How To Prepare Bitterleaf Soup (Ofe Onugbu)

Ofe onugbu (as the igbos like to call it) is very delicious and popylar because it could be made in more than 5 different ways and can also be refrigerated for a very long time. This soup can be made with egusi (melon seeds), ede (cocoa yam), ofor, achi or even ogbono. INGREDIENTS : 2kg Meat of choice (beef, chicken, pork, turkey) Bitter leaf (wash to desire) Half cup of ground crayfish Maggi or knoor seasoning (3 cubes) Ogiri Dry fish (2 medium sizes) Stock fish head (1 big size) palm oil (about 25cl) Salt and pepper to taste Cocoa - yam (pounded) or 4 cups of Egusi (if you choose to make bitter leaf soup with egusi). The bittter leaf soup takes almost the same process as the making of uha soup, as a matter of fact, one pot of soup could be cooked up to the point of adding leaves the you divide it to add uha to one and bitter leaf to other. PREPARATION : To soften the leaves and further remove the bitter tatste, it is advisable to boil alone in ordinary water for 10 to 15 minutes, most people like to add a little quantity of edible potast to hasten this process. Parboil meat with every necessary ingredients, add the (hot-water) washed dry fish, stock fish and cook until it is tender, add more water then add palm oil, ground crayfish, pepper, maggi seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Stir and allow boiling. At this point it should give a good soup taste (even though it would be watery). Then add the pounded cocoa yam (at this point you can add the ground egusi if you chooose to make bitter leaf soup with egusi), also add ogiri now. Cook till the cocoa yam dissolves, (this would likely take about ten minutes) then add the bitter leaves, stir, taste, add more salt if necessary the cook for three to two minutes. If have any question, ask in the comment box below.