Looking for Nigerian Palm nut soup recipe?
This recipe post would show you how to make 3 different delicious types of palm nut soups.
- Banga Soup
- Abak Atama
- Ofe Akwu
Let's begin from the top...
How to make Banga Soup
Here's how to make Banga soup:
This recipe is the original way of making Banga Soup from the Niger-Delta part of Nigeria. |
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Ingredients:- 10 cups of fresh palm fruits OR 400g of palm fruit cream
- 1kg of Assorted meat
- ½ cup of ground crayfish
- 3 packets of Banga spice OR 1 teaspoon each of Ataiko and Irugege.
- 1 medium sized dry/smoked fish
- ½ cup of dried, crushed Beletientien leaves
- 1 Oburunbebe stick
- 500g or 1 cup of either fresh shrimps or prawns (you can add more seafood
- according to preference)
- 1 cup of shelled periwinkle
- 2-6 red scotch bonnet (Ata-rodo) peppers
- Half of a small onion, minced or diced
- Salt to taste
- Seasoning cube(s), according to taste
- Water
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Directions: 1 Blend your pepper and set aside. Blend your Banga spices if sourced individually and set aside then soak dry/smoked fish in hot water to remove dirt and debone.
2 To extract the palm cream if not using canned palm nut cream, wash your palm fruits then boil for about 20minutes or till it’s soft. Crush in a food processor or with a mortar and pestle. Transfer into a bowl then add water to extract the juice/cream.
N.B: you want it thick, so don’t add a lot of water.
3 In a pot, add your assorted meat, season with your minced/diced onions, seasoning cubes and salt. Add water enough to the level of the meats and allow to cook till it’s tender and easy to chew. You can also precook your washed prawns/shrimps with salt and seasoning cube.
4 With a sieve, strain the palm cream extract into the pot containing your assorted meat and allow to cook for about 15-20mins.
5 After 20mins, add your ground crayfish, blended Banga spice or packets, blended Ata-rodo pepper, dried fish and Oburunbebe stick. Bring to a boil for about 5mins.
N.B: You can add a little water if it’s too thick for you. Taste for salt and adjust if necessary.
6 Add your pre cooked prawns/shrimps, Beletientien leaves and periwinkles, stir to combine and allow to simmer for about 3minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
7 Take off heat. Serve with Starch, Fufu or Eba. Enjoy!
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Notes: - Irugege is also known as rigije, rohoji, or rogojie.
- Alternatively, dried bitter leaves (onugbu) can be used in place of Beletientien leaves
- Traditionally, Banga soup is made with “Fresh fish”
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How To Make Abak Atama Soup
Here's how to make Abak Atama soup:
This recipe is the gold standard way of making Abak Atama soup from the Ibibios of Akwa Ibom State in Southern Nigeria. |
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Ingredients:- 500g of palm fruits OR canned palm cream
- 1 small piece of Uyayak
- 1 small bunch of Atama leaves, a sliced handful
- 8 medium pieces of beef
- 1 medium sized dry/smoked fish
- 1 stock fish head
- 1 cup of periwinkle in shell, optional
- 3 tablespoons of ground crayfish
- 1 tablespoon of dry/ black pepper
- 10 medium pieces of cow skin (Ponmo)
- ½ of a small onion, diced
- 2 Maggi cubes
- Salt to taste
- About 2½ liters of water (for extraction)
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Directions: 1 From the tail end of the periwinkle, cut a little piece to remove the intestine and then wash thoroughly to remove all dirts. Soak your dry/smoked fish in hot water to remove all dirts and debone then set aside.
2 In extracting your palm cream, wash your palm fruits, cook for about 20mins or till it’s soft and pound till the chaff/fibers come off the nuts. Add warm water to the pounded palm fruit and mix thoroughly.
N.B: We want a thick extract, so avoid adding too much water. With the use of a sieve, separate the extract (cream, juice, oil) from the chaffs in a pot and set aside.
3 Season your meat and cow skin with diced onions, seasoning cube and salt in a pot and steam on low heat. Add about two cups of water then add your stock fish head and cook till it’s tender and cooked thoroughly.
