Category: Nigerian soups

Owho Beans Soup
7,000 Naira

This is an authentic Urhobo beans soup popularly known as Ohwo Beans. It is very similar to the popular Delta Ohwo soup but made with other ingredients that takes this soup to another level. Ohwo Beans is a ceremonial food that is mostly prepared on very special occasions such as marriage ceremonies and during the festive periods. It is a bean dish and is typically made with a special beans (native beans which is usually small and red in color) and it takes many hours to cook before it becomes tender. In the recipe I’ll be using Brown Honey Beans that cooks quicker but also tastes delicious. If you are looking for a new soup to add to your rotation, try Owho Beans Soup and you’ll be glad you did.

Owho Beans

Ready in 120 minutes

Serves 8 people

650 calories

Ingredients
- 2 cups red Honey beans (1200 naira)
- Palm oil (300 naira)
- Dried fish (1000 naira)
- Dried meat- Tikko (1500 naira)
- Cow leg or kpomo (2000 naira)
- Dried Prawns (500 naira)
- Ground crayfish (100 naira)
- 2 seasoning cubes (100 naira)
- 4-5 grains of salem/negro pepper/urienrien/uda (100 naira)
- Dried pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
- Usi/starch (200 naira)
- Native salt/Potash (200 naira)
Preparation
- Select the beans to remove dirt and stones before rinsing throughly. It’s advised to soak the beans for about 5 hours or overnight to make it cook quicker and elevate any discomfort usually associated with eating beans. After rinsing, place the beans in a large pot of water and cook over medium heat until tender.
- While the beans is cooking, in another pot cook cow legs, season with only salt and 2 seasoning cubes. Cook the cow legs until tender. If you are using cow skin, Wash thoroughly to remove dirt and sand, then chop into sizeable chunks.
- Debone the dried fish and soak in hot water to soften before scrubbing until with brush or iron sponge to remove sand and grime. Also Soak the dried meat (tikko) in hot water and scrub the meat the same way the dried fish was cleaned.
- Lightly beat on the grains of salem (urienrien) and remove the seeds. Toss the seeds because they are very bitter. I like to use the Salem whole after removing the seeds but you can grind it into powder before using.
- When the beans is soft, add 4-5 cups of water, dried meat, palm oil, ground crayfish, cooked cow legs, cover and cook for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add dried prawns, grains of salem, seasoning cubes, and cover to cook for about 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, add native salt, dry pepper to taste and dried fish and allow to cook for a few minutes before adding the starch that has been diluted with water. The native salt is salty and acts as an emulsifier and the starch acts as thickener. Pour in the starch and whisk it simultaneously, the more starch you add the thicker the soup. Add starch until you achieve your desired consistency. Stir it to combine and cook the soup uncovered for about 5 minutes. Add salt as needed.
- Once done, you can enjoy your delicious Owho Beans soup with starch (usi), eba, boiled yam and or green plantains.
Tips

Owho Beans Soup is an authentic Urhobo delicacy eaten with starch or eba. It is packed with flavor and sure to surprise you and your Family with its bright and spicy flavor profile. If you know Owho Soup, you would know that Owho Beans is the next best thing. Make Owho Beans Soup using this Recipe and you’ll be glad you did.
September 30, 2024
Okro Pepper Soup Recipe (Urhobo Version)
8,000 naira

Okro pepper soup also known as igbagba ofofo by the urhobo people of Delta state is a simple, spicy, and delicious soup made with a unique combination of ingredients. Okro pepper soup is an oil-less dish that is a combination of pepper soup and okro. It packs a ton of flavour and spice and is great for cold weather. Okro pepper soup can be eaten with yam, plantain or with any swallow but it’s traditionally eaten with starch and ripe plantain (Eguoo) or Plantain and yellow garri (Eguoo eba). Here’s an easy to follow okro pepper soup recipe the urhobo version.

