Ofe Ugba, Ugba Soup
It is basically okro soup with ugba (Ukpaka, processed oil bean seed).
Ingredients
- Beef
- Stockfish
- Dry fish
- ⅓ cup ground crayfish
- Snail (cleaned)
- 2 teaspoons Cameroun pepper
- 2 seasoning cubes
- 1 medium onion (1 cup chopped)
- 250 g okro small bunch Ugu leaves
- Isam (Periwinkle)
- ½ cup palm oil
- 1 small akanwu (Potash)
- 1 ½ cups Ugba
- 4 scotch bonnet (chopped)
- salt
Instructions
- Wash meat and stockfish, put them in a pot and add some onion slices, water, salt and seasoning cube. Cook until tender.
- Cut and pound okro, grate or finely chop them, set aside.
- Rinse periwinkle and set aside.
- Wash dry fish.
- Add dry fish, cleaned snail, Cameroun pepper, crayfish, seasoning cubes, and the rest of your onions to the boiling meat with some water.
- Mix 1 tablespoon akanwu powder (or small piece) to 4 tablespoons water, set aside to settle a little.
- Pour palm oil into a large bowl, add some of the akanwu water and using a wooden spoon, stir until the colour changes and becomes thick and uniform. You can add a little more of the akanwu water if it is cracking. This is called Ncha.
- Mix ugba with the Ncha.
- Add okro, shredded ugu, periwinkles and scotch bonnet, stir and cook for 3-5 minutes until tender.
- Scoop in your ugba with the ncha and stir. Tastes for salt.
- Cover and cook 1 minute, take off the heat.
- Serve with any swallow of your choice.
Notes
- If your ugba isn't well fermented, leave it tightly wrapped in its original wrap at room temperature for a few days. Keep checking it. Once ugba is placed in the fridge, it won't ferment further.
- When you grate or pound your okro, leave some in rounds just for aesthetics.
- If you don't have potash, substitute with baking soda.
