Ogbono Okro Soup

Some don't eat okro and some can't do without it in Ogbono soup. Whichever of the group you belong, you can still enjoy Ogbono soup. If you belong to the group that does not eat okro, check out my Ogbono soup recipe (HERE).

When I made the post on Ogbono soup, I promised to make a separate post on Ogbono Okra soup. So here we go:

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Total time: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 cups grounded Ogbono

20 medium sized Okro

2 cooking spoon palm oil

2 tablespoon grounded dry pepper or 2 scotch bonnet blended

1 tablespoon locust beans (Iru)

2 bouillon ( I use maggi cubes)

Salt

½ cup grounded crayfish

Smoked dry cat fish

Dried fish (Shawa)

Beef

Assorted meat (ponmo, tripe, etc. )

Uziza - optional

Vegetable leaves of your choice- (Ugu, spinach, kale, greens)-  optional

Beef stock

DIRECTIONS

1) Boil beef and assorted meat and set aside. Wash and debone the dry fish

Tip: Avoid using seasonings like curry and thyme when cooking traditional soups.

2) Wash the Okro, dice and blend or grate as desired (I personally prefer blending as it saves time and much easier for me). Set the Okro aside.

I like my okro not too smooth and not chunky. Make it in your preference. if you like chunky, go for it and if you like smooth, do smooth

3) Heat palm oil in a pot. When the oil is hot reduce the heat to low and add the Ogbono. Stir with cooking spoon to dissolve the Ogbono in Palmoil.

The Ogbono and oil mixture should be thick and there shouldn't be palmoil floating around at all. You only need small amount of palm oil to dissolve and smoothen the Ogbono.

4) Mix the ground dry pepper with 3 tablespoons of water and add the meat stock to this mixture.

5)  Add the pepper/stock mixture to the melted Ogbonno and add water little at a time till you get the consistency you desire.

 

6) Add  maggi cubes, locust beans, crayfish, salt, dried smoked fish, beef and assorted meat. It's better to add this early so they absorb the flavours of Ogbono and also infuse their own flavor into the Ogbono.

7) Stir and leave to cook for 15-20 minutes while stirring the soup constantly.

Do not cover the Ogbono at anytime during the cooking process.

Make sure you let the Ogbono cook properly or it will have a bitter taste. If you follow this recipe and use good Ogbono seed it will not lose it's slippery and slimy texture.

8) When the Ogbono is cooked, add the Okro, Uziza and ugu leaves. Cook for another 3 minutes and take off the heat.

Ogbono Okro is ready.

Like Bitter leaf and Ayamase, the older and more times you warm up the soup the sweeter it becomes but the colour turns darker.

 

You can serve it with Amala (HERE), Eba, Semo, Pounded yam (HERE) and the likes. Enjoy!

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