 |
| Okazi Soup…delicious ! |
Okazi Soup (Ukazi Soup) is the Igbo version of the Efik’s Afang soup.This delicious Nigerian soup is made up of a mixture of vegetables(Afang /Okazi leaves and water leaves or spinach or lamb lettuce), assorted fish, meat, spices and a soup thickener, which can be either achi, ofor, ukpo or Egusi.
Afang soup and Okazi soup are very similar, the only major difference is the thickener that is added to the Okazi soup to give it more viscosity and most people prefer to make Okazi leaves the only vegetable in the soup(without adding any other leaves).
The vegetables used for the Okazi/Ukazi soup includes Okazi leaves(called Afang leaves by the Efiks and Ibibio) and water leaves(spinach and lamb lettuce can be used as alternatives for this vegetable).
Here’s an easy recipe to try out…Enjoy!
Okazi Soup (Ukazi Soup) Recipe
* 2 handful ground Achi Or Ofor Or Ukpo(Egusi /melon seeds can be used as a substitute)
* 500 gr beef or assorted meat
* 100 gr Smoked fish
* Stock fish (optional)
* Shelled Periwinkle(optional)
* 2 tablespoonful ground crayfish
* Fresh pepper or ground dried pepper (to taste)
* Water leaves(optional)
* Afang Leaves(okazi/ukazi leaves)
* 500 ml Palm oil
* 1 Stock/seasoning cube
* salt to taste
Cooking directions for Okazi soup
1. First cook the assorted meat and stock fish, Clean the dried fish and set aside.
– Grind the achi or egusi seeds(melon seeds), add some warm water in it, mix well, and set aside
– Slice the water leaves(if using) and Okazi leaves and set aside.If you are making use of dried Okazi leaves, you can pound or blend it.
2. Heat up the palm oil, add some chopped onion , fry a bit and then add the mixed egusi. Stir the mixture continuously until the egusi begins to bubble a bit.
3. Now add some meat stock, mix thoroughly, cover and leave to boil for 5 minutes.
(if using achi, this is the time to add it)
After 5 minutes, add the stock cube, pepper and ground crayfish. Mix well and then add the cooked meat, stock fish and dry fish.You can add periwinkles at the stage , if you have some. Cover and leave to cook for 2 minutes.
4. Next , add the Okazi leaves, leave to simmer for 5 minutes and then add the water leaves.Add salt to taste , simmer for 2 minutes and your Okazi Soup is ready..Enjoy.
Okazi/Ukazi soup is usually served hot with Eba, Pounded Yam, Fufu, Semolina, Amala, Wheat meal, Tuwo Masara or any Nigerian Bolus meal.
Other Related Recipes
* Bitter leaf Soup (Ofe Onugbu)
* Nigerian Beef Stew
* Banga Soup : Urhobo Isoko Banga Soup Recipe
* Nigerian Chicken Stew
* How to Cook Okazi Soup (Ukazi Soup)
* Obe Ata Dindin : Nigerian Fried Pepper Stew
* How to Cook Edikang Ikong Soup
* Nigerian Tomato Stew(Vegan Stew)
* How to Cook Afang Soup
* Nigerian Pepper Soup
* Nigerian Ogbono Soup :How to Cook Ogbono Soup
* Nigerian Fish Stew (Obe Eja Tutu)
* How to Cook Nigerian Egusi Soup(Ofe Egusi/Obe Efo Elegusi)
* Nigerian Okra Soup
By Nky Lily Lete
Great job sister.Your blog has come to my rescue so many time.Keep up the good work.
Just finished making and eating this soup. This type is not the dinning table kinda soup. I jejely made my hot and smooth eba then found a good space in my living and sat on the floor while resting my back on the sofa. Before I could send 5balls of eba to my inner chamber,Hubby was already on the floor with me and that's how we nearly finished 2 and a half cup of hot eba. I added little okpei and ọsu(just for extra thickening to my egusi). Used lots uziza seed for pepper and the pregnancy loves it, I believe baby is asleep in there now ? Thank you plenty nwanne mmadụ. Your recipes always rock. Chef experience here free of charge.
I just made the soup Nky.. Thank you, your recipe is representing in Canada. Please post how to make akpurakpu Egusi* I hope I did not murder the spelling.
Nky my darling, you too much, God bless you with more wisdom. Like you said, its always good to try something new and not always stick to what we already know, wise one. I love your blog, keep the stone rolling!!!!!!!
Thanks hun 🙂
In short Nky, my darling you too much. God bless you hon. We should learn to try something new and never stick on what we know. Thanks my dear.
