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Ofe Oha na Ede

Also known as Ofe Oha na Ede (Oha & Cocoyam Soup)

Ofe Oha na Ede is essentially the supreme version of Oha Soup, elevated further by the addition of more cocoyam and a richer, more abundant protein selection. Where standard Oha Soup uses cocoyam purely as a thickener, Ofe Oha na Ede embraces the cocoyam as a full co-ingredient — chunks of boiled cocoyam are added alongside the pounded cocoyam thickener, giving the soup a unique textural dimension where you encounter both the silky soup base and pieces of tender, flavour-abso

Ofe Oha na Ede, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 4 to 5 big handfuls of fresh oha (ora) leaves, hand-torn
  • Half a medium goat or a big pot of assorted beef
  • 2 big handfuls of stockfish, soaked
  • 2 big handfuls of smoked fish, soaked and deboned
  • 3 cooking spoons of red palm oil
  • 6 to 8 medium cocoyams — 4 pounded as thickener, 4 kept as chunks
  • 3 big handfuls of ground crayfish
  • 4 Atarodo (hot chilli peppers), blended
  • 1 tablespoon of ogiri okpei
  • 1 teaspoon of ground ehuru (calabash nutmeg)
  • A small handful of uziza leaves, shredded
  • 1 big onion, sliced
  • 3 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. 01

    Cooking the Meat. Season and cook all meat and stockfish in water for 35 minutes. Reserve stock.

  2. 02

    Preparing the Cocoyams. Boil all cocoyams until soft. Take 4 and pound to a smooth paste (thickener). Keep the other 4 as whole pieces to add to the soup. Set both aside separately.

  3. 03

    Building the Soup. Heat palm oil in a wide pot. Add reserved stock, blended Atarodo, ogiri, ehuru and ground crayfish. Add cooked meat, stockfish and smoked fish. Bring to a simmer. Season with remaining seasoning cubes and salt.

  4. 04

    Adding Thickener and Cocoyam Chunks. Add the pounded cocoyam paste in pieces, stirring after each addition. Then add the whole cooked cocoyam chunks. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes until the soup thickens smoothly around the whole cocoyam pieces.

  5. 05

    Adding the Oha Leaves. Hand-tear the oha leaves and add to the soup. Add uziza leaves. Stir gently through the soup. Cook for just 5 minutes. Taste and adjust all seasonings. Serve immediately.

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