How To Prepare Ogbono Soup.

How To Prepare Ogbono Soup. 

 

Ogbono soup is one of the Easiest Recipe, and it's use to eat any kind of fufu. 

INGREDIENTS :

* 1 Cup milk of Ogbono seed or 10 tablespoonful of grounded Ogbono.

* Cow or Goat Meat.

* Cow or Goat Ribs.

* Cow or Goat Shaki.

* Ponmo.

* Dry cat fish.

* 3 Cooking spoons of Palm Oil.

* Half milk cup of Crayfish.

* Stockfish.

* 1 tablespoonful of ogiri okpei (Iru, Locust bean).

* Habanero pepper (ose oyibo, atarodo).

* Half ball of Onion.

* 2 Seasoning Cubes.

* Ugu leaves or Bitter leaves.

* Salt. 

NOTES ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS ;

1. Mostly in all recipes, we go crazy when it comes to the quantities of ingredients. Mean why the quantities of the ingredients can be adjusted to your own taste.

2. If you are using the ogbono seeds, it's recommended for you to use a spice coffer grinder to grind the ogbono seeds.

3. You can add palm oil to the Ogbono seed while grinding or after grinding it, this is to allow the palm oil to mixed well with the Ogbono. Not that you won't add palm oil to your cooking again, you will still add it, but that you have added to your cooking will not mix up with the Ogbono.

4. Vegetables is to add according to the quantity of your choice. Most people don't even add any vegetables to their Ogbono Soup and it's still look lovely that way.

5. You can use grind pepper, cayenne pepper ( fresh or dry) or Scotch bonnet peppers if you cannot find habanero peppers.

BEFORE YOU PROCEED WITH YOUR COOKING.

* Set up your grinding machine to grind the Ogbono seed. That is if you are using seed Ogbono. But if you have grounded Ogbono, set it aside.

Note "your grinding process must be without water. That is, you don't add water to your grinding".

* Soak the dry Catfish and Stockfish a blow of warm water. To soften, When soft. Clean it in a cool water thoroughly and remove all the bones.

Note "Stockfish has a lot of bones, so you can kick it out of your Ingredients. Or try and make sure you debone it properly.

* Pick and Chop the Ugu leaves into thin slices and set aside. But if using Bitter leaves, pick and wash it thoroughly. Click here to find more details on "How To Wash Bitter leaves".

* Grind the crayfish. "it's optional".

* Grind the ogiri okpei "it's optional".

* Grind or Pound the pepper with onion. And set aside.

* Chop your Ponmo to thin slices and set aside.

DIRECTIONS FOR COOKING OGBONO SOUP.

1. Set up your cooker or stove, then place a pot to cook the meat with the seasoning cubes and onion.

Note "Start your cooking with the toughest part of meat".

2. When the meat is done, turn into a sieve to drain out the stock, and set aside.

3. Now set a new pot for the cooking of your ogbono.

4. Divide the meat stock into 2 or 3 equal part. Pour one part into the pot and add the grounded ogbono, by spreading over the meat stock. Then stir very well with a wooden spoon to ensure that it mix with the meat stock and become thicker.

5. Cover the pot, and continue cooking on low heat.

Note "Don't keep it so long, stir it very often as you cook so it doesn't burn".

6. After like 10 minutes or less, add the following Ingredients to your cooking...

 crayfish,

ogiri okpei,

habanero pepper,

deboned dry catfish and stockfiah,

salt,

palm oil.

And continue cooking. Remember to stir often.

7. After completely 3 minutes, add the remaining ingredients such as:

boiled meats,

vegetables,

Stock cube.

You may add more salt and the other meat stock if necessary. Cover and continue cooking till the delicious aroma and flavour comes out.

8. After like 2 minutes, it should be done by now. Take the soup off the and
pour into another pot "not necessary".

Now you can serve Ogbono Soup with any Fufu meal.

How To Prepare Afang Soup.

How To Prepare Afang Soup. 

 

Afang Soup, is just like the Edikang Ikong Soup, but it's more easier to cook then Edikang Ikong Soup. It was found by the Efiks from Akwa Ibom and Cross River. Afang Soup is one of the most popular local soup in the Eastern part of Nigerian. 

INGREDIENTS.

* About 4 handfuls of chopped Okazi/Afang leaves.

* About 1½ handfuls of chopped Water leaves.

* Four to five cooking spoon of palm oil.

* Beef.

* Kanda (ponmo).

* Dry fish.

