Hello frugal minds and 
For my meal, I will need semolina, jute leaf, locust bean, pepper, seasoning, beef, and cowskin, which I got from a market in the next town before mine, where I reside. I bought the semolina for #750, which is equivalent to $1. Semolina is made from durum wheat and is a popular solid food in Nigeria, eaten by almost all the tribes.
Image credit is mine
I bought jute leaf, popularly known as ewedu in my local language; it is one of the most nutritious leaves taken as soup in my culture and also in Nigeria. It is mostly used in taking solid food, which we call swallowing, and it's medicinal because it aids digestion. I got a locust bean with it as a supplement; it helps a lot in the preparation, makes it delicious, and smells nice. Also, I got potash, which helps the jute leaf draw well while cooking; that's why it is called draw soup. I also bought seasoning, which we call Maggi, and salt here in Nigeria. I used $1, which is #750 Nigerian currency, to get all these.
This is the raw jute leaves and the finished product
Image credit is mine
For my pepper to make a delicious stew, I bought tomatoes, habanero pepper known as "ata rodo" , red bell pepper known as "tatase" in my native language, and onions worth $2, which is #1500 in Nigerian currency. To make the stew more appealing, I bought 1/2 kg of beef with ground nut oil which is worth $2, which is #1500 in Nigerian currency, and the remaining $1, which is #750 for cowskin, which we call "ponmo" in Nigeria, and transport.
My ingredients are set, and it's time to cook. I blend the tomatoes, red bell pepper, and habanero pepper with onions together to my taste, and I boil my beef and cowskin with seasoning. After that was done, I chopped my onions and placed a pot on the fire to prepare my stew. I put a desirable amount of groundnut oil on the fire, added my onion and blended pepper into the oil, and added my seasoning to taste.
Image credit is mine
I add my beef and cow skin, covered, for like five minutes to boil properly, and my stew is ready. For my solid, I placed another pot on the fire with the amount of water needed to make the swallow for the number of people I wanted, closed it up with a lid, and left it till it boiled at 100°C. Then I slowly added the semolina and stirred gently till I achieved the desired thickness. Add a little quantity of water, then leave on the fire for a while to cook properly, then, after two minutes, stir properly and serve.
Image credit is mine
For my draw soup preparation, first I will pick the leaves from their stems, then wash them thoroughly, place a pot on the fire with a desirable amount of water, and add my locust bean and a little quantity of potash to aid the soup in answering its name, "draw soup". Leave it for some minutes to soften it, and after you feel the texture and it's soft enough, you can use the small manual broom used in blending it, known as "ijabe" in my native language, or blend it with a blender, which is the new way technology has saved us from stress. After that, add your seasoning to taste, and it's ready to eat.
Image credit is mine
After all, this is done; next is to sit and enjoy the delicious meal. After cooking, I checked my dish and it turned out well, and this time my friend arrived at
Image credit is mine
This mission is sure fun; it helped me enjoy what I've craved for a long time and also share it with my family and friends. This was tonight's dinner, and thanks to
Would have loved to share the pictures of my family enjoying the meal but the use of a phone is not allowed on the dining table.
Mission successful, I hope you all love my $7 cooking mission.
Thanks for your time and your comments will be appreciated.
