Ogbono Soup is a super tasty, nutrient-dense, and hearty Nigerian soup made with ogbono seeds (African wild mango seeds), classic West African spices, and your choice of meat and fish. It’s reminiscent of okra stew and goes so well with tasty, filling pounded yams for an extraordinary African meal experience!
Ogbono soup is a hate-it-or-love-it stew. Its appeal? Chunks of meat and fish in a comforting and hearty draw soup. My son doesn’t eat it, but I just tell him he doesn’t know what he’s missing and eat it all myself.
When my cousin brought home some ogbono seeds a while back (a gift from his friend), I knew precisely what I wanted to do with them. I had to whip up a tasty ogbono soup paired with homemade pounded yams shaped into bite-sized dumplings. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been more conscious about my yams since watching a TV documentary about the commercialized powdered stuff.
Content…What is It? |
What is Ogbono Soup?
Ogbono seeds (Irvingia Gabonensis), also called wild mango, African mango, bush mango, and dika, are not a staple in the States. The edible mango-like fruit and seeds can be eaten raw or roasted. I’ve never eaten them as is, but some say they’re a good snack. They’re often ground to thicken and flavor soups and stews. It has a distinct aroma, and some find it appealing while others don’t.
Ogbono soup is a draw soup. So what’s that? It’s a stew with enough viscosity to make it stick to a swallow. What’s a swallow? It’s a starchy root or grain pounded into a sticky paste and turned into a yummy breadlike dish. Fufu and pounded yams are two examples. You tear off a chunk and dip it into the draw for utensil-free eating. Yes, that’s the appeal for most folks.
Recipe Ingredients
- Meat – Oxtail, stew beef, tripe, and kpomo (cow skin) are excellent choices for this flavorful soup. Just omit the meat if you prefer all fish.
- Smoked Fish – This ingredient is my fave for ogbono soup. The original surf and turf dish with a lovely smokiness thrown in.
- Ogbono – The flavorful star of this show is packed with vitamins and minerals. It’s also what turns this stew into a draw. You can find ogbono seeds under different aliases (apon, etima, odika, dika, and mbukpap uyo). While you can’t substitute ogbono seeds, egusi and okra come close. For the signature slime, double the okra.
- Red Palm Oil – Making a paste with oil and ogbono dissolves lumps and mixes the ogbono thoroughly into the soup for easier cooking.
- Crayfish – It’s another seafood flavoring for kicking this soup up a level or two on the flavor scale. Grinding dried crayfish also doubles as a thickener. If you can’t find it, dried shrimp works as well.
- Chicken Bouillon – Intensify the soup’s flavor with bouillon. If you make your own bone broth concentrate, this is an excellent opportunity to use it.
- Greens – Ramp up this already highly nutritious stew with spinach, collard greens, kale, or callaloo (African greens). But you can leave them out if you prefer.
How to Make Ogbono Soup
Prepare the Meat
- Cook the Meat – In a medium-sized saucepan, boil meat and season with salt and pepper until tender (approximately 30-60 minutes depending on the choice of meat). You can shorten this process in half with a pressure cooker. (Photo 1)
- Cook Tougher Cuts Separately – Boil the cow skin and tripe together or separately until tender; use your best judgment. Remove cow skin tripe and add to the pot of boiled meat. Then add the smoked fish to the pot if using it. (Photo 2)
- Reserve enough stock from the meat (about 3-4 cups).
Make the Soup
- Ogbono Paste – Mix ground ogbono with red palm oil, then add to the pot of boiled meat, followed by crayfish and scotch bonnet pepper. Bring to a boil. Then simmer it for 10 minutes or more. Add chicken bouillon or cubes if desired. (Photos 3-6)
- Adjust Texture and Add Greens – Add more stock or water for the desired thickness. Then add spinach (or other greens), cook for 2-3 minutes more, turn the stove off, and serve piping hot. (Photos 7-10)
Recipe Variations
- Vegetarian ogbono soup won’t have quite the same flavor, but it’s still delicious. You can replace the stock with vegetable broth, the meat with tofu, tempeh, or shitake mushrooms, and the ground crayfish with half the amount of kelp powder.
- Most African soups use a plethora of meat and fish – it all depends on the individual preference and budget. And ogbono soup is no exception. I like to use a variety, including smoked or dried fish.
Tips and Tricks
- Mix the ground ogbono with the palm oil to create a smooth paste that dissolves in the stew better.
- To reduce the ogbono’s viscosity, you can fry it before adding it to the soup.
- If using a variety of meats, it’s best to boil each separately because they take different times to cook. And some are pre-cooked. Use your best judgment when cooking and selecting meats.