Ready in 40 minutes

Serves 5 people

625 calories

Ingredients
- Dried prawns (1000 naira)
- Smoked fish (1500 naira)
- okra grated or finely sliced (700 naira)
- 1 sachet of peppersoup spice (400 naira)
- Dried fish (1000 naira)
- Ground crayfish (200 naira)
- 2 seasoning cubes (100 naira)
- Cayenne pepper (300 naira)
- Salt to taste
- 1 Cup Periwinkle (700 naira)
- Cow meat (2000 naira)
- Vegetables – Ugu and scent leaves (200 naira)
Preparation
- Wash the Okro and grate using a food processor or hand grater. You can also chop it into small cubes using a knife. You can do a mixture of both for aesthetic purpose
- Next, season the beef with some crayfish powder, salt and seasoning cubes. Cook the meat until it softens then add in the dried fish, smoked fish and dried prawns. Cover and leave to cook for about 5 minutes for the flavours to combine.
- Ensure the meat stock cooks down to a reasonable quantity so you do not end up with watery okro peppersoup.
- Add the pepper soup spice alongside the Cayenne pepper and grounded crayfish and leave to cook for another 5 minutes.
- Finally add the grated okro with a handful of Ugu and scent leaves.
- Cook for about 5 minutes with the pot open and your okro pepper soup is ready.
Tips

Serve this delicious okro pepper soup on a cold rainy day with some boiled yam and plantain to experience some Urhobo greatness. There are other delicious Nigerian Okra recipes like:

Nigerian Stew Okra

Nigerian Okra Soup ( Non-Frying Method)
September 7, 2024
Nigerian Stew Okra Soup
7,000 naira

Nigerian Stew Okra soup is simply another variety of okra soup recipe. You see! Okra soup is very versatile and can be made as okra pepper soup or you can make it the non-frying okra soup. This version of okra soup uses a stew base and less vegetables compared to the other method of Nigerian okra soup. Here is my go-to recipe when making Nigerian stew okra soup.

Nigerian Stew Okra Soup 1

Ready in 20 minutes

Serves 8 people

280 calories

Ingredients
- Fresh Okra ( 700 naira)
- Palm Oil (300 naira)
- Assorted Meats – Shaki, Ponmo, Cowfoot, and Beef cut ( 3000 naira)
- Smoked Fish (1500 naira)
- Dried Prawns (500 naira)
- Ground Crayfish (200 naira)
- Fresh tomatoes and Scotch Bonnet pepper (500 naira)
- Locust Beans (Iru) (100 naira)
- Onions (200 naira)
- Seasoning Cubes (100 naira)
- Chopped Pumpkin leaves – Ugu (200 naira)
- Salt to taste
Preparation
- Firstly, season the meats with some crayfish powder, seasoning cube, and chopped onions, then cook on medium to high heat after adding salt to taste. I personally like to add iru to my boiling meat as it adds extra flavor to the meats. Seasoning your meats really well is very important as this will serve as the base of your okra soup.
Nigerian Stew Okra Soup 2
- Next blend your fresh tomatoes and pepper with an onion. Also grate the okra either with a hand grater or a food processor. If you want it chunky with no elasticity, you can chop all the okra with a knife or blend all if you don’t fancy any chunkiness. If you prefer a mixture of both worlds, blend ¾ of the okra and chop the remaining ones. Clean the smoked fish and remove any bone and all traces of dirt, shred and set aside.
- With every ingredient prepped and ready, place a pot on the stove and add a cup of palm oil, allow it to heat up a little bit without bleaching before throwing in some onions to fry. Fry the onions till they are translucent before adding the locust beans and crayfish powder.
Nigerian Stew Okra Soup 3
- Then introduce the tomatoes and pepper blend to fry for a couple of minutes.
Nigerian Stew Okra Soup 4
- When the meats are soft, transfer the meats into the frying stew along with the stock. Add the remaining ground crayfish and allow the stew to fry until the oil starts floating at the top.
Nigerian Stew Okra Soup 5
- Now add the blended okra and vigorously to combine then add the shredded smoked fish, and smoked prawns into the pot. Stir and combine, then add the chopped vegetable and salt to taste.
Nigerian Stew Okra Soup 6
- Turn off the heat and let residual heat soften the vegetable and your soup is ready!
Tips

You can serve this delicious Nigerian stew okra with any swallow of choice. Here are other versions of okra soup.

Okra pepper soup

Nigerian okra soup ( non- frying method)
September 7, 2024
Simple Efo Riro Recipe (Nigerian Vegetable Stew)
10,000 naira

Efo Riro also known as Nigerian vegetable stew is a one-pot meal with layers of flavor. Its very versatile and can be served with rice, yam or any swallow. It is typically made with Efo shoko, pumpkin leaves (Ugu) and Green, but it can also be made with spinach.

