Ofe Akwu (Banga Soup)

So I decided to cook something different this sunday. It's been almost 10 years since I made ofe akwu. Pounding those palm kernels was so nostalgic. I enjoy this dish but it's one of those I rarely make. This is different from the banga soup used to eat starchy solids. This one is used for rice and loved by every Igbo person I know especially my Nnewi friends ;) Anyway, let's get cooking already!

Ingredients:
1 medium sized basin of palm fruits
1 kg goat meat (or any meat u like)
1 cup of crayfish
2 onions
8 habanero peppers
2 bundles of scent leaves
1 medium bunch pumpkin leaves (ugu)
3 knorr cubes
Salt to taste.

Directions:
Boil the meat with seasonings, strain from the stock and set aside.

Wash the palm fruits and boil for about 20mins.

Drain the palm fruits from the water and put in a mortar.

Pound for about 20 minutes till it releases its chaff.

Transfer to a smaller basin and pour boiling water into the chaff.

Using a seive, remove the chaff and carefully strain the oil extract into a clean pot.

Repeat the hot water process till there's no more oil on the chaff. It'll be whiter that when you started.

Allow the extract rest and then decant into a fresh pot. You'll see debris sediments on d bottom of the pot...you don't want that in your food.

Boil the extract till it reduces to about half and becomes thicker.

Add your blended onions, pepper and crayfish. Add the meat and stock too and cover the pot to boil. It should thicken after a while.

Then add the ugu and scent leaves.

ENJOY with white rice.