HOW TO PREPARE THE REAL AFANG SOUP

I know I’m a dude but for now let’s forget that fact. This is my area. I can cook very well. Where do you think I got the name, Jeff The Chef from? (smiles). Now back to business.

Cooking Afang soup is easy. There are many methods of cooking this soup. Depending on the taste you want, or how thick, green and fresh you want it. There are times I add palm oil at the very beginning like this one. At other times, I add palm oil when cooking is almost done.

Afang soup is very healthy and filling. There are times I just eat the soup alone with a spoon or my fingers. When cooking this soup, remember to make the quantity of water leaf more than the Afang. Add both vegetables at the same time and please do not squeeze out the green juice in the Water leaf before adding. You can blend the Afang if you like. It can also be pounded with a mortar like I did this one.

Even if you forget to buy other ingredients, do not forget crayfish, smoked catfish and stock-fish. And of course periwinkle. We call it “mfi”. For snail and kpomo lovers, please add those. Snails and cow skin will give an added taste to your Afang soup. 

Another method of cooking Afang soup is by adding cooked oil to fried crayfish and onion. This method gives a sharp, spicy taste. The soup is cooked, but without palm oil or crayfish. When soup is ready, chopped onion and grounded crayfish are fried in palm oil, added and allowed to cook a little before removing from heat. This fried crayfish method of cooking Afang soup can make one finish a whole big bowl of eba. (Trust me. I know what talking about)

Sometimes, after washing my periwinkle, I dry it very well in the oven before cooking. Dried periwinkle is fun to chew when cooked.

Boil goat meat with stock fish, onion and salt. Add palm oil and pepper to stock fish. Add seasoning to boiling palm oil and stock fish.

 Ingredients:

·         Water

·         Goat meat 1 kilo (or more)

·         Stock fish 1 big pack (or more)

·         Onion

·         Salt

·         Palm oil

·         Seasoning cubes

·         Crayfish 1 cup ( 7cm measuring cup)

·         Smoked cat fish 3 (or more)

·         Afang leaves 4 cups

·         Water leaf 2 large bunches

·         Periwinkle 2 cups (or more)

·         Snails (optional but very highly recommended)

·         Cow skin (optional but very highly recommended)

·         Dry Shrimps (optional)

·         Bonga fish (optional)

·         A sprinkle of Hot leaf (optional)

Preparation

·         Add enough ground crayfish

·         Add washed smoked cat fish

·         Add pounded Afang vegetable to cooked stock and tender meat/stock fish

·         Stir in Afang before adding washed water leaf

·         Add waterleaf immediately after. Do not squeeze out the chlorophyll in your water leaf

·         Add washed periwinkle.

·         Stir and mix well before removing from heat

·         Afang soup is cooked

·         Cooked Afang vegetable soup still looks green and fresh.

Salt is used to preserve mfi/ periwinkle. So to avoid turning your nice pot of soup into a pond of salt, add salt and seasoning sparingly before adding periwinkle. Ensure that the

Periwinkle is properly washed with much water to remove the salt.

Do not let vegetables boil and cook for long before removing from heat. There is so much water (green juice) in water leaf, which drains into the pot if allowed to boil. To avoid cooking watery vegetable soup. Do not boil green vegetables.

Afang vegetable soup can be served with garri, semo, wheat meal, pounded yam and even starch.

Afang soup is very irresistible. Even these white dudes have tasted and testified!