* Stock Fish.

* Periwinkle.

* 2 Tablespoonfuls of grounded Crayfish.

* Habanero Pepper.

* 2 Onions

* Salt.
* 2 Stock Cubes. 

Notes: Mostly in all recipes, we go crazy when it comes to the quantities of ingredients. Mean why the quantities of the ingredients can be adjusted to your own taste.

Before You Proceed With The Cooking Of The Afang Soup. 

1. Wash and drain the chopped water leaves.

2. Grind or pound the Okazi leaves.

3. Grind or pound the pepper with one part of the onions and chop the other.

4. Soak up the Stock Fish in warm water. 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Set up your cooker or stove and place a pot to boil the beef and Kanda(ponmo) with the chopped onions and stock cubes with a very small quantity of water. When it's almost done, add the soak stock fish and the dry fish then cook for about 3 to 4 minutes or more than.

2. When it fully done, remove the stock fish and the dry fish and set aside to remove the bones. Then remove the beef and Kanda(ponmo) and set aside.

3. Now set up a new Pot and pour the stock water and add palm oil, crayfish and pepper. Cover and leave to cook for about 5 minutes.

Notes: your cook most not be too watery.

4. After 5 minutes, add the afang (okazi), water leaves and periwinkle, salt, add more stock cubes if necessary and leave to simmer for about 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes, Afang soup is READY to SERVE with Garri (Eba), Semolina, White or Black Amala, Cassava Fufu or Pounded Yam or Cocoa Yam.

How To Prepare Melon (Egusi) Soup.

How To Prepare Melon (Egusi) Soup.

 

 

The Melon Soup is prepared with melon seeds, it's known as Miyan Gushi in the Northern part of Nigerian, Ofe Egusi in the Eastern part of Nigeria and Óbé Egusi in the Western part of Nigeria. Melon soup is the most popular soups in all Nigerians and non-
Nigerians living in the country that love most Nigerian local recipes.
This post is talking about The Cooking Method of Melon Soup (Egusi Soup). There are many different methods of cooking Melon Soup (Egusi Soup), they are :

* Fried Melon Soup (Egusi Soup); this is a situations where by the Melon (Egusi) is fried in palm oil before adding other ingredients to it.

* Akpuruakpu Egusi; this is a situations where by the Melon (Egusi) seed are dry under the high sunny temperature before grounding, then after grounding it, you add small palm oil to the ground egusi and molded into balls and cooked in the soup such that you will be eating the egusi balls like meat while enjoying your meal. This type of Melon Soup (Egusi Soup), is mostly used in parties, events and restaurants.

INGREDIENTS ;

* 4 Milk cups of Melon (Egusi) seeds.

* 2 Milk cups of Palm Oil.

* Meat.

* Shaki (cow tripe).

* Stock Fish.

* Dry Fish.

* 2 Teacups of grounded Crayfish.

* Dry grounded Pepper.

* Salt.

* Vegetable; Ugu (pumpkin) leaves, Eggplant leaves; (Garden egg leaf, Gboma, Efo Igbo in Yoruba, Botanical Name: Solanium marcrocarpon), Spinach; (Efo Tete in Yoruba, Botanical Name: Amaranthus Hybridus), or Bitter leaves; (Onugbu in Igbo, Efo Ewuro in Yoruba, shuwaka in Hausa, Etidot in Cross River, Botanical Name: Vernonia Amygdalina).

* 4 Stock Cubes.

 * 2 tablespoons of Ogiri Okpei (traditional locust bean seasoning).

Equipment needed;

* Melon grinder, for grinding the melon (egusi) seeds.

* Chopping board, for chopping the vegetable.

* Knife, for cutting and chopping.

* Pots, for cooking.

* Bowl, for washing ingredients that are need to be wash.

* Wooden spoon, for stirring.

* Tablespoons, for measuring.

Get the following prepared, before the processor of the cooking Melon (Egusi) Soup.

1. Soak the dry fish for about 20 minutes or more than. Boil the stockfish for like 20 minutes and 

pour into a bowl, then leave it there and set aside.

2. Chop the vegetable of your choice and set aside, if the vegetable you have chosen need to be boil or soak in hot water, do so and set aside.

