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Home / Types / African / African Dinner

Eru Soup (Spinach/Okazi Leaves) + Video

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Author: Imma Published:2/18/2013Updated:4/02/2021
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Eru Soup (Spinach/Okazi leaves) is a healthy satisfying Cameroonian green dish loaded with other protein and aromatics that will make your tastebuds sing for joy. Best paired with any of your favorite starchy sides!

Eru Soup (Spinach/Okazi Leaves)

Nothing delivers flavor and finger-licking goodness with little fuss and even less time than Eru soup. When I decided to start a cooking blog, the first recipe that crossed my mind was eru. It was at the top of my list of recipes to make for the blog because I have been cooking for a very long time and if there is any dish that I cook really well, it’s Eru. So it would only feel natural to start with it.

I kept putting it off in favor of other new recipes – baking up a storm in the kitchen. After making it this weekend, it reminded me of why I cook it often – my taste buds danced with joy. Wow! I can’t believe I had not made this in two months!

a bowl of Eru Soup(Spinach/Okazi leaves) served with fufu

Eru soup is made using the creeping planting Gnetum africanum – an evergreen vine that grows wild in the forests of Central and West Africa.

The leaves go under different aliases; Okazi, Eru, Mfumbwa, and Ukase depending on the region and country. Eru leaves are not readily available in stores; you can only buy them at African and online stores. The soup gets its name from the leaves – eru soup. This meal is very similar to Afang soup.

There have been several reports that say these very popular and nutritious leaves are on the extinct list; unorganized cultivating practices and extremely high demand led to this conclusion. It would be a sad day for millions of people if that happens. Let’s hope not!!

a serving of Eru Soup(Spinach/Okazi leaves) with fufu on a white plate

This ever-pleasing meal is very popular in Cameroon and the Bayangis ( a tribe in the southwest province in Cameroon ) love it. Most people are tempted to use an excessive amount of oil while preparing eru. I have made this several times with very little oil and is quite tasty.

If you want healthy eru, cut back on oil and you can eat this meal frequently guilt-free.

Serve this soup with this water fufu (fermented cassava dough) or any fufu flour.

Watch How to Make It

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Eru Soup (Spinach/Okazi leaves)

Eru Soup (Spinach/Okazi leaves) is a healthy satisfying Cameroonian green dish loaded with other protein and aromatics that will make your tastebuds sing for joy. Best paired with any of your favorite starchy sides!
4.67 from 6 votes
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 1 hr 5 mins
Total: 1 hr 15 mins
African
Servings 6 -8 people

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds meat (beef, tripe, cow skin, smoked turkey)
  • 1 ½ pounds dried fish
  • ¼ chopped onion
  • 2-4 cups palm oil , you can use half corn oil and half palm oil
  • ½ cup ground crayfish
  • 5-6 cups dried chopped Ukazi
  • 2 pounds of frozen spinach
  • 2 Maggi/bouillon powder
  • salt and pepper
  • Scotch bonnet pepper optional

Instructions

  • Cut the beef into bite-size chunks, season with salt, Maggi, and onions, and cook until tender. Do the same with cow skin ( they are tough so they take a longer time to get soft). Use very little water while cooking the meat because eru does not need a lot of water. However, make sure you have at least 2 to 3 cups of stock from the beef to use in cooking this dish.
  • While the meat is cooking, soak the dried Okazi/Eru leaves in a bowl of hot water to tenderize the leaves – for approximately 10- 15 minutes. Rinse and drain.
  • Add the assorted meats – beef, cow skin, tripe, and dried fish/ turkey to a large stock pot with at least 2 cups of stock. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Drain the frozen spinach and add to the pot of assorted meat and fish. Add crayfish and 2 tablespoons of bouillon/ Maggi at this point. Stir and let it cook on medium heat (approximately 10 minutes).
  • Add the shredded Ukazi/Eru leaves, and red oil. Stir again thoroughly making sure all the contents in the pot blend together. Simmer for another 10 minutes, add stock /water if needed. The fragrant smell that erupts from the dish lets you know it is time to eat.
  • Season to taste with salt and more Maggi as needed. ( I usually season my food with salt and Maggie as the dish progresses.)

