Ofe Owerri
Ofe Owerri translates to Owerri (Good) Soup, owerri being the capital of Imo State in the South-East corner of Nigeria. You do not have to be from the part of the country to enjoy the soup, it’s extremely delicious and definitely adaptable to any palette.
There is often a bit of debate as to the traditional leave combination for the soup, some think it should be Ukazi and Ugu, others suggest okazi alone and some people think it’s Uziza. I personally think the only requirement for your leaf choice is that you want something strong and pungent. I wouldn’t use something without robust flavor like waterleave or regular vegetable. Okazi is a must then your choice of Uziza, Atama, Scent leave or bitter leave will work great in the soup.
Ingredient
- Precooked meat of choice , Stock fish and Smoked fish
- 1/2 cup dried Okazi leaves (I cup if using fresh leaves)
- ¼ cup crayfish powder
- 1 Teaspoon dried pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Achi (substitute cornstarch)
- ½ – 1 Cup Uziza leaves (fresh or dried) substitute Ugu leaves
- 1.5 cups Cocoyam paste (made by boiling and pounding cocoyam)
- ¼ cup palm oil
- Â Maggi and Salt to taste
Direction
- Combine the meat, fish , snail and smoked fish in a pot. Add 3 cups of water. Set on medium heat
- Add the maggi, salt , pepper and crayfish. Simmer for 15 minutes
3. Add in the pounded cocoyam paste. Combine. Cook for another 5 minutes
   4. Add in the achi and uziza leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add in the palm oil, taste and adjust for seasoning
5. Simmer for another 5 minutes
Serve soup with your choice of swallow. Enjoy
Note:
– if using dried leaves, make sure you soak in hot water for 5-10 minutes prior to use
– I personally think the soup tastes better a day after cooking
– If you find the soup to be a little thick, add water to the soup when warming
Ofe Owerri is thickened with only cocoyam(red type) ugu(pumpkin) leaves and ukazi, stockfish a must, dry fish. Meat is optional. Any other leaf addition is not Owerri soup. Am a daughter of the soil. Enjoy yourself
Good job ma. Pls Am I to pound or slice the okazi
slice
Hey, good job! You didn’t mention onions. Is that an omission or is not used?
It’s not used.
ronke u are just too much this particular ofe shall be sizzling in my kitchen this weekend it looks so dammed good.
You can either use boiled cocoyam paste (ede) or achi, but not both in the same soup. They both are thickners.
Cocoyam isn’t just for thickening, it lends a peculiar taste to the soup as well. Certain varieties of cocoyam are not as starchy so they don’t thicken as well, hence the addition of achi to properly thicken and yield the right consistency.
very true.
You didn’t add the okazi to the food preparation above…pls when do we add it
please how do you clean your shaki and other cow entrails? i love them but we didnt eat them much growing up so i just do some trial and error to get it clean the few times i buy.
Hi Foluke – I will not lie mehn, I buy them already cleaned. The hassle of doing it myself is just not worth it.
Chioma you are right. Please there’s no achi in ofe owerri. It is majorly cooked with snail stock fish and dred fish.
Can I use G.nut paste instead of Achi? And the soup should be served with what? Thanks
No, groundnut paste will affect the taste of the soup. it’s better you prepare it without any thickener. You can serve the soup with garri, pounded yam or fufu.
A real ofe owerri is cooked with cocoyam, okazi, ugu, and a little oziza. And mainly the red cocoyam known as ede-uhe.
In ofe owerri u must use okazi nd oziza nt ugu
Its better to use cocoyam
Yes u can avoid Achi if u wish, but to avoid ur soup being wattery, don’t boil ur meat with much water.
Can I cook it without achi,because I don’t
Like to cook my meals with achi?
what is Achi pls
it’s a soup thickener. you can find it in most markets, ask the people that sell spices.
The mean leaf for cooking ofe owerri is ugu(pumkin) and okazi, but using oda alternative leaf is totally not ofe owerri but ofe ede
Noted Amara… thanks
Hi, thanks for this. i am a bit confused. I saw some where that Ukazi was for Ofe owerri, now it is Utazi..which? :)
can the pounded yam be substituted in the afia efere? if yes, what is the substitute?
I have never tried it with anything else. you don’t eat pounded yam?
Thanks so much for the recipe,I’ll try the Ofe Owerri soup….Can I use bitter leaf instead of Utazzi leaves???…