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Edo food recipes

Owo Soup


Traditional Benin soup cooked and served in earthenware pots and serve as accompaniment to boiled yam or plantain.

500g / llb smoked fish (washed)
250g / 8oz fresh tomatoes (ground)
lOOg / 4oz fresh chffiies (ground)
lOOg/4oz ground crayfish
6tablespoon palmoil
§g kan (potash)
3giro ( locust bean )
600mi / 1 pint water taste

Pour the stock into a clean pot, add the washed fish and rest of the ingredients except the oil. Season, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. Re move pot from heat allow to cool for 10 minutes then gradually stir in the oil until it is thick in conistency and golden yellow in colour. Adjust seasoning and serve.

Courtesy of Laura Edet

Ogi Soup {EGUSI}

This humble melon seed soup is quite popular all over Edo state. Although cooking techniques and the kind of vegetables used might differ from region to region it is still absolutely delicious when properly cooked.

250g 8oz fresh beef chucks
500g / llb bushmeat
500g / lib stockfish (pre-soaked)
500g / lib smoked dry fish
250g / 8oz oxtail
250g / 8oz cleaned tripe
2pt stock or water
300g /100z ground egusi
500g lib fresh tomatoes
250g / 8oz fresh peppers
2 large onion
teaspoons iru
4 tablespoon ground crayfish
500g.llb fresh bitter leaf (washed to remove excessive bitterness)
salt to taste

Wash thoroughly the beef oxtail bushmeat and tripe. Place a large pot with sliced onions season with salt add a drop of water or stock and cook for 30 minutes or until tender.

Add the washed dry fish and stockfish and cook for another 10 minutes. When cooked mm into a large clean bowl. Wipe out the pot and place back on heat. Pour the oil into the pot when hot add the ground tomatoes onions and peppers and fry for 10 minutes. Add the ground egusi and iru stirring thoroughly and cook for 5 minutes. Finally add cooked meats washed bitter leaf Crayfish and the stock. Allow to boil then simmer for 15 minutes. Serve hot with any of the stiff puddings.


VARIATIONS
Others green leaf vegetables such as fresh waterleaf Soko Tete. Igbo ugwu and Uzouza leaves can also be used on their own or as a combination m the above recipe using the same methods.

Courtesy of Laura Edet

Okro Soup

 

Ingredients
3 pounds beef (optionally, fish or goat meat)
1 cup dried crayfish* (optionally dried shrimp*)
2 pounds okra*, chopped or ground in a blender
1 teaspoon dried red pepper*, powdered or crushed (optional, chopped or ground red bell pepper)
2 tablespoons salt
1 medium onion, chopped
4 tablespoons red palm oil*
spinach, chopped
7 cups water

 

Equipment

 

skillet
mortar and pestle or food processor
knife
large spoon for stirring
cutting board

 

Preparation

  1. Cut beef in small pieces
  2. Place in skillet with water
  3. Add onion and salt
  4. Boil for 15 to 25 minutes
  5. Add okra and stir until blended in
  6. Add the remaining ingredients, stir and cook for 10 more minutes
  7. Serve warm with Eman (pounded yam), pounded cassava, or éba (fried grated cassava)
OGBONO SOUP

Just like the egusi, ogbono soup is thoroughly enjoyed by all Edos.

lkg/ 21b assorted meats (oxtail, tripe, ponmo & bushmeat)
450g/llb stock fish(pre-soaked)
450g / llb dried fish (washed)
225g / 8oz whole dry prawns (cleaned)
225g / 8oz ground ogbono seeds
225g/8oz ground crayfish
25g / 8oz ground pepper
25g / loz iru
I medium onion
290ml / lOfl ozpalmoil
3pt stock or water
salt to taste

Washed the assorted meats thoroughly and place in a pot. Add the sliced onions, ground chillies and some stock or water. Cooked for 30 minutes. Add the washed smoked fish and stockfish, cook for a further 10-15 minutes adding a drop of water or stock as needed to stop it from burning. In another pot, heat the oil and fry the ground seeds for 3 minutes to bring out the nutty flavour.

Gradually add the stock and whisk until it draws and bubbles. Add the cooked meats peppers and crayfish.
Dissolve the locust bean in a little stock and add to the soup. Allow to simmer for another 10 minutes, check seasoning and serve hot with pounded yam.

VARIATIONS
OGBONO SOUP WITH BITTER LEAF
225g / 8oz washed bitter leaf added to main recipe
OGBONO SOUP WITH UGWU
500g / llb shredded ugwu leaves added to main recipe.
OGBONO SOUP WITH WATERLEAF
500g/llb washed watterleaf added to main recipe.

Courtesy of Laura Edet

 

Efo (Greens Stew)

Ingredients

  • 1 pound collard greens or spinach
  • 1 can (8-ounce) tomato paste
  • 1 can (8-ounce) tomato puree
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • l Tablespoon vegetable oil

Procedure

  1. Wash the greens and tear into small pieces.
  2. In a large pot or saucepan, place the greens in water and add the oil.
  3. Boil greens until tender.
  4. Add tomato paste, tomato puree, and diced onion.
  5. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are tender. Serve.

Lunch and evening meals are typically served on large communal plates and shared among children according to their gender and age. Young children may eat from a dish with their mother, but when they reach the age of seven or eight, the boys and girls are separated and meals are eaten with members of the same sex.

 


Email Contact >>edoguapa@edoworld.net