Ofe Onugbu – Bitter Leaf Soup

If i tell you this recipe for bitter leaf soup has been on my list since last summer would you believe me? Every time I bought bitter leaf, I ended up using it for something else and my cocoyam went into other dishes. This year I finally got my act together and made some delicious finger licking onugbu. Every food blogger makes their onugbu slightly differently but as long as we arrive at the same result right? While Onugbu is delicious, it also has its nutritional benefits to our bodies. Growing up, I saw my dad deal with diabetes and one of his favourite drinks became bitter leaf juice. It helped him regulate his blood sugar levels. It is also important to note that sometimes using the bitter leaf to make bitter-leaf juice may be more potent than having it in the soup.

Benefits of Bitter Leaves

– Regulates blood sugar levels and repairs impaired pancreas

– Bitter leaves act as an anti oxidant and helps take care of your kidney and liver

– It helps regulate cholesterol levels

– They also soothe swollen joints and helps eradicate the pain

Recipe for Bitter Leaf Soup

Ingredients

1 Pound of Beef

1/2 pound of Shaki (Beef Tripe)

4 medium pieces of cowfoot

2 small stockfish pieces

1 small dry fish

1/2 cup of crayfish

7 small chunks of cocoyam (boiled)

1.5 cups of washed bitter leaves (chopped)

1.5 cooking spoons of palm oil

1 teaspoon of Ogiri (fermented oil seeds)

Seasoning cubes

2 pieces of small yellow pepper chopped (habanero)

1 tablespoon of crayfish powder

Method

Season and boil all your meats and stockfish.

Pound the boiled cocoyam till smooth. If you do not have a mortar and pestle, you can use a blender or food processor to help you grind till smooth.

Add the dry fish and crayfish pieces to the pot of meats once they have softened and the chopped pepper and allow to boil for another 5minutes.

Add the ogiri into the pot at this stage. Please note that the strong smell of the ogiri will eventually minimize and be masked by the other ingredients.

Pour in the palm oil and scoop the cocoyam paste in little balls into the pot. Sprinkle the crayfish powder.

Add the washed bitter leaf (remember to reserve the juice to drink) to the pot and allow to simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes. Serve with any swallow of your choice.