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!
2-4 cupspalm oil , you can use half corn oil and half palm oil
½cupground crayfish
5-6cupsdried chopped Ukazi
2poundsof frozen spinach
2Maggi/bouillon powder
salt and pepper
Scotch bonnet pepperoptional
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.)
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.