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Cocoyam Pottage

Also known as Cocoyam Pottage (Ede ji Onugbu Full Version)

This is the full, ceremonial version of the Igbo Cocoyam and Bitter Leaf pottage — a dish elevated with more protein, richer seasoning and a more generous hand with all the key ingredients. Where the earlier version (Recipe #066) in Chapter 2 presented a simpler everyday format, this version adds assorted meats, premium smoked fish, stockfish and a more complex spice profile to create a festive, richly flavoured Igbo pottage that is served at important family occasions.

Cocoyam Pottage, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 10 to 12 medium cocoyams, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 5 big handfuls of fresh bitter leaf (onugbu), washed and squeezed 5 times
  • Half a medium goat or big handful of assorted beef, cut into pieces
  • 2 big handfuls of stockfish, soaked and shredded
  • 2 big handfuls of premium smoked catfish, soaked and deboned
  • 3 cooking spoons of red palm oil
  • 3 big handfuls of ground crayfish
  • 4 Atarodo (hot chilli peppers), blended
  • 1 tablespoon of ogiri okpei (fermented castor seed)
  • 1 teaspoon of ground ehuru (calabash nutmeg)
  • 1 big onion, sliced
  • 3 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. 01

    Preparing the Bitter Leaf. Wash and squeeze bitter leaf in 5 changes of water until pleasantly bitter. Set aside.

  2. 02

    Cooking the Meat. Season and cook meat and stockfish with onion, salt and seasoning cube for 30 to 35 minutes. Reserve stock.

  3. 03

    Parboiling the Cocoyam. Boil the cocoyam chunks in salted water for 15 minutes until half-cooked. Drain. Set aside.

  4. 04

    Building the Sauce. Heat palm oil in a wide pot. Add ogiri and fry 1 minute. Add blended Atarodo and ground ehuru. Fry for 8 minutes. Add all cooked meat, stockfish and smoked catfish. Pour in reserved meat stock. Add ground crayfish, seasoning cubes and salt. Stir well.

  5. 05

    Cooking the Cocoyam. Add the parboiled cocoyam chunks to the pot. Add enough water to just cover. Cook on medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cocoyam is fully cooked and some pieces have broken down to thicken the sauce.

  6. 06

    Adding the Bitter Leaf. Add the squeezed bitter leaf. Stir very well through the entire dish. Cook for 10 more minutes on medium-low heat. Taste and adjust all seasonings. Serve hot.

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