The Sumptous Ofe Okazi and The Okazi Festival

Ofe Okazi...... "The Journey to Emii, Owerri"

Ofe Okazi is one of my best soups and I love eating it with fufu. Every time, my siblings and I visit Nigeria, I always tell my mom, please make okazi soup and fufu for me. A typical Okazi soup has so many orishirishi.

For my people, I mean people from Emii, Ofe Okazi, is one of our major soup and it has a story behind it. In fact, we have a festival which we celebrate every end of the year, known as "The Okazi Festival". On that day, every of the ten villages that make up Emii serve their household and visitors Ofe Okazi with fufu or garri.  During this festival people and masquerades' from the ten villages (Umuorisha, Umudule, Nkpehi, Mgbahiri, Umuolu, Eziala, Umuebeh, Ubah, Umuawuka and Emeohe)  meet up at Umuorisha (the older of Oche's Son), where the celebration of the festival continues.

To further add flavor and characterize the soup, I added Utazi, which gives the soup a very interesting taste. Here are the items you will need:

• 3 Handful okazi leaf shredded
• 1/8 Cup utazi
• 1 csp cocoyam (can use yam or achi instead)
• 1 cup pieces stockfish
• 1 cup pieces dried fish
• 6  medium snail (small snails)
• 1 whole chicken (cut medium size)
• 8  pieces goat meat
• 12 pieces assorted shaki (tripe)
• 2 csps palm oil
• 1 csp crayfish
• Salt
• 6 cubes knorr
• Pepper

1. In a large saucepan, add the assorted meat, stock fish, dried fish and snail. Add pepper, water and 4 knorr cubes. Allow meat steam. 
2. Peel, wash and cook the cocoyam (If you dont have cocoyam, then use yam because it is also a thicken agent). Wash and utazi four times to eliminate dirt. Wash the Okazi five times to remove the dirt. 
3. Now add the remaining knorr, pepper, and more water to the pot. Taste and you can adjust the taste my adding a little bit of salt. Allow it to cook for another 15 minutes.
4. Add crayfish and cook for 5 minutes
5. In a mortar , take the well cooked cocoyam and pound it (I used yam instead because mine finished).
   
6. Add two cooking spoons of palm oil to the pot and let it cook for 5-7 minutes. 
   
7.  Add the pounded cocoyam/yam/achi and allow it cook for another 7 minutes or until completely dissolved.  
   
8. Add the utazi first, then add the okazi and stir. Remove immediately.
    
                                      This is the finished product.
9. Serve with Eba, Fufu, Pounded Yam or any swallow. You can also serve with  steam rice.