Efo Riro can be made with any protein of choice ranging from chicken, beef, turkey or fish. My recipe uses a stew base like any other Nigerian stew and with a little work from the cook you will have your Efo Riro (Nigerian vegetable stew) ready to eat. Here is my simple Efo Riro recipe made with a mixture of Beef, Tripe, and cow skin.

Ready in 45 minutes

Serves 4 people

427 calories

Ingredients
- Tomatoes and pepper (1000 naira)
- Tomato paste (300 naira)
- Onions (200 naira)
- Palm oil (300 naira)
- crayfish powder (200 naira)
- locust bean (100 naira)
- Seasoning cube (100 naira)
- Salt to taste
- Vegetables- Ugu, Efo shoko, Green ( 1200 naira)
- Dry Fish (1000 naira)
- Dried prawn (500 naira)
- Assortment of Beef, Tripe, and cow Skin ( 5000 naira)
Preparation
- Blend the tomatoes, peppers, and onion. Then cook down to form a paste like you would when preparing stew.
- Many people would say this isn’t the authentic way of preparing Efo Riro, as the Yorubas who are the originators of this dish typically prepare it with a blend of scotch bonnet peppers and onions. But recipes evolve and one is free to make a few changes to a recipe as their palate would accommodate.
- Cook the meat. In another pot, season your beef, tripe and cow skin with some crayfish powder, diced onions, curry, thyme and seasoning cubes with salt to taste.
- Allow them to cook till tender. If your cow skin is already tender, it can skip the cooking party and be introduced later on in the cooking process.
- Preheat the palm oil. With the stew base ready, heat up the palm oil in a pot without bleaching it. Then throw in some diced onion and locust beans and stir-fry till golden brown.
- Add the pepper and tomato blend and fry until the sauce thickens up. Stir constantly to prevent burning, it should take about 15 minutes.
- Next add in the crayfish powder, locust bean, seasoning cube, dried fish, the meat, cow skin, dried prawns and salt to taste. Stir everything together.
- Add some water or stock to thin out the sauce, then cover it up and allow it to come to a simmer.
- Finally, add your mixed vegetables making sure it has been properly washed and chopped to your desired size.
- Then leave it to cook covered for about 2 to 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Tips

This simple Efo Riro recipe pairs well with rice, yam and even swallow. Its a great alternative to regular stew and can be made with any protein of choice.
September 7, 2024
Nigerian Okra Soup ( Non-Frying Method)
10,000 naira

Okra soup is a favorite in the Nigerian household. It’s usually made with beef, chicken and fish but you can use goat meat, or any other meat or fish of choice. There are various ways to prepare Nigerian okra soup with the mode of preparation varing according to ethnicity and locality. Here’s how to cook simple okra soup Nigerian style without frying.

Nigerian Okra Soup 1
- Ready in 45 minutes
- Serves 8 people
- 1350 calories
Ingredients
- 4 cups of Okra (1000 naira)
- 1 Kilo of Chicken (5000 naira)
- 1 Small onion ( 100 naira)
- habanero pepper (500 naira)
- Ground crayfish ( 200 naira)
- Vegetables – Ugu and Efo shoko (500 naira)
- Fresh Fish (2000 naira)
- Locust bean (100 naira)
- Palm oil (300 naira)
- Seasoning powder ( 100 naira)
- Dry fish ( 1000 naira)
- Dried big crayfish ( 500 naira)
Preparation
- Boil the chicken. Start by seasoning the properly washed chicken with salt, seasoning powder, ground crayfish and minced Onions. Cook till tender.
Nigerian Okra Soup 2
- While the chicken is boiling, blend the habanero pepper in a food processor or a chopper till smooth and set aside. I also like to use a food processor to chop the okra, it is faster and you can choose the type of chunkiness and smoothness you want with your okra. But a hand grater will work just fine.
Nigerian Okra Soup 3
- When the chicken becomes tender, add the pepper, dried big crayfish, and locust bean and allow to cook for another 10 minutes before introducing the washed dry fish.
Nigerian Okra Soup 4
- Add the palm oil. Introduce the fresh fish, palm oil and grated okro. Leave to cook for about 3 to 5 minutes.
Nigerian Okra Soup 5
- Lastly add the thoroughly washed vegetables and allow to soften, add some salt, seasoning powder and remaining ground crayfish and mix until everything is thoroughly incorporated.
Nigerian Okra Soup 6
- Remove from heat and your delicious Nigerian okra soup is ready to be enjoyed.
Tips

Okra soup can be eaten with any swallow like eba, fufu or semi. There are other ways to prepare Nigerian okra soup like the stew base okra method or seafood okra.
September 7, 2024
How to Make Starch (Usi)
Starch (Usi) is a popular type of swallow in the Southern part of Nigeria especially with people from Delta state. It’s typically used in eating Delta Banga soup, Owho Beans and Owho soup. It’s made from cassava starch which is also used in laundry here in Nigeria for stiffening cloths to give it a crisp, polished look. Starch (Usi) is a byproduct of cassava and is usually sold caked up just like Pap. It has a white colour with a very distinct aroma. Knowing how to make starch swallow is a distinguishing skill of any Deltan and is surprisingly very easy.

