Food Paradise

BITTERLEAF SOUP is a soup with the main ingredient as the freshly washed leaves of the evergreen plant called Vernonia amygdaline and cocoyam. Bitter leaf soup is popularly eaten by the Eastern part of Nigeria.

INGREDIENT

1. Bitter leaf – two handful
2. cocoyam – 15 small corms
3. red palm oil – 1\2 cup
4. beef – including cow stripe(shaki)
5. fish – dried fish and stock fish
6. fresh pepper
7. onions
8. grounded crayfish
9. salt
10. maggi – 3 knorr cubes
11. traditional seasoning -1tsp iru/ogiri

BEFORE COOKING SOUP

1. make to wash the bitter leaves properly, such that there is no trace of bitterness left. if not, wash and squeeze it more. if the bitterness cannot be completely washed off, boil it for about 15 minutes and wash in cold water.
2. wash and cook the cocoyam till soft. Remove the peels and use a mortar and pestle to pound the corms to a smooth paste or you can blend it with a blender.

COOKING DIRECTIONS

1. boil the beef, washed stock fish and dried fish in 1 litre of water till they are well done. The first sign that the cow tripe is done is that the cuts starts to curl on itself.
2. wash the beef and add to the pot of shaki, add 3 cubes of maggi/knorr while the meat and shaki is still cooking.
3. add the pepper ground crayfish and allow to cook until the meat and shaki is properly cooked. then add the cocoyam paste (in small lumps) and the palm oil let it cook for 5 mins. then you add your bitter leaf.
4. cover and let it cook for another 5 mins. add more water if you feel the soup is too thick.
5. add salt to taste and the soup is ready.
6. serve with Eba(garri mold), semovita or fuf