Okro and Ugu Soup: How I Cook It On Gas - My Simple Home Method

Hello my Steemit family, good morning to you all. I remain your brother @globaltutor001. How are you all doing today? I hope you are all fine.

Today I am very happy to share with you how I cook my favorite soup. It is Okro and Ugu soup. In Nigeria this soup is very popular. Almost every family knows it. It is cheap, it is healthy, and it is very delicious. You can eat it with garri, fufu, semo, pounded yam, or even rice. If you learn how to cook it, you will never lack good food in your house.

Yesterday I went to the market in Port Harcourt to buy ingredients. The market was full. I bought fresh okro, fresh ugu leaves, palm oil, crayfish, dry pepper, meat, maggi and salt. Everything is now costly in Nigeria, but this soup is still affordable. That is why I love it.

This first picture is my fresh okro. I bought it this morning. I always choose the soft and small ones because they draw very well. If okro is too big and old, it will not draw and it will have plenty seeds. So I pick the soft ones.

When I reach house, I wash the okro very well with clean water to remove sand and dirt. Then I cut it into small pieces with knife. Some people like to pound okro with mortar, but I like to slice it. When you slice it small, it will be plenty and it will draw well in the pot. Okro is very good for our health. It helps digestion, it gives us vitamins, and it controls sugar in the body. My children love it because of how it draws.

The second picture is my fresh Ugu leaves. Ugu is also called pumpkin leaf. It is a green leafy vegetable. In my place, Ugu is king of all leaves. Without Ugu, okro soup is not complete for me.

I wash the Ugu three times because sand dey inside the leaf. If you don't wash well, the soup will have sand. After washing, I slice it small small. I don't slice it too tiny because I want to see the green leaves inside the soup. Ugu gives the soup beautiful green colour and sweet taste. It also gives us blood, iron and strength. Doctors say Ugu is good for people who lack blood. It is natural medicine. That is why I always add plenty Ugu to my soup.

This third picture is when I am cooking on gas. I prefer to cook on gas because it is very fast, neat and it does not bring black smoke like firewood or kerosene stove. I just light my gas and put my pot on it.

First I put small palm oil inside the pot. I allow it to heat small. Then I put my meat, crayfish, dry pepper, maggi and salt. I add small water and allow it to boil for 10 minutes so the taste will enter the meat. The aroma was already filling my kitchen.

After that, I put my sliced okro inside. I stir it well and allow it to draw for about 3 to 4 minutes. I don't cover the pot too much because I want the okro to remain green and fresh. Then I add my sliced Ugu leaves on top. I stir everything together one more time. I taste it to check salt and maggi. In less than 5 minutes after adding Ugu, my soup is ready. I off the gas.

The soup is green, it is drawing, and it is very sweet. I served it with garri. My family enjoyed it very much. Everyone was licking fingers.

What I Learned From This Cooking:

1. Fresh ingredients are very important. Fresh okro and fresh ugu make the soup very sweet.
2. Cooking on gas saves time. It is fast and clean.
3. Okro and Ugu soup is healthy and affordable for every family.
4. Cooking at home brings family together and saves money.

My advice to young bachelors and young ladies, please learn how to cook this soup. It is not difficult. You can do it in less than 30 minutes if your ingredients are ready. It will save you from buying food outside everyday.

Thank you so much for reading my post today. I hope you learned something. Please tell me in the comment, do you like okro and ugu soup? And how do you cook your own? I want to learn from you too.

God bless you all. God bless Nigeria. God bless Steemit.

I appreciate