3. After the stockfish is soften, remove the borns and break them into sizeable chunks.

4. Grind the egusi and crayfish with a dry mill and set aside.

5. Boil the meat, shaki, with one stock cubes, c dry cry and onion till they are well done.

DIRECTIONS :

1. Now set up a new pot, place it on the cooker or stove.

2. Remove the meat and shaki, from the stock and set aside.

3. Pour the stock water into the pot, add the grounded egusi to the stock.

Notes : If the stock water is not enough, add some ordinary water to it, to get the consistency of evaporated bit thicker.

4. Cover and cook till the melon (egusi) cakes. Now stir, add more water if necessary. watch it time to time so as to avoid burning.

5. Now you have a cake melon (egusi), add the following to it;

* Palm Oil,

* Vegetable of your choice,

* Pepper,

* Salt,

* Crayfish.

Then cover and continue cooking, cook for about 10 minutes.

6. After 10 minutes, your melon (egusi) and palm oil, should have turned light yellow.

7. Now add the remaining ingredients such as; meat, fish, Ogiri Okpei (traditional locust bean seasoning) and stock cubes. Then stir and cook for 5 minutes.

8. After 5 minutes, it should be done by then, you may turn into another pot to avoid continuation burning. Leave to cool for about 4 minutes or less, before serving it.

 When it ready to serve, served with Garri (Eba), Semolina, Amala, Cassava Fufu, Pounded Cocoa Yam, Pounded Yam or enjoy with White Rice.

How To Prepare Pepper Sauce.

How To Prepare Pepper Sauce.

The Pepper Sauce is one of my favorite sauce, it's very easy to prepare and it's prepared off cooker non stove. Pepper sauce, it's hot sauce use to eat Boiled Yam, Fried Yam, Roasted Yam, Roasted Plantain, Fried Plantain, Boiled Plantain, Fried Potatoes, or Boiled Potatoes. Pepper sauce is mainly used to warm a cold day.

INGREDIENTS:

* 4 Habanero peppers or Fresh chilli peppers.

* 1 Tablespoons of Tomato paste.

* 1 Onions.

* Vegetable oil or Red Palm Oil.

* Salt.

* 1 Stock cubes.

Notes: the ingredients above is use for just 5 pieces of Roasted Yam. You can as well increase the quantities of your ingredients, if preparing for the family's.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Set up your cooker or stove, place your frying pan, add your vegetable oil or palm oil to heat.

2. Wash your blender or mortar and pestle, wash the pepper and onion. If using blender, blend it and most not be smooth. If using mortar and pestle, pound it and most not be smooth also.

3. Now that your pepper and onion has been blend or pound rough medium smoothness, pour into a bowl, add to it the salt, stock cube, and the tomato paste and mix them together and set aside.

4. Back to the vegetable oil or palm oil on cooker or stove, now keep it down to cool off for like 5 minutes.

5. After it has been cool off for 5 minutes or less, pour vegetable oil or palm oil till you get the consistency of your choice, stir together with the oil.

Note: You can increase the quantity of the peppers if you prefer your pepper sauce very hot or remove the tomato paste and onion.

6. Now your pepper sauce is ready.

7. You can heat the pepper sauce for like 3 minutes or less, if serving with the kids. Enjoy with any of these; Boiled Yam, Fried Yam, Roasted Yam, Roasted Plantain, Fried Plantain, Boiled Plantain, Fried Potatoes, or Boiled Potatoes.

How To Prepare Edikang Ikong Soup.

How To Prepare Edikang Ikong Soup. 

Edikang Ikong Soup is a native soup for the Efiks peoples, from Akwa Ibom and Cross River states. It's prepare with ugu "pumpkin" leaves, bitter leaves and water leaves. 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR EDIKANG IKONG SOUP :

* Ugu "Pumpkin" leaves.

* Water leaves "Talinum Triangulare".

* Bitter leaves.

* Beef.

* Ponmo "Kanda".

* Shaki.

* Dry fish or Storefish.

* Pepper.

* Salt.

* Grounded Crayfish

* Palm oil.

* 2 cups of Periwinkle.

* 2 medium onions.

* 2 Stock cubes. 

 

Before you proceed the cooking of the Edikaikong Soup.

1. Wash and chop the ugu "pumpkin" and water leaves into tiny pieces. Must sure they are kept in separate sieves to drain out all the water.

2. Chop the Ponmo "Kanda" into small pieces and set aside.

3. Cook the Beef and Shaki with 2 bulbs of diced onions and the stock cubes with as little quantity of water.

4. Soak the Dry fish or Store fish in warm water for about an hour.

5. Periwinkle, it can be cooked in two different ways, with or without the shell. When cooking periwinkles without the shell, the first thing you need to do is to remove the brownish round tongue and rinsing before adding to your cooking. When cooking periwinkles with the shell, it's best to wash thoroughly with clean warm water to remove the dirt on the shell before chopping off the bottom part to create an air hole. This makes it easier for the soup liquid to run through inside it and to suck out the meat.

