Have you heard of Nigerian wild Spinach locally called Afang Soup. It's a type of green soup most Nigerians in Akwa Ibom State enjoy. People go extra miles to taste this soup. Do you know why people rush food in ceremonies? It's because they want to have a taste of this soup if available.
I can remember going to an event. I didn't allow this soup Pas me by. I traded it for 2 plates of rice because of the balance that comes with eating the soup. You can't go to any restaurants without seeing this food sold.
It's the most expensive soup among the list of soups. How is it prepared? How is it best served? What are the ingredients used? This is my review of the food. If you're an Akwa Ibomite and you dislike this soup, I'll say it's because the person preparing it can't do so well. If you eat a good Afang soup prepared by a caterer, you'll understand the meaning of life.
Introduction to Afang Soup |
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Afang soup is a special kind of soup eaten by most states in Nigeria. It may not be called Afang as that's the local name used in Akwa Ibom State. In English, it's called wild Spinach as derived from the leaves. One thing about this type of soup is that its leaves are cultivated through staking by sticks which grows and holds the leaves up high and make it easy to pluck by cultivators.
It's sold in most eateries and restaurants because it's a matured kind of soup compared to Atama and Editan soup. It's generally accepted if I may say and not selected that's why it's cooked by most eateries. If you cook a food that's not loved by most, your market won't move and you'll end up accumulating losses in the business because you'll be the one consuming it.
Afang soup is prepared differently by people and the taste would also be different. Some prefer cooking Afang soup with melon while others with hibiscus and okro, yet others cook it majorly with water leaf. How do you prefer yours? These are my ingredients and how I prepare mine.
Ingredients Used |
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These are the ingredients I used in preparing this Afang soup and I'll be reviewing the cost of preparation in my state as cooking a rich and healthy food requires so much money to achieve.
| Ingredients | Amount in steem | Price in Naira |
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| A sizeable bunch of Afang leaves | 9.5 | 2000 |
| Goat meat | 14.2 | 3000 |
| Water leaf | 2.8 | 600 |
| Periwinkle | 0.9 | 200 |
| 1 Stock fish and 5 stands of Cray fish | 6.6 | 1400 |
| 2 sizeable Dry Fishes | 9.5 | 2000 |
| Palm oil | 4.8 | 1000 |
| 5 pieces of Onions and a packet of Seasoning cubes | 4.8 | 1000 naira |
| Pepper, salt and other spices | 4.8 | 1000 |
| FUFU or Garri | It depends if you have it already | Same |
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These are the ingredients I used to make mine different other than adding melon seeds and other kinds of leaves to make it taste better. These are the procedures to my making Afang soup taste great.
Preparation |
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The first step I used in making a tasty Afang soup is by cutting the Afang from my yard which on a normal, people do buy it from the market. It's only water leaf I bought as I don't grow this weed in my yard. I plucked and washed the leaves and then sliced it in tiny shape..Using a sharp knife will aid you in cutting Afang. Most people buy the ground Afang as they don't like going through the stress of cutting it.
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After slicing my leaves, I ground it with a mortar and pistel until the leaves were ground moderately and not completely. I then contained it inside a plate before washing my purchased water leafs and contained it in a tray for cutting. Cutting Afang and water leaf adds to its taste too. Grounding it also add to its taste. So if you're not mindful as to how you cut your or ground it, you may not like the nature or looks of the Soup.
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After cutting my water leaf, I contained my stock fish inside a pot after washing and then added salt and my washed periwinkle to soften before using it to cook. I did same for my meat. I cooked it before using it to prepare the soup. After ensuring they were up to taste and soft, I added grounded pepper with Crayfish, stock fish, added the cooked meat, dry fish and all my spices inside the pot with a considerable amount of water as too much water spoils the soup.
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The water leaf itself is enough water to use and cook the soup. You add water moderately. After allowing to steam, I added my Afang first before adding my water leaf and palm oil as the last process. I ensured the soup wasn't lacking any essential ingredients. I then covered my pot's lid for a while and brought it down from heat after noticing it was suitable for consumption.
Afang soup is best served hot and with FUFU or cassava flour. If you use cassava flakes, you may not really enjoy it as using cassava flour. That's where the taste from this kind of soup comes from. I don't joke with this soup and can trade it for anything. What's the nutritional value?
The leaves used in cooking Afang soup is medicinal and can help in cure of cancer and internal bleeding. If you're among those that dislike eating Afang soup, try tasting it when you go for an occasion. You'll enjoy it. Afang is best served in;
- Weddings
- Funerals
- Anniversaries and other celebrations with it because of its relevance and popularity. I call the soup matured soup because other kind of soup doesn't really fit in to most of these occasions. Why? The looks and the tastes of people. Not everyone would want to eat a soup that's different or maybe because of its method of preparation.
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And what's really funny about eating this soup with FUFU is that, your mouth will have odour. 🤣🤣😉 But the odour won't be as bad as eating Vegetable Editan or Atama soup. Akwa Ibomite can relate. No matter how it's prepared, your mouth must have small odour. That's why it's advisable to wash your mouth after eating soup to avoid embarrassment.
So my general review for this soup is showing below..
| Nutritional value | 85% |
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| Rank in soup types | 2nd |
| Ease in preparation | 80% |
| Popularity in Nigeria | 95% |
| Preference over others | 90%.... Difficult to choose others when this is available |
| Availability of ingredients | 100% |
| Cost effective | No |
I invite @whizzbro34eva, @enamul17 and @drhira
Cc,
@artist1111
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