Ogbono seeds are typical seeds in Nigeria, gotten from a plant called wild African bush mango. They are commonly used to prepare a sticky soup called ogbono soup but sometimes known as draw soup. The seeds are sometimes cooked with okra (lady’s fingers) or without okro, just the ogbono alone with little vegetables, depending on ones choice. Even though this soup is not welcomed by few kids because of its slippery nature, it is sure loved by elderly people and pregnant women because of its softness and how it easily passes through the throat without struggles.
Most sick people usually request for ogbono soup, reason being that they can’t eat other hard foods when they are placed on medications; Ogbono with okro soup is mostly prepared in boarding schools because of its ability to serve much population of students, on this note, I won’t just be explaining on only ogbono but would be combining it with okro. Also see here how to make ogbono soup.First of all, before detesting okro you need to know its nutritional values because I know so many people dislike okro soup because of its sticky nature.
Okra with ogbono seeds
Table of Contents
Health Benefits of Okro
- Okro prevents Colon Cancer: By cleaning out the intestinal tract, Okro is able to improve colon health by allowing the organ to work at a higher rate of efficiency and reduce the risk of colon cancer.
- Okro prevents Diabetes: The presence of Eugenol in Okra helps fight against diabetes. The fibre also helps stabilize blood sugar level by delaying sugar absorption from the intestines.
- Okro prevents Constipation: Okra is one of the best vegetable sources of dietary fibre essential for the digestive system. Dietary fibres in okra help prevent and relieve constipation. The soluble fibre in okra absorbs water and adds bulk to the stool thus preventing constipation.
- Okro prevents Anaemia: The iron content of okra forms haemoglobin in the blood and prevents anaemia. Vitamin K helps in blood coagulation.
- Okro aids Weight Loss: The dietary fibres contained in this vegetable helps people who are on weight loss programs. Okro has a very low caloric value so it is a great addition when losing weight.
- Okro improves Heart Health: The soluble fibre in okra helps to lower serum cholesterol and thus reduces the risk of heart disease. Eating okra is an effective way to control the bodys cholesterol level. Okra is also high in pectin that helps in lowering high blood cholesterol by altering the production of bile in the intestines.
- It improves Hair Problems: Okra can help you get healthy hair and be free from dandruff. For bouncy hair, boil water with horizontally cut okra, strain on cooling, squeeze half a lemon and use as a hair rinse. Experts say that it can even get rid of lice too.
- Okro improves Immunity: The high Vitamin C content in okro helps fight cold and cough by encouraging a healthy immune system. The Vitamin C and many essential minerals like magnesium, manganese, calcium and iron in okra also fight against harmful free radicals and therefore promote an overall healthy immune system.
- It improves Eyesight: Vitamin A and beta-carotene found in okro are essential nutrients for maintaining good eyesight. In addition, these essential nutrients also help prevent eye related diseases such as cataracts. The Vitamin A promotes good eye health and protects against age related eye disorders.
- Okro contributes to a Healthy Pregnancy: The high amount of folate contained in the okra is beneficial for the foetus during pregnancy. Folate is an essential nutrient, which improves the development of the foetus brain. The high amount of folic acid in okra plays an important role in the neural tube formation of the foetus from the fourth to the twelfth week of pregnancy
Ingredients need for the preparation of ogbono with okro soup
- 1 cup of okro fingers
- 1Cup of ogbono seeds
- 1 Kilo of assorted meat, goat or beef
- Cow hide (kpomo, ganda, smoked fish
- 3 Medium sized dry fish
- 2 Cups of periwinkles (optional)
- 1 Ball onion to season the meat
- 1 Cup of grounded crayfish
- 2-3 Cooking spoonful ofpalm oil
- A Handful of Uziza, spinach, bitter leaves or ugwu leaves
- 1 Medium sized stockfish (okporoko)
- 3 Seasoning cubes (Royco, Knorr or Maggi)
- Scotch bonnet or chilli pepper
- Salt to taste
Just beforeyou Startcooking okro and ogbono soup
- Wash and season the meat, stockfish and cowhide with onions, pepper, 2 seasoning cubes and a little salt and place the pot on heat. Add a cup of water to the meat after 10 minutes
- While the meat is cooking, grind the ogbono seeds in a mill or blender; Note: You can as well grind it at the market or use mortar to pound it to a paste in the absence of blender or mill. Some people do blend crayfish together with ogbono seeds to make it simple. You can adopt this or just blend the crayfish separately.
