Banga Soup (Ofe Akwu)

 Ingredients

Palm fruits

Beef/chicken

Dry fish

Vegetable – scent leaves

Onions

Crayfish

Salt and Chilli pepper to taste

Seasoning – Maggi/Knorr cubes

Before cooking the Banga Soup

Wash and cook the palm fruits till done. A good sign that the palm fruit is done is that you will notice cracks on the flesh of the fruits or you can even bite to feel the softness

Pound the palm fruits in a mortar till all the flesh are separated from the nut to form a smooth pulp

Cook the beef/chicken

While you have the beef/chicken cooking, extract the palm fruit oil from the palm fruit pulp by washing it in warm water. Small quantities of the palm fruit pulp should be washed in as small quantity of warm water as possible. If the palm fruit oil starts getting too thick, pour the liquid into another container through a sieve to prevent the palm fruit fibres from entering into the oil that will be used in cooking the Banga Soup

Repeat this till all the palm fruit pulp has been washed

Wash and cut the scent leaves into tiny pieces. The scent leaves are what give the Banga Soup its unique aroma and taste. You could use pumpkin leaves or any other vegetable in place of scent leaves

Cut a bulb of onions, grind the crayfish and pepper and set aside

Method

Set the pot of palm fruit oil on the burner and start cooking at high heat. Leave to boil till you notice some clear oil at the surface of the Banga Stew. If you think that the Banga Soup is watery, cook till the soup has thickened to the consistency you like for your stews

Now, add the beef/chicken, dry fish and stock, the onions, crayfish and pepper and cook for five minutes

Add the scent leaves and salt to taste. Leave to cook for two minutes

The Banga Soup is done. Serve with white rice or use the Banga Soup to eat garri, Semolina, amala or pounded yam