Onubu Soup/Bitterleaf & Swallow
Bitterleaf soup is a mouth-watering and aromatic traditional Nigerian dish known for its unique, bitter taste. It is made from the leaves of the bitterleaf plant, which are renowned for their healing and medicinal properties.
To create this delectable delicacy, wash the bitterleaf leaves thoroughly to remove any lingering bitterness. After that, boil the leaves in water for about 10 minutes to reduce the bitterness further. Then, drain the leaves and set them aside.
Heat up some palm oil in a separate pot, and add chopped onions, garlic, and peppers. Cook the mixture until the onions are translucent, and then add the boiled bitter leaf leaves to the pot, stirring well. Season the mixture with salt, stock cubes, and other desired spices.
Finally, add your preferred protein, such as succulent beef, fresh fish, or tender chicken, and let the soup simmer until the protein is cooked through. Bitterleaf soup is typically served hot with pounded yam or fufu, providing an authentic taste of Nigeria’s cuisine.
So, indulge yourself in this mouth-watering, flavourful, and unique dish that will take you on a culinary journey to the heart of Nigeria.
To Prepare the Bitterleaf Vegetable
Bitterleaf Vegetable
The leaves are carefully plucked from the bitterleaf tree to prepare the perfect bitter leaf soup, ensuring only the freshest and healthiest leaves are selected. These selected leaves are then spread out under the sun for a specific amount of time to wither to a certain extent, allowing them to develop the unique flavour profile that sets them apart from other soups. Once the leaves have withered to the desired degree, they are gently squeezed to remove the bitterness, leaving only a rich, flavourful essence behind. It is this essence that is used to create the perfect bitterleaf soup, a dish that is both delicious and nutritious.
Squeezes or washed biterleaf.
Bitterleaf Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- Beef/ Chicken/lamb/turkey or your preferred protein cow tripe (shaki) will add more flavour
- Washed and squeezed bitterleaf quantity to cover for the pot of soup
- Stockfish
- Smoked fish
- Ogiri Igbo
- Periwinkle
- Ground crayfish
- Ponmo
- 3 cooking spoon of Palm Oil
- Red Onions optional
- Cocoyam well pounded
- Seasonings
- Salt to taste
- fresh pepper to taste
Instructions
Preparation before cooking the soup
- It's essential to wash bitter leaves to remove any bitterness thoroughly. If needed, clean and squeeze them multiple times. If the bitterness persists (common in store-bought bitter leaves), boil them for 15 minutes and then wash them with cold water.
- You can either add cocoyam while cooking the meat so it can cook together to save time or cook the cocoyam separately.
Cooking the Soup
- Before cooking, wash your preferred meat (protein) and season it to your taste. Let it simmer for 5 minutes, then add a little water, cover it, and cook until the meat is tender. If you are cooking with cow tripe(shaki), make sure that the tripes curl as a sign that they are done.
- Add ground crayfish, ground pepper, and salt. Allow it to cook for an additional seven minutes. Add the bitterleaf. Note: If the bitter leaves were parboiled to remove the bitterness, add all the ingredients at this stage, including the pounded cocoyam corms.
- Cover the pot and cook on high heat until all the cocoyam lumps dissolve. Add more water if the soup is too thick.
- Switch off the heat once satisfied that the cocoyam lumps have dissolved.
- The delicious Onubu (Bitterleaf) soup you have been waiting for is now ready.
Notes
If you enjoyed reading this article, you might also like to check out the following Nigeria recipes.
How to make egusi soup (boiled method)
How to make okra soup (ofe okwuru)
How to make fisherman’s soup
How to make ofe Owerri (Owerri soup)
How to make oha soup (ofe oha)
How to make ogbono soup (ofe ogbono)
Did you make this recipe? Please do leave a comment and rating on the blog. Tag us your picture on Instagram @real9jakitchen
