When it comes to soup days at home, I’m always ecstatic. It gives me a break from trying to figure out gluten free recipes for my ajebutter who has food allergies. This blog is about life, love, and food, so please permit me to talk about my children a little bit.
I have two children and I call them my ajebutters because of their very fragile nature. After my son was born, he suffered from strabismus. He had a tough time speaking and a tough time breathing. After a few surgeries, and some intense therapy he began to speak and he began to feel better. I wrote about him on my private facebook page as well as talked about it with some friends who I felt held my hand through everything. I was happy, but little did I know that I was living in a fool’s paradise as some of these people who offered to hold my hand were in the secret mocking my child and I. Did I get angry? yes! Did I want to curse them? yes! But when you look at GOD as the author and finisher of your faith why bother?
I have a child who has more needs than his sister, GOD gave him to me because he knew I would love the child as HE gave him to me. He’s funny, witty and kind. I love my children. Anything I do is for them. I strive to lay a solid foundation for them and it’s done with every single strength, love and push I can muster. They are the purpose for my drive
Back to the recipe. Ogbono and Okra soup is “bae” for us. I got this recipe from my brother and tweaked it to fit my needs. My brother got on the “no oil” train a long time ago, so I’ve sort of always cooked like this sometimes.
The versatility if this soup makes it that you could always make white Ogbono without the bell peppers i.e tatashe if you wanted to. Although this recipe has similar ingredients as the regular Ogbono soup, it’s done using a different method i.e. the boiling method which cuts down in the preparation time. As in you’d be eating Ogbono in no time and just like mine, when your ajebutters ask you “mommy what soup did you make?” You can now sing the Ogbono soup song. But maggi and pepper dey this one o 🙂
Abeg come let’s cook
- 2lbs assorted meats
- Any smoked meat of your choice(wash and remove the skin if using turkey or chicken)(optional)
- ½ cup to 1 cup Ogbono
- 3 small bell peppers(tatase)(blended)
- habanero pepper (ata-rodo)(minced)
- 1 disc of dadawa(optional)(dry blended to a powder)
- 4 tbsps. crayfish
- 3 tsps. dry pepper or chili flakes
- 1 large dry fish
- stock fish
- 1 cup of chopped okra
- A small handful of uziza leaves
- Any vegetable of your choice
- salt
- bouillon
- place meats and stock fish into a pot, pour water to the level of the meats. Season with salt, 2 tbsps. of the crayfish, atarodo and a bouillon if using. Cover and bring to a boil; then reduce the heat. Once the meat and the stock fish is cooked, add the smoked meat, pour in the bell pepper blend along with the dadawa if using and stir. Bring to a boil; then pour some of the meat's stock or warm water into the Ogbono and mix. Pour the mix into the pot and stir really quickly and frequently. Stir in the remaining crayfish and dry pepper; reduce the heat and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the dry fish, okra, uziza leaves and vegetables. check for seasonings and cook for another 3 minutes and enjoy with any swallow of your choice
Hi. I got in an argument with my friend over the addition of tatashe to ogbono soup. What is it’s purpose? My side of the argument is that is doesn’t belong. Never saw it till yesterday and I didn’t like it. I been searching the net to find out if this is common and I see you have it in your recipe here.
Hi Adanna. It’s just for color; that’s the only purpose it serves really. It’s optional. I used it because it’s my brother’s recipe and that’s how he makes it 🙂
What is dadawa
It’s a local seasoning just like ogiri and iru and it’s amazing in ogbono. I hope this helps 🙂