I end up being very happy each tym I help my self in the kitchen with this blog,am trying d ukazi now, but please will it still be fine if kept in the freezer,can u formulate another recipe,tired of our constant soup.
Hi Blessinf, It will be fine in the freezer.
Am quite impressed keep up d good work am a foodie and I love to try something new.
Thanks hun 🙂
I got got so excited when I saw your site I love Nigerian type foods. Thank you for your posts so I can make my favorite ogbono
You're welcome and I'm glad you love Nigerian food 🙂
Very nice but at what stage did u add d pepper
At step 3, when adding the ground crayfish.
Pls ma I can't find where u added ur pepper
Hi Nky, Please how do you blend d okazi because I have tried using blender and I ended up using so much water,d soup ended up a bit watery. Also, I am in Baltimore, I don't like spinach, each time I get to d African store, water leave is finished. Can I use just the Okazi leaf?
Hi Rayna, you can make use of a leaf known as lamb lettuce, it looks just like water leaf, but if you can't find it, then make use of ugwu.As for blending the okazi leaves, I wash and blend it to very tiny pieces. I blend dry, but you can add , just little drops of water just to help your blade move faster or you pound it with a little water.
u av really tried by helping some woman in their cooking.please can you add up how to cook vegetable soup in your recipe i really need it most cos mine always looks somehow.thank you.
Hi dear, I already have vegetable soup recipe , check ''SOUP RECIPES'' above and you'll see it.
Nice worl, But at what stage wil one add the achi?
At step 3 dearie 🙂
I lovee dis. So trying dis fr ma hubby. I bet he will lovee it.. Fnks nky. Ur hubby is really lucky to v u. Keep up ur good work.
Thanks sweetie, I'm sure your hubby will enjoy it, I'll be expecting your feedback 🙂
I lovee dis. So trying dis fr ma hubby. I bet he will lovee it.. Fnks nky. Ur hubby is really lucky to v u. Keep up ur good work.
Pls can u add recipe for sha/oha soup too, thank you
Yes i will dearie 🙂
Thumbs up to u Nky! I love ur dishes and ur maturity. Please I need recipe on breakfast for kids OK? Thank u
Thanks dear, kids recipes coming up 🙂
Hi, luv ur blog. kip it up. although, I disagree with ur recipe for Okazi. pls next time ensure U ask an igbo lady for clarifications. First, for Okazi soup, either achi, ofor or ukpo is used never egusi. Secondly, its only Okazi leaves that are used, never ever water leaves. Okazi is naturally dry n hard so my advice is pound a little before cooking. Okasi is quite different from Afang(where water leaves r used). thanks and kip up ur gud work.
Hi Chichi, thanks for the love.I'm from Anambra state, and the last time I checked, Anambra was still part of the Igbo community :), so you bet I got a lot of clarifications from all my grandmas,mums and aunts ..LOL.We were taught to cook Okazi soup with all kinds of soup thickeners(egusi, achi, ofor or ukpo), so that if we ever live in a place without our favorite soup thickener, we can always substitute one for the other, without feeling we are doing something wrong.I currently live in Spain and have never seen anything like achi, ofor or ukpo at the African stores here.. but I still enjoy my okazi soup using egusi as a thickener.. you have to try it sometime. As for the okazi leaves, we get it dry, and I grind it before adding to the soup… The use of extra vegetables(such as water leaves) is optional, but adding it does not give the soup another name dear. ,Just as adding bitter leaves and Ugwu to ogbono soup doesn't make it a different soup.Chi,I urge you to try something new and not stick to what you are USED TO , because you never know what you are missing out on :). Thanks for stopping by.
Chi is right. Ukazi soup is totally different from afang. There must be achara for a soup to be called ukazi soup and egusi isn't used as thickener when cooking ukazi soup. I'm from Umuahia and it is our native soup in Ikwuano
Hi Nkyh, God bless you and yours for all the wonderful recipes. I am an igbo woman too and cook my okazi with ugu and okazi leaves because here in houston, okazi leaves are very very hard to come by, so i mix it up and it still taste good. I just wonder why some people can't just let things be.
Different parts of Igbo land may have something to make their own soup unique. In my own part of Abia state,there's no ukazi soup without egusi,n no extra leaves are used.
Yummy soup Nky, thanks for stopping by my blog.
Thanks for stopping by Aunt Eya.. well appreciated 🙂
nice blog.keep it up.www.trendyrammy.blogspot.co.uk
Thanks dear..just checked you blog..very nice 🙂