If you’re looking for a tasty Nigerian soup to tantalize your tastebuds,look no further. Ofe utazi is a tasty delicacy from the eastern part of Nigeria. It’s a palm fruit based soup with Utazi leaves as the key ingredient. Utazi is quite bitter but when combined with the spicy uziza, it takes this soup to a whole new level.
Preparation:
Step 1. First, I’d like to say that Palm oil can be substituted for the aku (palm kernel) liquid but to get that original traditional taste and feel, I’d be using Palm kernel liquid extract (aku) instead of palm oil. Before you start cooking, Extract the oil from the Aku(Palm kernels) into a large pot then boil till the water evaporates leaving the concentrated
aku (palm kernel) liquid
Step 2. Wash and chop the Uziza and Utazi leaves then set aside separately
3. To prepare the soup stock, wash and add the beef/ sharki/ kpomo into a different pot. Chop the onion, and scotch bonnet pepper into the pot. Add the seasoning & salt then cook for 15mins.
4. Into the pot with palm kernel liquid; pour in the Beef stock, add the stock fish, dry fish, ground uziza seeds (mkpuru uziza) and crayfish then cover the pot. Leave to cook for about 15mins
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| Adding the stock fish and dry fish |
5. Add a Scoop of the pounded cocoyam (ede) into the pot and watch its viscosity as it thickens. If it’s not as thick as you want it to be, add another scoop to get your desired thickness then leave for about 10minutes
6. Add the chopped Utazi and Uziza leaves into the pot and continue cooking on low heat for about 5minutes
7. Turn off the burner and serve with any form of swallow. I actually prepared edible cocoyam(Pounded) with wheat meal for this dish.
Ingredients
- 1 medium sized Stock fish- Okporoko
- 2 Dry fish
- 800 g Beef (cut into big chunks)
- 500 g Sharki/ Kpomo (Cow Hide)
- A small bunch Uziza leaves
- 1/2 cup Crayfish
- 1 tsp. Uziza seeds “Piper guineese”(mkpuru uziza)
- 2 cups Palm oil
- 1 cup Cocoyam “ede ofe”(pounded)
- 1 small bunch Utazi leaves
- 4 small-sized Fresh Pepper (Scotch bonnets)
- 1 medium-sized onion
- 2 Seasoning cubes
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- First, I’d like to say that Palm oil can be substituted for the aku (palm kernel) liquid but to get that original traditional taste and feel, I’d be using Palm kernel liquid extract (aku) instead of palm oil. Before you start cooking, Extract the oil from the Aku(Palm kernels) into a large pot then boil till the water evaporates leaving the concentrated aku (palm kernel) liquid
- Wash and chop the Uziza and Utazi leaves then set aside separately
- To prepare the soup stock, wash and add the beef/ sharki/ kpomo into a different pot. Chop the onion, and scotch bonnet pepper into the pot. Add the seasoning & salt then cook for 15mins.
- Into the pot with palm kernel liquid; pour in the Beef stock, add the stock fish, dry fish, ground uziza seeds (mkpuru uziza) and crayfish then cover the pot. Leave to cook for about 15mins
- Add a Scoop of the pounded cocoyam (ede) into the pot and watch its viscosity as it thickens. If it’s not as thick as you want it to be, add another scoop to get your desired thickness then leave for about 10minutes
- Add the chopped Utazi and Uziza leaves into the pot and continue cooking on low heat for about 5minutes
- Turn off the burner and serve with any form of swallow. I actually prepared edible cocoyam(Pounded) with wheat meal for this dish.