Hello foodie lovers.
It's weekend and of course a time to get busy in the kitchen. Lol. So I'm thrilled to share the recipe of this tasty Afang soup, that I prepared. I promise you'll lick your fingers after tasting this soup. 😋
Afang soup is one of the local cuisine, native to the Efiks - Cross Riverians and Ákwá Ibomites in Nigeria.
The combination of vegetables - Afang leaves (wild spinach or Gnetum African um) and Water leaves (Talinum triangulare or Talinum fruticosum), plus other ingredients result to a tasty and nutritious soup.
The vegetables are rich in nutrients like vitamins, minerals, protein, fibers, and antioxidants, and are believed to provide various health benefits. So you see why you need to eat this soup often.
Afang leaves are especially are rich in folic acid and is very good for women during pregnancy.
Actually, making this soup requires assorted specific ingredients which I believe @beckyroyal can confirm. But one can always improvise especially in the absence of the important ingredients like periwinkle (locally called isam in Igbo or mfi by the Efiks.
Here are the ingredients I used
- Afang leaves - already picked and sliced.
- Water leaves, already picked.
⅓ of a sizeable head of stockfish.
10 sizeable pieces of Pomo (Cow skin)
A sizeable piece of dry fish (mangala).
Seasoning cubes.
1 tbsp of blended pepper
1 tbsp of salt.
Crayfish, already blended.
1 sizeable onion bulb.
- 20cl of palm oil.
- Water.
Let's prep the ingredients
- Wash the pomo very well and put to cook. It's usually hard so it has to cook for about 10-15 minutes before tender.
- Wash the stockfish and fish very well with warm water to ensure all the dirt are removed.
- Peel and shred the onion.
- Wash the afang very well after which you either blend or pound. I went for the former.
- Wash the water leaves and slice in tiny bits.
Let's cook
- By now the pomo should have been tender so add the stockfish, fish, onion, pepper, seasoning, salt and a little quantity of water. You don't need much water for this soup, just enough for the stock. Stir and allow to cook for about 20mins until the assorted proteins are tender and formed a broth.
- Once you've confirmed that the they're tender, add the grounded crayfish, stir and let it cook for 2 minutes. Ensure to check salt and pepper taste. I love them moderate.
- Next is to add the sliced water leaves. Stir and allow to cook between 2 minutes.
- Next, add palm oil. Let it cook for about 5 minutes.
- Then comes the blended afang leaves. Stir well, allow to cook for another 3 minutes, then turn off the heat and uncover the pot. The vegetables doesn't need to be overcooked to avoid loss of nutrients.
Pardon the blurred image. I couldn't take clearer one because my device started misbehaving and was overheating. Had to let it cool off.
- Now your afang soup is ready. Serve hot with any swallow of choice, and maybe some nice juice to wash it down. 😋
What do you think about this Afang soup? Would you like to try it out? Let me know.
Thank you for reading.
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