Eru (Spinach & Okazi Leaves) Soup
Eru Soup, made with Spinach or Okazi leaves, is a nutritious and fulfilling Cameroonian vegetable dish packed with protein and flavorful ingredients that will delight your palate. It is best enjoyed with your choice of starchy accompaniments!
Eru soup is prepared with the climbing plant Gnetum africanum, which is an evergreen vine found growing naturally in the woodlands of Central and West Africa.
The leaves are known by various names such as Okazi, Eru, Mfumbwa, and Ukase, depending on the region and country. Eru leaves are not commonly found in local stores; they can only be purchased at African and online stores. The soup is named after the leaves – eru soup.
This delightful dish is widely enjoyed in Cameroon, particularly by the Bayangis, a tribe in the southwest province. Many individuals tend to use too much oil when making eru. I have prepared it numerous times with minimal oil and it is still delicious.
- Prep Time10 min
- Cook Time1 hr 15 min
- Total Time1 hr 25 min
- Serving Size8
- Energy764,000 cal
Ingredients
- 2 pounds meat (beef, tripe, cow skin, smoked turkey)
- 1½ pounds dried fish
- ¼ onion, chopped
- 2-4 cups palm oil (or half corn oil and half palm oil)
- ½ cup ground crayfish
- 5-6 cups dried chopped ukazi
- 2 pounds frozen spinach
- 2 Maggi/bouillon powder
- Salt and pepper
- Scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
Instructions
Slice the beef into small pieces, season with salt, Maggi, and onions, and simmer until it becomes tender. Treat the cow skin in a similar manner (as it is resilient, it will require more time to become tender). Add minimal water when cooking the meat as eru does not require excessive water. Nonetheless, ensure you have a minimum of 2-3 cups of beef stock available for preparing this meal.
As the meat cooks, immerse the dried okazi (eru) leaves in a bowl of hot water to soften them for 10-15 minutes. Afterwards, rinse and drain the leaves.
Include a variety of meats such as beef, cow skin, tripe, and dried fish or turkey in a sizable stock pot along with a minimum of 2 cups of stock. Allow it to come to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes.
Drain the defrosted spinach and incorporate it into the mixture of various meats and seafood. Include crayfish and two tablespoons of bouillon/Maggi. Mix well and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Incorporate the finely chopped ukazi (eru) leaves and red oil. Mix well to ensure all the ingredients in the pot are well combined. Allow it to simmer for an additional 10 minutes; include broth or water if necessary. The delightful scent indicates that it is ready to be served.
Stovetop Method
Adjust the seasoning with salt and additional Maggi as necessary. (I typically season my dishes with salt and Maggi as they cook.)
- Serving Size8
- Amount per serving
- Calories764,000
- % Daily Value*Standard DV
- Total Fat60 g72 g83.33%
- Saturated Fat28 g20 g140%
- Trans Fat0.01 g
- Sodium411 mg2300 mg17.87%
- Total Carbohydrate9 g275 g3.27%
- Dietary Fiber6 g28 g21.43%
- Total Sugars2 g
- Protein51 g50 g102%
- Calcium295 mg1300 mg22.69%
- Iron5 mg18 mg27.78%
- Potassium1447 mg4700 mg30.79%
- Vitamin A41771 mcg900 mcg4641.22%
- Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)13 mg90 mg14.44%
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