Onugbu Soup

Name: Onugbu Soup
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 500g beef, cut into chunks; 200g smoked fish; 150g stockfish, soaked; 2 cups washed bitter leaf (onugbu); 1 cup palm oil; 1 cup ground crayfish; 3 tablespoons ogiri or iru (fermented seasoning); 2 medium cocoyams, peeled; 2 Scotch bonnet peppers; 1 onion, chopped; 2 seasoning cubes; Salt to taste; 1.5 litres water

May 18, 2026

A rich Nigerian bitter leaf soup made with beef, smoked fish, palm oil, and cocoyam, traditionally served with fufu or pounded yam.

Prep 35min
Cook 1h 20min
Total 1h 55min
Yield 6 servings

Ingredients

500g beef, cut into chunks
200g smoked fish
150g stockfish, soaked
2 cups washed bitter leaf (onugbu)
1 cup palm oil
1 cup ground crayfish
3 tablespoons ogiri or iru (fermented seasoning)
2 medium cocoyams, peeled
2 Scotch bonnet peppers
1 onion, chopped
2 seasoning cubes
Salt to taste
1.5 litres water

Instructions

Boil the beef with onion, seasoning cubes, and salt until tender.
Add the soaked stockfish and smoked fish, then simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil the cocoyams until soft and pound or blend into a smooth paste.
Stir the cocoyam paste into the pot to thicken the soup.
Add the palm oil, ground crayfish, ogiri or iru, and blended Scotch bonnet peppers.
Simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Add the washed bitter leaf and cook for another 10 minutes until the flavors combine.
Adjust seasoning and serve hot with fufu, pounded yam, or garri.

Notes

This recipe is inspired by a passage from Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It is AI-generated and shared for entertainment, culinary inspiration, and reading enjoyment. Please use your own judgment and experience when preparing it.