Cookbook:Ofe Akparata (Nigerian Mahogany Seed Soup)

Ofe Akparata (Nigerian Mahogany Seed Soup)
Category	Soup recipes
Difficulty

Cookbook | Ingredients | Recipes

Ofe akparata is a simple but delicious Igbo soup. Akparata (mahogany seed) powder is a thickener used in traditional soups, and it is a favorite of Enugu indigenes in Eastern Nigeria.

Ingredients

• Chicken (or any other type of meat)
• Onions, chopped
• Salt to taste
• Seasoning/stock cube
• Kpomo
• Stockfish, washed
• Rolled egusi
• Akparata powder
• Palm oil
• Dryfish, washed
• Fresh habanero chile, chopped
• Dry pepper
• Ground crayfish
• Ayala (garden egg) leaf, washed

Procedure

1. Heat up a dry pot, and add the chicken, chopped onions, salt, seasoning stock cube, kpomo, and stockfish. Stir, then cover the pot and cook for about 5 minutes in its own juice.
2. Add the egusi to the boiling meat, and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Add extra water (about 2 cups) to the boiling meat, and continue boiling for 3 minutes.
4. Combine the akparata powder and palm oil in a bowl. Mix until lump-free.
5. Stir the akparata paste into the boiling meat. Add the dryfish, stir, and allow to boil.
6. Stir in the chopped habanero, dry pepper, and ground crayfish. Cover and cook for about 5–7 minutes.
7. Stir in the ayala leaves, and allow to simmer for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
8. Serve the ofe akparata with the swallow of your choice.