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~1 kg Palm Fruits or 800g tinned Palm Fruit Concentrate (Akwu)
~Beef
~Dry Fish
~Vegetable: Scent Leaves for Ofe Akwu or dried and crushed
bitterleaves for Delta-style Banga Soup
~2 medium onions
~A handful crayfish or 2 tablespoons of ground Crayfish
~Salt and Chilli Pepper (to taste)
~Ogiri Okpei (Iru)
~1-2 big stock cubes
Before you cook the Nigerian Banga Soup
1. Extract the palm fruit concentrate from the palm fruits. If
using the tinned palm fruit concentrate, open the tin and set
aside.
2. Cook the beef and the dry fish with 1 bulb of diced onion
and the stock cubes till done.
3. Wash and cut the scent leaves into tiny pieces. The scent
leaves give the Banga Stew (Ofe Akwu) its unique aroma
and taste. If you are outside Nigeria, this may be hard to
find, so you can use pumpkin leaves or any other vegetable
in place of scent leaves. If cooking Delta-style Banga Soup
for starch, you should either cook this soup without
vegetables or use dried and crushed bitter leaves.
4. Cut the remaining bulb of onion. Pound the crayfish, ogiri
okpei and pepper in a mortar and set aside. You can also
grind them with a dry mill.
Cooking Directions
1. Set the pot of palm fruit extract on the stove and start
cooking at high heat. Leave to boil till you notice come red
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.
2. Now, add the beef, dry fish and stock, the onions, crayfish
and pepper and leave to boil very well.
3. Add the scent leaves or other vegetable and salt to taste.
Leave to simmer for about 2 mins. The Banga Soup is done.
Serve with White Rice or use the Delta-style Banga Soup to
eat Starch, Garri, Semolina, Amala or Pounded Yam .
Cooking Directions for those using tinned palm fruit
concentrate
1. When the beef and fish are well done, add the palm fruit
concentrate and add water to get the consistency you like
for your stews. Leave to boil very well.
2. Add the onions, crayfish, pepper and ogiri blend and let it
boil very well.
3. Add the scent leaves or other vegetable and salt to taste.
Leave to simmer for about 2 mins. The Banga Soup is done.
