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Ofe onugbu
Ofe onugbu: Igbo bitter-leaf soup with beef, stockfish and cocoyam
Ofe onugbu is the soup Igbo families in Anambra and Enugu make for Sunday lunch and for visitors coming home at Christmas. Washed bitter leaf gives a gentle, pleasant bitterness, cocoyam paste thickens it, and beef, shaki (tripe), stockfish and dried fish add layer after layer of savoury flavour, all coloured by palm oil. It is eaten with pounded yam, eba or fufu, pinched up with the fingers. The mistake to avoid is using bitter leaf that hasn't been washed enough; it should taste only mildly bitter before it goes in. Chef's tip: frozen pre-washed bitter leaf from African grocers saves an hour of squeezing and rinsing.
- Total time
- 130 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the meats and fish
For the soup
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put 1 ⅓ lb beef (chuck or shin), 7 oz cleaned beef tripe (shaki), 3 ½ oz stockfish pieces, 1 onion, 2 beef stock cube and 1 tsp salt in a large pot with 250 ml of the 6 ¼ cups water. Cover and steam over a medium heat for 15 minutes to draw out the juices.
15 minStep 2: Add the rest of the water and simmer for 50 minutes, until the beef is tender.
50 minStep 3: Meanwhile, boil 10 ½ oz cocoyam (or taro) in a separate pan of water for 20–25 minutes until a knife slides through. Peel while warm and pound or blend with a few spoons of the stock into a smooth, thick paste.
25 minStep 4: Add 3 ½ oz smoked dried fish, ½ cup red palm oil, 3 tbsp ground dried crayfish, 1 scotch bonnet chilli and 1 tbsp ogiri (fermented seasoning) to the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 5: Drop in small lumps of the cocoyam paste. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, then stir until the lumps dissolve and the soup thickens to a velvety coat.
12 minStep 6: Squeeze 5 ½ oz washed bitter leaf firmly and taste a leaf: it should be only faintly bitter. If it is sharp, rinse and squeeze it again.
Step 7: Stir in the bitter leaf and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste for salt. The beef should pull apart easily. Serve hot with pounded yam, eba or fufu.
5 minStep 8: Cool leftovers within 2 hours and keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze. Reheat until bubbling all the way through.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 27 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ofe onugbu take?
- About 130 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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