Simple recipes and steps on how to prepare Edikang-Ikong Soup

Simple recipes and steps on how to prepare Edikang-Ikong Soup

Everyone likes finger-licking meal right? And even most women says it’s the secret of their strong marriage as they keep their husbands always coming back home as early as possible. In Nigeria, most marriage had shattered because of inability of the woman to cook all or most kinds of soup. But, never mind for Calabar Reporters just got your back. 

Edikang Ikong is a very less/expensive Nigerian dish and arguably Nigeria’s most popular cosmopolitan dish. The soup/delicacy originally originated from Calabar and now has become Nigeria’s most eaten soup due to its palatability. This special delicacy is prepared with vegetable pumpkin leaves (Ikong-ubong/ugwu), water leaf (Mong-mong Ikong), fish, meat, periwinkle (mfi ikpok), palm oil, cray fish and other essential ingredients. It can also be eaten with either garri, fufu, amala, tuwo, semovita or pounded yam.


Recipes:

  • Ikg/21b assorted meat (beef, oxtail, tripe, ponmo, bokoto and bush meat), snails (washed with lemon and limes)
  • 450g/1lb stockfish (pre-soaked)
  • 450g/1lb dry fish (thoroughly washed)
  • 450g/1lb periwinkles
  • 225g/8oz whole dry prawns (cleaned)
  • 225g/8oz ground crayfish
  • 1.35kg/3lb fresh Ikong ubong (pumpkin leaves; washed & shredded)
  • 1kg/21b fresh waterleaf (washed and shredded)
  • 200ml palm oil
  • 600ml/1pt stock
  • and salt to taste


Preparations:
Wash the meat thoroughly and place in a large pot. Add some sliced onions, ground chillies and some meat stock. Place on heat and cook for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the snail from the shells and wash thoroughly with lime or lemon juice to remove slime. Wash the smoked dry fish with salt and soak in slightly salted water for 5 minutes in order to kill any insect and loosen any sand or dirt.

Rinse thoroughly with lots of cold water. Top and tail the periwinkles and wash thoroughly. Add the snails, stockfish, dry fish, dry prawns and periwinkles to the pot of meat and cook for another 10 minutes and add more stock fish if required. Finally add the shredded Ikong Ubong (pumpkin leaves) and waterleaf, mix in properly. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes and then add the crayfish and palm oil. Give it a good stir and gentle simmer for another 10 minutes until well blended and the aroma fills the kitchen. Remove from heat and serve hot with fufu or pounded yam.

And your most prolific meal is ready. Hope you enjoyed your time. Please drop your comments or share where appropriate.