Ingredients:
500gms Assorted Meat
1 Medium Size Fresh Fish (Preferably Catfish)
2-3 Pieces of Stockfish/Panla ( preferably the head)
1 Medium Size Smoked fish
1 Tablespoon Crayfish
2 Tablespoons Dry Ground Pepper or 3 Fresh Yellow Atarodo
1 Small Chunk of Ogiri Okpei/Dawadawa
2-3 Tablespoons Uziza Leaves OR
1 Tablespoon Utazi or Both
2 Calabash Nutmeg seed (Ehuru)
1 Uda pod
1 Teaspoon Uziza seeds (If you can’t get Ehuru, Uda or Uziza seeds, just use 2 tablespoons pepper soup spice)
4 Medium Slices of Yam
2 Knorr Cubes
Salt to taste
Preparation:
1. Uziza seeds, Ehuru, and Uda should be pounded or ground until smooth in a dry mill before being left aside.
2.If you're using dried leaves, soak them beforehand to get rid of any dirt and give them a little boost. Otherwise, wash and slice your utazi and uziza.
3. Heat a pot on the stovetop to medium heat, then add the stockfish, any tough meats, and enough water to cover. I'm starting with this because my stockfish was pretty challenging. In addition to the crayfish, add 1 Knorr cube, 1 tablespoon powdered pepper, and salt to taste. When adding fresh yellow atarodo, roughly mix first. Cook the stockfish until it is tender.
NOTE: Do periodically check and top it with water as needed. I had to do this at least three times with my container.
4. Boil the yam until it is tender while that is cooking. After that, simply pound in a mortar or use a blender or food processor, then set aside...
5. To make my yam less viscous and dissolve more quickly, I used extra boiling water than usual...
6. Add the ground Uziza seeds, Uda, and Ehuru, or pepper soup spice, along with the remaining crayfish when it's tender. Then, after dissolving the Ogiri/Dawadawa in water, add everything and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
7. Add the cleaned fresh fish and smoked fish at this point. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 7 to 10 minutes...
8. After removing the fresh fish, you might want to shred your cooked stockfish and put it back to the broth; however, I prefer to leave mine whole. Now, depending on how much soup you need, add more water to the broth.
9. Check for seasoning. When adding salt, keep in mind that your soup already contains salt and just add the second Knorr cube if necessary.
10. Add the pounded yam or other recommended thickener at this time. To avoid your soup becoming lumpy when using achi, mix it with water before adding. Give the mixture a thorough toss, then let it cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the yam is totally dissolved.
11. Return the fresh fish to the saucepan and stir gently, being careful not to break the fish with a spoon. Add the cleaned Utazi, Uziza, or both at this point.
Note: Utazi is fairly bitter; if you add too much, your soup will become quite bitter and unpalatable. You can also add more leaves than I did; but, I personally don't like Ofe Nsala when theres too much much leaves inside
10. Turn the heat off and leave to simmer for 2-3 minutes. And it’s done….
For more soup recipes please check my other articles below
Esewi Ogbebor 15 w
Great