black soup

Black soup is a popular and tasteful (Edo) Esan soup, it is quite delicious and easy to prepare. This turned out really delicious, I love it and I’m guessing you are going to love it too.

I have been exploring foods by other Nigerian ethnic groups and today we are going to be making the popular edo (esan) black soup.

It really doesn’t matter your language or ethnic group, if you try this soup and get it right, you are going to have the same experience as those that have been enjoying it for ages.

Most people complain about the dark color, it gets the color from the ground leaves.

Same leave you already probably know and use for other Nigerian soups. The difference is that we ground it in this recipe. There are many benefits of eating this soup.

What you find below is a delicious plate of black soup, the exact way Edo people make it, most people focus on the color and forget that it is really not all about the color. It is super tasty and offers several health benefits.
Black Soup

There are three basic leaves for making this delicious soup. While some argue extensively that only two are important, all the three are necessary. We actually ground together these leaves with the native Edo grinding stone or the electric blender.

I used electric blender… 😀

Some people make black soup with just Bitter leaf and effirin (scent leaf) while others prefer it the exact way I prepared it. I really think this is a way better than every other combination 😀

Ingredients for Black Soup

2 cups of Washed bitter leaves
Half cup of sliced Scent leaves
2 cups of sliced uziza leaves
300g of roasted fish
1kg of assorted meat.
half cup of ground crayfish
Ground Pepper to taste
3 seasoning cubes.
7 pieces of stockfish ear
4 cups of palm fruit sauce.
Salt to taste.
Serving: 6

Preparation time: 75 Minutes.

Here are some ingredients that I used while making this delicious black soup. I ground the uziza leaves and scent leaves together as you can find below, while the bitter leaf was ground alone as you can see in the bottom-right plate.

What you find at the top-right is palm fruit sauce, then a combination of ground crayfish and red pepper at the top left and cleaned, roasted fish at the top-middle.
making black soup

We make this soup with banga sauce (Palm fruit sauce) and not palm oil, just buy 6 cups of banga (palm fruit), boil for 15 minutes, pound with mortar and pestle, add water, filter to get the sauce, wash and filter to get 4 cups of thick banga sauce and set aside.

How to Cook Black Soup

Step 1

Grind all the leaves together, these ground leaves act as the soup thickener and also gives it the black-looking color, hence the name – black soup. You can blend to paste by adding a little water to ease up the movement of the blades.

I ground the bitter leaves separately while the uziza and scent leaves were mixed.

Step 2

Wash and boil the meat with half a cup of onions, 1 seasoning cube and a pinch of salt. Cook for 30-45 minutes, until the meat becomes soft and easily chewable, you can add a little water to stop it from getting burned.

Step 3

Add the dry fish (hot-water-washed), stockfish, crayfish, add the banga sauce and allow to cook for up to 15 minutes until the soupy mixture thickens.

This picture below gives you a visual illustration, you can see that the soup is already thick, thanks to the banga (palm fruit) sauce.
Omoebe esan

Step 4

Add the ground leaves, stir, add 2 seasoning cubes, salt to taste, allow to simmer for another five minutes and you are done.
Making black soup

This is black soup and you can pair with anyone of eba, fufu or semo.

Black Soup

NOTE: If you have cow liver included, you don’t wanna cook it over 20 minutes. you can start parboiling it with the rest of the meat but you have to remove it after 20 minutes and add them later when the soup is almost done.

Black soup recipe

Black Soup Recipe

Chef Chidi
Black soup, when combined with any one of the many Nigerian swallows, becomes a delicacy in Edo state Nigeria. This soup is indigenous to the Esan people in Edo state Nigeria but also loved and eaten by many Nigerians
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine Nigerian Cuisine
Servings 6 People
Calories 436 kcal

Equipment

  • Cooker
  • Pots

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups of Washed bitter leaves
  • Half cup Sliced Scent leaves
  • 2 cups of sliced uziza leaves
  • 300 g of roasted fish
  • 1 kg of assorted meat.
  • Half cup Ground crayfish
  • Ground Pepper to taste
  • 3 seasoning cubes.
  • 7 pieces of stockfish ear
  • 4 cups of palm fruit sauce.
  • Salt to taste.

