BANGA SOUP/STEW
The Natural Soup/Stew you can’t Resist!
Nigerian Banga Soup or Ofe Akwu is native to the Niger Delta and the South Eastern parts of Nigeria. In the Niger Delta areas, Banga soup is commonly eaten with various fufu recipes: Starch, Pounded Yam, Semolina, Garri, and Cassava Fufu.
The preparation method of Banga soup varies from tribe to tribe. There’s also the Efiks version called Abak Atama.
In the South Eastern parts of Nigeria, Banga Soup is referred to as ‘Ofe Akwu’ where ‘Ofe’ means Soup / Stew and Akwu means palm fruit and is used mainly as stew for Boiled White Rice which includes the addition of Ugu or Scent leaves which is without in the Delta.
The palm fruit oil extract used in cooking Banga Soup / Stew is quite different from the red palm oil used in cooking Nigerian food recipes.
Palm Oil is pure oil extracted from the palm fruit pulp at high temperatures while the palm fruit oil extract used for the Banga Soup is extracted at a very low temperature and is a mixture of oil and water. Palm fruit oil extracted for Banga Soup contains less saturated fat than palm oil.
NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS
Banga soup is rich in vitamins A, E, and K which are;
✓ Essential for building strong bones
✓ Prevents heart disease.
✓ Prevents Cancer risk.
✓ Contributes to preventing Alzheimer’s disease.
✓ Improves Vision.
✓ Reduces the effect of premenstrual syndrome symptoms such as insomnia, weight gain, bloating, leg swelling, and breast tenderness.
✓ Palm kernel contains Vitamin ‘A’ that is essential for healthy vision
✓ Nourishes the human skin and hair
NOTES ON NATURAL BANGA SPICES
¶ Oburunbebe stick: this brown herbal stick makes a big difference in the taste and aroma of the Banga soup. It is usually added towards the end of the soup-making process and left for 10 minutes so that the flavor is infused into the soup.
¶ Aidan Fruit (Uyayak, Tyko, or yanghanyanghan): The skin of this fruit is used for preparing Banga soup. It is ground into powder and added to soups.
¶ Rohojie: this is a tiny brown seed that is ground or pounded with the Aidan fruit to give the Banga soup its unique flavor and taste.
INGREDIENTS for Banga Soup
° Fresh Palm Fruits
° Beef (assorted meat)
° Dried Fish
° Chicken, stockfish (depends on your choice)
°Vegetable: Scent-Leaves for Ofe Akwu or dried and crushed bitter-leaf for Delta-style Banga Soup
° 2 medium-sized onions
° 2 tablespoons of ground crayfish
° Salt and Chili Pepper (to taste)
° Okpei (Iru)
° Natural Banga spices (Obeletientien/Atama, Aidan fruit, Rohojie, etc.)
° 1-2 big stock cubes.
PREPARATION PROCEDURES
1. Wash the fresh palm nuts vigorously to remove all traces of dirt.
2. Boil the nuts for 15-20 minutes on medium heat or until the nuts soften.
3. Transfer the nuts into a mortar and pound till the skin begin to break off and the color becomes kind of even. Do this carefully so you don’t break the kernels.
4. Pour some warm water on the nuts; still in the mortar and mix thoroughly with your hand; then strain with a sieve or cloth to extract the palm oil and that’s it.
5. Cook your choice of meat and the dried fish with 1 bulb of diced onion and the stock cubes till done.
6. Wash and cut the scent leaves into tiny pieces. The scent leaves give the Banga Stew (Ofe Akwu) its unique aroma and taste. If cooking Delta-style Banga Soup for starch, you should either cook this soup without vegetables or use dried and crushed bitter leaves.
7. Cut the remaining bulb of onion. Pound the crayfish, natural spices, okpei, and pepper in a mortar and set aside. You can also grind them with a dry mill.
COOKING PROCEDURES
√ Set the pot of palm fruit extract on the stove and start cooking at high heat. Leave to boil till you notice some red oil on 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 meat and fish stock, natural spices, onions, stock cubes, crayfish, and pepper, and leave to boil very well.
√ Add the scent leaves or other vegetables 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.
¶ For your Banga soup condiments, Click Here
¶ For your Banga seeds, Click Here
¶ For your healthy and Natural Foodstuff, visit DeyChop.com
¶ At DeyChop, We Value Your Wellness.
—————————————–
DeyChop, Your Home of Natural Foodstuff!