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Ofe Nsala (White Soup)

Name: Ofe Nsala (White Soup)
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Nigeria
Ingredients: 1 large catfish, cut into steaks and washed with lemon; 1 small yam, peeled and boiled (about 300g); 2 tbsp ground crayfish; 1 tbsp ground uda + ehuru (calabash nutmeg) + uziza seeds; 2 scotch bonnets, blended; Handful utazi leaves, finely sliced; 2 stock cubes, salt, 4 cups stock

Anambra's pale, peppery catfish soup thickened with pounded yam paste and perfumed with utazi and uziza — no palm oil, no tomato.

Photo: Atimukoh · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

1h 4 servings Medium

Ingredients

1 large catfish, cut into steaks and washed with lemon
1 small yam, peeled and boiled (about 300g)
2 tbsp ground crayfish
1 tbsp ground uda + ehuru (calabash nutmeg) + uziza seeds
2 scotch bonnets, blended
Handful utazi leaves, finely sliced
2 stock cubes, salt, 4 cups stock

Method

Step 1 of 425%

Pound or blend boiled yam with a little water to a smooth, stretchy paste.

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1
Pound or blend boiled yam with a little water to a smooth, stretchy paste.
2
Bring stock to a simmer, add pepper, ground spices, crayfish and stock cubes.
3
Drop yam paste in small spoonfuls; simmer 8 minutes until dissolved and slightly thickened.
4
Slide catfish in gently, cook 10 minutes without stirring vigorously. Finish with utazi and serve with pounded yam.