How To Prepare Delicious Banga Soup (Ofe Akwu)
- Ayo AL
- June 13, 2020
- Food
- banga soup recipe, banga soup tutorial, how to cook ofe akwu, ofe akwu recipe
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Nigerian Banga Soup or Ofe Akwu is a native soup of the indigenes of Niger Delta and the South Eastern parts of Nigeria.
In the South-Eastern part of Nigeria, Banga Soup is referred to as Ofe Akwu where Ofe means Soup / Stew and Akwu means palm fruit and is used mainly as stew for Boiled White Rice.
The palm fruit oil extract used in cooking Banga Soup is quite different from the red palm oil used in cooking Nigerian food recipes.
Palm Oil is the pure oil extracted from the palm fruit pulp at high temperatures while the palm fruit oil extract used for the Banga Soup is extracted at a very low temperature and is a mixture of oil and water.
Here Is A Simple Recipe On How To Make Banga Rice
Here is how to prepare it.
Ingredients
- 1 kg Palm Fruits or 800g tinned Palm Fruit Concentrate
- Beef
- Dry Fish
- Banga Spice (Aidan fruit+Rohojie)
- A handful of Banga spice leaves (called Obeletientien)…use scent leaves or bitter leaf as an alternative
- Oburunbebe stick (brown herbal stick used for Banga soup)
- 2 medium onions
- 2 tablespoons ground crayfish
- Salt and Chilli Pepper (to taste)
- Ogiri Okpei (Iru)
- 1-2 big stock cubes
Before you cook the Nigerian Banga Soup
1. Extract the palm fruit concentrate from the palm fruits. If using the tinned palm fruit concentrate, open the tin and set aside.
2. Cook the beef and the dry fish with 1 bulb of diced onion and the stock cubes till done.
3. Cut the remaining onion. Pound the crayfish, ogiri okpei and pepper in a mortar and set aside. You can also grind them with a dry mill.
How to prepare
1. Set the pot of palm fruit extract on the stove and start cooking at high heat.
2. Leave to boil till you notice red oil rises to the top. If you think that the Banga Soup is watery, cook till the soup has thickened to the consistency you like. Add the meat stock or water, depending on the consistency you want, and leave to boil for 10 mins.
3. Now, add the beef, dry fish and stock, the onions, crayfish, and pepper and leave to boil. Add the Oburunbebe stick and allow it to cook for some minutes.
4. Take out the oburunbebe stick, rinse and store for another use. (You can leave the stick in the pot and take it out when you are ready to transfer the soup into a container)
5. Add the Obeletientien leaves OR scent leaves OR bitter leaf, simmer for 1minute and your Banga soup is ready.
6. It is usually served with Starch but it can also be eaten with Eba, Semolina, Amala, or Wheat or Pounded Yam.
Watch this easy tutorial by Sisi Yemmie on how to prepare Banga Soup
