Ibaba soup is mostly cooked by Efiks, Ibibios, and also Igbos. The soup is basically a thickened Ibaba seed that is also called “okpo” by Igbos. The seeds are peeled and then cooked until bleached (the water is no longer black).
It is ground and is used as a thickener. For more flavor and aroma, different vegetables are added to this soup such as uziza, oha, ugu, curry leaves, or even ukazi, and it’s delicious.
Ingredients
- 10 Ibaba seeds / 3/4 cup of ground Ibaba
- 2 handfuls of favorite leaves (oha, curry leaf + water, uziza + oha, Ugu or Okazi)
- 1 kg of your favorite meat
- 500 g of dried fish
- 300g of stockfish
- 1 cup periwinkle
- 3 seasoning cubes
- Salt to taste
- Chili pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup of crayfish
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 300 g of kpomo
- 1 cup of palm oil
How To Prepare
- Place the meat in a bowl and heat
- Season the beef with chili pepper, onion, 2 seasoning cubes and salt to taste.
- When the meat is almost soft, add the washed stockfish and cook for another 15 minutes
- Add the boiled dry fish and cook for another 10 minutes
- Add the periwinkle to the cooked meat and cook for about 5 minutes
- Make a paste with the palm oil and the grouns Ibaba powder
- Add it to the meat broth and mix well
- Cut your favorite leaves into large pieces
- Add the remaining seasoning cube and crayfish and mix well
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Serve with your preferred swallow
