Labelle Cuisine: Recipes to Sing About
    by Patti LaBelle

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Saturday, August 12, 2006

Ila Alasepo
For biodun 'cause she asked
Ingredients
  1. Okra
  2. Ugwu Leaves(Shreded into small bits)
  3. Bitter leaf (Washed) (Just a little)
  4. Palm Oil
  5. Ata rodo (Scotch bonnet peppers)
  6. Shombo (Cayenne peppers)
  7. Onions
  8. Meat
  9. Meat Stock
  10. Iru (Locust bean paste)
  11. Seasoning (knorr or maggi cubes)
  12. Salt to taste
Condiments (optional)
  • Dried Catfish
  • Dried Crayfish
  • Jumbo Prawns
  • Ponmo (cubed)
  • Snails (washed and cubed)
  • Prawns
Method
Blend the atarodo , shombo and the onions into a rough paste. It should look like it was ground on a grinding stone. Boil the meat and put the stock in a Large Saucepan. Add water (depending on the quantity of okra) , add the blended pepper and bring to boil. Wash the dried fish in boiling water, and add it along with all the other condiments except the ugwu, bitterleaf and palm oil. Add seasoning and salt to taste. Bring it all to boil , allow it to simmer for a few minutes then add the palm oil, locust bean paste and bitter leaf. Allow the mixture to boil until the palmoil blends into the mixture and you can only see traces of it . Wash and add the ugwu, grate the okra and add it after a few minutes. Stir the mixture until it begins to boil and the okra has a light drawy consistency if the soup is too thick add a little water to it . Let it simmer for about two mins and its ready to serve.
It's especially nice with eba,amala, fufu or pounded yam.

Comments on ""

 

Blogger Biodun said ... (6:44 AM) : 

Thanks girl, I will try it out n let you know how it turns out!

 

Blogger NaijaBloke said ... (6:40 AM) : 

Seems I have to come here often now,cos I seem to never cook although i know how to.maybe u guys will get me to start o.

 

Blogger Lowla said ... (9:49 PM) : 

OMG.. one of my favorites.. I love that soup.. thats like the yoruba version of Ogbonno.. i think.

By the way sorry guys, I havent been able to come up with my recipe oh..

 

Blogger LondonBuki said ... (3:46 AM) : 

@Lee The Yoruba version of Ogbono is Apon. In Ogbono, spinach is added but some Yoruba people just make the ogbono (apon) and have it with stew... I am not 100% sure if it's all Yoruba ppl that do it.

Ila Asepo is the Yoruba version of Okra soup... they are actually pretty similar, some ppl say the diff is Palm Oil or Blended Tomatoes/Peppers.

 

Blogger Aramide said ... (3:31 AM) : 

thanks biodun for this....u have reminded me to put my egusi one and i will put that tilapia one promise

 

Blogger Hamza matar said ... (12:34 PM) : 

lovely page

 

Blogger diary of a G said ... (6:39 AM) : 

have a sup-splendid-delicious weekend love patti labell

 

Blogger Manda said ... (4:23 AM) : 

Mennn, i'm adding you to my blog list! u just got a stalker!

 

Blogger Unknown said ... (7:30 AM) : 

Very nice
I did not know about this blog until now
I found it thru jaycee's page

 

Blogger Manda said ... (2:33 AM) : 

hey gurl, plz can i get the recipe for chin-chin?

 

Blogger Americana said ... (5:19 AM) : 

Ha! An online naija cooking class? Hold on lemme call my American GF so that she can register for your class...lol!

 

Blogger Mustafa Şenalp said ... (2:37 AM) : 

çok güzel bir site.

 

Blogger Unknown said ... (9:09 AM) : 

oya ppl now we've eaten ila asepo for a year now, more recipes please

 

Blogger Shaywun said ... (10:58 AM) : 

Nice! I definitely need to keep coming back here for more. Thanks y'all

 

Anonymous Anonymous said ... (5:47 AM) : 

Yeah, we need updates abeg.

 

Blogger Remi, United Kingdom said ... (5:41 AM) : 

Hello there,

I love your blog! I have been looking for how to make this.. it just never comes out right! lol.. and the pepper soup too! wonderful.

Now time to go and dazzle the about to be in-laws with my newly found skill!

Thanks for the lessons.

 

Anonymous Anonymous said ... (7:14 AM) : 

Great job, you guys! With links even to the other naija cooking sites too! You are the only site that came up trying to search on google for this beloved soup recipe.
Thanks for making a difference.

 

Anonymous Anonymous said ... (7:20 AM) : 

As a naija babe, I need to make this for my loving kenyan bf and his roomates tonight. They adore fufu/iyan and i have run out of soups. I have done egusi, efo riro, ukazi, plain spinach, obe ata...I have left my favorite for the last - ila asepo. I have not made this soup since i've been in the states about 5 years now. But i remember making it using the grinding stone back home a lot growing up in the home where my mom is an Ondo native.

 

Blogger Foodandlens.com said ... (5:02 PM) : 

I really like your blog. feel free to check out mine.

http://alhajibabasheri.blogspot.com/

 

Blogger Hephzibah said ... (2:56 AM) : 

This is my best fast soup recipe, I make ila alasepo a sits the best thing I can make for Nigerian soups, its so yummy! Hot ila alsepo soup wt cold eba, OMG, am salivating!!!!

 

Blogger  said ... (8:39 PM) : 

fabulousssssssssssss

 

Anonymous Anonymous said ... (12:15 PM) : 

Um, this soup never draws when I cook it.Please tell me what I'm doing wrong...

 

Blogger Aramide said ... (6:43 AM) : 

you mustnt cover it if u want it to draw - fyi

:)

 

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