TABLE OF CONTENTS
* introduction
* recipes for making tasty Nsala soup
*procedures for making tasty Nsala soup
* Nutritional benefits of Nsala soup.
Introduction; Nsala soup (ofe Nsala) is one of the soup delicacies native to south eastern Nigeria in the west African sub region. some people call it white soup, owing to the fact that it usually doesn’t contain added red palm oil nor refined vegetable oil. South eastern Nigeria is predominantly made up of the “Igbo People”. Nsala soup has spread from the region to other neighbouring regions of the country. But even with that, the soup is basically peculiar to the region. One of the the reasons why the soup has spread to other places in the country, even in many other countries of the world is because, the people of the region are widely travelled, they are scattered in different countries of the world majorly for commerce, and also for academic purposes.
As a result of these, a lot of restaurants and fast food joints outside the south east region has incorporated this awesome delicacy in their food menu as there is always high demand of the soup. Therefore, the soup became very popular in the country and even beyond through this means. It is difficult for one to visit any Nigerian restaurants and fast food joints in the US, UK, Canada, Finland, Australia, Germany, UAE just to mention but a few, without finding Nsala soup in their menu. A lot of times, the citizens of the of the southeast living in these countries orders for ingredients used for cooking this soup from Nigeria and have them shipped to their countries of residence so that the get to make the Soup by themselves soup at home.
Nsala soup soup is a very rich delicacy in south eastern Nigeria, it is not regularly prepared by below average families because it is such an expensive soup, so, not every family affords to cook it regularly. It has become one of the major soup delicacies prepared during ceremonies and festivities in the region. Such ceremonies includes, weddings, new yam festivals, child naming ceremonies, etc. For an average family, a minimum of $9 is needed to be able to get the major ingredients for cooking Nsala soup. That’s about #5,400 based on the current Dollar to naira exchange rate. From this, you can see that making of this soup is quite expensive, especially for a below-average families. Nevertheless, the soup is very sumptuous and yummy in taste and very rich in nutrients.
* RECIPES FOR MAKING TASTY NSALA SOUP.
There are a lot of recipes needed to be able to make a very rich and tasty Nsala soup, although some are optional, depending on the cash available for the purchase of ingredients and also on the nutritional need of the person cooking. Some people like to use chicken and dried fish only as their major proteins sources in the soup while some choose to use goat meat or beef and dried fish, some others like to use chicken, dried fish and Offal. The choice of protein sources is usually dependent on the individual cooking the soup. Conventionally, the key proteins sources used for preparing Nsala soup( Ofe Nsala) as it is called by the Igbo People in their ethnic language are; goat meat, cow meat, chicken/turkey, Dried fish(Cat fish) and Offal.
Aside the ones listed above, people often use other types of meat for the soup preparation. Some people use dried Tilapia fish fish or mackerel but for me, I prefer to use oven-dried Catfish when preparing the Soup because it gives me that special yummy taste and aroma, I also like to add offal while cooking my Nsala soup for that special taste and also to boost vitamins especially the B-complexes in the Soup.
The Ingredients needed to make tasty Nsala soup are;
1. 1kg of slaughtered and sliced chicken
2. Five (5) pieces of Sizable oven-dried catfish
3. 500g of Offal. (Optional)
4. 400g of white yam flour or cooked and pounded yam.( Dioscorea Rutundata)
5. Dried and/or fresh pepper (to taste)
6. 20g of ground Negro pepper (Xylopia aethiopica) seeds.
7. Sliced Uziza (Piper guineese)
8. A litre of clean water.
9. Seasonings (to taste)
10. Salt (to taste)
11. 40g of ground Crayfish (optional).
Procedures for cooking tasty Nsala Soup
The procedures for cooking the soup is not complex, but if care is not taken, a desired result will not be achieved. For instance, if the soup becomes watery due to carelessness while adding water, it will definitely affect the taste of the soup. The soup soup is better viscous on the average levels.
The procedures are stated below;
A. Thoroughly the sliced chicken and Offal, pour into a pot, season and cook for atleast 10minutes, added the pre-soaked dried catfish, add the udder seed powder, add a cup of water and cook for additional 5-7minites. Bring it down and set aside.
B. Peel, slice, wash and cook the yam. When the yam has properly cooked, remove the water and pound it very quickly using a yam pounder or mortar and pestle. Pound until it becomes smooth and pasty. In a case where Yam flour is to be used, pour the 500g of flour into a place, dissolve the flour using cup 1/2 cup of warm water, mix using your clean hand or a spoon on small wooden paddle until a paste is formed. The yam paste serves as a thickening agent in the soup. Be sure to properly dissolve the paste such that no lumps are present.
The soup is usually served with swallow such as pounded yam, semovita, whole wheat flour, garri, Fermented cassava flour, etc.
C. Put back the pot containing the parboiled meats and the other ingredients on fire or source of heat as the case may be, pour in the yam paste into it and gently dissolve the yam paste into the mixture, add pepper and salt to taste, add 50g of ground Crayfish (optional) and cook for about 5 minutes.
D. Add the sliced Uziza leaves, add additional 1/2 to 1cup of water and cook for additional 2-3minutes. Thereafter, bring down the already cooked tasty Nsala soup.
* Nutritional Benefits of Nsala Soup.
Nsala soup is a very rich soup delicacy, it is rich in a lot of nutrients. Some of the nutritional benefits are listed below:
¶ it is very rich in proteins. The chicken, meat, & fish are all sources of proteins in the soup. So, one is source to meet his or her proteins needs with Nsala soup.
¶ it is Rich in Vitamins: The Offal offers the soup with vitamins, especially the B-complexes. While the Ụziza leaves provides minute amount of vitamins and minerals in the soup.
¶ Anti oxidant Properties. The Uziza seeds and ùddà (Piper guineese ) seeds possesses significant amount of anti oxidants which it offers when added to the soup, therefore consumption of Nsala soup offers the body system reasonable amount of anti oxidants which helps to prevent oxidation processes of cells and tissues in the body. Studies has also shown that the leaves contain a chemical compound called Beta-caryophyllene which has anti-inflammatory Properties.
¶ Energy; The carbohydrates from the yam used in making the soup thickener as a thickener provides reasonable amount of energy, coupled with the fact that the accompaniments are basically energy giving foods, so one is sure to get maximum amount of energy from the soup.
¶ Immune system boosting: The added Ụdda seeds powder also has a history of immune system boosting through the chemical compounds that it contains. So, it’s addition in the soup implies that it may help boost the immune system of individuals upon consumption.
Summarily, it can be seen from all the things written above that Nsala soup is a very rich and delicious delicacy, it tastes so great, with a mind blowing aroma due to the added natural ingredients (ụdda seeds, ụziza seeds and leaves) which has a lot of flavours and Aroma. It is sure, a soup that you should try , that’s if you have never tasted it. Aside the the great taste and aroma. It is packed with lots of major nutrients that the body needs.
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