Cookbook:Ofe Owerri

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Ofe owerri is a popular Igbo soup indigenous to the people of Owerri, Nigeria. It is made from either ugu or okazi vegetables. Many different recipes and variations are possible.

• 1 kg assorted meat (beef, goat, cow tripe, etc.)
• 4–6 seasoning cubes
• 3–4 cups water
• 500 g dryfish, smoked fish, or stockfish
• 1 cup cocoyam paste
• 1 cup palm oil
• 3 tablespoons ground crayfish
• 2 tablespoons ogiri (fermented melon seed paste)
• Fresh bell pepper or chile pepper
• 1 cup okazi or uziza leaves, thinly sliced
• 2 cups ugu leaves, chopped

• Cooking pot
• Sieve
• Stirring spoon
• Kitchen knife
• Chopping board
• Bowls
• Mortar and pestle

1. Clean the meats and dryfish, and cut into pieces.
2. Simmer the meat with seasoning cubes and water in a pot until tender. Add stockfish and dried fish.
3. Stir in the cocoyam paste to thicken the soup, making sure it's well incorporated.
4. Stir in the palm oil, crayfish, ogiri, and pepper. Simmer for 5–10 minutes.
5. Add okazi leaves, and simmer for 3 minutes.
6. Stir in ugu leaves, and simmer for 2–3 minutes.
7. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot with pounded yam or fufu.