Instructions
 

  • Start by grinding the leaves - the bitter leaves should be ground separately, add the uziza and scent leaves should be ground together.
  • Season the meat and precook for 30-45 mins. (Use 1 seasoning cube and a pinch of salt). Cook the meat until it is soft and chewable.
  • Add the banga sauce, washed stockfish, dried fish and crayfish.
  • Allow cooking for 10-15 minutes, the soup should thicken.
  • Add the ground leaves, stir, add 2 seasoning cubes, salt to taste, allow to simmer for another five minutes and you are done.
  • Black soup is served with Nigerian swallow (eba, fufu, semo or pounded yam)

Video

Keyword Black soup recipe, Edo Soup, Esan soups

Compare Black Soup & Other Nigerian Soups

How to make Afang Soup plus video

Here is the video for black soup, enjoy.

97 Comments

Chika
Reply

Can the bitter leave be parboiled before blending or is it better washed?

July 11, 2024
Chef Chidi
Reply

Just washed, not perboiled.

July 21, 2024
Sas
Reply

Cool recipe, 👍 thumb up chef. Please let the dragging of origin for d soup stop I beg 😂🤣 both ethnic groups: bini oh esan oh both have a name for d soup in their dialect (omebe: esan, uwomw’ebe: bini) n las las, d meaning of that name is “leaf soup”. The black soup has variations and it’s correct that using bitter leaf is only a matter of choice. There’s this leaf also used but I don’t know d name in English. In bini, it is call eb’ewewia.

So eb’ewewia plus or minus bitter leaf, scent leaf, oziza, utazi or pumpkin, etc will still give you a fantastic pot of black soup.
But lemme go and arrange mine with bitter leaf today Sha!

July 9, 2024
Chef Chidi
Reply

Thanks for clearing that up.

July 21, 2024
Gem
Reply

can l use the already washed bitter they sell in the market instead of buying fresh raw leaves, wash and blend?

January 15, 2021
Chidi Anegbu
Reply

Yeah, sure.

January 27, 2021
Deji Daniels
Reply

I need more traditional soup recipe.

July 23, 2024
Victory
Reply

Please i need black soup and fufu. How can i get it. I am i abuja.

December 2, 2020
Uzoma
Reply

I’m definitely making this tomorrow. It’s about time we started exploring other kinds of soups. Thank you, Chidi.

February 17, 2023
Mercy Iyiola
Reply

Thanks so much for sharing and your efforts may God reward you. Can you please tell us some of the health benefits of the black soup, thanks once more.

September 26, 2020
Destiny
Reply

Wow! I tried it and it was super delicious 😋 😍
I’ve found a new favourite soup. Thanks 😊 🙏 😊

July 27, 2020
Jenniel
Reply

5 stars
I haven’t tried this remedy once. But with this recipe am gonna need too. Thanks a lot

February 15, 2020
Cin
Reply

5 stars
I could totally eat black soup all day and all week. Thanks for the recipe.

January 12, 2020
Nneka dick
Reply

Pls my question is about the bitter leave, will I blend it without washing out the bitter ness, If I blend like that wont the soup be bitter

November 23, 2019
Pamela Mojekwu
Reply

Bitter leaf is ALWAYS washed before it is used to cook. Come on now!! Are you not an ibo woman?

February 9, 2023
Ayo
Reply

Did u wash the bitterleaf or just blended it

January 26, 2019
Chidi Anegbu
Reply

Wash first.

January 26, 2019
Judith
Reply

Judith
Pls I want to buy the ultimate Nigerian cookbook
I really need it
Pls help me to get it

October 14, 2018
Chidi Anegbu
Reply

Just call us on 08035051468.

October 16, 2018
Abby
Reply

Please i need to get one thing clear, as for the bitter leaf, do you grind it as it is
bitter or you wash it a bit , then grind? please respond. thank you

August 9, 2018
Chidi Anegbu
Reply

You wash before you grind. You don’t want bitter blacksoup trust me.

