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Owo soup with fish
Owo: the Urhobo and Isoko yellow palm-oil soup, thickened with starch and served with boiled plantain
Owo looks almost like custard: palm oil is whisked with a little potash water until it turns from red to a creamy yellow, then thickened with cassava starch and seasoned with crayfish and pepper. Urhobo and Isoko homes in Delta State serve it with boiled unripe plantain or yam, which you dip and scoop rather than swallow, and it is a favourite on market days because it is quick once the fish is ready. Fresh or smoked fish both work; many cooks use both. Too much potash makes the soup soapy and bitter, so add the strained potash water little by little and stop as soon as the colour changes. The usual mistake is pouring in the potash too fast, which splits the palm oil instead of turning it smooth and yellow. Chef's tip: mix the starch with cold water first, then pour it into the pot in a thin stream while stirring, or it will set in lumps.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the fish
- 1 ⅓ lb fresh fish steakscatfish, croaker or tilapia, cleaned
- 3 ½ oz smoked dried fishdeboned, rinsed
- 1 onionchopped
- 1 stock cubefish or vegetable
- 3 cups water
For the owo
- 1 tsp potash (kaun)crushed; or 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ cup waterfor the potash
- 4 tbsp cassava starchor tapioca starch
- ¾ cup cold waterfor the starch
- ½ cup red palm oil
- 2 tbsp ground crayfish
- 1 tsp dried chilli powderor 2 fresh scotch bonnets, pounded
- ½ tsp saltto taste
To serve
- 3 unripe plantains (optional)peeled and halved
- 1 ⅛ lb yam (optional)peeled and cut into thick slices
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Dissolve 1 tsp potash (kaun) in ¼ cup water, leave for 5 minutes for the grit to settle, then pour off the clear liquid and throw away the sediment.
5 minStep 2: Put 1 ⅓ lb fresh fish steaks, 3 ½ oz smoked dried fish, 1 onion and 1 stock cube in a pot with 3 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until the fresh fish is opaque and flakes at the bone.
12 minStep 3: Lift the fish out carefully onto a plate and keep it warm. Keep the stock simmering. Meanwhile, boil 3 unripe plantains or 1 ⅛ lb yam in salted water in another pot until a knife slides in easily.
20 minStep 4: Stir 4 tbsp cassava starch into ¾ cup cold water until completely smooth. Pour it into the simmering stock in a thin stream, stirring all the time, and cook until it thickens and turns from cloudy white to glassy.
4 minStep 5: Add 2 tbsp ground crayfish and 1 tsp dried chilli powder and simmer for 2 minutes.
2 minStep 6: Turn the heat to low. Pour in ½ cup red palm oil while stirring, then add the potash water a tablespoon at a time, stirring after each. Stop when the soup turns a smooth, creamy yellow-orange with no oil floating on top.
3 minStep 7: Taste and add ½ tsp salt. Return the fish to the pot and warm through for 2 minutes.
2 minStep 8: Serve hot in bowls with the boiled plantain or yam on the side for dipping.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 29 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does owo soup with fish take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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.
- What can I use instead of dried chilli powder?
- Cayenne, half the amount (hotter).
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