I am not just a lover of food, food also has a fascinating route to caress my throat. I am addicted to cooking – most especially new variety as a form of experimentation. Ogbono soup is one kind of Igbo soups I do not joke with; surprisingly, I always end up cooking it in a mess –no matter how hard I try to cook it. I have learnt how to cook it from friends yet it has yielded no positive outcome.

I never knew I had a roommate who knew how to prepare Ogbono so well till we were discussing how to cook food for a man and make him salivate for more.

She mentioned Ogbono as the best soup she could prepare and my mind flashback to other not-so-good memories I wasted ingredients in the process of preparing the soup. “Ogbono!” I said in awe.

“Yes, dear. My favourite.” She replied, as her hands kept gesticulating as if she was already in the kitchen.

“You will have to teach me dear,” I tendered my request.

“No problem.” She replied.

So one day, my roommate came into my rescue. She taught me step by step on how to cook this favorite Igbo soup: Ogbono.

“You will put a frying pan on fire, afterwards, you will pour palm oil in it. Next, you will add your Ogbono and stir till it dissolves. When it dissolves, remove it on fire and out a fresh pot on fire. This time around, you will pour your ingredients and your fish or meat. Allow it to cook well before you will add your dissolved Ogbono.” My friend instructed me.

I cooked the Ogbono perfectly with her instructions and I was elated to see a positive result this time. “I did not fail this time,” I mused to myself.

Then two weeks after, I felt the urge to eat Ogbono and eba. I had had enough practical lessons on the cooking techniques so I was convinced I could cook it alone.

With elegant style of walking, I went to the market to get my ingredients. I bought Ogbono and ground it, I told the seller to give me ground pepper. Before he could bring it, one dark-skinned woman came to request for Cameron pepper. I also changed my mind too and requested for the same. I assumed the pepper would be ideal for my favorite Ogbono – even though it was my first experience using it.

“Oga, why do you think people are requesting for this pepper? Will it be okay for my Ogbono?” I asked with curiosity. “I wanted to prepare a delicious Ogbono soup and I needed the best ingredients for it.” I added.

“The pepper is good. I will advise you buy it.” The trader replied.

I ordered for two satchets of Cameron pepper, I bought frozen chicken and other necessary ingredients and I walked towards my hostel with excitement, I couldn’t wait for my Ogbono soup to be ready.

I did as my roommate had instructed, “thank God she wasn’t at home, I will surprise her with my Ogbono soup.” I soliloquized.

I put the frying pot on fire, poured a cup of palm oil, and I tried to liquidified my Ogbono. In the process of melting my Ogbono, I realized the seeds didn’t melt, instead they were in the palm oil like grains of sand. ‘What’s happening?’ I asked myself. I proceeded with boiling my chicken and adding other ingredients like crayfish and the likes.

It was the first time I would try using Cameron pepper so I poured the satchets of the cameron pepper I bought into the boiling chicken.

Next, I poured my undissolved Ogbono seeds in to the chicken sauce and stirred, expecting it to draw but to my utmost surprise, my Ogbono soup didn’t draw.

In fact, it was intact like stagnant water. The soup looked so dark like a spoilt soup, it was so peppery, watery and it smelled like burnt herbs.

With tears in my eyes, I poured the soup away but the worms in my stomach didn’t forgive me.