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February 8, 2024

Learn how to make Ofe Owerri, a rich and delicious Igbo vegetable soup packed with assorted meats, leafy greens, and bold Nigerian flavors. This ultimate step-by-step recipe delivers authentic taste every time.

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🌿 Introduction

Ofe Owerri is a rich, vegetable-forward Nigerian soup that originates from Owerri, Imo State, in Eastern Nigeria. This deeply satisfying dish is widely regarded as one of the most luxurious traditional Igbo soups because of its generous use of assorted meats, leafy vegetables, cocoyam thickener, and palm oil.

Unlike many Nigerian soups that rely heavily on one dominant leaf, this traditional Igbo food is unique for its combination of vegetables, slow-cooked meats, and a thick, velvety consistency that coats every bite. It is commonly served at celebrations, traditional ceremonies, and Sunday family lunches.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to make Ofe Owerri step by step, using authentic ingredients, proven techniques, and expert tips to help you achieve that classic Owerri taste right in your kitchen.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

You’ll fall in love with Ofe Owerri for many reasons:

🌱 Rich in vegetables that boost nutrition and flavour
🍖 Loaded with assorted meats for depth and satisfaction
🥣 Naturally thickened with cocoyam for a creamy finish
🇳🇬 Authentic Igbo flavour passed down through generations
🧄 Highly customizable to suit your taste or diet
🍲 Perfect for swallows like fufu, pounded yam, or garri

This Ofe Owerri recipe is carefully balanced to deliver tradition, taste, and nutrition in every spoonful.

Ingredients for Ofe Owerri🥘

Proteins (choose a combination):

Goat meat
Beef
Assorted meat (shaki, kpomo)
Dry fish🐟
Stockfish
Snail (optional)

Other Ingredients:

10 pieces of cocoyam (ede) – boiled and pounded (or use cocoyam flour as an alternative)🍠
1 cup palm oil
2 tablespoons ground crayfish
2 seasoning cubes (Maggi or Knorr)
1 tablespoon ground pepper🌶️
Bitterleaf (washed and squeezed) or ugu leaves🥬
Salt to taste

Equipment Needed🔪

Large soup pot 🍲
Smaller pot for meats
Large wooden spoon 🥄
Mortar & pestle or blender 🌀(for pounding or blending cocoyam)
Kitchen knife🔪
Strainer for veggies/fish
Chopping board

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Make Ofe Owerri🍲

🔹 Step 1: Cook The Assorted Meats

Wash all meats thoroughly
Season with onions, seasoning cubes, and salt
Cook until tender, adding water as needed
Reserve the rich meat stock

🔹 Step 2: Prepare The Cocoyam Thickener

Peel and boil the cocoyam until soft
Blend with a little water until smooth
Set aside for later use

🔹 Step 3: Build The Soup Base

Heat palm oil gently in a pot
Add blended pepper and onions
Stir in ground crayfish and ogiri
Cook for 5–7 minutes on low heat

🔹 Step 4: Combine Meats And Stock

Add cooked meats and stockfish
Pour in the reserved meat stock
Allow to simmer for 10 minutes

🔹 Step 5: Thicken The Soup

Gradually add blended cocoyam
Stir continuously to avoid lumps
Let it cook until thick and creamy

🔹 Step 6: Add Vegetables

Add ugwu and uziza leaves
Stir gently to combine
Cook for 3–5 minutes

🔹 Step 7: Final Seasoning

Adjust salt and seasoning
Turn off the heat once the vegetables soften

Your Ofe Owerri is now ready.

Tips for Making the Best Ofe Owerri💡

🥥 Use fresh cocoyam for the best thickness
🔥 Keep the heat low when adding palm oil
🥬 Do not overcook vegetables
🍖 Mix meats for richer flavour
🧂 Taste repeatedly and adjust seasoning gradually

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

Ofe Owerri pairs perfectly with:

Pounded yam
Fufu
Eba (garri)
Semovita
Wheat swallow

🔄 Variations

You can customize your soup by:

Using only fish or seafood
Making it vegetarian with mushrooms
Adding bitterleaf for a deeper taste
Increasing uziza for extra aroma

Ofe Owerri Recipe

Ofe Owerri (Owerri Soup)

