Osumada Soup is made with palm nut juice and the special ingredient is the osumada stick. Osumada (liquorice or oburunbebe) stick is the root of the plant, it is aromatic with a sweet flavour. This soup is native to the Agbor people of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria and is similar to Nsala Soup (white soup).
The main ingredient, osumada, is normally pounded or ground to a pulp and the flavour is extracted with water giving the soup a concentrated flavour of osumada. It is a light soup, not thick at all, simple and very easy to make.
You can use any protein for the soup especially bushmeat, goatmeat and fresh fish in addition to dry fish and stockfish.
Osumada Stick is also used as a dietary supplement for conditions such as digestive problems, menopausal symptoms, cough, bacterial and viral infections, sore throat and it is added to some products for application on the skin.
To prepare Osumada soup
Goatmeat Stockfish Dryfish 1 teaspoon dry chili pepper 1 slice Yam 1 thumb size osumada stick 1/4 cup palmoil 2 Seasoning cubes 3 Tablespoons ground crayfish 1/2 tablespoon ogili Salt
Wash and soak osumada stick in a small bowl of water.
Wash and cut Yam into pieces, place in a small pot with enough water to cover the yam. Set over medium-high heat and cook until soft.
Drain yam, using a mortar and pestle, food processor or potato masher, grind until well mashed and stretchy, set aside.
Meanwhile, wash the meat and place it in a medium-sized pot.
Season meat with salt, dry chilli pepper and one seasoning cube. Add water and cook over medium-high heat until almost tender.
Peel and grind soaked osumada stick with some water in a blender or with a mortar and pestle, sieve to extract the infused water, set aside.
Place dry fish in boiling hot water for 1 minute, drain and rinse well in cold water, remove bones. Set aside.
Wash stockfish and set aside.
Add osumada water, stockfish, crayfish, ogili, palm oil and seasoning cube to the boiling meat (about 4 cups of liquid), cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium.
Add pounded yam and dry fish, cook for 5 minutes until thickened.
Stir and taste, add salt if necessary.
Serve with pounded yam or any swallow of choice.
Osumada soup
Ingredients
- Goatmeat
- Stockfish
- Dryfish
- 1 teaspoon dry chili pepper
- 1 slice Yam
- 1 Osumada stick thumb size
- ¼ cup palmoil
- 2 Seasoning cubes
- 3 Tablespoons ground crayfish
- ½ tablespoon ogili
- Salt
Instructions
- Wash and soak osumada stick in a small bowl of water.
- Wash and cut Yam into pieces, place in a small pot with enough water to cover the yam. Set over medium-high heat and cook until soft.
- Drain yam, using a mortar and pestle, food processor or potato masher, grind until well mashed and stretchy, set aside.
- Meanwhile, wash the meat and place it in a medium-sized pot.
- Season meat with salt, dry chilli pepper and one seasoning cube. Add water and cook over medium-high heat until almost tender.
- Peel and grind soaked osumada stick with some water in a blender or with a mortar and pestle, sieve to extract the infused water, set aside.
- Place dry fish in boiling hot water for 1 minute, drain and rinse well in cold water, remove bones. Set aside.
- Wash stockfish and set aside.
- Add osumada water, stockfish, crayfish, ogili, palm oil and seasoning cube to the boiling meat (about 4 cups of liquid), cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium.
- Add pounded yam and dry fish, cook for 5 minutes until thickened.
- Stir and taste, add salt if necessary.
Notes
If you enjoyed my Osumada Soup, you will also enjoy my Nsala Soup (white soup), Ora soup, Nigerian Fisherman Soup and Okazi Soup.
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I am Ganiru, a wife, a mother, a food blogger, a chef, an author and an accountant. I love to cook and write about food, especially Nigerian and afro-centric food...
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