COOKING DIRECTIONS

1. Now place a new pot on your cooker or stove, then pour the meat and it stock into it. Add about 3 cooking spoon of palm oil, salt, stock cube, Crayfish and Pepper to boil for about 10 minutes or more than.

Notes : The palm oil, is to serves as the soup liquid. So you should try as much as possible to make it the only liquid in your soup so as to avoid watery.

2. Add the periwinkle, chopped ponmo, water leaves, bitter leaves and allow to cook for more 5 minutes.

Notes : You don't have to cook for complete 5 minutes to make sure the water leaves doesn't over cooked.

3. Add your ugu "pumpkin" leaves, Stir until all the ingredients mixed up. Cover the pot and leave to stand for about 5 minutes or less.

4. After 5 minutes or less, at this point in time you are now done with the Edikang Ikong Soup.
Enjoy with Families and friends and serve with Garri (Eba) , Semolina, Amala, Cassava Fufu, Pounded cocoa Yam or Pounded Yam.

How To Prepare A Good Meatball Stew.

How To Prepare A Good Meatball Stew. 

Meatball Stew is one of the easy stew ever, it's normally use to eat White Rice and Beans, White Rice, Boiled Yam, Boiled Spaghetti, and Boiled Potatoes. 

INGREDIENTS:

* 700g Minced Beef (Grounded Beef).

* 4 Cooking Spoonful of Tomato Stew.

* 1 Teaspoonful of Thyme.

* 2 Teaspoonful of Grounded Black Pepper.

* Salt.

* 2 Stock Cubes.

* Meat stock.

* 5 leaves of Curry. 

 

"Notes on the INGREDIENTS". 

1. The Tomato Stew, should be fresh tomato puree (thick) or tomato paste that has been halfway cook to remove any traces of water or having a sour, acidic or citrus taste.

2. The Meatball  Stew doesn't contain spices or seasoning much. The only major ingredients contains are; Tomato puree, onions and vegetable oil which will be used in frying it.

3. We all familiar to a vegetable called Curry's Leaf, curry leaf in Nigerian is a close alternative to Fresh Basil. So you can get curry leaves, add to your cooking if you want to add some vegetables to your Meatball Stew. All you need to do is to hand pick them from the stalk and rinse them before using.

4. If you don't have meat stock, just get a clean water to use. Meat stock is just the water you get from boiling your meat with.

Before you proceed with your cooking of Meatball Stew!

1. Already, you have some Tomato Stew in freezer, bring it out and put it in warm water to defrost before you will need to use it in your cooking. But if you don't have, first of all, prepare some. Read on How to Prepare Tomato Stew by clicking here.

Notes "it's good to always have it in your freezer, a large quantities of tomato stew. It helps you to prepare any recipes you will need it faster than not having it".

2. Blend your meat.

Notes "the blending of the meat most not be smooth at all".

3. Hand picked the curry leaves from the stalks, rinse them properly and set aside till when needed.

Notes "You don't have to chopped the curry leaves, since they are small already".

DIRECTIONS :

1. Pour your minced (blend) meat into a bowl.

2. Now add; A teacup of meat stock, ½ teaspoon of thyme, 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper and 2 small stock cubes (crushed) to the minced (blend) meat.

3. Mix them in the bowl with your hand till all have a good and well incorporated.

4. Now before proceeding to the next step, set your oven to 150°C (350F).

5. Now start the molding of the mixed minced (blend) meat into smaller balls, not to be too small, but it should be big enough to the size of the meat you can you to serve your kids. When molding, don't add much pressure to it so that the meat balls will not be too solid when it done. Just use the tips of 

your finger to gently form the balls. 

Notes "As you are molding your minced (blend) meat, place them directly to the oven tray"

6. After molding all the minced (blend) meat, place your oven tray back into the oven and bake in for 20 minutes or more than. A question cross over your mind, "what if I don't have an oven!". Don't be panicked about that, you can also deep fry them. There are many ways you can bake when you don't have an oven, just fry the meatball and continue.

Notes "While baking, don't get to turn the meat balls round, so that they will bake very well".