August 10, 2018
Ayomide
Reply

Hmmm, OMG… Im a yoruba guy and i just started my living in Benin. To be sincere with you people; I love all Edo soups, infact, I said I love their soups. I just finish eating Ogbono+Banga+groundnut soup and Black soup now; all the soups added together along with AKPU. Kaii…Chai… What an heavenly soups… Even if I die, I will tell God to……..?

July 20, 2018
Chidi Anegbu
Reply

Lol, Thanks for your feedback.

July 21, 2018
Lizzy
Reply

See them dragging the soup, esan – Benin, Benin, – esan, na wa. Me I will not want to use bitter leaf, at times no matter how it is washed there will still be plenty bitterness, so I will use Afang leaf, thank you.

June 15, 2018
mrs O
Reply

i just got married to an esan man and his mother practically refused to teach me knowing he likes the soup she just wants him to be coming to her everytime. well, thank you for this recipe ama steal her son for good lol

May 28, 2018
Chef Chidi
Reply

Lol, Please steal that man for good.

May 28, 2018
BOB
Reply

Lol, funny mother in-law. Now you know how to make it. Check if she adds ugbore and ogi to hers ohhh because that will make the difference as well. Pele and welcome to our homeland.

June 1, 2022
Sandra
Reply

Really Dorothy this is a proper Esan soup use with banga….ask your parent parent they will tell you the origin of black soup

April 19, 2018
Ella
Reply

The method you used in cooking the soup is the Esan method…Benin method differs from ours. This is actually Esan and like the others commented it’s called Omo-ebe.

We also use it in Esan culture for women who just put to bed. The difference is that it’ll have all the ingredients for Pepper soup inside…the black looking thing and all that.

When I put to bed, I was given pepper soup nothing happened but after my mum made the black soup with all the Pepper soup spices…in less than 5mins the results started manifesting.

Well done ma.

March 1, 2018
Ella
Reply

The black thing… referring to alligator pepper

March 1, 2018
BOB
Reply

Esan Oyeeee!!!!

June 1, 2022
Favy
Reply

Oyeeeeee!!🙂

September 20, 2022

Thanks. Will try it. Though i might end up eating it alone..

September 11, 2017
Ese
Reply

Pls I have a project in school to make an instant black soup. Pls how do I go abt it

June 23, 2017
Blessing
Reply

Oh my God!!!. This black soup is one in town. It does not matter the colour. Black soup is medicinal and it helps with stomach. You can add any thing want to add eg. Onion and palm oil. CHY, you are a good cook keep it up.

June 13, 2017
Chidi Anegbu
Reply

Nne, thanks for your feedback.

June 14, 2017
Esegold
Reply

I tried it out. It was really great. Thanks chy

May 27, 2017
Eleojo
Reply

Thanks Chidi for the recipe. Will definitely try it soon. I have heard a lot about this edo (esan) black soup.

February 19, 2017
Fisher Monisola Omotayo
Reply

Can I use little palm oil instead of banga and can I add onion? Thanks.

December 19, 2016
tracey
Reply

Hey must I grind the leaves?????

December 13, 2016
Chidi Anegbu
Reply

yes, it is black soup. 😀

December 15, 2016
Jemma
Reply

mi mouth’s already waltery,dat dah next soup em cookin’

November 25, 2016
maris
Reply

so so yummy. this happen to be my besttttt soup. I add cow skin shaky n liver. dry and smoked fish. am definately making this soup tonight

October 10, 2016
Amina
Reply

Wow what else can I say,thank you so much for this recipe. My mom is Esan and she talks so much about these soup,it is specially prepared for women that just delivered. Will try it and make it for her when next I visit.many more thanks to you

September 26, 2016
taiwo
Reply

How do I grind the leaves

August 31, 2016
Sharon
Reply

I would love to try this but don’t understand the measurements. Which type of cup do I use a baking cup or a regular cup I. E mug, glass I’m confused.

August 19, 2016
Chidi Anegbu
Reply

1 cup is same all over the world. It’s is the plastic cup that is 250ml

August 21, 2016
Nwaka
Reply

Chidi, you are simply the best. you have really inspired me with all your recipes. I am surely going to try this out!

