How to Prepare OFE OWERRI
Ofe Owerri is one of the most expensive Nigerian soups; it is made with assorted meat (which is different parts of cow meat), snails, dried fish and stock fish.
I think you would spend between 4000-10000 Naira if you are looking to make a delicious pot of this soup, there is even a popular Igbo song that suggest that a poor man does not eat ofe owerri. 😀
Ofe owerri simply means Owerri soup (soup indigenous to the people of Owerri). I used to think that I would never make another soup that would comfortably compete with the likes of nsala and oha but this sure takes the cake.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 kg assorted meats
- 2 medium size stockfish
- 2 medium dried fish(Asa)
- 1 tablespoon grounded pepper
- 2 tablespoon ground crayfish
- 2 cups Ukazi leaves (shredded)
- 2 small bunch ugwu
- 2 cups smoked prawns
- 1 small bulb onion
- 4 medium size cocoyam (red type)
- 2 cooking spoon palm oil
- 2 litres stock or water
- 2 maggi cubes
- salt to taste
COOKING DIRECTIONS
Pick, wash and shred the Ugwu leaves as well as the Ukazi leaves.(This can be done in the market)
Wash the meat thoroughly and place in a large pot. Season with salt,onion and ground pepper, add some water and cook for 10minutes or allow steaming till juice dries up.
Add 2 cups of water and the stockfish continue cooking till the stockfish is soft and the meat cooked. Wash and debone smoked fish and then dress and wash the smoked prawns. Add the fish and prawns to the meat pot and add the remaining water and cook for I0 minutes.
Peel and wash cocoyam, cut each into two pieces then add to the pot continue cooking until tender. Remove the cooked cocoyam and pound. Mould the pounded cocoyam into small balls and add to soup as a thickener.
Stir in the crayfish,pepper, maggi cubes and palm oil. Stir thoroughly and reduce the heat.
Add the shredded Ugwu and Ukazi leaves, stir and allow cooking for about 6 minutes. Stir and add salt to taste.