Soups & Stews

Okoho Soup

Name: Okoho Soup
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 110 min
Total time: 160 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 1 medium fresh food-grade okoho stem (Cissus populnea, correctly identified and sold for cooking by a knowledgeable supplier); 600 g beef (Stewing cut, cubed); 120 g smoked dried fish (Cleaned and thoroughly deboned); 120 g ground egusi (Melon seed meal); 1 tbsp ground dried crayfish; 1 tsp ground okpehe (Fermented seasoning; check its ingredient label); 1 small Scotch bonnet pepper (Pounded); 0.75 tsp salt; 1800 ml water (1 litre for beef, 750 ml for extraction and about 50 ml for dumplings)

A drawing soup made with okoho stem extract, beef, smoked fish and small melon-seed dumplings. Okoho has a particular place in Idoma meals and gatherings, often beside pounded yam. The slippery body comes from soaking and squeezing prepared stems, a skill passed between cooks. Reports from Benue describe different family and restaurant versions, so no single combination of meat, seasoning or oil defines every pot. Cultural context: Strongly associated with Idoma cuisine; preparations vary, and neighbouring communities also eat it. This version contains no added oil.

Light-brown Okoho soup with beef cubes, deboned smoked fish pieces and rounded egusi dumplings.

35 minPreparation

110 minCooking

6Servings

Allow 15 additional minutes for resting / soaking. Total: 160 minutes.

What you’ll need

6 servings

1 medium fresh food-grade okoho stemCissus populnea, correctly identified and sold for cooking by a knowledgeable supplier
600 g beefStewing cut, cubed
120 g smoked dried fishCleaned and thoroughly deboned
120 g ground egusiMelon seed meal
1 tbsp ground dried crayfish
1 tsp ground okpeheFermented seasoning; check its ingredient label
1 small Scotch bonnet pepperPounded
0.75 tsp salt
1800 ml water1 litre for beef, 750 ml for extraction and about 50 ml for dumplings

Let’s get cooking

1
Simmer the beef with salt and 1 litre water for 60–80 minutes, until tender. Add fish, pepper and okpehe and simmer for 10 minutes.
2
During cooking, rinse the okoho stem, scrape away the outer layer and split the usable fibrous portion into thin strands, discarding the hard central wood. Rinse off any grit.
3
Place strands in a clean heatproof bowl and cover with 750 ml just-boiled water. Rest for 15 minutes. Once safely cool enough to handle, squeeze and work the strands with clean hands until the liquid is thick and slippery. Remove all stem fragments.
4
Combine egusi with crayfish and about 50 ml water, added gradually, into a firm paste. Shape teaspoon-sized balls and lower gently into the simmering beef broth. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, until firm and cooked through.
5
Lift meat, fish and dumplings onto a clean plate. Reduce the heat to very low. Stir the extracted okoho liquid into the broth and heat gently for 10 minutes; avoid vigorous boiling.
6
Return the meat, fish and dumplings, warm through for 5 minutes and adjust salt. Serve with pounded yam.

A little kitchen wisdom

Buy culinary okoho from a reliable supplier; do not forage a lookalike or substitute an unidentified vine Use a clean whisk or spoon, not an ordinary household broom, for mixing Onion is omitted in this version; sources disagree on additions The amount of extract obtained varies with the stem; keep the final soup flowing and drawing rather than diluted Timing: active preparation 35 min; cooking 110 min; additional passive time 15 min; conservative planning allowance 160 min. Some stages may overlap. For Recipe.ng display, prep_minutes includes the additional passive time; it is not all hands-on work. Recipe status: Research draft; not kitchen-tested. Allergens and checks: fish; crustaceans

Recipe notes & sources

Research draft; not kitchen-tested

Also known as: Okoho

Strongly associated with Idoma cuisine; preparations vary, and neighbouring communities also eat it. This version contains no added oil.

Allergens: fish, crustaceans

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Okoho Soup

35 minPreparation

110 minCooking

6Servings

Allow 15 additional minutes for resting / soaking. Total: 160 minutes.

What you’ll need

6 servings

1 medium fresh food-grade okoho stemCissus populnea, correctly identified and sold for cooking by a knowledgeable supplier

600 g beefStewing cut, cubed

120 g smoked dried fishCleaned and thoroughly deboned

120 g ground egusiMelon seed meal

1 tbsp ground dried crayfish

1 tsp ground okpeheFermented seasoning; check its ingredient label

1 small Scotch bonnet pepperPounded

0.75 tsp salt

1800 ml water1 litre for beef, 750 ml for extraction and about 50 ml for dumplings

Let’s get cooking

Simmer the beef with salt and 1 litre water for 60–80 minutes, until tender. Add fish, pepper and okpehe and simmer for 10 minutes.

During cooking, rinse the okoho stem, scrape away the outer layer and split the usable fibrous portion into thin strands, discarding the hard central wood. Rinse off any grit.

Place strands in a clean heatproof bowl and cover with 750 ml just-boiled water. Rest for 15 minutes. Once safely cool enough to handle, squeeze and work the strands with clean hands until the liquid is thick and slippery. Remove all stem fragments.

Combine egusi with crayfish and about 50 ml water, added gradually, into a firm paste. Shape teaspoon-sized balls and lower gently into the simmering beef broth. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, until firm and cooked through.

Lift meat, fish and dumplings onto a clean plate. Reduce the heat to very low. Stir the extracted okoho liquid into the broth and heat gently for 10 minutes; avoid vigorous boiling.

Return the meat, fish and dumplings, warm through for 5 minutes and adjust salt. Serve with pounded yam.