There’s a special pot used in preparing starch known as starch pot. It’s a thick non-stick aluminum wok pan, but you can also use a non stick fry pan with a handle to make it easy to control the starch while it’s being made. The preparation of starch is a skilled process but practice does make perfect!

Ready in 20 minutes

Serves 3 people

280 calories

Ingredients
- 1 cup of starch
- 2 cups of water
- Palm oil
Preparation
1. Combine the starch with water in a bowl to form a slurry. It should be runny but still able to coat the back of a spoon. Transfer the mixture to the cooking pan.
2. Add a couple drops of palm oil to the starch slurry, this gives the swallon its yellow color when done. Using too much oil will make the swallow very oily and using too little oil will leave you with a pale and unappetizing looking starch. For 1 cup of starch, I would use 3 tablespoons red palm oil.
- Use a wooden spoon to mix everything very well. Starch usually settles and cake up at the buttom of the pan if left for a few minutes, so you need to keep stirring at all times.
- Transfer the pan to the stove, and place the heat on low to medium and start stirring continuously. After a few minutes, the starch begins to solidify, this is a crucial moment as leaving the starch or not stirring enough could cause lumps to develop.
- Stir vigorously nonstop till a solid yellow mass is formed. This is a pretty good arm workout with a delicious reward at the end.
- Once the starch balls together, allow it to cook for a few minutes before taking it off the stove. Starch is best served hot so serve immediately.
Tips

Starch (Usi) is a Niger Delta delicacy and is typically eaten with the following soups:

Delta banga soup

Owho soup.

Okro pepper soup

Owho Beans

Egusi pepper soup
September 7, 2024
Delta Banga Soup Recipe
10,000 naira

Banga soup is a delight for every Urhobo man, when paired with piping hot starch, a wife can ask for anything and her husband will gladly obliged. Banga soup is now a favorite to many tribes across the country with some variations along the way.

Here is an authentic way to make Delta banga soup guaranteed to win you the heart of any deltan, or simply fill your stomach and delight your tongue.

Banga Soup 1

Ready in 150 minutes

Serves 8 people

2280 calories

Ingredients
- Cow meat (3000 naira)
- Tomato basin of Palm nuts (1500 naira)
- Ground cayenne pepper (300 naira)
- Seasoning cubes
- Fresh mackerel fish (2000 naira) you can also use catfish.
- Sachet of Banga Spice which is a blended mixture of Irugeje and ataiko (400 naira)
- Obeletientien leaves or Dried bitter leaves (100 naira)
- 1 Oburunbebe stick also known as banga stick (150 naira)
- Dried Fish (1500 naira)
- 1 cup of deshelled periwinkle (600 naira)
- 1 tbsp ground crayfish
- Salt to taste
Preparation
- Parboil the banga nuts. Start by washing the palm nuts and place in a big pot and allow to cook till soft.
Banga Soup 2
- When the nuts are soft, Transfer them into a mortar and pound gently, making sure you don’t break the nuts.
Banga Soup 3
- Pour some hot water over the pounded nuts, squeeze and use a sieve to strain out the extract – Repeat this a couple of times until you get all the extract from the nut.
Banga Soup 4

Banga Soup 5
- Place the palm nut extract or banga water as we like to call it into a cooking pot and place on the stovetop. Once it starts to boil add the banga spices.
Banga Soup 6
- Hot Take! I like to add my raw meat directly to the banga extract and allow everything cook together but some people may prefer to cook the meat separately before adding to the soup. To each his own! But i find parboiling the meat separately a waste of time, as you do not use any special seasoning to parboil meat meant for banga soup. But if you prefer to parboil your meat separately, place the meat in a pot and add Cameroon pepper, seasoning powder, and salt. Stir and leave to cook till the meat becomes tender and set aside.
- Allow the palm nut extract to cook for about 30 minutes or until it starts to thicken slightly. Then add your ground pepper, fresh and dried fish alongside your seasoning cubes.
Banga Soup 7
- Allow the soup to thicken some more before introducing the deshelled periwinkle and crayfish powder.
Banga Soup 8
- Add some salt to taste and your authentic delta banga soup is ready to be devoured.
Tips

