Nigerian · soup

Oha Soup

Name: Oha Soup
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 2 cups oha (ora) leaves; 2 cocoyams (as thickener); 3 tbsp palm oil; 1.5 lbs assorted meats and offal; 4 oz stockfish; 2 tbsp crayfish; 1 tbsp ogiri (fermented locust beans); 2 scotch bonnets; 2 seasoning cubes; salt to taste

Oha Soup reads umami 5.8, funk & ferment 4.4 and marine & briny 4.0 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Nigerian soup, about 1 hr 45 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 7.0 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 2.9 / 10
Sour & Bright — 1.3 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 2.1 / 10
Rich & Fat — 4.3 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.5 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 5.8 · Funk & Ferment 4.4 · Marine & Briny 4.0 · Heat 3.9 · Richness 3.8 · Salinity 3.6 · Herbaceous 3.5 · Allium 3.0 · Sweetness 2.8 · Earthy 2.0 · Nutty 1.6 · Sourness 1.3 · Floral 0.9 · Bitterness 0.8

What's in it (10)

2 cups oha (ora) leaves
2 cocoyams (as thickener)
3 tbsp palm oil
1.5 lbs assorted meats and offal
4 oz stockfish
2 tbsp crayfish
1 tbsp ogiri (fermented locust beans)
2 scotch bonnets
2 seasoning cubes
salt to taste

Time & effort: about 1 hr 45 min (45 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 215.5 kcal, 8.1 g protein, 14.5 g fat, 14.8 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (3 steps)

Boil and pound cocoyam into a smooth paste to use as a natural thickener.
Cook assorted meats with stock, then add palm oil, crayfish, ogiri, and scotch bonnet.
Drop balls of cocoyam paste into the simmering pot and stir until dissolved and the soup thickens, then add hand-shredded oha leaves and remove from heat.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Pad Krapow Moo (Thai Basil Stir-Fry) — Thai
Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles) — Thai
Thai Basil Ground Beef Stir-Fry (Pad Kra Pao Neua) — Thai
Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai) — Thai
Thai Basil Pork (Pad Kra Pao Moo) — Thai

Keep reading: what umami, funk & ferment, marine & briny mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.