The Value of Bitter Leaf Soup in Nigerian Homes

If you rinse a handful of bitter leaves, say 100g of farm-fresh, mature bitter leaves, and squeeze out the liquid into a bowl, you’re extracting an estimated 11g of carbohydrates, 5g of proteins, 6g of fibres. The juice also contains essential components including vitamins A, C, folate, calcium, iron, potassium, alkaloids, and flavonoids.

However, if you cook bitter leaves or blanch the leaves in hot water for more than three minutes, you’re likely to lose at least 30% of the vitamins present. The potassium, calcium, and other minerals in the leaves may also leach into the water, reducing its overall nutritional value.

This happens because leafy vegetables are sensitive to heat changes. And while they can boost our immune systems, cooking leafy vegetables the wrong way can strip off significant portions of nutrients. In this article, we’ll highlight some key benefits of eating bitter leaf and the proper way to prepare bitter leaf soup to retain its nutritional value.

Nutritional Rewards of Bitter Leaf Soup

A well-made pot of bitter leaf soup (Ofe Onugbu) packs an assortment of ingredients including dried fish, beef, ground crayfish, and scotch bonnet peppers. Cocoyam and bitter leaves, stars of the show, determine the soup’s texture and flavour. Beyond taste, bitter leaves also influence the nutritional benefits of the soup. Here are some key benefits:

Supports Healthy Blood Sugar Levels

One unique but unsurprising gift of bitter leaf soup is its ability to support blood sugar control. Bitter leaf contains active plant compounds like flavonoids and alkaloids, which are known to help improve how the body manages insulin and glucose. Regularly enjoying bitter leaf soup — especially as part of a balanced diet — can be a natural way to stabilize blood sugar levels, making it a particularly good choice for people concerned about diabetes or those simply aiming for better metabolic health.

Boosts Immunity and Fights Inflammation

The rich vitamin content in bitter leaves, coupled with the potent antioxidants, helps boost the body’s natural defences against infections and illnesses. This is why bitter leaf juice—water squeezed from bitter leaves—is a go-to potion in numerous Nigerian households.

The antioxidants also play a key role in fighting inflammation, which is often at the root of many chronic conditions. Eating bitter leaf soup could mean giving your immune system an extra shield while also reducing harmful inflammation over time.

Strengthens Bones and Blood

Being a vegetable unburdened with empty calories, bitter leaves deliver essential minerals like calcium and iron. In significant portions, these nutrients are vital for maintaining strong bones and healthy blood circulation. The mineral extracts from bitter leaves and other leafy vegetables are much more potent than those from other frequently consumed substances like processed foods, drinks, and snacks.

Iron helps prevent anaemia and keeps energy levels steady, while calcium supports bone density and overall skeletal health. In Nigeria, iron-deficiency anaemia is common; a rich bowl of bitter leaf soup can be more than comfort food; it can be nutritional therapy.

Provides Sustained Energy and Digestive Support

Cocoyam is another key ingredient in making delicious Bitter Leaf soup. More than just serving as a thickener, it also adds nutrients. Cocoyam contains complex carbohydrates that provide slow-releasing energy, keeping you fuller and energized for longer periods. The root crop is also rich in dietary fibre, which aids digestion and promotes gut health. This means cocoyam not only makes the soup deliciously creamy but also makes it a hearty, sustaining meal.

How to Make Bitter Leaf Soup (The Right Way)

The first thing to note about Bitter Leaf soup, or Ofe Onugbu, is that it leaves you wanting more. The second is that this soup begins with palm oil. The third is that, being an expectedly bitter soup, the magic is in how you prepare the bitter leaves before adding them to the base. Done well, the leaves elevate the sweetness and smokiness of protein assortments and the earthy flavour of cocoyam. 

Ingredients

For a pot of bitter leaf soup to comfortably serve four people.

• 2 cups washed bitter leaves (onugbu)
• Cocoyams, peeled and boiled
• Assorted meats (beef, cow tripe, pomo, etc.)
• 2-3 tablespoons palm oil
• 2 tablespoons ground crayfish
• 1-2 pieces dry fish (washed and deboned)
• 1-2 pieces stockfish (pre-soaked and softened)
• Seasoning cubes
• 1 teaspoon ogiri (fermented locust beans)
• Red bell pepper (chopped)
• Salt to taste
• Meat stock (from the cooked meat)

Cooking the Bitter Leaf Soup

Before making the soup, boil cocoyams until softened; spread in a dish so they can cool.

• Boil the assorted meats with seasoning cubes, salt, and a little pepper until tender, then set aside with the meat stock.
• Pound the cooked cocoyam in a small mortar until it forms a smooth, stretchy paste.
• In a pot, pour the meat stock and add a little water if needed to adjust the quantity.
• Add the dry fish, stockfish, and crayfish, and let everything cook together for about 5 minutes.
• Add the pounded cocoyam in small lumps into the pot and allow the lumps to dissolve over medium heat.
• Once the cocoyam starts to thicken the soup, add palm oil and stir gently.
• Stir in the ogiri for that authentic, deep-flavored aroma.
• Add the washed bitter leaves and simmer gently.
• Taste and adjust seasoning with salt or more seasoning cubes if needed.
• Allow the soup to cook for another 5–7 minutes until everything blends nicely. You can add some more water if the soup’s too thick. Once you achieve a desirable thickness, your Ofe Onugbu is ready to serve.

Cooking tip: If the leaves taste too bitter after washing—you can bite off the edge of a leaf to gauge the bitterness—blanch them briefly in hot water for about 1–2 minutes, then rinse immediately in cold water. You can also squeeze and rinse the bitter leaves, though this process may cause some of the vitamins and minerals to leach off.

Apart from making a mouthful of Ofe Onugbu, what else can you do with these high-value leaves?

Other Uses of Bitter Leaves

Bitter leaves are handy for some other nutritional tasks, including:

• Medicinal Herbal Drinks: Bitter leaves are often squeezed to extract their juice, which is consumed as a natural remedy for issues like malaria, high blood sugar, and digestive problems. The fresh juice is famously very bitter but highly valued for its medicinal properties.
• Other Soups and Stews: Apart from Ofe Onugbu, bitter leaves are sometimes added (in smaller quantities) to indigenous soups like egusi soup, ogbono soup, or vegetable stews to give a mildly bitter, earthy flavour that balances richer ingredients.
• Tea Infusions: Some people boil bitter leaves lightly in water and drink the infusion as a form of herbal tea believed to detoxify the body and boost the immune system.
• Traditional Tonics: In many homes, a mix of squeezed bitter leaf water and a little salt is given to treat stomach upset or help with digestion after heavy meals.

We’ve also discovered that in rural areas, animal rearers feed bitter leaf remnants to their livestock due to their nutritional value. What else do you do with bitter leaves where you come from? 

Where to Get Bitter Leaves?

PricePally. Our direct access to farmers ensures that we offer farm-fresh quality fruits and vegetables all season long. Ready to prepare your next bitter leaf soup? We have the right bitter leaf bundle, packed with Or you simply want to stock up your pantry? We’re the one-stop online shop for original groceries in Nigeria.

When you buy your bitter leaf soup ingredients from us, we can shorten your cooking time by chopping your vegetables or bell peppers or deboning your stock fish. How? By requesting our extra services feature. At pocket-friendly prices, we’ll sort out all your groceries so you spend less time cooking and more time relishing your meal with your loved ones. We also offer other custom soup and stew bundles to enrich your meal plans. You’re one click away from boosting your nutrient intake. Start shopping for your next groceries here.