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My Kitchen Today: Ofe Owerri


  Ofe Owerri, is made up of two key words
Ofe”  which means soup and “Owerri” which is the capital of Imo state. It is a
 very popular traditional vegetable soup from the Igbo people of Eastern Nigeria particularly the people of Owerri, Imo state, Nigeria.
It is usually prepared with four different vegetable leaves, Okazi, Ugu and Uziza or Oha, I will be using the Uziza leaves due to it's availability; dried leaves can be used when the fresh ones are unavailable.
Another major  ingredient used in the preparation of this delicacy is the Cocoyam, which serves as a thickener; particularly the red Cocoyam, alternatively, you can use Achi.
 Ingredients(For a medium size pot of soup)
.8  Fresh Okazi leaves(Thinly sliced and washed)
.10 Fresh Ugu leaves( sliced and washed)
.3-4 Fresh Uziza Leaves (sliced and washed)
.600g Assorted meats such as Beef, Goat meat, Ponmo, Shaki, Cow leg are ideal
.A cup of Palm oil
.3-4 Medium Size Cocoyam (Ede)
.1- 2 Smoked Fish
.2-3 Stockfish/ Stockfish Head (Okporoko)
.3 Tablespoons Ground Crayfish
.1.5 Cup Smoked Prawns
.1 Tablespoon Ogiri
.2 Tablespoons Ground Dry pepper
.Seasoned Cubes
.Salt to taste

Preparation:
.Wash and boil your meats with a large amount of water. Start with the tougher meats like Cow leg, Shaki, Ponmo ;When they’re slightly tender, add beef or other softer meats
The stock from  the meats will serve as the base for your Ofe Owerri, so make sure it is well seasoned. 
.When all the meats are tender, add the Stockfish, leave to cook till soft. This will give you enough stock
.While the meats are boiling, boil the Cocoyam with the skin on, do not add salt, boil till tender. This should take roughly 15 minutes on medium heat…
.When the Cocoyams  are soft, gently peel the skin off and pound till smooth in a mortar. Alternatively, chop them into small chunks, add some hot water then purée in your electric blender till smooth, set aside…
.Soak the diced leaves respectively into warm salted water; If you’re using dried leaves, soak in water hot water for 2 minutes to remove all traces of sand and dirt
.  Soak the smoked fish to remove traces of dirt
.When the meats and fish are all soft, add crayfish, smoked prawns, then add the ground pepper. Leave to boil for 3 minutes, then reduce the heat 
. Add the blended/pounded Cocoyam into the stock in small quantities and stir thoroughly, do not to add too much so as not to ruin your fluid consistency  
.Stir and combine, leave to cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the Palm Oil….
.Add the Ogiri, leave to cook for 3 minutes, ensure the palm oil is well combined. Taste for salt and seasoning, adjust if necessary. Instead of going overboard with spices, try adding more crayfish instead, this will up the taste of your Ofe Owerri really well….
.Now, add the smoked fish, you can shred it and add to the soup if you prefer. Leave to incorporate into the soup for 2 minutes. 
Then add the washed and sliced Okazi leaves, leave to cook for 2 minutes…
Add the Ugu and Uziza leaves, if you’re using frozen Ugu,  switch the heat off and continue to simmer with the residual heat for a further 3 minutes. If you’re using fresh Ugu, leave to cook for 3 minutes, then simmer with the residual heat for 2 minutes…
And it’s ready…
    Ofe Owerri can be consumed with Pounded Yam, Garri (Eba) or any swallow of your choice…Yummy, Yummy😋😋😋
I bet you want to try this husband snatching soup....


 
 











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