Cookbook:Nigerian Ofe Akwu (Palm Fruit Soup)

Nigerian Ofe Akwu (Palm Fruit Soup)
Cuisine	Nigerian/Igbo
Difficulty

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Ofe Akwu is the Igbo name for palm fruit soup, a deeply flavourful soup made from fresh palm fruit extract. While closely related to Banga soup, the Igbo version has a distinct spice profile, lighter seasoning, and is traditionally served with pounded yam. It is a staple across Igbo communities in Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia, and Delta states.

Ingredients

• 1 kilogram fresh palm fruits (or canned palm fruit concentrate)
• 700 grams assorted meat (e.g. beef, shaki, goat, oxtail)
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 seasoning cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 200 grams stockfish (panla), soaked and cleaned
• 1 tablespoon ogiri okpei (fermented locust bean paste)
• 1 teaspoons ground ehuru (African nutmeg)
• 3 Scotch bonnet chile peppers, puréed
• 150 grams smoked fish, deboned
• 3 tablespoons ground crayfish
• 150 grams uziza leaf or bitter leaf, shredded

Equipment

• Cooking pots
• Stirring implement
• Mortar and pestle
• Sieve or other straining tool

Procedure

1. Boil the palm fruits in water for 20–25 minutes until soft, then drain. Pound the cooked fruits in a mortar to loosen the flesh from the seeds. Add warm water and squeeze the mixture through a sieve. Discard the fibre and seeds. If using canned concentrate, dilute as directed.
2. Season the meat with onion, 1 seasoning cube, and salt. Add stockfish midway through cooking. Cook on medium heat until tender. Reserve the meat stock.
3. Pour palm fruit extract into a pot. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and oil rises to the surface about 15–20 minutes
4. Add ogiri okpei, ehuru, and puréed chiles. Stir well. Add reserved cooked meat and stock, smoked fish, ground crayfish, and the remaining seasoning cube. Stir and simmer on medium heat.
5. Taste and adjust with salt. The soup should be thick, rich, and deeply orange-red. If too thick, add a little warm water and stir.
6. Stir in uziza leaf. Cook for 3–5 minutes only. Serve hot with pounded yam (iyán), eba, or fufu.