“No Itsekiri party is complete without Oghwo soup”
Written by Blessing Ekum, Aisha Oladipo And Moyo Oni Saturday, 27 July 2013 00:00 font size decrease font size increase font size Print Email
Rate this item 1 2 3 4 5 (0 votes)
раскрутка сайтов
AddThis Social Bookmark Button
As a caterer, are you much of an eater?
I actually don’t eat much of food and I also don’t take junk food.

Could this be responsible for your trim physique?
I am close to my 40s and I have four kids. So, I would say it is just my God-given stature.

Which of the cakes do you love baking most?
That is sponge cake. A lot of people like it because it is easier to bake even though it doesn’t last as long as fruit cakes.

What food do you consider your favourite?
I am from Delta State but married to a Yoruba man. My favourite food is amala with gbegiri and ewedu.

What was your experience like preparing Yoruba dishes when you got married?
Yoruba dishes are not as strenuous to prepare as Delta State dishes. I thought it wise to learn how to prepare dishes from the South West since I love my husband and desire he eats well.

Which of the dishes is your favourite from your state?
Banga soup; though I don’t prepare it too often.

Is that also the toast of all your parties?
Among the Itsekiri and Urhobo in Delta State, Oghwo soup is. No Itsekiri party is complete without Oghwo soup.

Can you share the recipe for this soup?
Well, each person prepares hers using different procedures but it is the end product that matters. I prepare mine using my grandmother’s recipe. You will need starch, native palm oil, dried fish, periwinkle, crayfish, potash (kaun), ponmo, cow leg, cow head, ground pepper and bouillon cubes.
Salt is not added to this soup, rather a condiment known as owumumu, which tastes like salt is used.
Cook and season cow leg and head. Pour water into pot and add ground pepper, bouillon cubes, dried fish, periwinkle, owumumu and crayfish. Add palm oil and allow to cook. Mix starch in water and add to soup to thicken. Oghwo soup shouldn’t be watery; its consistency should be quite thick. Allow to cook for a while till ready.

What is it best served with?
Oghwo soup is best served with starch and it can also be served with yam and plantain.

What aroused your interest in baking?
Initially, I chose baking because I needed something to keep me busy and fetch me money. Also, when I had my wedding, I loved the cake that was baked. This motivated me to learn baking. Moreover, with the rate of unemployment and the fact that most times, people are not well paid, it just seemed right to go into business for myself. I have always been business-minded, even right from my undergraduate days. I do a bit of cooking, but baking is my passion.

Is the art of baking based on skill and training or an innate ability?
It’s not based on an inbuilt talent because it was something I developed a passion for and acquired training on. Some people might say women in their families have been bakers and that makes them automatically bakers but this wasn’t so for me. It just started as a business idea and my passion grew from there. However, if one has creativity, it goes a long way in making an impact in the baking world.

What is the one blunder that most learner-bakers should watch out for?
Impatience. Baking is more than just mixing butter and sugar. It is one thing to bake a good cake; it is another thing to design, and in designing a cake, you have to be very patient to get a perfect finishing. Baking a cake is actually time-consuming and if you don’t give it all of your time, you won’t get the best out of it. This is because creativity takes time.

What is the longest period it has taken you to bake a cake?
I have had to bake a cake for about two weeks. That was a wedding cake.

Isn’t that a bit too long for just a cake?
Well, that was from the baking to the designing. It takes long