Soups & Stews

Ogbono Soup

Name: Ogbono Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 110 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 120 g ground ogbono (freshly milled culinary African bush-mango kernels); 600 g stewing beef (cubed); 150 g smoked fish (deboned); 80 ml red palm oil; 150 g ugu leaves (washed and finely sliced); 3 tbsp ground dried crayfish; 1 small onion (chopped); 1 Scotch bonnet pepper (crushed); 1 stock cube (optional); 1300 ml water (plus extra if needed); to taste salt

A silky, stretchy soup thickened with ground African bush-mango kernels, with beef, fish and ugu. Ogbono belongs to the family often called draw soups because of the way the cooked soup stretches from a spoon. Ground bush-mango kernels supply that texture. Nigerian cooks document versions with leafy greens, without greens, and combined with other thickeners; this one uses a modest amount of ugu. Cultural context: Ofe ogbono is an Igbo name for a soup now cooked across many Nigerian communities. This recipe does not assign exclusive ownership to one group.

Ogbono draw soup with greens, meat or fish and periwinkles

Photo by Xtacywura · CC BY-SA 4.0

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20 minPreparation

90 minCooking

6Servings

What you’ll need

6 servings

Let’s get cooking

1
Simmer beef with onion, stock cube and 1 litre water for 50–65 minutes, until tender. Lift out the meat and measure the broth; top it up to about 1 litre.
2
Warm palm oil gently in a second pot, then remove from the heat. Stir in ground ogbono to make a smooth paste.
3
Whisk in hot broth a ladle at a time. Return to low heat and stir as the soup develops its stretchy texture.
4
Add beef, fish, crayfish and pepper. Simmer 15–20 minutes, stirring frequently along the bottom. Use remaining water to loosen it as needed.
5
Fold in ugu and simmer 3–5 minutes. Season and serve with eba, akpu or pounded yam.

A little kitchen wisdom

Do not fry the ground kernels in smoking-hot oil. Use fresh-smelling ogbono and store unused ground kernels airtight in the refrigerator or freezer. Timing: active preparation 20 min; cooking 90 min; additional passive time 0 min; conservative planning allowance 110 min. Some stages may overlap. Recipe status: Research draft; not kitchen-tested. Allergens and checks: Fish; Crustaceans (crayfish); Contains bush-mango kernels; assess individual seed allergies; Check stock cube label

Recipe notes & sources

Research draft; not kitchen-tested

Also known as: Ofe ogbono, Draw soup

Ofe ogbono is an Igbo name for a soup now cooked across many Nigerian communities. This recipe does not assign exclusive ownership to one group.

Allergens: Fish, Crustaceans (crayfish), Contains bush-mango kernels; assess individual seed allergies, Check stock cube label