4 Wash your sliced Atama leaves and pound till it’s finely pounded.
5 Put the pot containing your palm (cream, juice, oily) extract to a boil for about 5 minutes.
6 Add your meat stock, cooked meat, Ponmo, washed dry/smoked fish, periwinkle, ground crayfish, pepper, uyayak and seasoning cube, stir to combine and allow to simmer for about 5-10minutes.
7 Add Atama leaves and allow to simmer for about 10minutes without stirring. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
8 For the soup to be slightly thickened, allow to simmer for a bit longer (10-15mins) but it’s entirely based on preference. Take off heat and serve with Fufu, Pounded yam or Eba.
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Notes: - Uyayak's other names are Aidan fruit, Tyko, Uhio, Aridan.
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How To Make Abak Atama Soup
Here's how to make Ofe Akwu:
This recipe is the gold standard way of making Ofe Akwu/Banga stew from the Igbos of Eastern Nigeria. |
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Ingredients:- 800g of palm fruits or 1 can of palm fruit concentrate/cream
- 1 medium sized smoked fish, cleaned and deboned
- ¼ cup of ground crayfish
- 1 cup of scent leaves, washed and sliced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 500g of smoked turkey or beef
- Seasoning cube(s) to taste
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 1 small wrap of Ogiri or iru, optional
- 3 cups of beef stock
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Directions: 1 If extracting from palm fruits, bring your palm fruits to a boil till it’s soft then pound till the chaff is out of the nuts. Add warm water to the pounded palm fruit and with the use of a sieve, strain out the extract from the chaff into a bowl and set aside.
2 In a pot on low-medium heat, add your smoked turkey or beef, meat stock, diced onions, seasoning cube(s) and salt and allow to simmer for about 5-10mins.
3 After which, add your extracted palm (cream, juice, oil) or canned palm fruit concentrate and allow to boil for a few minutes.
4 Add your smoked fish, ground crayfish, ogiri (optional) and pepper then stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Let it cook for a while for it to thicken to whichever consistency you prefer.
5 Add your sliced/ shredded scent leaves, allow to simmer for about 2 minutes then take off heat. Serve with rice and/or beans.
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Notes: - Scent leaves, called nchoanwu in Igbo
- In place of scent leaves, you can manage to use Basil or parsley leaves .
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Summary & FAQ
Nigerian Palm Nut Soup Recipe(3 Best Types) - FitNigerian
Looking for Nigerian Palm nut soup recipe?
Type:
Main course
Cuisine:
Nigerian
Recipe Yield:
6 servings
Preparation Time:
PT10M
Cooking Time:
PT20M
Total Time:
PT30M
Recipe Ingredients:
- Palm Fruit
- Ataiko
- Irugege
- Oburunbebe stick
- Beletientien leaves
- Onion
- Crayfish
- Dry Fish
- Periwinkle
- Assorted Meat
- Prawns
- Peppers
- Salt
- Seasoning Cube
Can I use palm oil instead of extracting palm concentrate/cream?
You cannot use palm oil in place of extracted palm concentrate/cream because the tastes and extraction methods are different. Palm oil is extracted from the palm kernel using high heat.
Where can I source for the spices used in making Banga soup?
You can buy Banga spices in local markets, mostly from people selling zobo leaves. Alternatively, you can purchase already packaged Banga spices at superstores.
I tried making Banga soup and it turned out watery, what did I do wrong?
Banga soup becomes too watery when too much water is added during the palm fruit extraction process. Ensure your palm fruit extract is thick, with the consistency of a cream or paste.
Where’s the origin of Banga soup?
Banga soup originates from the Urhobo and Isoko speaking parts of Nigeria
Is palm nut soup healthy?
Traditional Palm nut soup is healthy because palm fruit used in cooking is rich in good fats, Vitamin E, antioxidants and other essential vitamins and minerals that are good for the health.
How do you extract palm fruit for Banga soup?
Wash your palm fruits and put in a pot. Boil washed palm fruits for 20 minutes or until soft. Crush boiled palm fruits in a food processor or with a mortar and pestle. Transfer crushed palm fruits into a bowl and add water to extract the juice/cream.
Your Turn
Let me know in the comments below which of these recipe you'll be trying first.
