How to Cook Ofe Owerri, 7 easy steps

Ofe Owerri is very delicious. It’s a popular soup for the Owerri people. With the name of the soup, I am sure you will be anticipating a soup that will be very delicious. Yes, indeed Ofe Owerri is sweet. Owerri soup is peculiar to the people, I have some friends who are from Imo state and they are always excited to talk about their local soup and how it is prepared.

This soup is usually used by Owerri people to entertain their visitors. Ofe Owerri is prepared with  ugu and okazie, although some people add uziza or oha to theirs, its just like some native soup eaten by the eastern people just that this soup is particular to the Owerri people.

Another major ingredient is the thickener used, which vary such as ede (cocoyam), ofo or achi. Most people prefer cocoyam for thickening but the process is very stressful, so some lazy people like myself would go for the already blended achi, or ofor for thickening.

Musicians have about this indigenous dish like, ‘oye ne were ego, o ne ri ofe Owerri’. This translates “If you do not have money, do you eat ‘Ofe Owerri? Ofe Owerri is one soup Owerri talk about with pride. Don’t dare to look down on an on an Owerri man when he is feeling really excited about his native soup.

Ofe Owerri can be eaten with semolina, fufu, garrri, or plantain flow and etc.

Ingredients for cooking Ofe Owerri

You do not need to spend so mch to be able to cook ofe owerri, its a simple soup with affordable ingredients, you only have to pick the ingredients and qantity according to your pocket and the quantity of soup you will loved to make.

• Assorted Fish
  • Dry fish
  • Stockfish
• Assorted Meat
  • Beef
  • Snails
  • Cowskin (ponmo)
• 10 corms medium cocoyams
• ½ cup palm oil
• ¼ cup ground crayfish
• Habanero pepper (to your taste)
• 4 small seasoning cubes
• 1 medium bunch ugu (Nigerian pumpkin leaves)
• 1 small bunch okazi (Afang leaves, Gnetum africanum)

Tools and utensils you’ll need to make aoafe Owerri

• You’ll need mortar and pestle to pound the cocoyam. You can also use a blender.

You must know this about Ofe Owerri Ingredients

1. You’ll need just enough cocoyam paste to achieve a medium thickness for the soup.
2. The vegetables should not be too much in the soup.
3. If you do not have habanero pepper, cayenne pepper is good too.

Before you prepare Ofe Owerri

1. Boil the meat and fish with the seasoning cubes till done.
2. Cook the cocoyam till soft, peel and pound into a smooth paste with a mortar. You can also use your blender, see the video below.
3. Pick the vegetables, rinse very well and chop the ugu into tiny pieces. Cut the okazi into thin slices.
4. Soak the dry fish in water, when soft, clean, de-bone and break into small pieces.
5. Chop the habanero peppers.

Directions for making the Ofe Owerri

1. Set the boiled meat on the stove. Top tip: the quantity of liquid in the pot should be just a bit less than the level of the meat and fish (see the video below).
2. Add crayfish and the dry fish. Cover and leave to boil.
3. When it boils, add the palm oil and the cocoyam paste (in lumps). Cover and continue cooking on high heat.
4. Once the soup thickens, you can see the consistency in the video below, take off the undissolved cocoyam paste (if any).
5. Add the chopped peppers and the vegetables.
6. Cover and once it boils again, add salt if necessary.
7. Stir very well and transfer the soup to a cool container immediately so the veggies will remain green.