Nigerian Banga soup is made from palm fruit, It’s simple to make and full of flavour thanks to the leaves and spices with punch flavour. This soup may be prepared from start to finish in 30 minutes and is very similar to Ofe Akwu (Ibo style) but with different spices.

Nigerian Banga Soup

The soup is cooked with marinated meats and smoked dry fish on a foundation of palm cream or palm nuts. It is frequently consumed with rice, banku, fonio, omotuo, fufu, or starch. A delectable and easy-to-make Niger Delta palm nut soup is Nigerian Banga soup. Although starchy foods go well with banga soup.

Ingredients for Nigerian Banga Soup

• 800-gramme palm fruit concentrate
• 1 tablespoon banga spice can be bought as ready mix or just make your own by combining Ataiko and Irugeje in a dry mill.
• 1-2 teaspoons of Beletete leaves.
• 1. Oburunbebe stick
• 6 medium-sized fresh catfish steak, washed and gutted.
• 800 g of various meat (I used shaki, ponmo, and cow-leg)
• 1 cup of fresh prawns.
• 1/2 cup dried prawns.
• 2-3 Scotch bonnets combined
• 1 cup dried cod panla, rinsed and shredded
• 1 cup periwinkle is optional.
• 2 seasoning cubes, or use as desired Approximately 1 teaspoon of stock powder
• Salt to taste. 1 tiny onion.
• 1.6 litres of water, including the quantity of beef stock used.

Steps to cook Nigerian Banga Soup

Step 1: Season varied meat and dry fish with salt, onions, and seasoning cubes; add water and simmer to a boil until soft. (Distribute meat from stock and reserve stock)

Step 2: Place a big pan over medium heat, add the palm nut fruit, and dilute with warm water twice the amount of palm fruit used. You can use 800g of palm fruit, 

Step 3: Stir until completely blended and bring to a boil for around 20 minutes. At this stage, do not cover the pan with a lid, or it will boil over. Place a wooden spoon across the pot to prevent this from happening.

Step 4: At this stage, you will observe the palm fruit extract bubbling and beginning to thicken, and the oil floating on top of the soup.

Step 5: Add the blended scotch bonnet, various meat, and periwinkle and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

Step 6: Add the Banga spice, oburunbebe stick, and ground crayfish and simmer for another 10 minutes. The Banga spice gives the soup a robust aroma, which you can just smell. 

Step 7: Check for salt and seasoning; dilute the soup with the reserved stock if it is too thick. (Stir in between to prevent soup from sticking to the bottom of the pan.)

Step 8: Cook the soup for an additional 10 to 12 minutes on low heat after adding the bitter or beletete leaves, along with the fresh fish and prawns. 

Step 9:  Your soup is ready to be served with starch, Eba, fufu, pounded yam or any other swallow of your choice. (If you need to stir at any stage after you have added the fresh fish, you will need to be careful or you can simply hold the pan on its 2 handles with a serviette and give it a small whirl)

Tips to Get the Best of Nigerian Banga Soup 

• The cream of palm nuts is the major ingredient of banga soup. The cream, made from the oil palm tree’s fruits, tastes rich and nutty. 

• The thick paste, which is usually sold in tin cans, must be diluted with water and the stock from the meat or fish you prepare. 

• Fill a big saucepan with the meat and fish, then add your aromatics, bouillon cubes, and salt. After the protein has cooked through, take it out of the saucepan and add the cream of palm nuts.

• Add some blended onions and scotch bonnet peppers to the simmering palm nut cream mixture.

• The soup’s nutty flavour is derived from the palm nut cream, but the banga spice a mixture of taiko and irugeje seeds brings spicy, earthy flavours. 

• African nutmeg is among the spices included in the spice blend. It can be challenging to locate certain spices, but African grocery stores and the internet offer mixtures of them.

After adding the spices, return the meat to the saucepan and simmer the soup, stirring now and again, for ten to fifteen minutes. Remove the banga soup from the heat and serve with your preferred topping once it thickens.