Foodie Education: How to Prepare Oha Soup in Few Minutes

Oha soup ( Ofe Ora) is an Igbo food from Eastern Nigeria. It is a very delicious, healthy and spicy dish and is one of the most popularly made and eaten dishes of the people of Igbo, made with the leaves of a tree called oha leaves. Ora soup is often prepared with cocoa-yam or egusi as the thickener.It is mostly served with Fufu, Wheat or Cassava flour.

Ingredients

Handful of Oha leaves
Oziza leaves
Cooking spoon of Palm oil or palm kernel nuts
Pieces of Coco-yam
Crayfish
Snails
Stock fish
Seasonings
Ogiri (locust beans)
Assorted meat
Cow skin (Kpomo)
Periwinkle
Yellow peppers

Method

Step 1

Bring the palm nut and coco-yam to boil, allowing to soften for 25 minutes.

Step 2

Make sure to extract the palm nut oil before adding it to a thick cooking pan. Allow it to heat for 2 minutes with little to medium onion slices.

Step 3

Peel the back of the coco-yam and quickly add it into the palm oil to melt, then add a small amount of water and pound yellow peppers.

Step 4

Add crayfish, stock fish, snail, ogiri (locust beans), cow skin (Kpomo), periwinkle and seasonings and allow to cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 5

Gently stir and allow the coco-yam to melt in the soup. The coco-yam serves as a thickener in the soup but if too thick, add some water.

Step 6

Add the Oha leaves. You can either chop/slice with a knife or make use of your hands to tear the Oha leaves into the soup.

Step 7

Put the Oziza leaf (you can chop/slice the Oziza with a knife). Leave all to cook for 5 to 10 minutes then stir. Taste the seasoning (adjust according to taste).