Ogbono Soup

Grind the ogbono seeds in a dry mill to a fine powder. Put the beef and dried cod into a pot, cover with 700 ml water, add half the onion and simmer over low heat for 35–45 minutes, until the meat is tender.

Remove the beef and cod from the broth; take the bones out of the cod and flake the fish into pieces, keeping the broth hot.

In a dry pot over very low heat, melt the palm oil without letting it come to a boil. Take the pot off the heat, stir in the ground ogbono and mix until you get a smooth, lump-free paste.

Gradually pour in the hot broth in small amounts, stirring vigorously each time so the ogbono thickens evenly. Return the pot to low heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring every 2–3 minutes so the soup doesn't stick.

Add the beef, cod, ground dried shrimp, the remaining onion and the hot pepper; if the soup is too thick, pour in another 100 ml water. Stir and heat through for 5 minutes.

Add salt to taste and black pepper to taste, stir and check the consistency; the soup should be stretchy but not dry.

Add the sliced spinach leaves, cover the pot, turn off the heat and let stand for 5 minutes so the greens wilt down while keeping their color.

Serve the ogbono soup hot with fufu, eba or pounded yam.