A RECIPE FOR BITTER LEAF SOUP (OFE ONUGBU)

Ingredients

• Washed and
  squeezed bitterleaf – A handful
• 10 small
  corms Cocoyam
• 3 cooking
  spoons Red Palm Oil
• Assorted
  Beef: Includes best cut, shaki (cow tripe)
• Assorted
  Fish: Dry Fish and Stock Fish
• Pepper, salt
  and ground crayfish (to
  taste)
• 3 stock cubes
• 1 teaspoon
  Ogiri Igbo (traditional seasoning) 

Notes on the
ingredients:

1. If you are
   outside Nigeria, you can use dried, washed and squeezed bitter leaves but
   you need to first of all make the bitter leaves
   soft and fresh again before adding them to the soup.
2. If you cannot
   buy cocoyam corms where you live, you can use cocoyam flour. An alternative
   to cocoyam flour is potato flour. See how to prepare the cocoyam flour or
   potato flour before adding it to your soup at: How to Cook Nigerian Soups
   with Flour as Thickener.
3. Ogiri Igbo is
   optional; it gives Bitterleaf Soup a traditional taste.

Before you cook Bitterleaf Soup

1. Make sure
   that the bitter leaves are well washed, such that there is no trace of
   bitterness left. If not, wash and squeeze it more. If the bitterness
   cannot be completely washed off (which is usually the case with most
   washed bitter leaves sold in the market), boil it for about 15 minutes and
   wash in cold water.
2. Wash and cook
   the cocoyam till soft. Remove the peels and use a mortar and pestle to
   pound the corms to a smooth paste.

Cooking Directions

1. Boil the
   shaki (cow tripe), stock fish and dry fish in 1 litre of water till they
   are well done. First sign of a done shaki is that the cuts will start
   curling on itself.
2. Wash the beef
   and add to the pot of shaki etc. and continue cooking. When the meat is
   done, add 3 cubes of Maggi/Knorr and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add pepper,
   ground crayfish, bitter leaves (if they have not been parboiled) and cook
   for 10 minutes. Then add the cocoyam paste (in small lumps) and the palm
   oil then go to step 5.
   Note: If the bitter leaves were parboiled to remove the
   bitterness, then for step 3; add pepper, ground crayfish, the cocoyam
   paste (in small lumps), the bitter leaves and the palm oil. In other
   words, add all the ingredients at this stage.
4. Cover the pot
   and leave to cook on high heat till all the cocoyam lumps have dissolved.
   You can add more water if you feel that the soup is too thick.
5. Add salt to
   taste and the soup is ready

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ILU AJE (TOWN OF WITCHES): A TOWN IN OYO STATE