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Ofe Akwu Party Style

Also known as Ofe Akwu Party Style (Festive Palm Nut Soup)

Ofe Akwu Nkemdirim is the festive, grand version of Ofe Akwu — the palm nut soup elevated to celebratory status with an abundance of premium proteins, richer seasoning and a deeper, more concentrated palm cream base. Prepared at Igbo weddings, naming ceremonies, funerals and title-taking events (Ozo title), this version of the soup is made in enormous quantities and is a centrepiece of the Igbo ceremonial feast.

Ofe Akwu Party Style, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • A full pot of fresh palm nuts (akwu) — enough to produce a large quantity of palm cream
  • 1 whole chicken, cut into large pieces
  • A large pot of assorted beef (ribs, shank, tripe, ponmo)
  • Half a goat, cut into pieces
  • 3 big handfuls of stockfish (okporoko), soaked
  • 3 big handfuls of premium smoked catfish (eja aran), soaked
  • 5 big handfuls of ground crayfish
  • 5 to 6 Atarodo (hot chilli peppers), blended
  • 2 big onions, sliced
  • 2 big tablespoons of ogiri okpei
  • 1 tablespoon of ground ehuru
  • A big handful of uziza leaves
  • A big handful of fresh scent leaves (nchanwu)
  • 5 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. 01

    Extracting the Palm Cream. Boil the palm nuts for 30 minutes. Pound vigorously in a mortar. Squeeze with warm water in batches to extract all the cream. Strain. The palm cream should be thick, rich and deep orange.

  2. 02

    Cooking All Proteins. Season and cook each protein type separately in water with onion, salt and seasoning cubes. Goat: 45 minutes. Beef assorted: 40 minutes. Chicken: 25 minutes. Combine all proteins and their stocks together.

  3. 03

    Building the Festive Soup. Pour the palm cream into the largest pot available. Bring to a boil stirring. Add all the combined proteins and stocks. Add blended Atarodo, ogiri, ehuru, ground crayfish, remaining seasoning cubes and salt. Stir very well.

  4. 04

    Long Simmering. Simmer the soup on medium heat for 40 to 50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. The soup will deepen in colour, concentration and flavour as it cooks. It should be very rich, very thick and brilliantly orange-red.

  5. 05

    Final Herbs. Add uziza and scent leaves in the final 5 minutes. Taste and adjust all seasonings. Serve in generous portions to all guests.

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