Bitterleaf Soup (Ofe Onugbu): Authentic Nigerian Recipe

What Is Bitterleaf Soup?

Bitterleaf (onugbu) is exactly what it sounds like — a genuinely bitter leafy vegetable. Fresh bitterleaf is washed repeatedly (or bought pre-washed) to remove most of the bitterness before it goes into the soup, where cocoyam, meat, and stockfish round out the flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 cups washed bitterleaf (fresh or pre-washed, chopped)
• 4-5 medium cocoyam, boiled and pounded (or 1/2 cup cocoyam flour)
• 1 lb assorted meat, pre-cooked
• 1/2 lb stockfish or dried fish
• 1/4 cup palm oil
• 2 tbsp ground crayfish
• Ground pepper and seasoning cubes to taste
• 2 cups meat stock

How to Make Bitterleaf Soup

Step 1: Prepare the Bitterleaf — If using fresh leaves, wash thoroughly multiple times, squeezing out the water, until the bitterness mellows to your taste. Pre-washed bitterleaf just needs a quick rinse.

Step 2: Cook the Cocoyam — Boil the cocoyam until soft, then pound or blend into a smooth paste — this is what thickens the soup.

Step 3: Start the Soup — In a pot, heat the palm oil and stock together, then stir in small lumps of the cocoyam paste until it dissolves and thickens the soup.

Step 4: Add Protein — Add the pre-cooked meat, stockfish, and crayfish. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Step 5: Add the Bitterleaf — Stir in the washed bitterleaf, season with pepper and seasoning cubes, and simmer for another 10 minutes until everything comes together.

Step 6: Serve — Serve hot with eba, pounded yam, or fufu.

Tips for Balancing the Bitterness

• Wash fresh bitterleaf several times — this is the single biggest factor in how bitter the final soup tastes.
• A little bitterness is traditional and desirable; don't wash it out completely.
• Cocoyam is the traditional thickener, but ground egusi can be used as a substitute if cocoyam isn't available.