Banga Soup Spices: Spices for cooking native Banga Soup

Banga Soup Spices: Spices for cooking native Banga Soup

What are the spices used for cooking native Banga soup?

This is one question I get  from friends and subscribers.Most of them complain that the Igbo’s Ofe Akwu doesn’t have similar taste to the Banga soup they have eaten at parties or restaurants.

The fact is that Ofe Akwu and Banga soup are both Nigerian Soups made with the concentrated extract from Palm fruits/Palm nuts, but the spices used for cooking Banga soup differs a lot from  that used for Ofe Akwu.

While Ofe Akwu is usually served with boiled White Rice and Boiled Yams, Banga soup is served with fufu meals, starch(Usi), Eba, Amala , Tuwo MasaraWheat meal and other Nigerian Bolus meals.

So here are a few of the Banga Soup Spices:

* Oburunbebe stick: this brown herbal stick makes a big difference in the taste and aroma of the Banga soup. It is usually added towards the end of the soup making process and left for 10 minutes ,so that the flavour is infused into the soup.Oburunbebe stick can be re-utilized for subsequent cooking.

See also  Boli : Nigerian Roasted Plantain (Nigerian Grilled Plantain)

* Aidan Fruit (Uyayak, Tyko or yanghanyanghan)  : The skin of this fruit is used for preparing Banga soup. It is ground to powder and added to soups.
The scientific name is Tetrapleura tetraptera

 

*Rohojie: this is a tiny brown seed that is ground or pounded with the Aidan fruit to give the banga soup its unique flavour and taste.

*Obeletientien : this is a spice used for garnishing . It actually doesnt add any extra taste to the soup, but helps complete the foods presentation and only a little is used.Dried mint leaves can be used as a substitute.

All these spices can be found at the local markets or African stores if you live outside Nigeria.

By Nky Lily Lete

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25 Comments

  1. Antonia ukate
    June 19, 2019 / 7:46 pm

    Help. ? my banga soup taste bitter in my throat. What do I do?

  2. Chinonye Okolie
    October 15, 2018 / 3:04 pm

    The last time I cooked ofe Akwu, I bought powdered banga spice in the market and the taste of the ofe Akwu was very lovely. I decided to make another one today, but unfortunately for me, I couldn't differentiate the banga spice from the peppersoup spice I had. I ended up adding a little bit of both. Right now I can't even tell the taste of my stew. But it seems to be nice. Well done sis for your posts. There's nothing I cook without consulting you, whether or not I know how to do it. You've helped me improve my cooking skills. God bless you plenty.

  3. PortlandJosh
    December 1, 2017 / 6:19 pm

    Please can you tell me what the small round things are, which are between the aidan fruit and the oburunbebe stick, in the picture? Thank you so much!

  4. OLISA CHINEDU
    May 9, 2017 / 11:53 am

    Good day madam, I really love what you just did.may God bless you.please madam am a botanists and am working on a project of spices found in itsekiri and here are few of them. Please can I get the common names of these spices you just mentioned. Here is my email [email protected].. I really hope to hear from you thanks

  5. Unknown
    May 9, 2017 / 11:47 am

    Gud day madam, very interesting idea y just gave to u.God bless u..please what are the common names of these spices used for this soup..please ma can you please inbox me or can I get your email address. Here is mine [email protected]. I hope to hear from you

  6. Precious Obazee
    April 29, 2017 / 7:35 am

    Hi Nky, thanks for the video and cooking instruxtions. Pls Is d oburunbebe cinnamon by any chance?

  7. Anonymous
    September 21, 2014 / 1:08 pm

    Yummy

    • Nky Lily Lete
      September 22, 2014 / 8:48 am

      🙂

  8. Anonymous
    September 13, 2014 / 5:01 pm

    Hi Lili all these spices should have a botanic names other than than the local names Could U pls tell us the English names of the spices. tnx Clair robert.

    • Nky Lily Lete
      September 25, 2014 / 9:45 am

      Hi Clair, I will keep you updated as soon as I have the rest.For the Aidan Fruit it is known as Tetrapleura tetraptera .

    • benazir khan
      January 12, 2016 / 3:39 am

      There is an African store near me but I didn't see these are there any alternatives

    • Nky Lily Lete
      March 23, 2016 / 2:25 pm

      There are no alternatives.

  9. Catherine Nkeiruka
    June 21, 2014 / 2:48 am

    Thanks dear, God bless you. Will send in my pics.

    • Nky Lily Lete
      June 22, 2014 / 1:17 am

      Good to see you back dear, I'll be expecting them 🙂

    • Nky Lily Lete
      May 15, 2014 / 9:09 am

      You're welcome aneesh.

  10. Anonymous
    April 4, 2014 / 9:24 pm

    Thnks I hope to try it soon

    • Nky Lily Lete
      April 6, 2014 / 12:22 am

      You're welcome dear 🙂

  11. Anonymous
    March 25, 2014 / 5:44 pm

    Is lovely I just cook mine,but is watery.hw can I make it thick

    • Nky Lily Lete
      April 6, 2014 / 12:21 am

      Wow, I guess you added excess water to your soup.Let it cook a little longer before putting it off. The banga soup will thicken further when it cools.

  12. Nky Lily Lete
    January 27, 2014 / 2:56 pm

    Hi dear, The thick brown stuff is the UyayakThe light brown stick is the oburunbebeThe seeds are the rohojie The others in the plate are optionalsee the video I just included so that you can distinguish.Hope you cook the soup soon 🙂

    • Anonymous
      September 6, 2016 / 2:50 pm

      I live in texas and my husband is an Nigerian and i would love to cook banga soup for him but i can't seem to find the banga spice so where can i get it.

  13. Grace
    January 27, 2014 / 1:51 pm

    please dear, can u pls distiguish for me, which is which? The thick brown stuff at the upper left is called what? And the light brown stuff beside it is called what? I guess the seeds are the Rohojie seeds. I've seen the small black stuffs beside it but i do not know it's name too. Hope to prepare it soon