Cookbook:Elephant Grass Soup (Ofe Achara)

Ofe achara is a Nigerian soup featuring elephant grass, traditionally eaten by the Igbo people in the south. It can be served with eba, fufu, akpu, semo, or any other Nigerian swallow.

Ingredients

 * Bitter leaf
 * Beef
 * Stockfish (optional)
 * Onion
 * Stock cube
 * Palm oil
 * Egusi
 * Ofo or achi
 * Ground crayfish
 * Fresh pepper
 * Achara (elephant grass), rinsed and sliced

Equipment

 * Pot
 * Knife
 * Cooking gas

Procedure

 * 1) Soak the bitterleaf in warm water, then rinse twice.
 * 2) Combine the beef, stockfish, onion, and stock cube in a pot. Cover with water, bring to a boil, and simmer until the meat is cooked through.
 * 3) Heat a thin layer of palm oil in a pot. Add the egusi, and fry for 5 minutes, stirring continuously.
 * 4) Add the cooked beef, stockfish, and ofo. Cook for 10 minutes.
 * 5) Add the crayfish and fresh pepper. Boil well.
 * 6) Add the bitterleaf, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
 * 7) Stir in the achara and remove from the heat.
 * 8) Serve hot with any kind of swallow.