How to cook ogbono soup with okra

Ogbono soup with bitterleaf, Ogbono soup with Okra and Ogbono soup with egusi all have their unique flavour profile. If you have tried any of these combos, share your favourite with us in the comment section. If you haven’t, read on for the simple ogbono soup recipe!!

Why do we combine Ogbono with Okro soup or Okro soup with Ogbono?

We combine Ogbono and okra to enhance and complement each other. Not all breeds of okra and ogbono can give us the thickness we want in the typical Nigerian draw soup. Therefore, sometimes we use ogbono to make okro soup thicker. We also use okra to make ogbono soup thicker.

  • Adding ogbono to okra soup makes it thicker.
  • We add okra to Ogbono soup for texture and additional nutrients.
  • Sometimes, we have small crayfish, okra, and ogbono. We combine them to make a pot of soup; in times of great Sapa.

The key steps to prepare the most typical Nigerian soup are the same. It begins with seasoning your broth with some of our local spices. These local spices are perfect for any Nigerian soup recipe, whether it is an okra soup recipe, Ogbono soup with bitterleaf, ogbono soup with okra or Egusi. Most traditional Nigerian soups start the same!

Table Of Contents For Our Okra And Ogbono Soup Recipe

OGBONO SOUP SUMMARY || HOW TO COOK OGBONO SOUP WITH BITTER LEAF

  • Ogbono soup is a type of soup made from ground-dried ogbono seeds, also known as Irvingia or African bush mango.
  • The seeds come from the Irvingia gabonensis tree, which grows in Nigeria, Angola, Uganda, Ivory Coast, and Congo.
  • We use ground ogbono seeds as a thickener for the soup because they are slimy and gluey.

A Summary Of The Cooking Process

  • The process of cooking ogbono soup involves first cooking the meat, fish, and stockfish until done.
  • Palm oil is slightly heated in a saucepan, and the ground ogbono seeds are dissolved in it.
  • The dissolved ogbono is added to the cooked meat, and the soup is allowed to cook for a few minutes.
  • The ogbono thickens and becomes stretchy in appearance during this stage.
  • Additional ingredients like spices, chilli, and vegetables are added and cooked further.
  • Bitter leaves are mentioned as the vegetables used in this particular soup.

Some of the main spices we used to elevate the flavours of any typical Nigerian soup include:

  • Okpehe (locust beans)
  • Ogiri (locust beans)
  • Dawa-dawa (locust beans)
  • Uziza seeds
  • Uda Seed (Negro Pepper)

The nutritional benefits of eating okro soup

A pot of okro soup has several nutritional benefits. It is rich with several condiments that do more than just entice the taste buds. Here are the nutritional benefits you can get from eating okro soup.
Meats and fish are rich in proteins. Okra and other optional vegetables, including ugu (pumpkin) and bitterleaf, are all packed with vitamins and fibre.
Okro is also rich in vitamins A and C and antioxidants. These elements help reduce the risk of health conditions like cancer, diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.

Bottles of Palm oil

Here is the nutritional content of one tablespoon of palm oil, a vital component of okro soup

  •  120 grams of calories
  •  14 grams of fat
  •  7 grams of saturated fat
  • monounsaturated fat: 5 grams
  • polyunsaturated fat: 1 gram
  • vitamin E: 14% of Daily Value

We combine Ogbono and okra to enhance and complement each other. Not all breeds of okra and ogbono can give us the thickness we want in the typical Nigerian draw soup. Therefore, sometimes we use ogbono to make okro soup thicker. We also use okra to make ogbono soup thicker.

  • Adding ogbono to okra soup makes it thicker.
  • We add okra to Ogbono soup for texture and additional nutrients.
  • Sometimes, we have small crayfish, okra, and ogbono. We combine them to make a pot of soup; in times of great Sapa.

The best Fufu to pair with Eat Okra soup

Because of the viscosity and the thick texture of some Nigerian draw soups, they do not pair well with fufu. These fufu are those with the same smooth consistency.

To enjoy any Nigerian draw soup, pair it with any fufu that has a slightly grainy texture. These include draw soups like okra, Ogbono, dry okro, Akparata, or edikaiko.

While some of these foods are what we recommend based on our choices, you can pair okro with any other swallow of your choice. Some of our choices of fufu to pair with okro include:

  • Semovita is the absolute best foot to pair with Okra soup
  • Pounded yam is another great fufu to pair with draw soup, especially on the first day
  • Garri (eba) is also a friendly match for Okro and Ogbono soup
  • Cornflour pairs well with okro soup
  • Cassava flour

Ingredient For Ogbono Soup

  • Your choice of protein (Goat meat, chicken, or beef)
  • Water
  • Onion (for okro soup)
  • Fish (Stock fish, aka Okporoko/panla and Dry fish)
  • smoked fish
  • Oil
  • Ogbono seed (Ground ogbono or pounded Ogbono)
  • Ground crayfish
  • Okpehe/ Dawa-dawa or Ogiri (fermented locust beans)
  • Salt to taste
  • Uziza seed/ Uziza leave
  • pumpkin leaves
  • Seasoning cubes
  • pepper

The step-by-step recipe for Nigerian okra soup

Source: PixaBay

Our okro soup recipe is a very easy-to-follow list that is also direct. Follow this recipe to produce a very delicious pot of okro soup:

  1. Place your pot on a stove.
  2. Add your meat and stock fish after washing them (beef or chicken stockfish)
  3. Pound pepper, crayfish and okpehe and add to the pot
  4. Add the salt and seasoning cube to taste.
  5. Mix these ingredients with the palm oil and allow it to simmer for
  6. Add one or two cups of water and allow the ingredients to boil. As these ingredients cook, wash your dry fish or smoked fish with salt and warm water and toss them into the broth.
  7. Taste the soup for salt and pepper and add a little if necessary
  8. While waiting for the meat and other condiments to cook, wash your okra and vegetables and slice them. After slicing your okra, you can also pound in a mortar, depending on your preference.
Source: PixaBay
  • Ensure the meat and other ingredients are properly cooked. Then add the ogbono if you want an extraordinarily thick pot of draw soup. Otherwise, you can add the okra and then the vegetable.
  • If you want to add vegetables like Ugu (pumpkin), Uziza or bitter leaf, add it two or three minutes after you add the okra.
  • Add the okro on medium heat to ensure the vegetables (okra and)
  • Set it aside and prepare your fufu

Ogbono Soup Recipe With Okra: How to Melt Ogbono without Lumps

When we grind Ogbono ground using a mortar or a grinding stone like the one in the image above, we sprinkle oil on it. Using this method can help conserve palm oil, as there is no need to add extra oil.

Source: PixaBay

 Whichever method you use to grind the Ogbono, here is a tip on how you can dissolve Ogbono without having lumps in your soup. 

  • Put a small pot on a stove and set it to low or medium heat
  • Add palm oil to the pot
  • Add ogbono and allow to simmer for about thirty seconds
  • Mix palm oil and ogbono completely 
  • Add a few a splash of water 
  • Whisky aggressively until the mixture creates a very thick Ogbono paste
  • Add the paste to your broth (stock)
  • Give the paste a few seconds to combine with broth before proceeding with other steps for Ogbono or okra soup.

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