Hi readers and seekers of Global kitchen knowledge like me, through the Global Food Book. I find this platform an interesting site to communicate, inform, and educate you on some African contemporary delicacies. I urge you to share with me types of food, processes and methods of preparation, as you will find it exciting, tempting and very easy to administer in your own kitchen, by yourself.
ORA SOUP
INGREDIENTS
* Vegetable- Ora leaves
* Cocoyam- 8 corms
* Red palm oil- 3 cooking spoons
* Assorted beef- includes best cut, shaki (cow. tail)
* Assorted fish- Dry fish and stock fish
* Chilli pepper, salt and crayfish(to fish)
* Seasoning- 3 Maggi or any knorr cubes
DIRECTIONS
Grind the crayfish and pepper and set aside. Wash and boil the cocoyam corms till soft. Remove the peels and use a mortar and pestle to pound the corms to a smooth paste, using your finger, cut the Ora leaves into tiny pieces. This technique is to prevent the vegetable from becoming darker in colour. This happens when you cut the Ora with a knife.
1. Boil the shaki(cow tail), stock fish and dry fish in 1 litre of water till they are well done. First sign of a done shaki is that the cuts will start curling on itself.
2. Wash the beef and add to the pot of shaki etc and continue cooking. When the meat is done, add 3 cubes of maggi/knorr and cook for 5 minuets.
3. Add the already grinded pepper and crayfish and cook for 10 minutes. Add the cocoyam paste in the lumps and then the palm oil.
4. Cover the pot and leave to cook on high heat till all the cocoyam lumps have dissolved. You can add more water if you feel that the soup is too thick.
5. Add the Ora leaves and leave to cook for about 5 minuets.
6. Add salt to taste and the soup is ready to be served, don't forget to share with loved ones.
OFE AKWU(BANGA SOUP)
INGREDIENTS
* Palm fruits- 1kg
* Beef
* Dry Fish
* vegetable- scent leaves (nchuanwu leave)
* Onions-2 medium bulbs
* Crayfish- A handful/2 tablespoons of grinded crayfish
* Salt and chilli pepper-to taste
* Seasoning- 3maggi/ knorr cubes
DIRECTION
1. Wash and cook the palm fruits till done. A good sign that the palm fruit is done is that you will notice cracks on the flesh of the fruits. The palm fruit is also soft to the bite
2. Pound the palm fruits in a mortar with a pestle till all the flesh are separated from the nut to form a smooth pulp.
3. Cook the beef and the dry fish with 1 bulb of diced onion and the 3 maggi/knorr cubes till done.
4. While you have the beef cooking, extract the palm fruit oil from the palm fruit pulp by washing it in warm water. Small quantities of the palm fruit pulp should be washed in a small quantity of warm water as possible. If the palm fruit oil is getting too thick, pour the liquid into another container through a sieve to prevent the palm fruit fibres from entering into the oil that will be used in cooking the Ofe Akwu soup. Repeat this till all the palm fruit pulp has been washed.
5. Leave the extracted palm fruit oil to stand for some time then slowly pour this into the pot that will be used to cook the Ofe Akwu Stew, taking care not to pour the tiny pieces of fibre that have settled at the bottom.
6. Wash and cut the scent leaves into tiny pieces. The scent leaves are what gives the Ofe Akwu soup its unique aroma and taste. If you are outside Nigeria, this may be little difficult to find, so you can use pumpkin leaves or any other vegetable scent leaves available.
7. Cut the remaining bulb of onion, grind the crayfish and pepper and set aside.
DIRECTIONS;
1. Set the pot of palm fruit oil on the stove and start cooking at high heat. Leave to boil till you notice come clear oil at the surface of the Ofe Akwu Stew. If you think that the Ofe Akwu stew is watery, cook till the soup has thickened to the consistency you will like for your stews.
2. Now, add scent leaves and salt to taste. Leave to cook for 2 minutes. The Ofe Akwu Stew is done. Please serve with white rice, do enjoy your dining moment.
In my next edition, I will teach on how to prepare other important African delicacies, such as Ukwa (Bread fruit) etc.
Warning: Don't ever play with your stomach, for what you eat is your only share of all your material acquisitions and wealth.
