Bitter leaf soup is a savoury Nigerian soup, commonly eaten with fufu. It has a slightly bitter taste. This soup is made with a leafy green, native to parts of Africa, known as bitter leaf. This nutritious African soup is commonly eaten with fufu,  eba or pounded yam, but you can  eat it also with rice.

Ingredients

• 500 grammes of  meat precooked
• 800 grammes  of cow/beef foot precooked
• 500 grammes  of stock fish precooked
• 1-2 of dry fish

Other ingredients

• 250 grammes  of bitter leaves (vegetable)
• 3 Uziza leaves
• 1-½ tablespoonfuls  of mkpuru ofo powder
• 2 tablespoonfuls  of cameroon pepper
• 2 table spoonfuls  of ogiri
• 200 grammes of  palmnut paste
• ¼  cup of coarsely ground crayfish

Preparation (bitter leaf)

-Wash the bitter leaf thoroughly with lot of water to remove sand and other particles. 

-Boil in large pot for 30 minutes. (leave the pot open while cooking otherwise it would bubble over).

-Turn off heat, pour the bitter leaf into a sieve and run it over with cold water. -rinse a few times.

-Transfer back to pot  and add half  a tablespoonful  of potash or baking soda. Bring to boil again and allow to boil for another 30mins.

-Store or use immediately.

Preparation ( bitter leaf soup)

1. Put about eight cups of water in a pot. Add salt and bring to slow boil.
2.  Add the ground crayfish and ground cameroon pepper.
3. Add the precooked meats,  Turn down the heat to low. ( Don’t cook meats for too long remember they are already precooked)
4. Add in the palmnut paste or palm oil and stir.
5. Mix Ogiri with a little water and add to the pot. Then take a cooking spoon of hot liquid from the pot to dissolve the mkpuru ofo powder.
6. Pour the dissolved mixture into the soup and stir. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
7. As the soup thickens, add onugbu leaves followed by the uziza leaves.
8. Stir  properly and  allow soup to simmer for about a minute.  
9. Turn off heat. Do not cover pot immediately

Source: chefspencil.com

Health benefits of bitter leaf

Aids in Weight Loss

The components in bitter leaf juice make it great therapy for burning off that extra fat you have been looking at getting rid of.

Reduces Cancer Risks

Bitter leaf contains numerous anti-cancer properties like andrographolide compound which has been scientifically found to be effective in treating prostate cancers, gastric cancers, and colon.

Lowers high blood pressure

The same bitterness in bitter leaf that makes it unappetising is also one of its strongest best benefits. The bitterness of bitter leaf juice helps to lower your sugar level and controls blood pressure.

Aids in treatment of abdominal issues

Bitter leaf comes in handy in the treatment of abdominal issues like stomach upset, diarrhea, dysentery and other gastrointestinal tract diseases. Drinking a cup of bitter leaf juice twice daily helps bring relief from stomach problems.

Enhances fertility

Bitter leaf is very impressive when it comes to its benefit to the reproductive system of women. Drinking bitter leaf juice can help a woman get pregnant as the chemical compounds present in bitter leaf extracts like edotides promotes hormonal balance and boosts your immune system to help fight against toxification.

Source: guardian.ng/life