How to Prepare Bitter Leaf Soup

Updated: Nov 28, 2021
By Fatima Sani
How to Make Alkaki Hausa Snack

How to Make Alkaki Hausa Snack

Alkali is a Hausa snack prepared with local ingredients by the Hausa people. It is a snack served to visitors, mostly during special occasions. Like at weddings, it is usually prepared in large quantities for the bride to welcome her visitors and well-wishers. There...

How to Make Tuwon Semovita (Yadda Ake Tuwon Semo)

How to Make Tuwon Semovita (Yadda Ake Tuwon Semo)

Semovita is a popular Nigerian food commonly eaten in many parts of Nigeria. In this write-up, I will teach you how to make Tuwon Semovita. It is very smooth, moldable, and easy to prepare. In addition, it is prepared just like Tuwon Masara, Tuwon Dawa, and the like...

How to Make Faten Shinkafa (Yadda Ake Faten Shinkafa)

How to Make Faten Shinkafa (Yadda Ake Faten Shinkafa)

Fate is a Hausa term that means "anything in a watery form," and shinkafa means "rice." Therefore, Faten Shinkafa refers to a meal made using braised rice. The letter 'n' in the word 'Faten' simply denotes ownership. In this post, I'll share my knowledge of how to...

How to Make Kosan Rogo (Cassava Cake)

How to Make Kosan Rogo (Cassava Cake)

Kosan Rogo is one of the various northern cuisines that many love. Its major ingredient is cassava. It is easy to make and tastes great when done well. Kosan rogo, also called Dan na rogo or Wainan rogo can be done in two major ways: either by using cassava flour or...

Bitter leaf soup otherwise known as Miyan shuwaka in Hausa language is a delicacy in northern Nigeria. It is prepared with fresh bitter leaves (shuwaka) and some use the dried leaves, that’s after washing it till the bitterness reduces significantly, then spread under the sun to dry. However, it is not consumed by many. Only a few people like it which largely owes to its bitterness. In this article, I will be guiding you on how to make this delicious northern Nigerian cuisine. Let’s get right into it!

Equipment for Making Bitter Leaf Soup

Cooking pot

Bowl

Kitchen Knife

Scoop

Ingredients for Preparing Bitter Leaf Soup

You will need the following ingredients to prepare Bitter Leaf soup:

Fresh or dried bitter leaves

2 cooking spoons of palm oil

Fresh pepper, onions, and tomatoes (all grinded)

Seasoning cubes – maggi cubes,  thyme, curry, etc. (to desired taste)

Salt to taste

2 litres of water (more or less depending on the quantity)

1 cake of locust bean (daddawa)

Boiled or fried meat and/or fish (quantity and size to taste)

Procedure for Making Bitter Leaf Soup

STEP 1: Wash the bitter leaf properly (that’s if you are using fresh bitter leaf) with a small pitch of salt. Squeeze it between your palms till the bitterness has reduced significantly.

STEP 2: Over medium heat, place a pot of oil and pieces of onions in it and allow to fry for 2 minutes.

STEP 3: Add the ground onion, pepper, and tomatoes. Allow to fry for 5 minutes.

STEP 4: Add your clean water (a little bit higher than the quantity you actually need for the soup) to the cooking pot and ground locust beans. Add your meat to it too and allow to boil until the water reduces to the desired quantity.

STEP 5: Add the bitter leaf to the cooking pot with your seasoning cubes, spices, and salt to taste. Allow to cook for 10 minutes.

STEP 6: Stir it well and reduce the heat. Allow to cook for additional 3 minutes.

STEP 7: Turn off the cooker. Ta-Da! Your Miyan Shuwaka is ready!

TIPS:

You can add more water to the soup if you feel it is too thick. In addition, it is advisable to use warm water and not cold water.

Swallows That Best Goes With It

Miyan Shuwaka (Bitter Leaf Soup) is normally taken with Tuwon Semovita or Eba.

How to Serve Bitter Leaf Soup

Aside from Tuwon Semo and Eba, it could also be served with Tuwon Shinkafa, Tuwon Masara, Tuwon Alkama, Tuwon Alabo, and any other swallow of your choice. It tastes best when served hot.

Occasions to Best Serve Bitter Leaf Soup

This delicious northern Nigerian delicacy can be eaten as lunch or dinner. It is served in wedding ceremonies which is mostly common among the Yorubas.

How to Store Bitter Leaf Soup

It is best stored in a refrigerator as it will last for several days. In the absence of a refrigerator nonetheless, it only lasts for a day or two at most, or you will have to be warming it mornings and evenings to last a little bit longer.

