Ofe Owerri
Ofe owerri is a popular Igbo soup indigenous to the people of Owerri, Nigeria. It is made from either ugu or okazi vegetables. Many different recipes and variations are possible.
Total Time
15 minutes
Servings
6–8
1 kg assorted meat (beef, goat, cow tripe, etc.)
4–6 seasoning cubes
3–4 cups water
500 g dryfish, smoked fish, or stockfish
1 cup cocoyam paste
1 cup palm oil
3 tablespoons ground crayfish
2 tablespoons ogiri (fermented melon seed paste)
Fresh bell pepper or chile pepper
1 cup okazi or uziza leaves, thinly sliced
2 cups ugu leaves, chopped
Clean the meats and dryfish, and cut into pieces.
Simmer the meat with seasoning cubes and water in a pot until tender. Add stockfish and dried fish.
Stir in the cocoyam paste to thicken the soup, making sure it's well incorporated.
Stir in the palm oil, crayfish, ogiri, and pepper. Simmer for 5–10 minutes.
5–10 minutes
Add okazi leaves, and simmer for 3 minutes.
3 minutes
Stir in ugu leaves, and simmer for 2–3 minutes.
2–3 minutes
Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot with pounded yam or fufu.