NIGERIAN DISHES

Welcome to this month's post. This month's featured menu is banga soup. Banga soup is one of the most popular soups in the south of Nigeria. It is mostly enjoyed by people of the Delta region. Owho is especially viewed by the Urhobos of the Delta region as a traditional soup, hence, it is cooked for the bridegroom during a traditonal Urhobo marriage ceremony. The bridegroom with his family and friends would feast on the owho soup served with Usi, boiled yam and plantain during the welcoming ceremony for the bride later in the evening. Now, read, cook and enjoy yourself....WADO....O

BANGA (PALM FRUIT) SOUP

Recipe:

Ripe Banga

Umeno (banga stick)
Ataiko
Iregeje
Ground fresh or dry pepper
Ground egusi
Chopped okra
Fresh fish
Dry fish
Periwinkle
Crayfish
Bitter leaves flakes
Obeletete leaves flakes
Salt
Seasoning

Method:
1. Wash and put the banga on the fire. Boil till properly cooked.
2. Drain and mash to extract the juice.
3. Using a conical strainer, squeeze the chaff to extract the juice adding little amount of water along the way. Do not add too much water to avoid your soup becoming too light.
4. Put the soup on the fire, add the ground pepper and throw in the umeno.
5. Bring to the boil
6. Meanwhile grind the remaining spices
7. Add the ground spices and continue boiling.
8. Add the crayfish.
9. Add the dry fish and periwinkle
10. Add the fresh fish, reduce the heat and allow to simmer.
11. Add the ground egusi and chopped okra to thicken the soup.
12. Season.
13. Add the salt.
14. Allow the fish to cook without breaking up.
15. Add the Obeletete and bitter leaves flakes.
16. To serve, place an evwere (small earthen pot) on fire. Allow to heat and dish the soup into it. Allow to boil and be thickened.
17. Remove from heat and serve in the evwere. Serve with Usi (cooked cassava starch), eba, fufu, pounded yam or Semovita.


OWHO (PALM OIL SOUP)

Recipe:
Palm Oil (Native palm oil)
Dry fish or Fresh fish
Crayfish
Prawns
Ground fresh or dry pepper
Ground fresh tomatoes (optional)
Bitter leaves
Lime leaves
Ikawun
Uweru
Starch
Water
Salt
Seasoning

Method:
1. Combine the pepper, tomatoes with water and put on fire. Bring to the boil.
2. Add the crayfish, prawns and fish.
3. Chop bitter leaves and lime leaves and add.
4. Add seasoning and salt.
5. Add the oil.
6. Dilute the starch with water and stir into the soup to thicken. Stir well to avoid the soup having lump.
7. Crush the ikawun and uweru, add to the soup and continue stirring to prevent the soup boiling over.
8. Remove from heat and serve with usi, boiled yam, plantain or cocoyam.

Hope you'll enjoy eating banga and owho soups. Please do not forget to leave a comment. Remember to request for any ingredient you cannot easily lay your hands on here for a quote and method of payment.

NIGERIAN DISHES

Welcome to the first post on this site. Our first featured recipe for is Pepper Soup.

Pepper Soup is very popular in the Southern part of Nigeria. It has its root in the Niger Delta. A very spicy soup, it could be served for luncheon, buffet, dinner, alone as a starter or as a main dish with boiled yam, plantain or rice.

It is one of my favourite.

Now relax and enjoy your meal. WADO...O.

PEPPER SOUP (BASIC RECIPE)

Recipe:

Iwo (Ere in Urhobo)}Pepper Soup Spices*

Gbafilo } "
Omilo } "
Urienrien (Unien) } "
Yanyan } "
Onion } Optional
Fresh tomato } "
Ground dry or fresh pepper
Crayfish
Dried Obeletete leaf flakes
Dried bitter leaf flakes
Chopped lime leaves } Optional
Lemon grass }

Salt

Seasoning
Water

Method:
1. Shell the Iwo, Gbafilo and Omilo.

2. Extract the Urienrien seed.#

3. Ground all the spices dry or wet with little water.

4. Combine the grounded spices and pepper with water in a sauce pan and put on the fire.

5. Add the crayfish and bring to the boil.

6. Add a little quantity steamed fresh tomato and the onion.

7. Add the chopped lime or lemon gratings.

8. Add the salt and seasoning and allow to continue to boil.

9. Reduce your heat and allow to simmer.

10. Add the beletete and bitter leaf flakes.
11. Thicken with mashed boiled yam if required.
12. Correct the seasoning
13. Serve hot with boiled yam or plaintain or both. Serve palm oil separately.
*You can roast the Iwo seed to improve the flavor and enhance the taste of the soup.
#The Urienrien seeds have a slightly bitter taste. Extract and dicard the seed to enhance the quality of the soup.

VARIATIONS:

FISH PEPPER SOUP

Recipe:

Basic recipe with fish.

Method:

1. Cut up the fish into sizes.

2. Proceed as for basic recipe.

3. After bringing the soup to the boil, add the fish and cook till tender. Care must be taken however not to break the fish in pieces.

4. Follow up as for basic recipe above.

GOAT MEAT PEPPER SOUP

Recipe:

As for Fish Pepper Soup substituting goat meat for fish.

Method:

1. Cut up the goat meat.

2. Thoroughly wash up the cut up goat meat, put on fire, add the pepper and bring to the boil.

3. Cook till almost tender, add the remaining spices. Cook till meat is tender and finish up as for basic recipe.

PORK PEPPER SOUP.
Recipe:

Pork

Iwo (Ere in Urhobo)} Spices

Gbafilo } “

Omilo } “

Chopped Lime leaves

Lemon grass

Ground fresh or dry pepper

Seasoning

Salt

Water

Method:

1. Cut up the pork

2. Thoroughly wash the cut up pork, put on fire, add the pepper and bring to the boil.

3. Shell and ground the spices and add to the boiling meat, boil till almost tender.

4. Add the chopped lime leaves and lemon grass.

5. Season.

6. Allow to simmer.

7. Check and correct the seasoning.

8. Serve hot.

CHICKEN PEPPER SOUP

Recipe:

As for goat meat pepper soup substituting chicken for goat meat.

Method:

Proceed as for goat meat pepper soup.

EGUSI PEPPER SOUP

Recipe:

Ground egusi (melon seed)

Fresh fish

Dry fish

Beef

Kpomo (cow skin)

Crayfish

Periwinkle

Urienrien

Iwo

Ground dry or fresh pepper.

Onion

Salt

Seasoning

Water

Method:

1. Wash the kpomo thoroughly to remove all traces of sand, put on fire, and boil till tender.

2. Wash the beef, add the onion and put on fire to cook.

3. Combine the grounded pepper and pepper soup spices with the beef stock and put on fire.

4. Add the crayfish and dry fish. Allow to boil.

5. Add the egusi.

6. Meanwhile, clean and wash the periwinkle.

7. Add the kpomo, beef and periwinkle.

8. Add the salt and seasoning.

9. Add the fresh fish and allow to simmer till fresh fish is cooked without breaking up.

10. Correct consistency. The is not a drinking soup like the plain pepper soup and so the consistency should be that of a broth.

11. Correct the seasoning.

12. Serve with Eba, Fufu, Pounded yam or Semovita (or Semolina).

IGBAGBA (OKRA PEPPER SOUP)

Recipe:

As for egusi pepper soup substituting okra for egusi.

Method:

As for egusi pepper soup.

Pepper soup is very spicy. Please remember to have a glass of cold water  by your side.

Please do not forget to leave a comment. Remember to request for any ingredient you cannot easily lay your hands on here for a quote and method of payment.