Cookbook:Omi Ukpoka (Nigerian Corn Soup)

| Nigerian Cuisine

Omi ukpoka is a soup common to the Afemai people of Nigeria. It is made with ground dry corn, smoked fish, and a range of herbs. The soup is best eaten immediately after cooking, as the corn will cause it to thicken as it cools. It is is mostly served with pounded yam but can also be served with eba/garri, fufu, or semo. Needless to say, it’s a soup that can fit a budget.

Ingredients

 * Meat
 * Smoked fish
 * Shrimp
 * Seasoning cubes
 * Salt
 * Ground nutmeg
 * Fresh pepper
 * 1 piece uda, ground and de-seeded
 * Palm oil
 * Roughly ground dried corn
 * Ground uziza

Procedure

 * 1) Wash, season, and steam the meat until it is well-cooked.
 * 2) Add the smoked fish, shrimp, seasoning cube, salt, nutmeg, pepper, uda, oil, and water. Let boil for 5 minutes.
 * 3) Lower the heat, and stir in the ground corn. Mix quickly as you add the corn so that lumps do not form.
 * 4) Cook for 5–7 minutes until thickened.
 * 5) Add uziza, and cook for a minute.
 * 6) Serve hot.