Ofe owerri is a nutritious vegetable soup usually flavoured with aromatic oha and uziza leaves. It is called ofe owerri because it is an indigenous soup of the owerri people of Imo state. It is prepared with oha and uziza leaves, if you claim to be in owerri and have not tasted ofe owerri, know then that you have not been in owerri, because it is their birth mark dish. One peculiar attribute of ofe owerri is that it is so much enriched with assorted fish and meat, ranging from asa, isam or periwinkle, stock fish, meats of all sorts, etc. Below are steps to guide you o how to prepare your delicious ofe owerri.
INGREDIENTS
Beef, 8 medium pieces, Smoked fish,(asa)
2 medium size stockfish,
6 pieces of 4 medium size snail (washed),
1 cup of isam (periwinkle out of shell),
2 cups ukazi leaves (shredded),
2 small bunch of ugu or pumpkin leave,
1 cup smoked prawns,
1 tablespoon dry pepper,
1 small bulb onion,
4 medium size red cocoyam,
2 cooking spoons of palm oil,
2 maggi cubes,
2 cubes of maggi crayfish,
2 litres of water, And salt to taste.
METHOD
1. Wash the beef and season with onion, one maggi cube and salt,
2. Allow to steam till juice dries up,
3. Add 2 cups of water , snail and stock fish, continue cooking till the stock fish is soft and the meat is cooked,
4. Pick, wash and shred the ugu leaves,
5. Wash the fish thoroughly,
6. Add the fish and isam to the meat pot and add the remaining water,
7. Peel and wash the cocoyam,
8. Cut each into two pieces and put inside the pot and continue cooking until is cooked,
9. Remove the cooked cocoyam and pound and return to the pot as a thickener,
10. Add the maggi crayfish, pepper and palm oil,
11. Stir thoroughly and reduce the heat,
12. Add shredded ugu and ukazi leaves,
13. Stir and allow to cook for about 6 minutes,
14. Stir and add salt to taste,
15. Remove from fire and serve with pounded yam or cassava flower as well as fufu or stach.
