Ofe Onugbu (Bitterleaf Soup)

Name: Ofe Onugbu (Bitterleaf Soup)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 85 min
Total time: 115 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 600 g stewing beef (cut into 4 cm pieces); 150 g smoked fish (bones and skin removed); 250 g cocoyam corms (edible soup-thickening variety); 150 g prepared bitterleaf (washed, squeezed and chopped); 100 ml red palm oil; 3 tbsp ground dried crayfish; 1 tsp ogiri Igbo (commercially prepared; optional); 1 Scotch bonnet pepper (finely chopped; adjust to taste); 1 stock cube (optional); 1200 ml water (plus extra as needed); to taste salt

A savoury soup of prepared bitterleaf, tender beef and smoked fish, thickened with cocoyam. In Igbo cooking, onugbu names both the bitterleaf vegetable and a much-loved soup. Washing the leaves is part of the preparation, allowing their distinctive flavour to remain without overwhelming the broth. Nigerian cooks document several versions; cocoyam and ogiri are characteristic of this one. Cultural context: This is a cocoyam-thickened Igbo preparation. Bitterleaf is also used in other Nigerian cuisines; those dishes are not all ofe onugbu.

Ofe onugbu bitterleaf soup in a cooking pot

Onugbu_Soup_in_Pot2.jpg by Asuzu Obinna Justin, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · CC BY-SA 4.0

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30 minPreparation

85 minCooking

6Servings

What you’ll need

6 servings

Let’s get cooking

1
Simmer the beef with the stock cube and 1 litre water for 50–65 minutes, until tender. Add water if the pan is drying out.
2
Meanwhile, scrub the cocoyam and boil in a separate pan for 25–35 minutes, until completely soft. Drain, cool enough to handle, peel and mash smooth. Do not taste it raw.
3
Rinse the prepared bitterleaf. If still too bitter, simmer it separately for 10–15 minutes, drain and rinse again.
4
Add the fish, crayfish, pepper, ogiri and palm oil to the beef. Adjust the broth to about 1 litre and simmer 8 minutes.
5
Stir in small spoonfuls of cocoyam paste and the bitterleaf. Simmer 10–15 minutes, stirring the bottom gently, until the paste disperses and the leaves are tender. Loosen with the remaining water as needed.
6
Check the salt and serve with akpu, eba or pounded yam.

A little kitchen wisdom

Use prepared edible bitterleaf from a trusted food seller, rather than unidentified foraged leaves. The soup should coat a spoon without becoming a solid cocoyam paste. Timing: active preparation 30 min; cooking 85 min; additional passive time 0 min; conservative planning allowance 115 min. Some stages may overlap. Recipe status: Research draft; not kitchen-tested. Allergens and checks: Fish; Crustaceans (crayfish); Check stock cube and ogiri labels

Recipe notes & sources

Research draft; not kitchen-tested

Also known as: Bitter leaf soup

This is a cocoyam-thickened Igbo preparation. Bitterleaf is also used in other Nigerian cuisines; those dishes are not all ofe onugbu.

Allergens: Fish, Crustaceans (crayfish), Check stock cube and ogiri labels