• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

My Active Kitchen

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Nigerian soup recipes » Afia Efere (White soup)

    Published: Feb 16, 2016 · Modified: Mar 31, 2019 by Ajoke

    Afia Efere (White soup)

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    afia efere and pounsed yam

    My first experience of afia efere (white soup) was at my uncles wedding some few years ago and boy did I enjoy it? I loved every bit of it. Everyone wanted to have a taste of afia efere also called white soup at the engagement party, it was a hit. I asked my sister in-law for the recipe and she was really happy to share it with me. I would want to believe white soup is prepared in different ways going by the bit of research I made. The key ingredients are pounded yam (as thickener), ogiri which can be substituted with dawadawa or iru (locust beans), Adrian fruits and pepper soup spice.

    White soup is significant to the Ibos and Efik people of Nigeria. I doff my hat, those people sabi cook. You can also use any protein of choice, hard chicken preferably and for this recipe, I choose white catfish.  Afia efere can be enjoyed with pounded yam in fact for the first time, I tried pounded yam using my small/basic food processor and it turned out great. Though it is called white soup the colour is close to brown, it is very tasty and easy to make. If you are yet to try afia efere or ofe nsala then get out your apron and let’s get cooking. There is no good telling you how simple, lovely and delicious it is if you would not be joining in. Come on foodie fam... Get out your cooking pot and let's make some white soup!

    whire soup cooked with catfish and goat meat placed beside pounded yam

    Ingredients

    Few pieces of goat meat

    Few pieces of catfish (I used 4 pieces) cleaned, gutted and salted

    Ponmo

    Smoked fish (if you are able to source)

    Ground crayfish

    2-3 slices of raw yam

    Seasoning cube (I used Knorr cubes)

    Salt to taste

    1tsp pepper soup spice

    Ground dried Cameroun pepper or cayenne pepper

    Uyayak (aidan fruit) I promised myself I would never cook with it here, use if you want

    Note: you can use yam powder or cocoyam as thickener

    ofe-nsala-white-soup

    How to make Afia efere (White soup)

    Add salt and seasoning cube to goat meat, ponmo or any other assorted meat and bring to boil till tender to preference. (If you would be using smoked fish, add it into the meat 10-15 minutes before you take of off the heat)

    In the meantime, whist you are waiting on the meat to boil, peel the yam, rinse it and bring to boil till soft. Do not add salt

    If the yam cooks before the meat, add to a food processor and blend till smooth alternatively, use mortar and pestle. Once you are done, leave the pounded yam on the side to be used later in the soup

    pounded yam using food processor

     Add ground crayfish and Cameroon pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. Check for salt and seasoning and adjust accordingly. Also add more water if need be

    Take the pounded yam a little portion at a time and add to the soup, the pounded yam melts into the soup and thickens it. If the soup is getting too thick, simply add water and stir thoroughly to combine.

    process shot of to make white soup

    5-10 minutes before you take the soup add the fresh fish and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Stir carefully at this point so as to not break the fish

    image of washed catfish and catfish being cooked in a Nigerian dish

     Take it off the heat and serve immediately with pounded yam or any other swallow of choice. 

    ofe nsala soup
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Afia Efere (White Soup)

    My first experience of afia efere (white soup) was at my uncles' wedding and boy did I enjoy it? I loved every bit of it. Everyone wanted to have a taste of the afia efere also called white soup at the party. There are two variants of this soup in Nigeria. This recipe is the Efik version  
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time40 minutes mins
    Total Time55 minutes mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: African, Nigerian
    Keyword: Afia Efere, Efik soup
    Servings: 4
    Author: Ajoke| My Active Kitchen

    Ingredients

    • Few pieces of goat meat
    • Few pieces of catfish I used 4 pieces cleaned, gutted and salted
    • Ponmo
    • Smoked fish if you are able to source
    • Ground crayfish
    • 2-3 slices of raw yam
    • Seasoning cube I used knorr cubes
    • Salt to taste
    • 1 tsp pepper soup spice
    • Ground dried Cameroun pepper or cayenne pepper
    • Uyayak (aidan fruit) optional, I didn't use it

    Instructions

    • Add salt and seasoning cube to goat meat, ponmo or any other assorted meat and bring to boil till tender to preference. (If you would be using smoked fish, add it into the meat 10-15 minutes before you take of off the heat)
    • In the meantime, whist you are waiting on the meat to boil, peel the yam, rinse it and bring to boil till soft. Do not add salt
    • If the yam cooks before the meat, add to a food processor and blend till smooth alternatively, use mortar and pestle. Once you are done, leave the pounded yam on the side to be used later in the soup
    • Add ground crayfish, pepper soup spice, Cameroun pepper to the cooked meat and cook for another 5 minutes. Check for salt and seasoning and adjust accordingly. Also add more water if need be
    • Take the pounded yam a little portion at a time and add to the soup, the pounded yam melts into the soup and thickens it. If the soup is getting too thick, simply add water till the desired consistency is achieved and stir thoughly to combine.
    • 5-10 minutes before you take the soup add the fresh fish and cook for another 5-10 minutes or till the fish is well cooked. Stir carefully at this point so as to not break the fish

    ofe-nsala-white-soup

     

    Afia Efere... I would like to see what you have been cooking with our recipe, don't forget to tag @myactivekitchen on Instagram, Facebook or simply send me an email. See you on my next post

    « Easy Coconut Rice and Beans
    My Nigerian-Style Chicken Wings »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Whitney says

      July 08, 2016 at 4:55 pm

      Nice will try it

      Reply
      • Ajoke says

        July 09, 2016 at 10:26 am

        Thank you Whitney and kindly keep us posted

        Reply
    2. ChiO says

      February 18, 2016 at 5:49 pm

      This soup always wins! Welldone.

      Reply
      • Ajoke says

        February 20, 2016 at 10:33 pm

        Thank you for stopping by Chi. x

        Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hello, my name is Ajoke, and welcome to my food world,  I love to cook in my lively little kitchen. Join me in the adventure of cooking what we all call warm, hearty, and quick meals...

    More about me →

    Hello, my name is Ajoke, and welcome to my food world,  I love to cook in my lively little kitchen. Join me in the adventure of cooking what we all call warm, hearty, and quick meals...

    More about me →

    Copyright © 2025 My Active Kitchen on the Brunch Pro Theme

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.