HOW TO PREPARE AFANG SOUP

 Afang Soup

Afang soup is fast climbing the top of the list of popular Nigerian soup. If you are interested in exploring Nigerian foods, this delicious soup would definitely spur your interest in Nigerian foods.

This delicious soup is native to the Efiks, the major occupant of (Cross River & Akwa Ibom State). It really doesn’t matter your language, background or ethnic group, you can try original foods from different Nigerian cultures and ethnicity. Afang sits right on top of the list and today we are going to learn how to make this soup and other delicious Efik/Calabar foods. I think After Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba; Efik is another popular group in Nigeria; they have delicious foods that have left the rest of us salivating. Apart from this soup, they also have Edikang-Ikong, atama, nsala, and a few other delicious soups.This soup is made with afang leaves (ukazi) and water leaves, these two fresh leaves combine seamlessly to make a delicious looking afang soup. The Ukazi leaf is usually sliced and then ground with either a kitchen blender or a hand-grinding machine while the waterleaf is just sliced with a kitchen knife. I just like this soup because it is made with just vegetables, and I love vegetables! – They are nutritious, medicinal and contain fiber that helps the body cells to function properly. Don’t let your focus be on just Food alone, also make sure they are also healthy for consumption.
 Afang leaves are very rich in folic acid and vitamin A, it is therefore considered healthy and nutritious for pregnant women and their unborn babies. During the first trimester in any pregnancy, babies direly need folic acid. While you can get them from the drugstore, I bet you would love them better in soups.

 INGREDIENTS

Sliced fresh water leaves (1kg) 1/2 cup of ground crayfish Ground fresh Ukazi leaves (200g) 3 cubes of knorr (sweetener) 1 stock fish head (medium size) 2 medium-sized dried or roasted fish 1.5 cups of palm oil 1 cup of Periwinkles (optional) Snails (optional) Salt and Pepper to taste (red fresh pepper) Pkomo (Optional) 1-2KG of any meat of choice.

Preparation

Assorted meat is the most suitable for afang soup but if you can’t find it in your location, you can use any meat you find. I used a combination of assorted meat and pkomo. Wash the snails with lime juice or grape juice and be sure it is rid of its slimy fluid. The periwinkle (isam) are usually cleaned by the sellers, you just need to wash. The ground ukazi leaves act as a thickener for this soup, I use fresh leaves for all my soup but if you can’t find fresh stuff in your location, go ahead and substitute with the dried alternative. You can tell from the image above that the leaves are fresh.

How to Cook Afang Soup

Just go ahead and start parboiling the meat with all the necessary ingredients (2 cubes of knorr, half cup of sliced onions, salt and other spice of choice) Some people wash the water leaves before slicing them while others choose to slice them before washing; I prefer the latter. Slice and wash the water leaves and set aside in a plastic sieve to make sure that water is properly drained away. Most people don’t like a trace of water in their afang soup, that can be easily arranged, just try to squeeze the water leaves tightly before you add them to the soup. Soak the dried fish with warm water, remove the center bones and wash thoroughly with just water; also wash the stockfish head with warm water. Add them to the cooking meat and cook till they are soft and the pot is almost dry. Add the palm oil, stir all together.
Add a seasoning cube, ground pepper, snails and salt to taste, allow cooking for 3-5 minutes. Add the water-leaves; allow to simmer for 5 minutes before adding the periwinkles, ground ukazi, and ground crayfish.
Stir all together, cover the pot and allow simmering for another 5 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. That is how to prepare afang soup, it can be served with fufu, eba, pounded yam, wheat. Any nice soft drink would be a welcome addition. There are other delicious efik soups that you may wanna give a whirl, compareEdikang-Ikong
 while you stir continuously.Add the ground ukazi leaves. Stir all together, cover the pot and allow another 5 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.and you are done with a delicious afang soup.

Serve with eba, fufu or pounded yam.