Nigerian Cotton Seed Soup (Obe Koowu)
Obe koowu is a Nigerian cotton seed soup, cooked mostly among the Ondo people and also known as ofe oruru. The seeds are ground and sieved into a milk that thickens a base of boiled palm fruit extract. Smoked fish, bush meat, crayfish and iru add layers of savory depth, while spinach goes in at the end. It is an uncommon soup that rewards cooks who like traditional West African ingredients.
Instructions
If your cotton seeds still have their fibers, pick through them and remove any stray debris. Grind the seeds with hot water, mixing well, then pass the mixture through a sieve to collect the cottonseed milk.
Wash the palm fruit and boil it in water until soft. Pound the softened fruit, mix it with warm water, and strain it to get the oily palm extract.
Bring the palm extract to a boil in a pot. Stir in the cottonseed milk and keep boiling until the foam has disappeared.
Add the smoked fish, bush meat, ground crayfish, iru, chopped onion, tomato paste, ground chile and seasoning cubes. Stir, then simmer for at least 23 minutes.
Add the shredded spinach and simmer briefly, just until it has wilted into the soup. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Take the pot off the heat and serve the soup hot with the swallow of your choice.
Make it personal.
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