How To Cook Ogbono Soup

Best Ogbono soup recipe

2022-05-21

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Ogbono soup is a popular Nigerian soup known for its slimy nature which is why it’s also called draw soup by Nigerians. This special delicacy is prepared with Ogbono seed(wild mango) which is usually blended thoroughly before being used. Ogbono is known for its unique smell and taste. If you have eaten Ogbono soup, you’d understand what I’m talking about. It is usually prepared with lots of ingredients which makes it delicious and enticing to eat. It can be prepared with different vegetable leaves such as Ugu(pumpkin leaf), spinach or bitter leaf which is known as “Onugbu” by the Igbos and “Ewuro” by the Yorubas. So I’ll be using bitter leaf for this recipe. Adding leaves to this soup is optional.

Ogbono Soup Ingredients

2 cups Ogbono (Blended)
Meat (assorted)
1 medium-size stockfish
2 cooking spoonfuls of palm oil
Bitter leaf / Ugu(pumpkin leaf)
Crayfish
Smoked fish
Onion(chopped)
Ponmo
Seasoning cubes
Pepper
2 Cooking Spoonfuls Palm oil
Washed bitter leaf (Onugbu)
Salt to taste

Most people have their own version of this dish but mine is the version I grew up with.

Preparation

Blend your ogbono seed

wash your meat, stock fish, ponmo and the vegetable leaves to be used. If you’re using bitter leaf, you must wash it very well untill you no longer taste the bitterness.

Chop your onions and set aside.

Direction

Season and boil your meat with stockfish and ponmo for about 20minutes (depending on the type of meat you’re using). Once the meat is tender enough, pour it out from the pot and set it outside.

On low heat, pour the palm oil into a heated pot, add the grinded ogbono and stir very well until it dissolves. you can take the pot off the heat when trying to dissolve if the heat is too much.

Add a little amount of water along with the meat stock. Stir and allow to simmer for about 15minutes for ogbono to cook.

Then, add crayfish, pepper, smoked fish, seasoning cubes and a little salt. Taste and make necessary adjustments.

Allow boiling for another 3- 5minutes.

Lastly, stir and add the washed bitter leaf or any other vegetable leaf you might be using. Stir and leave to simmer for 2minutes then turn off the heat and serve with any swallow of your choice.