Nutritional Value of Bitter Leaf Soup

Miyan Shuwaka (Bitter Leaf Soup) has numerous medicinal values and benefits to human health. The leaf exhibits antibacterial and antifungal properties that make it a good home remedy for several health issues such as diarrhea, high blood pressure, dysentery, and many others.

In addition, Miyan Shuwaka has the ability to improve a crucial female sex hormone that contributes to reproductive development and regulation.

Conclusion

Ensure you wash the leaves properly to reduce the bitterness. This is very important if you do not like bitter tastes else, it will be difficult to consume. More so, as you have seen, it is very easy to prepare without much stress. Now that you know how to prepare Miyan Shuwaka, I hope you will try it at home. Ensure you perfect it first before you choose to make it for occasions.

If you find this article helpful, please leave a comment in the comments section below.

You are always welcome to Northpad Nigeria for more local Northern Nigerian recipes.

Popular Reads

Everything on JUMIA

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

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

Whats new?
Dambun Shinkafa Recipe (Rice Couscous)

Dambun Shinkafa Recipe (Rice Couscous)

Dambun Shinkafa otherwise known as Rice Couscous is a northern Nigerian delicacy and is widely consumed by northerners. The recipe is made with braised rice. I love this recipe and I learned how to prepare it from my stepmother. Let’s get cooking. Equipment for Making...

How to Make Fanke Recipe The Hausa Way

How to Make Fanke Recipe The Hausa Way

Fanke, commonly known in English as Puff Puff, is a snack consumed by all, regardless of tribe, ethnicity, or financial status. Most people love it. Its major ingredient is wheat flour or semovita. The procedure for making Fanke with any major ingredients is the same....

How to Make Kunun Tamba (Yadda Ake Kunun Tamba)

How to Make Kunun Tamba (Yadda Ake Kunun Tamba)

Kunun Tamba is usually called Finger Millet Porridge in English. It is made using finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) which is an important millet grown extensively in various regions of India and Africa and constitutes a staple food for a large segment of the...

How to Prepare Tuwon Alabo (Cassava Swallow)

How to Prepare Tuwon Alabo (Cassava Swallow)

Tuwon Alabo, or cassava swallow, as people like to call it, is a local dish made from cassava flour (Alabo), which is produced by fermenting peeled cassava in water, sun-drying the fermented cassava, and milling it into powdered form. This flour comes from a root...

How to Make Dawa da Wake (Yadda Ake Dawa da Wake)

How to Make Dawa da Wake (Yadda Ake Dawa da Wake)

Some combinations of foods are just amazing and will make you wonder, ‘Who first thought of preparing this food?’ Dawa da Wake is a northern Nigerian recipe mostly consumed by the Hausas. It is a combination of guinea corn (dawa) and beans (wake) to produce a...

How to Make Tubani Recipe

How to Make Tubani Recipe

Tubani recipe is another northern Nigerian dish that is primarily consumed by Hausas. It is prepared using three (3) different methods, just like Gauda, as a result of the differences in the ingredients used. It can be made with masara and waken soya (maize and soya...

How to Make Your Sweet Hanjin Ligidi

How to Make Your Sweet Hanjin Ligidi

Hanjin Ligidi is a delicacy or cuisine that is primarily consumed by children. It's a popular cuisine in northern Nigeria, particularly among the Hausas. I recall drinking a lot of this as a kid, along with Charbin Malam, Dan Tamatsitsi, and other similar beverages. I...

How to Make Kilishi (Nigerian Beef Jerky)

How to Make Kilishi (Nigerian Beef Jerky)

Kilishi (spicy Nigerian beef jerky) is a popular Northern snack and a delicacy obtained from drying meat for a long period of time. This Kilishi recipe is sold mostly in the Northern parts of Nigeria as it originated from Hausa, but the good news is you can also make...

How to Prepare Miyan Lalo (Jute Leave Soup)

How to Prepare Miyan Lalo (Jute Leave Soup)

Miyan Lalo recipe/Miyar Lalo also known as Jute Leave Soup or Ewedu Soup in English language is a delicacy specifically consumed in the Northern part of Nigeria and specifically among the Hausa ethnic groups. It is easy to make, tastes good when prepared well, and is...

How to Prepare Kwadon Kanzo in 6 Easy Steps

How to Prepare Kwadon Kanzo in 6 Easy Steps

Kwadon Kanzo is yet another Northern Nigerian delicacy consumed primarily by the Hausas and Fulanis. The recipe is enjoyed by many, young and old, poor, average, and even some wealthy families. This article seeks to teach you how to prepare the Kwadon Kanzo recipe....

Explore more

You May Also Like…

No Results Found

The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.