaves

– 100g Boiled seasoned Snail

– 2 or 3 Boiled dried Stockfish

– 2 smoked Stockfish

– 200g Boiled seasoned assorted Beef or Goat meat

– 5 pieces small yellow chilli peppers

– 1 oz Locust beans

– 6 or 7 pieces Cocoyam

-2-3 of cubes Maggi

-Salt to taste (Maggi may be enough)

METHOD

STEP 1         Boil the palm kernel and cocoyam till cooked and soft. (Wash the vegetable thoroughly)

STEP 2          Marsh the palm kernels with either hand or small mortar till the entire shaft are out, use a sieve to extract the palm oil.

STEP 3           Put the palm kernel’s palm oil in a thick pan, boil for 10 minutes, marsh the cocoyam to thicken the oil then stir, blend the yellow pepper inside, and add the entire ingredient except for the bitter-leaf and periwinkle. Add the meat /goat meat, shrimps, snail, crayfish, assorted meat, Maggi, salt, locust beans, dried and or smoked stockfishes. Cook for 15 minutes.

STEP 4          Check the soup if very thick,  add a little bit of water and the periwinkle, taste the seasoning if okay.

STEP 5           Wash the bitter leaves then squeeze out the bitter juice, chopped into slices and sprinkle into soup then leave for 10 minutes.

NOTE: Taste the soup if seasoning and recipes are okay especially pepper and salt, then serve with Garri (Eba cassava flour) Fufu or Pounded Yam

Tip: Wash the bitter leaves thoroughly with salt to reduce the bitterness.