Make-Ahead Instructions
And oh, do you know that this ogbono soup reheats well? Let it rest overnight and reheat the following day. You’ll be surprised at how the flavors have melded together. Delicious!
And oh, do you know that this Ogbono soup reheats well? Let it rest overnight and reheat the following day. You’ll be surprised at how the flavors have melded together. Pair it with some pounded yams or other choices of fufu for a more indulgent meal!
Serving and Storage
Storing Ogbono – Store the unused ground ogbono tightly sealed in a zip lock bag away from moisture to keep it fresher longer.
Leftover Ogbono Soup will keep refrigerated for 4-5 days and frozen for three months.
Reheat your soup in a saucepan over low heat until it comes to a boil. Then simmer for about five minutes or until the meat heats through. Done!
FAQs
This soup is incredibly nutritious. Ogbono seeds are packed with potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, protein, amino acids, and fiber. Add green leafy greens, and you have a power-house soup.
Yes, ogbono is also called wild African mango and bush mango. I’ve done it too, so I don’t judge. The fact is that ogbono isn’t even related to mangoes. However, they do look similar. Contrary to mangoes, the highly nutritious seed is the most desired part of the fruit.
Slimy sounds rather unappetizing, so I prefer the word viscous. Okra, jute leaves (ewedu), and ogbono give a unique texture to soups, aka slimy. Some people love it, and some don’t.
An African market is the best place to start. Ground ogbono seeds are also labeled agbono, apon, etima, dika, and odika. Is there no African market nearby? Online markets, like Amazon, will deliver them right to your door. Or you can replace them with double the amount of okra and some ground pumpkin seeds.
What to Serve With Ogbono Soup
There are a few ways to serve ogbono soup. Some like it plain with no added veggies, while others love some bite-size chunks of veggies and meats. However, I’m a carnivore – lots of protein. But if meat is not your thing, go with smoked fish and shrimp. Yes, yes, yes!!!
However, one thing you definitely need for an authentic West African meal is ugali, cassava fufu, or pounded yams. That, my friend, makes a complete meal.
More Delicious African Recipes to Try
Conclusion
Whether you’re looking for nutritious recipes or just want something deliciously out of the ordinary, this ogbono soup recipe is your ticket. Try it out, and you’ll surely have another delicious recipe to amaze your family. Would you like even more drool-worthy recipes? Then please sign up for my newsletter for the latest and greatest. Thank you:)
Watch How To Make It
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Ogbono Soup
Ingredients
Ogbono Soup
- 1-2 pounds meat, oxtail, stew beef, tripe, and kpomo (cow skin)
- 1 cup smoked fish, shredded
- 1 cup onion, diced
- ½ cup ground crayfish
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon, adjust to tastes
- 3 cups greens, chopped (spinach, collards, kale, callaloo-African greens)
- ¼-⅓ cup palm oil
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup ground egusi, optional
- ½ cup ground ogbono
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Cooke the Meat and Make Stock
- In a medium-sized saucepan, boil meat and season with salt and pepper until tender (approximately 30-60 minutes depending on the choice of meat). You can shorten this process in half with a pressure cooker.
- Boil the cow skin and tripe together or separately until tender; use your best judgment. Remove cow skin tripe and add to the pot of boiled meat. Then add the smoked fish to the pot if using it.
- Reserve enough stock from the meat (about 3-4 cups).
- Mix ground ogbono with red palm oil, then add to the pot of boiled meat, followed by crayfish and scotch bonnet pepper. Bring to a boil. Then simmer it for 10 minutes or more. Add chicken bouillon or cubes if desired.
- Add more stock or water for the desired thickness. Then add spinach (or other greens), cook for 2-3 minutes more, turn the stove off, and serve piping hot.
Tips & Notes:
- Mix the ground ogbono with the palm oil to create a smooth paste that dissolves in the stew better.
- To reduce the ogbono’s viscosity, you can fry it before adding it to the soup.
- If using a variety of meats, it’s best to boil each separately because they take different times to cook. And some are pre-cooked. Use your best judgment when cooking and selecting meats.
- Where to find Ogbono Seeds under different aliases (apon, etima, odika, and dika): African Markets, online (Amazon, etc.), ground ogbono seeds also go by the names agbono, apon, etima, dika and odika. They can be hard to find if you don’t have an African market near you. You can get some of the effects of their thickening power by doubling the amount of okra. Or try substituting ground pumpkin seeds (pepitas) for the ogbono.
- For the greens, use whatever you have on hand (spinach, collards, turnip greens, kale, African greens (callaloo), turnips, etc.) Frozen greens work as well. Thaw completely before using.
- Please remember that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used.
