How To Cook Ogbono Soup

Ogbono soup is a delightful Nigerian concoction soup that is really simple to make. It’s a thick and substantial stew made with Ogbono seeds (wild mango seeds) that’s laden with meats and fish and cooked in a light and flavorful broth.

When planning to cook ogbono soup, the first thing to do is get the right ingredients on your table. It might be challenging to get some of these items, but with grainfield foods, you rest assured that you will get the right ingredients at an affordable price.

All grainfield foods ingredients are ready for immediate use. You will not go wrong if you stick to my basic recipe for this delicious soup that promises to give you incredible palate pleasure.

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 cooking Ogbono soup is that you can tweak it completely. You can substitute fish for the meat, and you can add or delete the extras, such as the periwinkles.

Things To Take Note of Before We Drive into Ogbono Soup Recipes

Ogbono soup thickens as it sits, so if you’re not serving it right away, add a little more extra stock or water.

I put in some red pepper flakes for some extra zing. If you don’t like the heat, you can substitute cayenne pepper or minced habanero.

Ideally, ugwu leaves are stirred in at the end of the cooking process, but you can substitute any other leafy greens, although I strongly recommend going with a strong leafy green alternative like Kale or Collard greens, especially if the stew will keep more than a day. If you like, you can use Okra for the leafy green.

Also, because palm oil is a crucial component of this dish, you can vary the amount you use. It all comes down to personal preference.

As much as we want this stew to be delicious. To achieve a well-rounded flavour, avoid using an overseason the stock. When cooking your meat for the stock, don’t use too much seasoning or the resulting 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.

Ingredients

1. Ogbono Seeds or ground Ogbono powder from Grainfield Foods
2. Assorted Meats and Fish: (maybe a combination of any of the following:
3. Beef, cowfoot, Shaki (tripe), Ponmo (cow skin), DryFish, and Stock Fish
4. 2-3 Tablespoons Palm Oil Vegetable: Spinach OR Pumpkin leaves (ugu) OR Bitter leaf (onugbu)…or a combination of bitter leaf and Ugwu Crayfish (as you like it)
5. 1 bulb of onion
6. 2 seasoning cubes (stock cubes)
7. chilli pepper or scotch bonnet 

Ogbono Soup Cooking Instructions

1. If you purchased whole ogbono seeds, thoroughly grind them in a dry mill, a decent blender, or a coffee grinder.
2. Wash, season, and boil the various meats, dry fish, and stockfish with onions, stock cube, and salt to taste. Cook until vegetables are tender.
3. Cut the vegetables into slices, grind the pepper, and set aside.
4. In a clean dry pot, heat the red palm oil until it is hot. If desired, add minced onions (adding onions is optional).
5. Remove the pan from the heat and add the ground Ogbono to the hot oil.Dissolve the ogbono by pressing with the back of a spoon and continue swirling.
6. Return to low heat, add a splash of water or beef stock and leave to boil for a minute. You’ll notice that it’s thicker and has a slimy texture (it’s begun to “draw”).
7. Mix well, cover, and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes, checking on it and stirring the soup constantly to prevent burning.
8. At this point, you will notice a difference in the aroma of the soup. Add the shredded spinach or ugu and stir to combine (fluted pumpkin leaves)Your Ogbono Soup is ready.

So there you have it, folks—all the steps you need to make the classic ogbono soup that you know and love. If you’ve made it this far, you have just earned yourself the title of official Ogbono Soup chef.

Now, go forth and create your own variations on this soup recipe. Be bold and wild with it—maybe add some seafood or additional vegetables, or maybe even a bit of something sweet. Experiment with different seasonings to discover what combos you love best. And don’t forget to share your recipe with us in the comments below! We can’t wait to see how this recipe inspires you!

With its simple ingredients and straightforward steps, this dish will make you feel like a pro chef in no time. If you’ve never tried your hand at cooking before, this is a great place to start—and we’d love to see your masterpiece when it’s finished. Tag us on Instagram (@grainfieldfoods) with #grainfieldfoods