7. Set up your cooker or stove, then place a sizeable pot you will like to use, add the Tomato Stew and the meat stock. If you don't have meat stock, just add water to it and cook for just 4 minutes or less.

8. Now add the remaining; thyme, ground black pepper and stock cubes, salt (to your best of taste.) you can also add grounded crayfish.

9. Stir very well, cause after adding the baked meatballs, you won't be able to stir any more.

10. Add the baked meatballs one after the other, then add the curry leaves or fresh basil.

11. Half cover the pot and leave cook blow the boiling point.

12. After like 3 minutes, it should be done by then, now the Meatball Stew is Ready to Serve.  

Serve and enjoy with: White Rice and Beans, Boiled Yam, Spaghetti, White Rice, or Boiled Potatoes.

How to Prepare Tomato Stew.

How to Prepare Tomato Stew.

Tomato Stew you the most used in prepare the Rice Recipes such as :

Jollof Rice,
Coconut Rice,
Rice & Beans,
Boiled Rice. etc....

And also used in other Recipes such as the Beef, pork, fish, Chicken. Etc.....

Is very good to always have already prepared tomato stew in a large quantity stored in freezer. It makes your cooking faster.

Note ; when preparing tomato sauce you don't have to add any seasoning and other ingredients to the sauce on less is ready to use, cause the sauce is just a base.

So many homes have been broken down today just because the wife doesn't know how to prepare a good food and sauce.

That's why have set my blog all alone for "foodies/recipes."

There are different ways of tomato sauce, and each are used for different recipes.

You may not get what I mean by different types, like now you want to prepare for boiled white rice. All you need is to add beef or fish or pork or chicken, with thyme, curry, Knorr, salt and pepper to tomato sauce to get the Stew used to eat boiled white rice.

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED TO PREPARE TOMATO SAUCE.

* 10Ball of fresh raw Tomatoes; known as tomate pera in Spanish and pomodoro pera in Italian.

OR

* 400g tinned tomato paste.

* Vegetable Oil.

* 2 onions.

IMPORTANT NOTE'S :

1. Tomatoes : If you are using raw tomatoes, try to get the fresh ones and not the one with lots of water. Using fresh raw tomatoes you still need to remove all the seeds if you know your blender can't blend off the seed.

2. Vegetable Oil: nowadays vegetable oil is now produce and manufactured by different companies and different sources such as following;

Melons.

Palm.

Soybean.

sunflower seeds.

cotton seed.

Palm kernel.

Coconut.

All this are still vegetables oil but has different tests and benefits, so it is advisable to always us Soybean oil or Coconut oil.

3. Tomatoes Paste : The tomato paste is usually very thick and concentrated. And if you fry the tomato paste as it is, it will burn straight away no doubt. But if I want to fry my I will add little water to it to make it watery . But in some other part of the world such as Europe, Asia, and the rest of the world there tomatoes are usually watery. And the tomato paste add more colors to your tomato sauce.

Before you proceed.

1. Wash your hands and your cooking tools such as spoons, pot, blend, etc.... And now wash your tomatoes and onions.

Don't forget; if your blend can't blend the tomatoes seeds, remove the seeds unless you are sure your blender can grind them very well.

2. If you are using the thick tomato paste that is common, mix it with warm water to get a watery. Or if you are using watery tinned tomato puree open it and pour into a plate. Then keep aside.

3. Chop the onions into small pieces.

DIRECTIONS ;

1a. Get your cooker set up and place your cooking pot on it, then pour the fresh tomato which you've already blend, and heat it for like 10 to 15 minutes or till when the water almost get dried.

1b. If you are using the watery tomato paste, pour your oil into the pot first and live it for 5 minutes and pour the  watery tomato paste, and reduce the heat to low. Cook till the water in the tomato
Paste dried as much as possible.

2. Then add the following to your fresh tomatoes blend ;

* Vegetable Oil,
* Chopped fresh Onions,

And Stir very well.

NOTE ; you don't need step "2" if you are using "1b" step "2" is for the users of "1a"

3. Fry and stir at short intervals, and reduce your cooker to a very low heat
till the oil has completely flat on top from the tomato ground. if you have fry it very well, and have an irregular line left from smearing or motion of oil. Taste the  tomato stew to make sure that the raw tomato taste is are no more.
As time goes on and practice with challenges, you will be soon be an expert.

4. Now you are OK with the taste, your tomato stew is ready to use. If you are using it immediately, add it to your cooking. But if not used keep it cool at 20°c.