Tips & Notes:

  • Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
 

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 409kcal (20%)| Carbohydrates: 7g (2%)| Protein: 64g (128%)| Fat: 14g (22%)| Saturated Fat: 5g (31%)| Cholesterol: 180mg (60%)| Sodium: 685mg (30%)| Potassium: 1478mg (42%)| Fiber: 4g (17%)| Sugar: 1g (1%)| Vitamin A: 17785IU (356%)| Vitamin C: 10.5mg (13%)| Calcium: 224mg (22%)| Iron: 4.3mg (24%)
Author: Imma
Course: Main
Cuisine: African
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Comments & Reviews
  1. Aminu Mohammad says

    Posted on 1/11 at 7:23AM

    Oh thanks a lot, now I know how to prepare my favourite dish, I must not go to any restaurant again, I just need to do it myself …

    Reply
    • ImmaculateBites says

      Posted on 1/12 at 6:28AM

      Yes, you should. Homemade tastes even better.

      Reply
  2. Nendirnu says

    Posted on 6/17 at 4:04AM

    Thanx so much ma,i’ve learned alot but i dont know if i can use this soup to eat rice?

    Reply
    • ImmaculateBites says

      Posted on 6/17 at 5:00PM

      It’s best with Fufu. However, you can eat with whatever rocks your boat.

      Reply
  3. Summer says

    Posted on 4/9 at 11:59AM

    5 stars
    Awesome! I just made it and it came out delicious!!

    Reply
    • ImmaculateBites says

      Posted on 4/9 at 1:55PM

      Awesome! Glad to hear it worked out well for you.

      Reply
  4. LB says

    Posted on 12/17 at 7:31PM

    5 stars
    Imma,
    I have been a fan of yours ever since I came across your site last year! I grew up mainly in US but have always loved my Cameroonian food ! Now that I am married to my beloved super duper Cameroonian sweetheart, I am enjoying being forced to learn the dishes I avoided when mama called me to the kitchen (what was I thinking resisting? LOL). I wanted to ask you if you have ever used frozen Ukazi? Thanks for your great recipes. I’ve made the baked jollof rice, coconut rice, and I look forward to making many more dishes.

    Reply
    • ImmaculateBites says

      Posted on 12/20 at 6:59PM

      Awesome Lb! Thank you so much for reading. AND taking the time to let me know your thoughts. I usually freeze mine if I have excess . And never had a problem with it. Frozen would do just fine. Happy Holidays!!!

      Reply
  5. Kenny says

    Posted on 10/25 at 9:14AM

    5 stars
    As soon as I saw Eru I bookmarked your page. YOU ARE THE REAL MVP. All your dishes look and taste amazing, and I will be making some this weekend for a party. Thank you so much and keep up the awesome work. I will try to make eru without my mom’s help and see how that goes because it is my favorite dish. Cameroon in the house.

    Reply
    • ImmaculateBites says

      Posted on 10/26 at 5:24AM

      Hi kenny! Always happy to hear from a Camer. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. YOU are going to nail it!

      Reply
  6. L says

    Posted on 7/30 at 7:21PM

    My boyfriend is Cameroonian and I’m American. You helped me impress him greatly as this is his favorite dish!!! Thanks so much.

    Reply
    • ImmaculateBites says

      Posted on 7/31 at 10:23AM

      My Pleasure!! Thanks for giving it a try!

      Reply
  7. benazir khan says

    Posted on 4/4 at 6:18PM

    over a week ago a friend came to my house she too is from cameroon her daughter sent me a surprise and it was the eru i had dinner already prepared for her and i tasted this and it was love at first bite the next morning it was my breakfast with gari and i was eating my fingers i am so happy that this young lady is liking to cook

    Reply
    • ImmaculateBites says

      Posted on 4/5 at 8:06AM

      Eru is such a great African dish . Glad you liked it

      Reply
      • Pat says

        Posted on 11/9 at 11:05AM

        I read your recipe for eru. Sounds good and thanks for putting this recipe. However, I do think differently about the onion. Yes I know people have different taste and flavor.