June 2, 2016
Deborah emarhema
Reply

lovely!Chidi u are indeed a blessing,God grant u more ideas,wisdom and grace to bless more lives. Pls can i use ugu/pumpkin leaf incase i dont get uziza leaf? God bless U

May 31, 2016

yes u can

November 10, 2017
Blessing
Reply

Nice one. Keep up!

May 30, 2016
happy
Reply

you can also cook it without banga sauce.

May 16, 2016
Faith
Reply

Thanks chy I love black Soup but I haven’t tried it with palm fruit. I’m definitely making this soup tomorrow. Greetings to the binis in the house.

March 21, 2016
toyin
Reply

Thanks so much. I made this soup this afternoon and it turned out well.

March 20, 2016
lydia
Reply

l am an esan woman, born & raised in benin.it is an esan soup.you can combine as many leaves also palm oil can b used.you missed ogiri & inru ( locoast bean)tnx 4 showcasing d esan delicacy..black soup is also very medicinal & nutricious.weldone sis!

March 20, 2016
Grace Goyit
Reply

This soup is almost having the same color with miyan kuka ( a Hausa delicious soup) so will definitely try it. Thanks, your recipes are always simple and on point.

March 19, 2016
Ijeoma
Reply

It might taste good but the look is somehow

March 19, 2016
Rafatu
Reply

Chidi you are the bomb, the best food site I’ve ever come across. Black soup is superb. Proudly Edo

March 19, 2016
Winifred
Reply

Seriously laughing at people who finds the soup weird coz of the colour…well to me let’s say the soup isn’t black but dark green…lol. Let’s even focus on the health benefits of the vegetables especially scent leave and uziza.
Thanks a bunch Chidi darling. Chima gozie gi (my God bless you). I’m Igbo, but this soup is really delicious.

March 19, 2016
Afolabi precious
Reply

Please hw do I make the bitterleaf not bitter before putting it in the soup

February 20, 2016
Chidi Anegbu
Reply

You just have to wash it properly.

February 20, 2016
Amy
Reply

You find banga sauce in cans now. Thanks for sharing. Back in school days in Uniben I loved this soup. I hope to see the cottonseed soup in this list someday also! Great Edo meals I savored! I am igbo but I eat any tribe’s soup. Soups form the best balanced diet sources and if you worry about the carbs so much you can make your swallows these days out of anything. I eat oats (ground quaker oats) and I am fine!

February 12, 2016
Tessay
Reply

I absolutely love this soup!!!! My mum is Esan so it’s a regular dish in my home.

December 9, 2015
Flora
Reply

I use to hate the soup cos of the colour, but i just decided to cook it cos is my hubby best soup, it really taste niz after tasting it. Tanks

November 21, 2015
Sonia
Reply

wow this is good more grace dear.

November 12, 2015
Sam
Reply

Please I tried to find the Urhobo Owo soup but I can’t, can you please add the recipe. It’s eaten with starch. Oh and thank you very much for the recipes you put up

July 16, 2015
Edith
Reply

I really love this black soup,the preparation, the ingredients,
I will try it myself, I never knew bitter leave and ukazi can go together.
Thanks for the tips.
Bless you.

July 5, 2015
Biodun
Reply

Chidi, I just tried this black soup……..it was really yummmy, ate it with pounded yam. I had never seen nor eaten this soup before but i followed your recipe and it came out really nice. My husband enjoyed it.
Thanks alot, God bless you and long live Nigeria kitchen.

May 15, 2015
Chichi
Reply

Chidi you are doing a great job indeed, good food is one of the important factors that holds a marriage, my husband is really having a good time with most of the food I tried out, we really cherish our barbecue fish,chicken and I even tried turkey, thanks alot and may God continues to crown your hard work with joy

May 8, 2015
Amaka
Reply

Hi Chidi,
Of a truth the soup doesn’t look nice but I believe it is natural. I will give it a trial.

