How To Prepare Achi Soup: Tasty Nigerian Dish Recipe

Achi soup is an easy Nigerian soup recipe that is commonly prepared with different vegetables; this can be served with eba or semolina. There are so many Nigerian native dishes that you can cook in no time; achi soup thickener is one of such delicious soups. if you are looking for an easy native soup to make, start with this one. It is an excellent soup thickener; it adds a perfect taste and irresistible flavour to soups, which is why it is commonly used for cooking different soups and sauces. This simple thickener can be used in place of cocoyam, ukpo, or ofor, among others.

This local thickener can be substituted for cocoyam when making oha soup, egusi soup, and other Nigerian soups that require a thickener. You can cook achi soup in many ways, simply by combining thickeners and bitter leaf, achi and uziza leaves, achi with ukazi, or local soup with ugwu.

However, a lot of people prepare this soup with bitter leaf, but I chose to make mine with uziza leaf because of the nice and delicious flavour I get from uziza. Some other people mix egusi with achi. Because egusi is already a perfect thickener, I just prefer to use it the way it is without having to combine it with achi. In this case, you can use any vegetable you prefer most to make this delicious Nigerian soup. Vegetables shouldn’t be too much in this soup; you only need a splash to garnish the soup.

Ingredients for making achi soup

(1) kg of goat meat

(2) kg of goat offal (assorted meat)

(3): 1 medium kpomo (cow hide)

(4): 1 cup of stock fish

(5): 1 medium smoked fish

(6): 2 tablespoons of ground crayfish

(7): 3 seasoning cubes

(8): 1 large onion, chopped

(9): 2 tablespoons of ground achi

(10): 1 handful of shredded uziza ( cup)

(11): 1 tablespoon of ogiri

(12): 2 cooking spoons of palm oil

(13): 4 scotch bonnets or ground cayenne

(15): Salt to taste

Step by step Guide to this flavourful Delicacy

Step 1: Prepare your meats and fish

Wash and season your meats (e.g., goat meat, cow tripe, shaki, kpomo, etc.).
Add seasoning cubes, salt, and onions (optional) to the meat.
Add a small amount of water and boil the meat until tender.
If using stockfish or dry fish, soak in hot water and clean properly.
Add the fish to the pot when the meat is nearly done and let them cook together for flavor.

Step 2: Add Palm Oil

Pour in your palm oil and allow it to cook for a few minutes with the meat and fish.

Step 3: Add Ground Crayfish and Pepper

Add the ground crayfish, pepper, and ogiri/okpei if using.
Stir well and let the mixture cook for about 5–10 minutes so the flavors combine.

Step 4: Thicken with Achi

Mix the ground achi in a small bowl with warm water to form a smooth slurry (to prevent lumps).
Slowly pour the achi mixture into the pot while stirring continuously to avoid clumps.
Allow the soup to simmer for 8–10 minutes; the achi will thicken the soup as it cooks.

Step 5: Taste and Adjust