There is no place like home, and whenever I think about my country, more especially my tribe, the first thing that will come to my mind is our food. For me food is more than what I eat to satisfy my hunger. In my country food is what connects families together. It also brings people together. Writing this post, I just wish I were at home so that I would enjoy my favorite meal prepared by my mom.
One Igbo dish that always reminds me of home is ofe nsala, which is also known as white soup. It is a delicious meal prepared with ingredients such as catfish, pepper, onions, yam, seasoning Uzizi, and some other local spices. Ofe nsala is not prepared with palm oil; that is what makes the soup unique.
Ofe nsala is one food I don't joke with. It is not a meal that is prepared every day in my home because it requires a lot of preparation.
Ingredients for preparing Ose Nsal
- Catfish, chicken, or another preferred protein of your choice.
- Fresh pepper
- Onions
- Crayfish
- Yam
- Add little utazi leave and uziza leaves.
- Salt
- Any seasoning cubes of your choice
- Water or stock from proteins
The ingredients vary from household to household. One nice thing about Nigerian meals is that two different people can prepare a meal, and the taste and flavor will be different.
Step by step on how to prepare the meal.
Wash and season your protein very well; cook till tender.
Peel and cut the yam into small pieces and cook until it becomes soft, then pound the yam and add to soup. The yam serves as a thicker part of the soup.
In a different pot prepare your stock and go in with your cooked protein, onions, pepper, crayfish, and any seasoning of your choice. Go in with any preferred traditional spices of your choice. Allow everything to cook together so that the flavors will blend.
Once the armor takes over the kitchen, go in with your mash yam. Stir and allow the soup to cook together until the soup thickens. Lastly, go in with your utazi and uziza; leave you can adjust with salt and seasoning.
One beautiful thing about preparing traditional Nigerian food is that you don’t have to measure it, unlike when you are baking. Every African woman learns how to cook from their mother or family members. I enjoy eating my ofe nsala with pounded yam. You can also eat it with any preferred traditional swallow of your choice.
Why does this food remind me of my roots?
Whenever I remember about this food and the taste, I feel like going back home. Food is one thing that unites families. Ofe nsala reminds me of how important preserving my culture is. My Africa dish is just like a story that passes from generation to generation. Ofe nsala is more than just a soup for me; traditional food always has a place in my heart because it reminds me where I come from. Ofe nsala doesn’t just fill my stomach; it also carries a piece of home with me.
All images are generated with ChatGPT.
This is my entry on the weekly prompt #ladiesofhive.
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