Ofe Awa (Nigerian Awa Leaf Soup)
Ofe awa is a Nigerian leaf soup eaten especially by the Nkanu people, and it is built on very few ingredients. The awa leaves are blanched for only about 10 seconds to lose their bitterness, then folded in at the very end. Ground ogbono gives the broth body, while ogiri, crayfish, dryfish and stockfish supply a deep savory base. Serve it with a swallow such as eba.
Instructions
Put the awa leaves in a separate pot of boiling water for about 10 seconds, just long enough to take away their bitterness. Drain them, press out the excess water, and set them aside.
Blend the ground crayfish, uziza leaves, habanero, yellow pepper and ogiri into a smooth paste. Scrape the paste into a clean pot.
Add the washed beef, dryfish and stockfish to the pot. Rinse out the blender with a little water and pour that into the pot so none of the paste is wasted.
Season with salt and the seasoning cube, bring the pot to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer.
Stir in the palm oil, then the ground ogbono. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the soup has thickened and the oil is well mixed in.
Stir in the drained awa leaves and take the pot off the heat straight away, so the leaves stay green and tender.
Serve hot with semovita, eba, wheat or any other swallow you like.
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