- Wash and chop the okro fingers into smaller shapes. This can be achieved by cutting across the okro finger both vertically and horizontally, before cutting it in a round form
- Mix the grounded ogbono with 2-table spoons palm oil until it becomes a smooth paste, the oil helps to loosen the pounded seeds, since it gets a little harder and dried when grounded.
- Dress the dried or smoked fish and keep both aside.
- Shred the Odusa leaves (uziza) to tiny pieces and keep aside
Igredients for making ogbono and okra soup
Steps on how to prepare ogbono with okro soup
- Add a cup of water to the meat while it is still on heat and bring it to a boil.
- Add the washed periwinkles, pounded crayfish, peppers1-2seasoning cubes, salt if using any of these.
- while the meat is simmering,add thedressed smoked fish to the bubbling content, allow it to boil for 10 minutes . By doing this, you would be having a rich meat broth.
- Add the dissolved ogbono but do not cover the pot. andlet it boil the way it is for 10 minutes. You can add more water to the content, if you feel its thick or the water is not enough.
- Add 2 spoonful of palm oil to the bubbling content and stir to mix well
- Add the chopped okro, stir it and allow it to bubble for 5-10 minutes.
- Add the shredded uziza leaf (hot leaf) and stir properly, leave it to cook for 5 minutes. If you cant get uziza leaf where you reside, bitter leaf or pumpkin leaves (ugwu) can serve as a substituted
- After adding the vegetable, stir the soup, taste for ingredients and adjust if necessary.
- Put off the heat and serve ogbono-okrosoup with semolina, tuwo, eba, or with fufu.
Please you can always leave a comment below if you have something different in mind or may want to ask a question. Thanks.
Simple steps on how to prepare ogbono with okra soup
1. Add a cup of water to the meat while it is still on heat and bring it to a boil, i cooked the meat a day before so i will be adding it in later
2. Add the washed periwinkles, pounded crayfish, peppers1-2seasoning cubes and salt if you are using any.
3. while the content is simmering, add thedressed smoked fish into the bubbling content, allow it to boil for 10 minutes. By doing this, you would be having a rich meat broth.
4. Add the dissolved ogbono; you may not need to cover the content. Some people say it willreduce it sliminessor it may prevent the soup from not becomingsticky, but I dont really think so. Just let it boil the way it is for 10 minutes. You can add more water to the content, if you feel its thick or the water is not ok.
Allow ogbono to simmer on a medium heat a little bit longer before adding okra to it
5. Add 2 spoonful of palm oil to the bubbling content and stir to mix.
Okra is now added to the content, this will only cook for 5 minutes, just to keep the soup fresh even after it has been cooked
6. Add the chopped okra, stir it and allow it to bubble for 5-10 minutes.
Just because the meat was cooked before now, I had to return it into the content after adding in okra
Uziza leaf is being added to ogbono soup, spinach, pumpkin or other leafy veggies could be used
7. Add the shredded uziza leaf (hot leaf) and stir properly, leave it to cook for 5 minutes. If you cant get uziza leaf where you reside, bitter leaf or pumpkin leaves (ugwu) can serve as a substituted only that it won’t really bring out that peppery scenting flavour like uziza would have done.
Ogbono with okra is ready once you’ve stirred the leaves to incorporate
8. After adding the vegetable, stir the soup, taste for ingredients and adjust if necessary.
A plate of delicious ogbono soup made with okra and uziza leaves
9. Put off the heat and serve ogbono-okrosoup with semolina, tuwo, eba, or with fufu.
Please you can always leave a comment below if you have something different in mind or may want to ask a question. Thanks.