Ogbono soup (Draw Soup) is a nutrient-dense Nigerian soup prepared with ogbono seeds (ground African wild mango seeds), palm oil, assorted meats, and traditional seasonings. It has a lot of robust and deep tastes and is quite tasty!
Ogbono soup is often served with fufu foods such as pounded yam or Eba. It’s known as ‘Draw Soup.’
When cooked, ogbono has a mucilaginous (slimy) texture similar to cooked okra and jute leaves (Ewedu). In reality, this is a stew, not a soup, but we call it soup nevertheless!
The beauty of creating Ogbono soup is that you may make it completely. You may substitute fish for the meat, and you can add or remove the extras, such as the periwinkles.
Ogbono soup recipe: an easy way to make ogbono soup
Ogbono soup thickens as it sits, so if you’re not serving it right away, add a bit more additional stock or water.
I added red pepper flakes for a little more heat. If you don’t like the heat, you may substitute cayenne pepper or minced habanero.
Ideally, ugwu leaves are swirled in at the end of cooking this soup, but you may substitute any other leafy green, although I highly recommend going with a strong leafy green alternative like kale or collard greens, particularly if the stew will keep more than a day. If you like, you may use Okra for the leafy green.
Also, since palm oil is a crucial component of this dish, you may vary the amount you use. It all comes down to personal choice.
As much as we want this stew to turn out well. To get a well-rounded taste, avoid using an overseason stock. When boiling meat for the stock, don’t use too much seasoning or the resultant stock will change the taste of your soup. I like to use salt, stock cubes, and a lot of onions for my base stock whenever I make ogbono soup.
Other Nigerian soup recipes include
How to Make Ogbono Soup
Ogbono soup Ingredients
- Beef, Shaki (cow tripe), Dry Fish, and stock fish are among the many types of meat and fish available.
- 2 tbsp Ogbono Seeds
- 3 tablespoons red palm oil.
- Frozen spinach is a vegetable (you can also use pumpkin leaves or even bitter leaf).
- 2 tbsp. ground crayfish.
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- a single onion
- 2 cubes of stock/seasoning/bouillon
To grind ogbono seeds, you will need the following:
A spice grinder/coffer grinder: buy online, such as Amazon, Jumia, etc…
Getting ready to make Ogbono Soup
Step 1: Place the ogbono and ogiri in your blender’s dry mill and grind into a smooth powder. Set this aside for now.
Step 2: Soak and shred the stockfish in boiling water; set aside
Step 3: Chop the ugu and set it aside.
Instruction about Ogbono Soup
Step 1: Place the meats: sharki, ponmo, and beef snails in a medium-sized pot. Add your chopped onion, crushed seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pot and set it aside for 5-10 minutes to allow the meats to cook in their own juices. This ensures that the seasoning penetrates the meat.
Step 2: Add in the water and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the beef and snail to avoid overcooking. Cook the stockfish in the pot with the sharki and ponmo for an additional 20 minutes.
Step 3: Heat the palm oil in an empty pot for 30 seconds before adding the pepper. 2 minutes in a stir-fry.
Turn the heat on the burner and add the ogbono. Stir for 30 seconds on low heat, then add the meat stock. Combine thoroughly.
Step 5: Add the pot with water. Add a little water if you want it to be really thick. If you don’t want the soup to be too thick, add a little water at a time.
Step 6: Now comes the tough part. You may cover your pot if you’re certain you’re using genuine ogbono. DON’T COVER YOUR POT IF YOU’RE USING UGIRI (An ogbono replacement), otherwise the soup may lose its viscosity. Add the crayfish and cooked meats to the pot after the ogbono has thickened.
Step 7: Stir everything together, then add your cut veggies. Allow it to boil for 2 minutes on low heat before turning off the burner. Your ogbono is now ready.
Serve with your preferred “swallow”
Ogbono Soup Frequently Asked Questions
My Ogbono Soup does not draw attention. Why?
These are the primary reasons why your Ogbono Soup does not draw.
1- The reason your Ogbono Soup does not draw may be because you used packaged ground Ogbono, with the ground being the essential term here. This is particularly true for individuals who reside outside of Nigeria and have no other option than to buy the ground packaged Ogbono available in African stores.
When you grind Ogbono, it loses its potency to draw, and eventually, it won’t draw at all. The precise period at which it loses its ability to draw will be determined by factors such as how dry the Ogbono was before grinding and how carefully it is packed, among others.
2- The reason your Ogbono Soup did not draw is that you fried it before adding the meat/fish stock. Ground Ogbono should be dissolved in palm oil rather than fried. The more you cook it, the more it loses its capacity to draw until you have no potency left. This occurs even if the seed is genuine Ogbono.
3- You purchased the incorrect seeds. Another seed that resembles Ogbono is marketed as Ogbono seeds in Nigerian marketplaces. The first indicator that you’ve bought the incorrect seeds is if they’re too good to be true. To ensure that the seeds are genuine Ogbono seeds, shatter the seeds and rub the fractured sides together; if they make a sap that pulls, you’ve got genuine Ogbono seeds. If every open market vendor in Nigeria lets you conduct this “drawing test,” and if they do not, please leave their store and go someplace else.
For those residing outside of Nigeria, I suppose you can only hope that the Ogbono seeds in the bundle you buy are genuine.
How can I cook Ogbono Soup without it burning?
First, turn off the heat. Turn down the heat on anything you’re cooking to avoid burning. This is particularly true with Ogbono soup, which is quite sticky. Cook your Ogbono soup over an extremely low heat at all times. Set the heat to 4 if your cooker’s temperature spans from 1 to 9.
Second, while initially cooking the Ogbono, do not add any crayfish or other ingredients. Crayfish, in particular, hasten the burning process. In Nigerian marketplaces, they would urge you to grind your Ogbono with crayfish to ensure that all of the Ogbono comes out of the mill. If you do, make sure they place the crayfish and the final part of Ogbono in a separate plastic bag for you and add the crayfish portion when you add the rest of the ingredients.
In addition, while cooking your Ogbono soup, utilize stainless steel or aluminum pans. Even though they state that they are nonstick, nonstick pans are not ideal for cooking Ogbono Soup!