Okro And Ewedu Soup | Ewedu Alasepo

In Nigeria, Ewedu soup is popular amongst the Yorubas. But it is not only a Nigerian cuisine several other ethnic groups across the world also eat ewedu although it is known by different names.

The English name for ewedu is Jute leaves and it is also known as saluyot, lalo ,mulukhiyah, Jews mallow, Molokhia depending on the region where it is cultivated or cooked in.

In fact, It is considered a favorite middle eastern food and there are various recipes such as the Lebanese recipe, the Egyptian recipe, the Indian recipe, the tunisian recipe and much more. It can also be enjoyed with rice or chicken.

Although, in Nigeria Ewedu soup is best enjoyed with

Eba or Garri
Amala
Lafun
Semovita
Wheat swallow
Pupuru Ikale

As I continue with this blog post, here are some of the reasons why you should consider adding Ewedu to your diet.

Benefits of Ewedu leaves

In Nigeria the Yoruba people believe ewedu soup is of immense benefit to ones well being. So I will be listing some of the benefits of ewedu leaves and ewedu soup below;

Jute leaves extract could be a tocolytic agent – Tocolytic agents are used to maintain pregnancy and may help to prevent pre-term labour.
Fights cold and Flu – the abundant presence of Vitamin C in jute leaves helps to strenghten the immune system to fight against cold and flu.
Easy Digestion – We all know vegetables are great for easy digestion. Ewedu contains a lot of fibre which aids in regulating our digestive process. The benefit of this is that, regular consumption of ewedu reduces constipation, bloating, cramping and many other digestives problems.
Skin health – The presence of vitamin A, C, and E in jute leaf helps increase the production of collagen which prevents aging and helps the skin to be firm and beautiful.
Strengthen the bones and teeth – It contains a high amount of calcium which contributes to having stronger teeth and bones.
Jute plant consists of considerable amount of Vitamin K which is helpful in blood clotting.
Regular consumption of Jute plant helps slow the start of certain eye diseases, including age-related macular degeneration.

Before machines and certain cooking utensils made cooking easy. I mean when there were no blenders, graters , food processors and many more, ewedu soup was cooked with brooms.

Yes, you read that right ewedu was cooked with brooms. This is the recipe on How To Cook Ewedu Soup With Brooms . You can also watch the video Recipe on my YouTube channel here

Just as there are so many Ewedu/Jute leaves recipes from all around the world, In Nigeria there are also many ewedu recipes too and I will be listing some below;

Ewedu and egusi soup
Ewedu, Gbegiri and stew (Abula)
Ewedu and Bokolisa Soup | Ikale-Ilaje Soup
Ewedu and gbegiri
Plantain and Ewedu pottage and many more.

For this recipe, the ingredients for Ewedu and okro soup also known as ewedu ati ila alasepo are listed below;

2 handfuls Ewedu leaves
10-15 okro
A pinch ofkaun or potash
1 horse mackerel fish (kote)
6 pieces ponmo ( cowskin)
3 scotch bonnet
¼ cup palm oil
2 table spoon crayfish powder
½ table spoon seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
2½ cups of water

Preparation

Pluck ewedu leaves from the stem
Rinse the plucked leaves well to remove dust, sand or small insects that may sometimes be on the leaves
Put the leaves in a blender add 1\2 cup of water and blend it till it is smooth
After blending power the blended ewedu into a bowl and set aside
Pour the okro into a bowl of water and clean properly
After cleaning, cut the top of the okro and grate the okro into your desired size – you can also use an electric blender or food processor
Cut the fish into 4-5 and clean the fish cuts in clean water by removing the fins, fish intestines and blood.
Put cleaned fishes in a basket to drain out excess water
After 10 minutes add ½ teaspoon of salt to fishes
Toss it for about 10 seconds to evenly spread the salt and fry the fishes with vegetable oil
Remove all the oil and lightly sauté the grated peppers in the oiled pan