Welcome to Chefsbase, today you are going to learn about the best ingredients for White soup. White soup is referred to as Afia Efere in Efik/Ibibio, and known as Ofe Nsala in Igbo linguistic background. That means the soup is common in those two parts of Nigeria.

This does not mean that other regions in the country do not cook white soup, they do I have tasted the delicacy in Benue during one of my visits to the Middle Belt.

That notwithstanding, we are considering the best ingredients for cooking this unique soup. The list is drawn from many cultural backgrounds and from different sources.

Kindly read further and get the full details.

Ingredients for White Soup

Here are the ingredients for White Soup. Kindly explore them carefully and try to make use of them in your cooking adventure. The ingredients are:

1. Yam or cocoyam

2. Melon (optional)

3. Nsala

4. Goat meat

5. Chicken

6. Stock fish

7. Crayfish

8. Seasoning cubes

9. Uziza seeds

10. Uziza leaves

11. Dried or smoked fish

12. Snails (optional)

13. Dawadawa

14. Utazi leaves

15. Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions

To prepare your tasty White Soup, kindly follow the instructions below:

1. Peel and boil the yam, then pound and keep it aside. You need about 2KG of pounded yam depending with the quantity of soup you are making and the servings or number of people who will consume the soup.

2. Combine crayfish, Uziza seeds, Dawadawa and blend to a powder.

3. Prepare all the other ingredients (slice the leaves, wash the snails using lime or orange juice)

4. Season the chicken with two stock/seasoning cubes, teaspoon each of ginger and garlic, teaspoon of salt and allow to boil then add the washed fish.

5. Add about three cups of water.

6. Bring to boil, you wish the meat and fish soft and easy to chew. Then add the crayfish, Uziza seed blend. The pepper should be followed after tasting.

7. You can taste the soup. You can add an extra seasoning cube or more salt to taste

8. Introduce the pounded yam in small portions.

9. Allow it dissolve and thicken. Then the leaves should be put.

10. Let it simmer on low heat for few minutes and you are through.

What are the Spices in Nsala Soup?

Nsala soup spices are calabash nutmeg, uda, Cameroon pepper, uziza seeds, uziza leaves, aidan fruit, cayenne pepper etc.

White soup spices are used for cooking white soup (Ofe Nsala) which has a much hot taste that follows right down to the back of your throat, giving an obvious flavor to soups.

Which Tribe Owns White Soup?

Ofe Nsala or Afia Efere is a mouth watering delicacy peculiar to the Igbo and Ibibio tribe of Nigeria, especially the people of Anambra and Akwa Ibom State.

This in essence means that although the Igbos are known that have been the owner of White Soup, there is also another tribe in Southern part of the country who have a similar version of the delicacy.

The type of secondary ingredients used in preparing the soup vary based on regions. However, the primary ones remain unchanged.