Nigeria – Ibaba Soup

by Mimi Joseph

Ibaba soup is prepared using Ibaba seeds mixes with snails. It is common to Efiks tribe in the country.

Nigeria is a country in Africa continent located western Africa bordering Niger in the north, Cameroon in the east, Benin in the west, it’s coast is on the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean in the southern part.

Ibaba soup is of many kinds depending on how you prepare it.

The most common way is of cooking it with Etinkirin / Uzouza leaves, by which the leaves are added on the late steps of preparation.

Other ways includes mixing Ibaba seeds with meat, crayfishes, shrimps or prawns. Nigeria is also very supplied with coastal foods that’s why it is common to find seafood on most of it’s cuisines.

Welcome as we prepare the best Ibaba soup from Nigeria, catch up with your kitchen and zoom in with me.

Prepare the followings

• 1 kg meats (beef, oxtail, tripe, ponmo, bokoto)
• 4 snails
• ½ kg etinkirin leaves
• ½ kg of smoked dry fish
• 130 g of ground ibaba seeds
• ¼ kg crayfish
• ¼ kg ground pepper
• 1 medium onion
• palm oil
• salt

Cooking procedures

• Chop meat to size you prefer, wash and set aside.
• Chop onions into small pieces. Shred etinkirin leaves.
• Clean snails with lemon liquid to kill any dust and bacteria.
• On the pot with meat, add the onions, chillies and leave for 5 minutes, then cook for 30-40 minutes until tender.
• While meat is cook, soak smoked fish over hot water mixed with salt for a couple of minutes, preferably 10 minutes. After soaking clean with cold water and set aside.
• Add both of smoked fish and snails into the meat (once done cooking meat)
• Add other ingredients too (oil, salt, peppers and onions) and bring to boil, add Ibaba seeds and mix well until thickens.
• Add the shredded etinkirin leaves and mix for 2 minutes and then crayfish. Summer for 15 minutes less, keep the thickness soup adjusted well, once done with simmer you are recommended to not adjust anymore.
• Once done, our soup is ready for meal. Fufu or rice does great with the soup.