Ofe Nsala (Igbo White Soup) with Chicken and Yam
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Ingredients
- 800 g bone-in chicken thighs
- 600 g white yam, peeled and cubed
- 1 onion
- 2 scotch bonnet chilli
- 1 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
- 0.5 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tbsp dried shrimp
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 15 g fresh basil
Nutrition (per serving)
- Calories
- 561 kcal
- Protein
- 38.4 g
- Carbohydrate
- 43.3 g
- of which sugars
- 3.3 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- of which saturates
- 7.1 g
- Fibre
- 7.1 g
- Salt
- 1.87 g
Estimated from typical values for each ingredient — a guide, not a substitute for the label on what you actually buy.
Method
- 1
Put the chicken in a large pan with the chopped onion, crumbled stock cube, 1 tsp salt and 1.2 litres water. Bring to the boil, skim, then cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
- 2
Meanwhile, boil 200g of the yam in a separate pan of water for 15-20 minutes until very soft. Drain and pound or mash to a completely smooth paste; this thickens the soup.
- 3
Add the remaining yam chunks to the chicken pan with the crushed peppercorns and nutmeg (they stand in for the traditional uziza and calabash nutmeg) and the dried shrimp, ground to a powder. Simmer for 15 minutes until the yam is tender.
- 4
Blend or finely chop the scotch bonnets and add them, then drop in the mashed yam in small lumps, stirring gently until they dissolve and the soup turns creamy and thick. Simmer for 5 minutes and check the chicken is cooked through with no pink near the bone.
- 5
Season with salt, tear in the basil (a stand-in for utazi leaves), simmer for 1 minute and serve hot in deep bowls.
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