Bella says
Hi, Ogbono was one of my favourites growing up, the recipe looks great and I will definitely try it, but one thing, you mentioned the use of diced onions in the ingredients but didn’t mention it in the instructions, I assume the onions will be added to the meat when cooking, but do they need to be removed once the meat is cooked (before the ogbono/palm oil mix is added?? I’m a little confused as I don’t recall seeing onions in previous ogbono/Egusi dishes I have had.
Thanks!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Bella! You are right, the onions are added to the meat. You could choose to either take them out once the meat is cooked or you could just leave it. It will still taste great. ๐
Alicia says
I love the idea.im vegan so I think I’ll make this with a twist.replace 1-2 pounds meat , (oxtail , stew beef , tripe and kpomo (cow skin) ) with vegan bacon bean curd and or soy chunks with Seitan,
1 cup smoked fish with hearts of palm or jackfruit
ยฝ cup ground Crayfish with mushroom that taste like crab to get fishy taste
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon ( with vegan chicken stock
As you may tell I’m also putting notes to myself. Thank you for sharing
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for sharing your vegan variation with us. Am sure many readers would love these variations.
Na'Keia Haynes says
Yes I am vegan and was wondering how to use substitutes to make African stews and soups. So thank you dear. I’ll be cooking this soon.
Mary says
Does this freeze well?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Mary. Yes, it does!
Janice Becton says
I made this for my husband he is from Cameroon and he absolutely loved it, the kids as well. Wonderful recipe. Thank you!
ImmaculateBites says
That is great, Janice! I am so glad it was a hit with your family. Thanks for stopping by!
Sade says
Please what type of food processor did you use, I would love to get one for myself. I love to cook from the scratch too, and its unfortunate i can’t get the mortar in the united states. Thanks
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Sade,
I hear you! I use this one Cuisinart DFP-14BCNY 14-Cup Food Processor, Brushed Stainless Steel – Silver. Got it from Amazon.
Shannan says
They’re movies, like Hollywood or Bollywood. You can go on YouTube and type in nollywood. Personally, I like Netflix or Prime, they are better quality. A good movie as a reference is the “Wedding Party”.
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for sharing .
Amina Abubakar Tanko says
This looks amazing,will definitely give it a try
Monty says
chhajedgarden.ัom ย delivers Forestry, Trees, Shrubs,
Herbs Seeds ัn India as wะตll as internationally.
Kobena says
I’ve mostly heard of this food mentioned in Nigeria movies ,and Wonder it’s made up of.
Thanks for the recipe. Keep it up.
imma africanbites says
Thank you too for dropping by! ๐
CHARLOTTE JONES says
Where do you watch Nigerian Movies at
Is it like a cooking show
Lolo says
Hello Imma. Thanks for the recipe. However, you forgot to put the link of where to buy the ogbono online. Also, can i ask about the documentary for the powdered yam flour? Do you know any website where i can buy yams online?
majii says
I bought my recipe items from African Market.com on line. Good prices, and only a $7.95 standard shipping cost. Another site wanted to charge $44.00 just for shipping. Going forward, I’m using African Market.com for my items/orders. I got everything on the recipe list for a much lower price overall, including shipping, than that from the other site. Hope this helps. My S/O is Nigerian, and I want to cook this for him as a surprise.
Kay says
Iโm trying to do the same thing. Valentineโs Day surprise. Hopefully it turns out well. Good luck hun.
Rose says
This took me back to my home in Limbe (Cameroon).I like Ogbono soup, I ate this soup almost every week while growing up.Ogbono soup is also eaten by people from Mamfe(cameroon) and it’s one of their main commercial crop. Thanks Imma for sharing this and especially how to make real pounded yam.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Rose, Thanks for taking time out to share your thoughts . The real pounded yam can’t be beat, nothing like the commercialized version.
Jeanette says
Looks scrumptious! Would definitely give it a try. If using Egusi, it should be added before the ogbono/palm oil mixture right?
ImmaculateBites says
right, add before the palm oil and ogbono mixture.
gregory anderson says
Migerian students I roomed with in College used to make semolina fufu to eat a boiled chicken & tomato stew. We ate that probably 4 times a week. We’d take a blob, scoop some stew chunks up and eat away. Fun finger food, great memories.
gregory anderson says
Oops. Nigerian students, and this was back in the early 80s.
Bolanle says
Looks so delicioussssssss. I could eat it through my phone.
Ngozi Daniel says
Am delightful surprised to see my fav here… Great Job Ma’am..i give you 98/100’%.
ImmaculateBites says
That’s an A+. Thank you so much!!!!
YKJ says
WOW! I never thought of making pounded yam (fufu) this way, definitely going to try it.