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Ogiri Okpei Soup

Ofe Ogiri Okpei is a traditional Igbo soup where the fermented castor seed condiment (ogiri) takes centre stage as the primary flavour agent. Ogiri okpei is one of the most pungent and complex fermented ingredients in all of West African cooking — its deeply funky, intensely savoury aroma and flavour add an extraordinary umami depth to any soup it touches.

Ogiri Okpei Soup, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 1 big ball of ogiri okpei (fermented castor seed) — about the size of a golf ball
  • A big handful of goat meat or beef, cut into pieces
  • 2 big handfuls of stockfish, soaked
  • 1 big handful of smoked fish, soaked and deboned
  • 3 cooking spoons of red palm oil
  • 3 big handfuls of ground crayfish
  • 4 Atarodo (hot chilli peppers), blended
  • 1 big onion, sliced
  • 4 big handfuls of fresh bitter leaf or ugwu (pumpkin leaf), washed
  • 3 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 teaspoon of ground ehuru (calabash nutmeg)

Method

  1. 01

    Cooking the Meat. Season and cook goat meat with salt, 1 seasoning cube and onion for 30 minutes. Add stockfish for the last 15 minutes. Reserve stock.

  2. 02

    Preparing the Ogiri. Dissolve the ogiri okpei ball in a small bowl with 2 big tablespoons of warm water. Stir to break it up into a paste. The aroma will be very strong — this is correct. Set aside.

  3. 03

    Building the Soup. Heat palm oil in a wide pot. Add the dissolved ogiri paste and fry for 2 minutes — frying ogiri intensifies and transforms its flavour from raw fermented to deeply nutty and complex. Add blended Atarodo, ground crayfish, ehuru and reserved stock. Add cooked meat and stockfish. Bring to a simmer.

  4. 04

    Seasoning and Simmering. Add smoked fish, remaining seasoning cubes and salt. Simmer for 15 minutes.

  5. 05

    Adding the Vegetables. Add the washed bitter leaf or ugwu. Stir through and cook for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust — the soup should be intensely flavoured, with the ogiri providing a deep, complex, slightly pungent base note. Serve hot.

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