Ofe Owerri made easy: A clean, authentic cooking guide

Ofe Owerri is a rich, flavorful traditional Nigerian soup, indigenous to the Owerri people of Imo State, It is known as one of the most luxurious soups in Eastern Nigeria due to its expensive assortment of meats and seafood, Igbo people say that “Onye n’eri ofe Owerri, obughi onye ogbenye” (one who eats Ofe Owerri is not poor).It is a way to show warmth and generosity to family and guests.The delicacy is typically made with a thickener like “ede”(cocoyam),”ofo’’or “achi” and features a unique blend of vegetables, like “ugu” and “okazi”.

Ingredients

Assorted meat(cow meat,goat meat,cow leg,cow skin,etc) Dried fish Stock fish (Okporoko) Snails Coco yam Sliced ugu leaves Thinly sliced okazi leaves Palm oil Ogiri Igbo Grounded Crayfish Blended Fresh pepper Uziza leaves (optional) Seasoning cubes Salt Water

Read also: Achi soup: Soup that fits into current Nigerian economy

Preparations

Start my boiling your coco yams first in a pot until it is very soft

In a separate pot, add your meat,snails,stock fish and dried fish with seasoning cubes,blended pepper mix and salt, add little water to the pot and boil for 5 minutes first, to allow the meat soak up the ingredients then add enough water to the soup to get the desired quantity you are making and allow to boil until soft.

Peel off the back of the coco yam and pound till it is in paste form make sure it is soft before pounding.

Check the meat pot, if it’s tender, add the palm oil and ede together or any other thickener of choice like Ofo or Achi and allow it to dissolve.

Go in with your crayfish, blended pepper, ogiri igbo and okazi leaves, allow to heat for 3 minutes (the okazi leaf is added now because it takes time to get soft) *Taste to know if you need to add salt or seasoning to it, then add your ugu and uziza leaf to it ( it makes the soup have a pungent flavor kick).

Allow it to boil for a minute, bring it down from the heat and food is ready *Pair this with any swallow of your choice

Tips for the perfect Ofe-Owerri

Do not add onions to the soup, authentic ofe-owerri recipes generally avoid onions, as they can add an unwanted sweetness that is not traditional to the dish

Aim for a thick but not overly dense consistency; the soup thickens further as it cools.

Use quality ingredients, the rich assortment of proteins is what makes this soup special, so use a variety of quality meats and fish if you can.

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