Ogbono soup is a popular Nigerian dish that can be enjoyed on its own or with other foods like fufu. Nigerian Ogbono soup has many varieties, but the one thing you’ll find in any Ogbono soup recipe is Ogbono seeds. Find out how to prepare Ogbono soup right now!
Buy high quality food products for your cooking on Jiji
1. How to cook Ogbono soup
There are three most popular ways of making Ogbono soup.
1. How to make Ogbono soup the traditional way
Here is what you’ll need for the classic Ogbono recipe:
- Ogbono seeds – 2 handfuls
- Assorted meat or fish
- Spinach leaves
- Onion – 1
- Crayfish – 2 tbsp
- Red palm oil – 2 tbsp
- Stock cubes – 2
- Salt
- Pepper
Follow these steps to make your Ogbono soup:
- Grind the Ogbono seeds, crayfish, and pepper.
- Cook the assorted meat with an onion and stock cubes. Don’t cook all the meat at once – start with the meat that takes the longest to cook and gradually add the rest.
- Chop the leaves you’re using for the soup.
- Put the palm oil into a pot and put on low heat, allowing the oil to melt without becoming too hot.
- Add the ground Ogbono seeds and turn off the heat. Stir to dissolve the Ogbono powder and add a bit of the stock from the meat or fish.
- Put the pot back on low heat and continue stirring the Ogbono mixture. You will notice the mixture starting to thicken. Add some hot water, stir, and cover the pot.
- Cook the Ogbono mixture for an additional 20 minutes in a covered pot. Every 2-3 minutes you need to open the lid, stir the mixture, scrape off any Ogbono that sticks to the pot, and cover the pot again.
- After 20 minutes pass, add the chopped and cooked meat, crayfish, salt, and pepper. Stir well, add more liquid if needed, and cook on low heat under a lid until the soup heats up.
- Add the defrosted and chopped spinach leaves; turn the heat off, cover the pot, and let the soup sit for 5 minutes to cook the spinach.
- Serve Ogbono soup on its own or with your favourite fufu recipe.
2. How to cook Ogbono soup with ugwu
Ugwu, or pumpkin leaves, can be a great addition to your Ogbono soup. You can substitute spinach with ugwu leaves or use both for a richer flavour and the many health benefits of both.
Pumpkin leaves are tougher than spinach, which is why you need to cook them for approximately 5 minutes before turning off the heat. The rest of the cooking process is completely identical to traditional Ogbono soup.
3. How to cook Ogbono soup with okra
Ogbono soup with okra is a combination of two of your favourite things – the hearty Ogbono soup and the flavourful okra. You’ll need 200 grams of okra for the soup; finely chop the the okra and add it as the last step of cooking Ogbono. Stir the soup well, allow it to heat up, take off the heat and serve!
2. Health benefits of Ogbono soup
Did you know that Ogbono soup is not just a delicious treat for the whole family, but also a powerful aid for your health? Here are 3 most important health benefits of Ogbono soup:
- Ogbono is a great food product for weight management: the soup isn’t too high in calories, and the Ogbono seeds have been proven to reduce appetite.
- The riboflavin, thiamine, and niacin contained in Ogbono seeds help the organ cells regenerate and build new tissue.
- Recent studies of Ogbono have revealed that the seeds of the plant have anti-diabetic properties, both in terms of prevention and treatment of the existing diabetic condition in patients.
Find everything you need for your kitchen and home on the Jiji app
