Cooking Ofe Onugbu (Bitter Leaf) Soup for the First Time

Yes, it was my first time making this delicious soup Ofe Onugbu. I have always wanted to try it but I used to see it as one difficult meal and I am sure some other people (especially from the western part of Nigeria) also see it as a difficult meal to try. 

Why I tried Ofe Onugbu

Enough of the regular meals! I tried making this soup now because I want to change things a little. Currently, I am taking a new learning curve, where I would be making some African dishes, especially the ones from the Eastern part of Nigeria.

There are a lot of soups to try from the East, mouth-watering delicacies for that matter, haha…. When I finished cooking this Bitterleaf soup, we enjoyed it so much that we are already planning on when and how we will cook another Ofe Onugbu.

Cooking The Bitterleaf Soup for the first time.

After watching numerous videos from food YouTubers who are experts in cooking soups, especially the Igbo delicacies, I decided to give it a try…lo and behold… I made it!

I still can’t believe I did that, like seriously… When I made Ofe Onugbu, the taste was super great and it was as if I have cooked it several times in the past. Come on! I salute myself!!. This made me remember a saying that you can’t say you know a skill until you have touched or tried it. I am really happy right now because this meal has been added to one of our favourite meals and even my husband called it his number 1 meal at the moment. 

How to cook Bitterleaf soup (Ofe Onugbu)

Ofe Onugbu, popularly known as bitter leaf soup is a soup made with bitter leaf and cocoa-yam paste as a thickener. This soup is originally from the eastern part of Nigeria and it is loved by so many Nigerians because of its special taste. You cannot attend any Igbo’s party without them serving this meal, yes, it is that special. 

READ ALSO: How To Cook Quinoa in Simple Steps

Just because it is called bitter leaf soup does not mean the soup should be bitter if the bitter leaf is well prepared and cleaned before adding it to the soup. 

This popular soup, although from the Igbo’s culture is a meal every other people from other parts of Nigeria wants to try. I have heard of this soup since I was young but I did not taste or cook it until now. It is a good soup to try because of its richness in taste and flavour. It is a very nutritious meal and if cooked with all the necessary ingredients, you will enjoy it to the fullest and even ask for more.

The ingredients and method I used in preparing my bitter leaf soup are as follow

Healthy Benefits of Ofe Onugbu Soup

Bitterleaf soup is not only flavourful and delicious but loaded with tones of health benefits. It is highly proteinous with some essential vitamins and minerals. The bitter leaf which is the star ingredient has numerous health benefits like:

• It is good for stomach cleansing
• It reduce blood sugar level
• Detoxification of the body system
• Increases fertility
• Good for our bones and skin
• It helps in treating infections
• It can help to reduce body weight

These are just parts of the many benefits of this great bitter leaf soup. 

Final note

Have you ever tasted or cooked this soup? Please share your experience with me in the comments. If you would also like to give this a try, please mention it too. I would love to hear from you.
If you would also like me to try a particular soup, you can suggest that here and I will be glad to give it a try and share my experience here! 

Thank you so much for your time!