LounjeLounjePlan my week

Banga Soup

Also known as Banga Soup (Palm Nut Soup — Delta Style)

Banga Soup is the signature soup of the Delta peoples — the Urhobo, Isoko and Ijaw — and is one of the most distinctive and uniquely flavoured soups in all of Nigerian cuisine. While it shares the same base ingredient as Ofe Akwu (fresh palm nut cream), the Delta Banga Soup is fundamentally different in character due to a unique set of local spices that are exclusive to its preparation — oburunbebe stick (a specific Delta spice twig), dried atama leaves (Heinsia crinita), and

Banga Soup, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • A big pot of fresh palm nuts — enough to fill the pot halfway
  • OR 1 large tin of palm nut extract (Banga soup concentrate)
  • 1 big fresh catfish (point and kill), cleaned and cut into steaks
  • 2 big handfuls of fresh or frozen periwinkles (isam), cleaned
  • 1 big handful of stockfish, soaked
  • 1 big handful of smoked fish, soaked and deboned
  • 3 big handfuls of ground dried crayfish
  • 3 to 4 Atarodo (hot chilli peppers), blended
  • 1 big onion, sliced THE ESSENTIAL DELTA BANGA SPICES:
  • 2 to 3 pieces of oburunbebe stick (Banga spice stick)
  • 1 big handful of dried atama leaves (Heinsia crinita), crumbled
  • 1 teaspoon of dried beletete (Delta aromatic bark) — optional
  • 1 teaspoon of dried irugban (Banga aromatic herb) — optional
  • 3 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. 01

    Extracting the Palm Cream. Boil the fresh palm nuts in water for 30 minutes until the orange flesh is very soft. Pound thoroughly in a mortar to loosen the flesh from the inner shells. Transfer to a bowl, add warm water and knead vigorously to extract all the orange cream. Strain through a sieve, discarding the fibres and shells. The palm cream should be thick, rich and brilliantly orange. If using canned palm nut extract, thin it with water to the consistency of thick cream.

  2. 02

    Cleaning the Catfish. Clean the fresh catfish thoroughly. Remove the slime by rubbing with alum (akanwu) and salt. Rinse very well. Cut into large, thick steaks. Season lightly with salt.

  3. 03

    Adding the Banga Spices. Pour the palm cream into a wide pot. Add the oburunbebe sticks and crumbled dried atama leaves directly into the palm cream. Add the beletete and irugban if using. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes — this infuses the palm cream with the distinctive Delta spice flavours before any other ingredients are added. This spice-infusion step is non-negotiable for authentic Banga Soup.

  4. 04

    Adding the Proteins. Add the catfish steaks, stockfish, smoked fish, periwinkles and prawns to the spiced palm cream. Add blended Atarodo, sliced onion, ground crayfish, seasoning cubes and salt. Stir gently to combine without breaking the fish.

  5. 05

    Simmering to Completion. Simmer the soup over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring gently every 5 minutes. The catfish will cook through and begin to fall apart slightly — this is ideal as the fish enriches the soup further. The soup will deepen in colour and become increasingly fragrant from the Delta spices. Remove the oburunbebe sticks before serving (they are not eaten). Taste and adjust all seasonings. The soup should be deeply rich, brilliantly orange-red, intensely aromatic from the Delta spices and packed with seafood.

More soups & broths