      • ImmaculateBites says

        Posted on 11/9 at 12:03PM

        Thanks for the input Pat! I don’t make it any other way. All you get is added flavor with the onions. It’s hardly visibly anyways. To each it’s own.

  8. WENDI says

    Posted on 11/6 at 1:38AM

    I never though i can cook like a cameroon woman until i married a man from Limbe. I am South African. This food taste so yummy even my family is deserting their own South African meals. Thanks for the easy recipes

    Reply
    • ImmaculateBites says

      Posted on 11/6 at 11:12AM

      Cooking like a Cameroonian Lady! You go Woman. Eru is pretty tasty! Glad your family is enjoying your hard work. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.

      Reply
  9. Miris Medjobuy says

    Posted on 3/1 at 9:25PM

    Finally, found the easy way to prepare eru. I use to visit my friend because of the eru his mom makes. Now is time to only call him. Thanks ma’am Imma

    Reply
    • ImmaculateBites says

      Posted on 3/2 at 8:01AM

      Miris it sure is easy to prepare eru. Glad to have saved you a trip.

      Reply
  10. B says

    Posted on 1/16 at 11:55AM

    Thank you! Thank you! I’ve been looking for this recipe. My fiance is Cameroonian (Mankon) and I want to surprise him sometime soon.

    Reply
    • ImmaculateBites says

      Posted on 1/16 at 12:00PM

      He is going to be thrilled with this. Let me know how it works out!

      Reply
  11. MadameSi says

    Posted on 4/19 at 5:28PM

    Trying this dish for the first time for my Cameroonian husband for Easter. Send me your blessings!

    Reply
    • ImmaculateBites says

      Posted on 4/19 at 8:45PM

      I am sending you some easter love and blessings. He must be a lucky guy to have prepare this soup for him. Wishing you all the best during this easter season. Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  12. Mbianke says

    Posted on 2/19 at 4:24PM

    3 stars
    Hi Imma, thks for this recipe. Its just do wonderful. I find I like a lot of recipes on ur blog already. Not like I can’t cook well but the traditional style I learnt from mum won’t just do in this part of the world. Now I ve ur blog n ve recommended itto friends. Goahead

    Reply
  13. Iris says

    Posted on 12/29 at 7:32PM

    5 stars
    My mom had brought me dried Eru over a year ago and I didn’t know what to do with it. I found this recipe and made a quick stop at my local african grocery store and before I knew it I was eating Eru for Christmas! Best Christmas dinner ever! Thanks so much for posting a detailed recipe with detailed instructions! I’m learning to trust my instincts in the kitchen but it helps to have a solid recipe to start with.

    Reply
    • Africanbites says

      Posted on 1/11 at 1:51PM

      Iris , so glad you and your family enjoyed this edu. I had it for christmas too! Thanks for the feedback.

      Reply
  14. kelsey says

    Posted on 7/17 at 6:00PM

    Hi Imma, which do you think is best and give a better taste for Eru, frozen spinach or fresh spinach . Thanks

    Reply
    • Africanbites says

      Posted on 7/19 at 11:22AM

      Kelsey , I usually use frozen spinach because it is easier for me, but I would go with fresh spinach anytime. What makes eru really tasty is the crayfish, meat stock and beef.

      Reply
      • Marlene says

        Posted on 8/30 at 1:47PM

        Can I make this without red oil ? I only have canola and olive oil

      • ImmaculateBites says

        Posted on 8/30 at 4:07PM

        I have made it before without red oil. Taste great but lacks the authentic flavor without red oil.

  15. KweenCess says

    Posted on 5/25 at 7:51PM

    OMG THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I have been searching hihg and low for a recipe for eru which has precise measurements for every ingredient! This is a life saver and I thank you!!!! I have also browsed through a couple of recipes and I already like your blog. Keep it up Ma’am, and God bless u!!

    Reply
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