It doesn’t matter, it’s just a common mistake.

You nailed it. Here in Port Harcourt where I live, we do make use of ofor instead of the cocoyam. Everything you listed is on point.

Sure you can.

Can I add abit of uha leave

The English name for ngolo is Whelks 😊.

I peel the cocoyam, dice them in small chunks and blend it till its a smooth paste.

Fresh Igmbe(oyster)

yes.

Pls if I don’t have a mortar how else can I prepare my cocoyam, I actually prefer it to Igor, I know that’s the original recipe, thank you

Thanks dear mgbe should be oyster right?

Bio, God bless you. The Kalabari’s don’t use stock fish for our native soup. And bitter leaf is better.

Hey dear, thanks for the info.
Please understand that the seafood soup is a riverine food. Typically for the Okrika, Kalabari and all other Rivers Ijaws.

Here’s my point the original thickener is COCOYAM and is the best as far as native rivers native soup is concerned. That’s where the flavor is, you can use it for both the meat and dry fish version as well aa the fresh fish version, OFOR and ACHI are substitutes for COCOYAM. Maybe you should try the cocoyam version, it will wow you.
Unless a person prefers the ofor to cocoyam for individual preference.

Nice job. Keep it up.

Can’t say exactly but I know they are very different.

Am here

Hello Chi. I am a kalabari woman, we have two native soups. Dry fish native and fresh fish native. In the fresh fish native you we use all kinds of sea foods including ngolo, fresh oporo(shrims), fresh imgbe( don’t know the English name lolz), and of course fresh fish. In the dry Fish native you we use dry fish, stock fish, pkomo and some sea foods.
But we use uziza leaf for both soups.

You can call us any day on 08035051468

Ngolo is a kind of sea snail from the Mollusc family

I’m also from Rivers, I use little portion of Well cleaned bitter leave in absence of uziza it gives another swt taste.. Mostly with cocoayam as thickner, also other sea food I luv to use, not so dried catfish and snail in addition.
Thanks Chidi.. ur the best I’ve seen so far, please I’d like to get mails from you on other Northern food and more south/Eastern.. God bless you

Read through the comments, I made a reply on that.

I come from Degema, Rivers State

His eyes are wide open, so no need for him to shine eyes again he can only shine to get a good cook like chy.

Hanson please hope we re not cousin somehow, I’m Austin Hanson by name too

Because of Food you will marry a wrong girl? Shine your eye before you talk this kind of talk next time.

Am a Nigeria and trust me I cook really good

Thanks for sharing Ma and may God bless you

Thanks Dearie, Amen.

Lol… Okoro… Ure welcome to learn from me.. ?

Great, thanks for your feedback.

I am a Rivers girl, kalabari, The original recipe is cocoyam actually and substituted to Ofor yes achi serves the same purpose as thickener but has a different taste. Additionally we don’t use Stockfish in making our native soup.

For me I would say use one because they both have different tast. To cook this soup the best is to use ofor.

Wow! quite educating. Thanks.

A few things to note in Rivers Native Soup.
The soup originated from the riverine communities who are predominantly fishermen. For this reason, meat, stockfish, and dry fish is alien in Native Soup. It’s a plethora of everything FRESH we can find in the river. Therefore Meat, Chicken, Stock fish, dry Crayfish, are not used.

But where you can’t find fresh fish or too expensive, Goat meat can be a substitute.

The original thickener is Cocoyam. You cook and pound it like Pounded-Yam, but you must pound it until it’s elastic. Flatten small balls of it with your palm and fingers. The smaller/flatter it is, the quicker it will dissolve in your soup.

Archi and Ofor as thickeners were a modern introduction mostly by the Ikwere/non riverine people. I believe it’s because of the stress in pounding cocoyam.

The original leaves for Native Soup is Bitter leaf and not Oziza leaf. But it’s a good alternative, since it relieves you of the stress in washing bitterleaves.

A typical list of ingredients would be:

Fresh fish (Tilapia, Croaker, Catfish, Barracuda, Redsnapper, etc. etc.);
Isam (blue periwinkle, removed from it’s black shell);
Ngolo (white periwinkle, removed from it’s white shell. It’s bigger than Isam);
Shrimps or prawns;
Imgbe (Oysters);
Ofingo (Clams);
Sea-snails (normal land snails can be a substitute);
Cocoyam (thickener);
Palm oil;
Pepper;
Salt;
Bitterleaf;
Seasoning cubes (any seasoning of choice).

The above is the original list of ingredients, but because of availability and cost of ingredients, you can cut down on it or use alternative ingredients.
NATIVE SOUP IS EXPENSIVE TO COOK AND ALSO PACKED FULL OF NUTRIENTS.

I buy Ngolo in Oyigbo market, wherever they sell periwinkle, you will see it.