I went to Secondary school in Benin-City so a lot of my
school mates ate Banga and Starch, a delicious meal popular in the Niger Delta
and the old Bendel State.
What I didn’t know at that time was that the Igbo speaking
people also had something similar called Ofe Akwu. We didn’t eat it growing up
and it wasn’t introduced into our home until my late teens.
people also had something similar called Ofe Akwu. We didn’t eat it growing up
and it wasn’t introduced into our home until my late teens.
Ofe Akwu just like Banga is made from Palm kernel juice and
is a rich stew which is usually eaten with rice. With the current upsurge in prices of
tomatoes I thought it would be nice to teach you how to make Ofe Akwu as I just
made a huge pot a few days ago. I
believe that with most recipes you can always switch things up so use this as a
general guide.
is a rich stew which is usually eaten with rice. With the current upsurge in prices of
tomatoes I thought it would be nice to teach you how to make Ofe Akwu as I just
made a huge pot a few days ago. I
believe that with most recipes you can always switch things up so use this as a
general guide.
· To prepare Ofe Akwu you will need the following:
·
Meat of choice (I usually use Chicken )
Meat of choice (I usually use Chicken )
·
Tripe / Shaki
( I love Shaki !)
Tripe / Shaki
( I love Shaki !)
·
Dry Fish
Dry Fish
·
Stock Fish /Okporoko (Must times I don’t add
this)
Stock Fish /Okporoko (Must times I don’t add
this)
·
A tin of Palm nut cream (you can buy the fresh
palm kernel and extract if you wish)
A tin of Palm nut cream (you can buy the fresh
palm kernel and extract if you wish)
·
A wrap of Ogiri or a tablespoon Dadawa
A wrap of Ogiri or a tablespoon Dadawa
·
A cooking spoon of Crayfish
A cooking spoon of Crayfish
·
Fresh pepper
Fresh pepper
·
Scent leaf (Basil, Nchanwu, Effirin)
Scent leaf (Basil, Nchanwu, Effirin)
·
A bunch of Ugu
A bunch of Ugu
·
Salt and meat seasoning
Salt and meat seasoning
- First of all season your meats and boil. It’s important
not to add a lot of water as this will affect the taste of the stock. If you
have already pre softened your stock fish you can add it and your dry fish in
with meat. - While your meats are still cooking add in the
blended pepper, crayfish and ogiri -
Add in your Palm nut cream and leave to boil
until oil some oil starts to float, this should take about 10-12 minutes. If
you are not happy with the taste then try adding a little crayfish and cooking
for a few more minutes. - Add Scent leaf, if you don’t have access to the
local Nchanwu then fresh basil leaf (about 50g) will do. - After a few minutes add in chopped Ugu (this is
optional and I don’t always add Ugu)
Voila! There you have it…Enjoy with white rice and fried plantain.
Awesome recipe. Will definitely try this. Thanks
Hmmm….Chi. will forward this to Nwaka to make for me tomm lol
Nwannem, why do you have to make me hungry now������? Thank you for the recipe, will try it out this weekend.
Looking for a research project information on Native food like this. Thanks
you are welcome