Ofe Nsala (Igbo White Soup)

Ingredients

• 700g fresh catfish, cleaned and cut into steaks
• 1 liter hot water, for scalding the fish
• 4 cups water or fish stock, for the soup
• 1/2 cup achi powder (or 200g fresh yam, peeled and cubed, as an alternative thickener)
• 2 tbsp ground crayfish
• 100g dried fish, cleaned and deboned
• 1-2 yellow scotch bonnet peppers, blended or finely chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped, divided
• 1 tsp ogiri (fermented castor oil bean), optional
• 8-10 fresh utazi leaves, thinly sliced
• 2 seasoning cubes
• Salt, to taste

Before you cook

• Clean the catfish thoroughly, rubbing it with a little salt and rinsing under cold water to remove the slime.
• Cut the catfish into steaks or large chunks.
• Boil a kettle of water and pour it over the catfish pieces in a bowl, then drain immediately, this firms the flesh and removes any remaining slime.
• Rinse the dried fish and remove any bones and skin.
• Rinse the utazi leaves and slice them very thinly, they are bitter, so a little goes a long way.
• Peel and chop the onion, keeping it in two separate portions.
• If using achi, keep it as a fine powder; if using fresh yam instead, peel and cube it.

Steps

1. Put the catfish pieces into a pot with half the chopped onion, one seasoning cube, and a pinch of salt.
2. Pour in enough water to just cover the fish.
3. Set the pot over medium heat and bring it to a gentle boil.
4. Simmer for 10 minutes, until the fish is firm, then carefully lift the fish pieces out onto a plate and keep the stock in the pot.
5. If using fresh yam as the thickener, add the cubed yam to the stock and boil for 15 minutes until soft, then mash it smooth in the pot with a wooden spoon.
6. If using achi powder instead, spoon 2 tablespoons of the hot stock into a small bowl, whisk it with the achi powder until smooth, then stir this paste back into the pot.
7. Bring the stock back to a simmer and let the thickener dissolve fully into the soup for 5 minutes, stirring to avoid lumps.
8. Add the remaining chopped onion, the ground crayfish, the dried fish, and the ogiri to the pot.
9. Stir in the blended or chopped scotch bonnet pepper.
10. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes so the flavors combine.
11. Gently lower the reserved catfish pieces back into the pot.
12. Add the second seasoning cube and simmer for 5 more minutes without stirring hard, so the fish stays in whole pieces.
13. Taste the soup and adjust the salt.
14. Scatter the sliced utazi leaves over the soup.
15. Simmer for 1 more minute, just to soften the utazi without losing its sharp flavor.
16. Remove the pot from the heat and serve the soup hot.