Ora soup is a delicacy from the Eastern part of Nigeria. I love ora soup but I must confess I didn't like making the soup at all. The traditional ora soup requires you process the oil right from the scratch (called igba akwu in igbo). So I had to buy palm fruits, boil, pound and extract. Then the thickner used was cocoyam...more pounding for me. Aaaargh!!! These days I don't have to go through all that stress to make ora soup that tastes heavenly...
Ingredients:
Beef
Cowleg
2 bunches of Ora
1 bunch of Uziza
Crayfish
Yellow Pepper
Ofo
Stockfish/Okproko
Dried fish
Periwinkle/Isam (optional)
Knorr
Salt to taste
Ogili
3 cooking spoons of Palm oil
Directions:
Wash the meat and add to a big pot. Season with knorr and salt. Cook until it's well done.
Blend the crayfish, pepper and ogili and add to the pot. Add the palm oil and boil for about 5 minutes.
After boiling for about 5 minutes, the oil should have blended well. Add the ofo and boil till the soup begins to thicken.
Add the periwinkle and vegetables (cut the ora into big chunks but slice the uziza finer). Cover the pot and simmer for 3 minutes.
Serve with garri, pounded yam, wheat, semolina etc.
ENJOY!!!
N/B: You can leave the ogili out if the smell is unbearable for you but if you want the classic ora soup taste, then you must add it. Ora soup is not the same without...Also, if you noticed, I'm not making this soup with any onions at all...rule of thumb: Don't put onions in any soup that has ogili.
This is my favourite soup...lol.why shouldn't one add onions when using ogili?
ReplyDeleteHi Peace...that's a very good question that I still done have the answer to. I've asked around too and no one knows why so hopefully sum1 can help us out here. I've jst been taught not to cook with the two. I've asked why and no answer yet.
DeleteI have seen people pound the ogiri or mix the ogiri with blended onion and cook. Haven't tried it personally I feel it will take the taste of ogiri away so I stick to boiling my meat with the onion only.
DeleteWhat is Ofo?
ReplyDeleteHello Gbemi...ofo is a thickner. I used it in place of cocoyam.
DeleteI think I know what Ofo is. Can it be also used to thicken egusi soup.
ReplyDeleteYes, ofo is a thickner. I guess it can be used for egusi soup but I usually don't need thickner for my egusi soup.
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ReplyDeleteI think I know what Ofo is. Can it be also used to thicken egusi soup.
ReplyDeleteYou forgot to mention that oha should not be cut with a knife.
ReplyDeleteOMG, thank you sooooooo much. As in, I totally forgot that important information. Will edit the recipe now.
DeletePls where can I find ofo?
ReplyDeleteDepends on where you are. If you're in Nigeria, u can find it in the market. If you're abroad, check your african store but if u don't find der den u can use flour. Jst dissolve in a little water till it's a smooth-not-too-thick paste and then add to the soup.
DeleteHa, Nazor. I like my ofe ora from the scratch and isam has no leg in there oh...lol. Plus I don't substitute ede for ofo, I only use ofo when am making ora and egusi. Typical Ora soup for me is Ora, ede, Ogili, akwu. Thanks for this though.
ReplyDeleteThat's typical ora soup for everyone but quite frankly I don't have power to pound ede, pound akwu and all what not. The soup still tastes great to me with a lot less stress. So I'm all for easy way out when I can...as for the isam, I loooove isam and I don't mind it in ora soup daz why I said itz optional. Different stroke for different folks tho.
Deleteyou don't need to pound ede. Use your blender and add water, it works and fast.....have been doing it for years.
DeleteYeah, my mom told me she blends ede now. I haven't done that yet but I'll try it soon.
DeleteAv heard abt poundin ede cos I am begginin to dev muscles pounding.hubby likes ede,inshut he likes it from the scratch. Do I dry d ede before blending??? Do I blend it raw or boil first
Deleteewwww nne am so happy to find this your blog.
ReplyDeletesee my ora soup oh!!!
chei your mother taught you more than very well( if that is even english).
http://ezechimereuchenna.blogspot.com/
Lol Uche...even if itz not correct English, who cares??? Important thing is I understand what you said and it made me smile. Tnx a lot.
DeleteLovely recipe and I wana make it, please I don't know what ogili is, nd ofo too
ReplyDeleteWhat do we use to cut the ora then? And wat is ofo?
ReplyDeleteYou can use your hand to tear the ora leaves up. Ofo is the thickner I used instead of cocoyam
DeleteChichi.,try using ur blender to blend ur cocoyam..u knw dat kind of metal blenders pple use in d mkt to blend crayfish or egusi?dats d type..u dnt nid to dry d cocoyam or add water bfor blending..just once u r done wit d boiling.,u start blending..its so smooth..it meks it luk like pounded yam..thnks a lot chichi..I just found out abt ur site on nairaland.com.,few mins ago.
ReplyDeleteU can also use eletric blender to blend ur ede... Takes less time. Just add enof water so ur blender doesn't go crazy becos of the thickness lol
ReplyDeleteChichi, you are indeed amazing. Been following your blog for quite a while now and it just never ceases to amaze me. Almost cried when I had to change my laptop cos your blog was bookmarked on the old one. But alas, I found it again!!! Thanks a lot and more palm oil, groundnut oil oil, soy sauce to your elbows!
ReplyDeleteHahaha...so sorry for my late response. Thanks for ur compliment. Glad u found it back. Lol
DeleteI have finally found another blog I'm gonna love for the rest of my life!!! Thank you Chichi, I'm new here !!! Hence the excitement. ...lol
ReplyDeleteHaha...you're welcome Oma. Let me know if u do follow any of the recipes :)
DeleteMy sister, you are a blessing to my life. I am not a native Nigerian but married to one, I am struggling to cook your soups but this site makes it easy for me. You are the best and your instructions are so simple to follow....well done ooooo.
ReplyDeleteAwwwww, thanks a lot for your kind words. That just put a smile on my face. I'm glad I can be of help.
DeleteHi Chichi,
DeleteWhen you say bring meat to boil, you mean I must put the beef, cowleg and both fishes all at once, or do I add the fish at certain stages of my cooking.
How do I measure my ofo....I would hate to have it too thick or too thin....perfection is my aim.
Hi Lola,
DeleteI would cook the cowleg first till its almost done, then add the beef and den finally the fish. It depends on how u prefer to cook your meat. Some people put all the meat in the pot at once and den remove the ones that are done, leaving the rest that aren't done to cook a little more till well done.
For the ofo, sprinkle in one tablespoon at a time. Stir and see if it's reached ur desired thickness. If itz too thick, lighten it with water. If itz too thin, add another tablespoon of ofo. Good luck and do let me know how it goes.