Banga soup can be eaten with eba, fufu or semo. But it’s typically eaten with starch. This is a type of swallow made with cassava starch. Its very stretchy and smooth. Here’s how to make starch swallow
August 31, 2024
Egusi Soup
Easy Egusi Soup Recipe

12,000naira

Egusi soup is the unspoken national soup of Nigeria, it has different variations of preparation but you end up with the same finger licking result.

Egusi soup ingredients includes ground melon seed, pepper mix, spinach, beef, crayfish, iru and other condiments. Egusi soup and fufu are commonly paired together but it can also be eaten with other swallows like Fresh garri (Eba), Amala, Semovita, Pounded yam, and the likes. Some people like my husband even serve Egusi soup over Rice.

Ready in 120 minutes

Serves 8 people

2280 calories

Ingredients
- 2 Cups Egusi melon (1200 naira)
- 1 Cup Palm Oil (400 naira)
- Crayfish (100 naira)
- locust beans/ Iru (100 naira)
- Vegetables ( Ugwu, bitterleaves, Uziza leaves) (200 naira)
- Fresh pepper and tomatoes (500 naira)
- 2 Onions (100 naira)
- Stock Cube (100 naira)
- Kilo of Chicken (6000 naira)
- Dry Fish (1000 naira)
- Fresh fish (3000 naira)
- Salt To Taste
Preparation
- Blend the tomato and pepper. Try using as little water as possible to reduce the cooking time.
Egusi Soup 2
- You can opt for ground egusi or buy egusi seeds that you blend yourself. I like to buy ground egusi as I find it easier to work with but many people prefer the egusi seeds because depending on where you buy from, ground egusi might have some dirt particles inside. But if you have a clean and reliable vendor, ground egusi is the way to go. I mix the ground egusi with some water to form a paste.
Egusi Soup 3
- Time to cook the chicken. I bought live chicken which was the same price as a kilo of frozen chicken. I prefer the toughness of the live chicken compared to the softness of the frozen chicken. This is especially best for soups. I parboiled the chicken with salt, bullion cubes, ground crayfish and pepper. Cooking hard chicken takes some time so make sure to check on the chicken from time to time.
Egusi Soup 4
- Heat the palm oil in a pot. Once the chicken is cooked to your desired softness, place a pot on the store and pour in your oil. Allow it to melt over medium heat but don’t bleach the oil.
Egusi Soup 5
- Throw in your diced onion, dry fish, iru and the remaining ground crayfish. Allow everything fry for about 3 minutes on medium heat.
Egusi Soup 6
- Add the blended tomato and pepper mix. Once the onions is translucent, add the blended mix of tomato and pepper and allow to cook till the water is reduced. This should take about 15 minutes on medium heat, stir frequently about every 5 minutes to prevent burning.
Egusi Soup 7
- Add the Egusi and cooked chicken. When the stew base is ready, add the remaining iru/locust bean, cooked chicken with its stock, then gently introduce the blended egusi into the mix but don’t stir it at this point.
Egusi soup 8
- Cover it and allow to cook for about 20 to 30 minutes, before finally introducing the fresh fish. I like to add the fish last as it only takes a few minutes to cook so it doesn’t scatter in the soup. Keep an eye on the soup, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn.
- Finally add the vegetables. I like to use ugwu/ pumpkin leaves and washed bitterleaves but you can also use uziza leaves and/or spinach and leave to simmer for about 5 minutes.
Egusi Soup 9
- Taste the soup for seasoning and make adjustments if necessary. You can add some water if the soup is too thick.
- Serve while still hot. Your soup is ready to be eaten with Eba, fufu, semovita or rice. Enjoy!!
Tips

Reduce the quantity of palm oil to cut down the calorie content of the soup.i

If you intend to keep the soup for later use or have some leftovers, keep it in an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can also store egusi soup in the fridge for up to 4 days If you plan to consume it within a short time.

When you are ready to serve, pop the soup on the stovetop under low heat or place it in a microwave using a microwave-safe container.
May 26, 2024