Ofe Achara also called Akpuruakpu Egusi in igbo which means moulded egusi that should remain solid and intact by the time the soup is done such that the person enjoying the soup can bite into and chew them like meat. Traditonally this soup is prepared with dry fish and stock fish alone but you can use meat if you like.
Ingredients:
.300g egusi (melon) seeds
.40g ósú
.1 handful of sliced okazi leaves
.1 cup of broken pieces of 15 stalks of achara
(Achara means the Elephant grass, the Asparagus leaf can be used alternatively)
.2 cooking spoons of palm oil
.3 pieces of stock fish
. 1 dry cat fish
. 1 ogiri okpei
. 3 small stock cubes
. Habanero pepper called ' Atarodo' in yoruba
.1 handful of crayfish
.1/2 teaspoon of dry pepper
. Salt (to taste)
. Alternatively Ofo or Achi can be used as thickeners if you want it very thick
Tools for Use:
Spice grinder for grinding egusi (melon) seeds, crayfish, Ósú and ogiri okpei.
Procedure before you cook:
.Soak the stockfish and dry fish with lukewarm water to soften and to remove dirt.When soft, clean thoroughly and debone.
.Grind the egusi seeds and the ósú with a dry mill.
.Grind the crayfish with the ogiri okpei, also with a dry mill or spice grinder.
.Peel the Achara by removing the coarse outer husk till you get to the tender part. Then break the tender part into pieces that are a bit long. Any part of the shoot that is not brittle (easily breakable), should be discarded
. Rinse the pieces of Achara and set aside.
.Pound the Habanero pepper with a mortar or grind with a hand blender.
Cooking Directions
.Cook the stockfish with the stock cubes till it tutns soft and pour some of the stock into a bowl.
.Pour 70% of the ground egusi into a clean dry bowl.
.Season the egusi with dry pepper and some of the mixed blended crayfish and ogiri okpei. It's important to season the egusi very well so that the moulded egusi will not taste bland when one bites into it.
.Add some of the fish stock to the egusi and mix till a thick dough is formed.
.Mold the egusi dough into flat discs, as big as a coin and set aside.
.Boil some water and throw the molded egusi into the pot of boiling water
. Cook for 10 minutes on medium heat.
.Set the pot of stockfish on the stove. It should still contain some stock from cooking the stockfish. If not, add the water from boiling the egusi balls.
.Add the deboned dry fish, habanero pepper and the remaining crayfish and ogiri okpei blend and bring to a boil.
.Once it boils, take off the fish and set aside.
.Add the remaining ground egusi to the stock, stir and cook till you see some clear egusi oil come to the surface. This should take 15 to 20 minutes
. Stir the soup often so it does not burn. Add the water you used in boiling the molded egusi when necessary.
.Once you are sure you see some clear oil at the top, add palm oil and cook for 5 minutes.
.Add the boiled akpuruakpu egusi( moulded egusi), achara, okazi and the fish we took out earlier.
. You can add Achi or Ofo at this point if you are using it to make it thicker
.Add salt to your taste, cover and once it boils again, it is done!
Serve with any swallow of your choice especially Akpu.😋😋😄
Happychef@wissy
#dwomansblog.blogspot.com
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