Ingredients
Washed and squeezed bitterleaf – A handful
10 small corms Cocoyam
Red Palm Oil
Assorted Beef: Includes best cut, shaki (cow tripe)
Assorted Fish: Dry Fish and Stock Fish
Pepper, salt and ground crayfish
3 stock cubes
1 teaspoon Ogiri Igbo
Pls note:
-If you are outside Nigeria, you can use dried, washed and squeezed bitter leaves but you need to first of all make the bitter leaves soft and fresh again before adding them to the soup.
-You can use cocoyam flour.
-Ogiri Igbo is optional, it gives Bitterleaf soup a unique taste.
Before you cook:
-Wash and cook the cocoyam till soft.
-Remove the peels and use a mortar and pestle to pound the corms to a smooth paste.
Cooking Directions:
-Boil the shaki (cow tripe), stock fish and dry fish in 1 litre of water till they are well done. First sign of a done shaki is that the cuts will start curling on itself.
-Wash the beef and add to the pot of shaki etc. and continue cooking. When the meat is done, add 3 cubes of Maggi/Knorr and cook for 5 minutes.
-Add pepper, ground crayfish, bitter leaves and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the cocoyam paste (in small lumps) and the palm oil.
-Cover the pot and leave to cook on high heat till all the cocoyam lumps have dissolved. You can add more water if you feel that the soup is too thick.
-Add salt to taste and the soup is ready.
Serve with your favourite African swallow.