OFE ACHARA  (ACHARA SOUP)

     Ofe Achara is a delicious soup that is common in Abia, Eboyin and Imo States.

     It is a special elephant grass - like plant that is usually shredded into tiny bits and chunks and cooked with either egusi, achi or offor.

    Other important assorted ingredients usually go as accompaniment to make the soup tasty and this makes the taste better on your taste bud. Let’s just get to the kitchen. Any swallow like akpu, fufu, pounded yam, or eba can go with this soup.

   Due to the freshness of the vegetables, essential nutrients like vitamins, are fully embedded in this soup.

   The already made shredded type can be bought in any Nigerian food market where soup things are sold around town.

   Well I am writing in from Lagos, Just tell the market woman you want ‘Achara’

Recipe for 4 servings: 
* 2 cups of shredded already made achara leaves

* 2 cooking spoons palm oil

* Maggi seasoning and salt to taste

* 1 small cup of achi, offor or ukpo (ground)

* 1 kilogramme offals [assorted meat]

* 5 big  snails[ deshelled and cleaned]

* 1 large stock fish [chunked]

* 2 large mangala or okpo fish [cleaned]

* 3  fresh Cameroon  pepper[shredded]

* 3 tablespoons ground crayfish.

* 1 bunch okazi leaves [shredded] or

* A handful of shredded of bitter leaves

Method
 >Wash, season and cook the meat, fish and stock     fish with salt and maggi seasoning for 40 minutes. >Cut the achara leaves as normal, wash and add to the pot. 

>Add the cleaned snail [make sure you clean with alum, salt or lime] and allow boiling for 10 minutes.

> Pour it into the cooked meat stock, then stir and the pepper.

>Pour the palm oil into a bowl and stir in the ground achi, offor or ukpo.

>Stir into the boiling pot stir and simmer.

> Allow to cook for few minutes, taste for  salt and simmer for few minutes  before adding the shredded okazi leaves and bitter leaves, cook for two minutes and serve with fufu, eba or pounded yam.

Hmmmmmn bon appetite!