Ofe-Owerri is a highly-regarded and expensive traditional soup in Nigeria known for its rich blend of flavours and health benefits. The soup is prepared using a variety of indigenous vegetables, including Oha (Pterocarpus soyauxi), Ukazi (Gnetum africanum), Uziza (Piper guineense), and cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta). These ingredients are carefully selected for their unique nutritional and therapeutic qualities. Combined with other spices and seasonings, they create a delicious aromatic soup famous across Nigeria and beyond. Ofe-Owerri is a true culinary masterpiece that embodies the rich cultural heritage of Nigeria and its people.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Total Time 55

Course Dinner, Lunch, Soup

Cuisine African/Nigerian

Servings 6 People

Ingredients

600 g animal proetin Try cow tripe and pomo
1 big dry fish
1 medium stockfish
Handful of periwinkles use when available.
6 pieces of snail wash properly
10 corms of cocoyam (uri ede) enough cocoyam paste to achieve a medium thickness for the soup.
3 cooking spoon of palm oil
1 bundle of vegetable: you can choose from pumpkin leaf, oha, uziza, and okazi/utazi. you can use more than one if you wish. vegetables should not be too much in the soup.
salt add to taste
3 habanero pepper in the absence of habanero pepper, cayenne pepper is good.
3 tbsp crayfish
2-3 stock cubes add to taste

Instructions

Pre Cooking Preparation

Place the meat and fish in a pot of boiling water, along with some flavorful seasoning cubes. Allow them to simmer until thoroughly cooked and tender, ready to be served as a delicious and satisfying meal.
Cook the cocoyam until it is soft. Peel it and pound it into a smooth paste using a mortar. Alternatively, you can utilize a blender as shown in the video below.
Pick any vegetables you like, rinse and chop ugu into tiny pieces, and slice the okazi thinly.
After soaking the dried fish in water, clean, de-bone, and break it into small pieces.
Chop the habanero pepper into pieces.

Cooking Directions.

Place the boiled meat on the heat with slightly less liquid than the meat and fish level in the pot.
Add the crayfish and the dried fish to the pot. Cover the pot and let the ingredients boil together.
Once the liquid in the pot reaches boiling point, gradually add in the lumps of cocoyam paste and pour in the palm oil. After adding the ingredients, cover the pot and let it continue cooking over high heat.
Once the soup thickens. take off the undissolved cocoyam paste.
Add the chopped pepper and the vegetables
Cover the pot, when the point boils gain, add salt if necessary.
Pour the soup into a cool bowl to preserve the freshness of the vegetable.
Serve the ogbono soup hot with your choice of swallow (such as fufu or pounded yam) or rice.

Notes

You can serve ofe Owerri (Owerri soup) with any swallow. You can select from garri, fufu, semo, amala, pounded yam, wheat, etc.
Preparing the ingredients beforehand is essential to ensure the soup cooks appropriately, as the cooking process will be fast-paced.
Be careful not to overcook the greens, which can alter their colour.
Click here to order.

Keyword Ofe Owerri

📊 Nutritional Information (Approximate Per Serving)

Nutrient	Amount	% DV
Calories	420 kcal	21%
Protein	28 g	56%
Fat	30 g	38%
Carbohydrates	14 g	5%
Fiber	6 g	21%
Iron	4.5 mg	25%

🔗 Source: Bentham Science – Ofe Owerri↗

🩺 Health Benefits And Advice

🥬 Leafy vegetables support digestion and immunity
🍖 Protein aids muscle repair
🧠 Healthy fats support brain health
🩸 Iron helps prevent anaemia

Advice: Consume in moderation if managing cholesterol due to palm oil content.

Note: The information provided in this blog post is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)❓

1. What is Ofe Owerri made of?
👉Ofe Owerri is made of assorted meats, fish, cocoyam as a thickener, palm oil, crayfish, and vegetables like bitterleaf or ugu.

2. What is the best swallow for Ofe Owerri?
👉It pairs best with pounded yam, but you can also enjoy it with fufu, eba, or semovita.

3. Can I use achi instead of cocoyam?
👉Yes, achi can be used as an alternative thickener, but cocoyam gives a more authentic flavour.

4. Is Ofe Owerri healthy?
👉Yes, it is protein-rich, packed with leafy vegetables, and provides good fats from palm oil when eaten in moderation.

If you enjoyed reading this article, you might also like the following Nigerian recipes.

🌟 Final Thought

Ofe Owerri is more than a meal—it’s a celebration of Igbo culinary heritage. With its bold flavours, nourishing ingredients, and comforting texture, this soup remains a timeless favourite across Nigerian homes.

If you’ve been searching for an authentic, delicious, and ultimate guide on how to make Ofe Owerri, this recipe delivers every time.

Happy cooking! 🍲💚

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