The Nigerian Edikang Ikong soup or
simply Vegetable Soup is native to the Efiks, people from Akwa Ibom and Cross
River states of Nigeria. It is a general notion that the Edikang Ikong soup is
very nutritious and this is very much so. Prepared with a generous quantity of
pumpkin leaves and water leaves, this Nigerian soup recipe is nourishing in
every sense of the word.
It is common for Nigerians to
request this soup recipe after a bout of illness as we trust it to replenish
whatever was lost during the sickness. But you don't not need to be in a state
of convalescence to enjoy this wholesome Nigerian food recipe.
Ingredients
for Edikang Ikong Soup
- 1kg Pumpkin leaves
- 500g Water leaves
- 600g Beef, Kanda, shaki and Dry fish
- Pepper, Salt and ground Crayfish: to taste
- 200ml Palm oil
- Periwinkle - 1 cup
- 2 medium bulbs onions
- 2-3 Stock cubes
Alternative
vegetables for those who cannot buy water leaves and pumpkin leaves:
Use the following to replace the
classic Nigerian vegetables for this soup:
- 1kg Normal Frozen Spinach
- 200g Ground Frozen Spinach
- 250g Lamb's Lettuce (Canonigos in Spanish)
Defrost the frozen spinach, cut the
normal frozen one into tiny pieces and mix with the ground frozen spinach.
Wring out the water from these and add them when I add the pumpkin leaves.
Wash pick and cut the Lamb's Lettuce
into tiny pieces. Add them when I add the water leaves.
Before
you cook the Edikaikong Soup
- Wash and cut the pumpkin and water leaves into tiny pieces. Put them in separate sieves to drain out all the water as much as possible.
- Cut the Kanda into small pieces. Cook the beef, kanda and the dry fish with the 2 bulbs of diced onions and the 3 Maggi / Knorr cubes with as little quantity of water as possible.
Cooking
Directions
- When the meat is done, add a generous amount of palm oil, the crayfish and pepper and leave to boil for about 10 minutes. The palm oil serves as water in the Edikaikong soup. You should try as much as possible to make it the only liquid in the soup.
- Add the periwinkle and water leaves and leave to cook for another 5 minutes. You may have to cook for less time at this stage so that the water leaves are not over-cooked.
- Now add the pumpkin leaves and salt to taste. Stir the contents of the pot very well and turn off the heat. Cover the pot and leave to stand for about 5 minutes.
- The Edikang Ikong soup is ready to be served with Garri (Eba), Semolina, Amala or Pounded Yam.
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