How to Cook Banga
Soup(Ofe Akwu)
Nigerian Banga soup or Ofe Akwu is native to the Niger Delta
and south Eastern parts of Nigeria.in the Niger Delta areas, Banga soup is
commonly eaten with various fufu recipes: Cassava fufu, Garri, Semolina,
Pounded Yam and starch. In the south Eastern parts of Nigeria, Banga soup is
referred to as Ofe Akwu where Ofe means soup/stew and Akwu means palm fruit and
is used mainly as stew for Boiled White Rice.
The palm fruit oil extracted used in cooking Banga soup/stew
is quite different from the red palm oil used in cooking Nigerian food recipes.
Palm oil is pure oil extracted from the palm fruit at high temperature while
the palm fruit oil extract used for the Banga soup is extracted at very low
temperature and is a mixture of oil and water. Palm fruit oil extracted for
Banga contains less saturated fat than palm oils.
Ingredients
for Banga Soup
1kg palm fruits or 800g tinned palm fruit concerntrates.
Beef
Dry fish
Vegetables: scent leaves for Ofe Akwu or dried and crushed
bitter leaves for Delta style Banga soup
2 medium onions
A handful crayfish or 2 tablespoons ground crayfish
Salt and chilli pepper to taste
Ogiri okpei (Iru)(locust bean)
1-2 big stock cubes
Before you cook the Nigerian Banga Soup
1. Extract the palm fruit concerntrate from the palm fruits.
If using the tinned palm fruit concerntrate open the tin and set aside
2. Cook the beef and dry fish with 1 bulb of diced onion and
the stock cubes till done
3.Wash and cut the scent leaves into tiny pieces. The scent leaves
gives the Banga stew(Ofe Akwu) its unique aroma and taste. If you are outside
Nigeria, this may be hard to find, so you can use pumpkin leaves or any other
vegetable in place of scent leaves. If cooking Delta-style Banga soup for
starch, you should cook this soup without vegetables or use dried and crushed
bitter leaves.
4. Cut the remaining bulb of onion. Pound the crayfish,
Ogiri okpei and pepper in amortar and set aside. You can also grind them with a
dry mill.
Cooking
Directions
1. Set the pot of palm fruit extract on the stove and start
cooking at high heat. Leave to boil till you notice red oil at the surface of
the Banga stew. If you think that the Banga soup is watery, cook till the soup
has thickened to the consistency you like for your stew.
2. Now, add the beef, dry fish and stock fish, the onions,
crayfish and pepper and leave to boil very well.
3. Add the scent leaves or the other vegetables and salt to
taste. Leave for about 2 minutes. The Banga soup is done. Serve with White Rice
or use the Delta –style Banga soup to eat starch, Garri, Semolina, Amala or
Pounded Yam.
Cooking Directions for those using tinned palm fruit
concerntrate
1. When the beef and the fish are well done, add the palm
fruit concerntrate and add water to get the consistency you desire for your
stew. Leave to boil very well
2. Add the onions, crayfish, pepper and Ogiri blend and let
it boil very well.
3. Add the scent leaves or other vegetables and salt to
taste. Leave to simmer for about 2 minutes.
The Banga soup is done
If you used bitter leaves to prepare it, serve with Nigerian
fufu meals especially starch. If you used scent leaves to prepare it, serve
with boiled White Rice.
