GOOD DAY GREAT ONES AND A HAPPY NEW MONTH!
It is true that I went with the winds sometimes back which made me quite inactive here but it is truer that the wind of the New month has blown me right back in! Only that this time, with fabulousness and goodness. Hope I meet you same!
Like most people, daily busy schedules have left me lax with the idea of cooking which I so much love to do. Rather, it is even hard to grab a sandwich these days, let alone go through the stress of cooking. I am sure most of us are alike in this.
I broke the Jinx!!!
I decided to hone my cooking skills again and this time, encourage and stimulate other steemians in such situation by teaching out this wonderful meal recipe for a change! What is funner than trying a new dish in a new month? I decided to do AFANG SOUP!
It was so wonderful being in the market environment after a loooong while! I felt so refreshed. The smells of vegetables and roasted fishes caressing my nose! No one would get lazy cooking when roaming the market. Good thing, my chosen seller cooperated and allowed me take some pictures. 馃榾馃榾馃榾馃榾馃榾
Afang soup is akin to the Efik tribe of the people of Southern Nigeria but enjoyed by all. This soup is not entirely lost to the people of Cameroon as it is listed among their favorites too! The soup is delicious yet nutritional as it is made up of mostly vegetables. And can be cooked within 20mins!
It is no lie that we spend a lot of money in local canteens to have a taste of this delicious meal. How about you try this on your own this weekend or better still, surprise your spouse or loved ones by making one which is beyond the conventional?? I tell you, they would love it!
Ingredients needed to prepare Afang soup
Afang leaves (pounded or blended)
Water leaves (sliced)
Beef/assorted (or any chewable of choice)
Dried fishes and crayfishes (stock fish and others)
Periwinkles (shelled or unshelled) I prefer shelled.
Cow skin blanched (otherwise known as "ponmo")- optional
Fresh or dried peppers ( I use grounded Cameroon pepper)
Onion bulb
Palm oil.
Seasonings and salt to taste
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Preliminaries
(a). Slice onions ready to be applied to beef
(b). Wash beef properly to remove all traces of blood
(c). Slice and blend your Afang with dried crayfish (this can be grinded
in a special machine in the market)
(d). Slice and wash water leaves, set aside.
(e). If using shelled periwinkles like I love to do, wash thoroughly and soak in warm water till time of use, to remove all traces of dirt.
Cooking Instructions
1. Add beef or chewable of choice to a clean pot (the pot must be the one you want to cook soup with). Add sliced onions, seasonings of choice and salt to taste. Add enough water to cover it and turn on the heat to a medium.
2. After it must have cooked for about five minutes, check to see if tender then add your washed dried/stock fishes and ponmo. Cover and allow it cook together. Should have been ready to take a other ingredient in 3mins.
3. Add washed periwinkles and stir. Allow them boil. If stock is not enough by this time, you can add a little water.
4. Add your blended peppers or dried Cameroon pepper( I use the latter as it is easier and faster in application). Allow to simmer for about 2minutes.
5. You can now add a little palm oil at this stage. To allow the palm oil dissolve and cook well, leave stock for about 5-6minutes. Don't forget to keep stirring at intervals. Food is halfway done by now.
6. Time to add the vegetables is now. The water leaves goes first. Don't fret when the water leaves threatens to spill out of the pot of use. Give it 3minutes and you would see it disappear to almost bottom level of pot that would make you wonder why you hadn't bought more.
7. After about 3minutes of adding the water leaves and must have shrunk, add the grounded Afang leaves with crayfish.
8. Stir thoroughly so it would mix with other simmering ingredients. Allow to simmer for 5minutes.
9. Your Afang soup is ready to be eaten with any staple of choice! Enjoy it hot and delicious!
Isn't it just too easy to prepare?
A new recipe to enjoy the festive month yeah?
How about a change of meal course for this Christmas?
I hope I have been able to teach you how to cook Afang soup in a way which is comprehensible! For those who would love to see how it is been prepared, I made a cooking video to further guide you! I hope you find it useful! Until then, I am open to questions..........
Do you have a better way of preparing Afang soup? Have you learned at all in the cooking guide I highlighted above? Are you going to try Afang this weekend? Drop it in the comment section!
YOUTUBE VIDEO TUTORIAL
All pictures taken from phone gallery