Palm fruit extract (juice) is widely used as a soup base in the southern part of Nigeria, the South-South (Niger-delta), South-East and South-West regions. Most regions have their own variant of soups specially made from it. There’s Ofe Akwu and Ofe Utazi (Igbo), Abak Atama (Efik), Obe Eyin (Yoruba), Oghwoamiedi (Urhobo), Izuwoibiedi (Isoko). The difference is in the herbs and spices used. This recipe is for the Delta region, especially The Urhobos.

I love the taste of authentic Banga soup, it puts me in a happy place. So I normally go out of my way to source all the ingredients sometimes from a reliable vendor online.

About Banga Soup Delta Style Ingredients

It is a very rich pot of soup both in taste and budget. You can cook Banga soup delta style with different kinds of protein or a mix of them e.g fresh catfish, dry fish, beef, Shaki (tripe), intestine, Ponmo (skin), bushmeat, chicken, smoked turkey etc., but fresh fish Banga soup is my favourite.

Fresh fish Banga soup tastes very rich so I add extra dry pepper and enough beletietien leaves to give it a faint bitter taste to cut down on the sweetness of the fish and palm nut extract, also a little bitter leaf can be added. Oburunbebe stick (liquorice) makes a difference in the flavour of Banga soup but if you can’t get a hold of it, your soup will still taste great. Use the stick whole or scrape off the bark and grind into a powder.

The palm fruit extract used here has been boiled down to remove a lot of the water. You should use more if you have not boiled yours down. In the absence of fresh palm fruit extract, you can use canned palm fruit extract. Thin it down with stock and water.

The spices used here are the basic Banga soup spices but some people add a bunch of other spices which I feel is an over-kill. With ataiko and iruguje, you are good to go. You can buy already ground and mixed spice from the market or you can buy the seeds and grind them by yourself.

(Evwere Clay Pot)

Banga soup Delta style is best served with starch (Usi) but it’s also delicious with pounded yam, amala, semolina etc. The native clay pot (Evwere) is used in serving Banga Soup. When the soup is heated in it, it thickens further. Most pots are sold already treated. See how to treat your pot below.

Click to learn How to extract juice from palm fruits and How to extract juice from palm fruits using a food processor

How to prepare Banga soup delta style

1 kg chicken
1 small cat fish
stockfish 
dryfish
5 cups banga extract (1 large can palm fruit extract)
1 teaspoon cameroun pepper
2 teaspoons dry chili pepper
3 tablespoons ground crayfish
2 teaspoons banga spice (Ataiko and Iruguje)
2 seasoniong cubes
salt
1 Oburunbebe stick
2 tablespoons dry beletietien leaves

Cut and wash chicken. Place in a pot, season with salt, seasoning cube and Cameroun pepper, cover and place over medium heat.

Cook until heated through (it will finish cooking in the soup).

In a bowl, place your washed catfish. Sprinkle with salt and one seasoning cube, stir and set aside.

Soak dry fish in boiling hot water for 2 minutes, drain and rinse well with cold water.

Rinse stockfish.

Pour banga extract into a pot over medium-high heat.

Add dryfish, stockfish, crayfish, dry chilli pepper and banga spice. Bring to a boil, cook for 5 minutes.

Add chicken, stock and water up to 2 cups and seasoning cube. Stir and taste for salt.

Place the oburunbebe stick in the soup and cook for 5 minutes.

Gently add the pieces of catfish and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Sprinkle the beletietien leaves into the pot and shake to distribute without breaking the fish.

Cook for 5 minutes and Banga soup delta style is ready.

To serve

To serve in an authentic way, put individual-sized portions into the evwere (clay pot) and place over the fire.

Leave to boil until thickened further and the edge of the soup looks caked up.

Using a tea towel slide it into a tray and take it to the table. Serve with Starch (Usi).

Click for How to make Starch Delta Usi.

Notes

If you can’t find beletietien leaves substitute with thinly sliced fresh or dry bitter leaf or scent leaf.
The oburunbebe stick can be reused, pick out of the pot, rinse thoroughly, leave out to dry and store. I store mine in the refrigerator.
I don’t use onions in my Banga soup delta style.
Do not thicken your Banga soup with a thickener, it will change the taste, rather pick out the meat so they don’t get too soft, then boil your soup over high heat to lose some of the liquid until it thickens. The soup thickens further as it cools down.
Fresh or dry prawns, shrimps, periwinkles, snails etc. are lovely in Banga soup.
If you are using dry prawns, add the body whole and grind the heads with your crayfish.
Banga extract has a tendency to foam so it is better to leave it open until you start adding your ingredients.