May 6, 2015
faithia
Reply

urs truly chy i have never added uziza leaf to cook black soup for my husband who happen to be from edo. i used bitterleaf saint leaf and utazi leaf. i then use ur recipe and my hubby licked the plate dry. chy u are GOD sent

May 5, 2015
Chidi Anegbu
Reply

Lol, thanks dear.

May 7, 2015
Debby
Reply

Is it a must I use bitterleaf
Cos I don’t like bitter leaf o

September 16, 2023
Chef Chidi

Bitter leaf is part of the needed ingredients for black soup but you can try skipping it, who knows, you may end up with something more delicious 😀

September 18, 2023
Helen
Reply

Thanks for de update Chidi, you are doing a wonderful job and God will continue to bless you. I can’t wait to get the second edition of your cookbook by first week of june.

May 2, 2015
Helen
Reply

I think I am going to try this soup, I hope it turns out well, I have been searching for foods by other Nigerian groups, thanks.

May 2, 2015
David
Reply

It is not so much about the color of foods, I agree completely that the color is important but sometimes we need to also consider the text and nutritional values. It is no secret that most good looking foods are usually a combination of junks that should have no business with the human body. Proudly Edo 😀

May 2, 2015
Jeff
Reply

Black soup? Are u kidding me? Never seen anything like it. You mean people actually eat this black thing?

May 2, 2015
Ehita
Reply

Yes darling we eat it

May 27, 2018
lydia
Reply

lol…yes, very medicinal too..

June 18, 2018
Pascal
Reply

yes we eat it and it really taste super good, its very medicinal and detox as well

August 3, 2019
Koco
Reply

The colour is derived from the green leaves. So it’s nothing weird at all ?

October 9, 2019
BOB
Reply

Yes ohh try it and you will not want to use another soup ever again for your swallow lol

June 1, 2022
Emeka
Reply

This is the true edo soup, thumbs up dearie!

April 25, 2015
Jane
Reply

Hi Chidi, I am black American woman but my boyfriend is from Edo (Benin), I need to know how to prepare some of his favorite foods, so thanks for this recipe, I hope I would find all the ingredients.

April 25, 2015
Ify
Reply

Chidi, thanks for the black soup recipe, before now I could only make igbo soup and few other popular Nigerian soups, I never imagine that I would fall in love with this edo soup, but now I am definitely adding it to my menu.

April 25, 2015
precious
Reply

thank u for dis………am dif. gonna try dis

April 23, 2015
Beauty Okhiulua
Reply

Kudos to you, this is exactly how the soup is being prepared. @Dorothy whether na Benin get am o or Ishan na still the same Edo

April 23, 2015
Omoyemen
Reply

Correctly made…. Pls o the soup is for both Benin and Esan. In fact its Esan soup self. Omébe

May 26, 2017
Christiana Omokhodion
Reply

Omebe. Very correct.

September 3, 2017
Blessing
Reply

Chidi, you are truly the best. Thanks for the black soup recipe, I love the way you break down your recipes, God bless you real good. Pls keep it coming. Lol

April 23, 2015
Mrs Onyema
Reply

Mmmmh….this sounds good. My next soup will surely be Black soup. Thanks for this Chidi.

April 21, 2015
DOROTHY EHIGIE
Reply

Welldone sis, l really appreciate your kind effort, meanwhile l am an Edo lady, ie Benin per say, my poin of correction is that the soup is a Benin soup not Esan. Do take care & God bless u.

April 21, 2015
Bekemen iyoha
Reply

I am an esan lady and this soup is an esan delicacy. Thank you

July 7, 2017
Glory
Reply

My dear. Benin own type of black soup is usually made with palm oil. Esan pple dnt make black soup with palm oil but with banga. Black soup is as much Benin soup as it is Esan. Point of correction

August 5, 2017
Victoria Omokwale
Reply

My dear it’s an Esan soup called “Omebe”.

November 6, 2017
BOB
Reply

Chai Dorothy, this is not Bini soup, it is Esan soup, Bini is Owo and plantain. I was born and bred in Benin City, the binis used to laugh at us Esan for eating this soup. But in recent years because of its medicinal values and presentation at esan weddings, my bini people are now cooking it.

June 1, 2022

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