Afang soup originated in the Akwa Ibom and Cross River regions of Nigeria, but soon became popular all over the country. Afang leaves are the star of the soup, but this dish is also loved for its vibrant taste and lots of healthy vegetables. Find out how to prepare Afang soup!
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1. Ingredients for Afang soup
You can’t learn how to make Afang soup without knowing what you’ll need! Here are the Afang soup ingredients you need to have at hand for the preparation of this hearty treat.
- Afang leaves – 400g
- Water leaves – 250g
- Beef – 500g
- Dry fish – 2
- Ground crayfish – 2tbsp
- Palm oil – 250ml
- Onion – 1
- Stock cubes – 2
- Salt and pepper – to taste
2. How to cook Afang soup
Ready to treat your family to a pot of steaming, delicious Afang soup? Here is how to cook Afang to make everyone love it!
- First prepare your leaves. Thoroughly wash and drain the water leaves, and then chop them into tiny pieces.
- Do the same with Afang leaves. You can buy them chopped at the market, but you’ll get a more thorough result if you do it yourself – for example, by grinding them in a blender with a little water.
- Chop your onion as finely as possible and slice the meat.
- Put the meat, the chopped onion, and stock cubes into a pot. Cover with water and put on the stove. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook until the meat is tender, adding the water when needed. Try to use as little water as possible!
- When the meat is ready, add the dried fish and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Next add the crayfish, pepper, and palm oil. Let the mixture incorporate and start boiling.
- Now you can add the chopped water leaves and Afang leaves. Stir well and bring to a boil.
- From this moment the soup will only take 5-10 minutes to cook. Taste the leaves – if they’re tender and the soup has thickened and isn’t too watery, salt the soup to taste, give it one good last stir, and take off the heat.
This is the classic recipe for Afang soup. In order to maintain the authenticity of the recipe, it’s not recommended to make major substitutions of ingredients. However, if you can’t find or don’t like water leaves, you can use lamb’s lettuce for the same amazing flavour.
3. How to serve Afang soup
Like any other Nigerian soup, Afang soup tastes fantastic on its own, but you can make it even more flavourful and filling if you serve it with one of the popular Nigerian garnishes.
Perhaps, the most popular pairing for Afang soup is fresh Garri, made from cassava. You can also try Afang soup with semolina or cassava fufu, pounded yam, or Amala – each of those garnishes will highlight the soup flavour and make it the favourite dish of the whole family!
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