l was in Abuja when I started writing this recipe doing omugwo for my sister who just had a baby and have learnt so many recipes, Kunun G’eda, yoghurt, Afang Soup and got me some local Hausa pepper mix called yaji, all of which I will be sharing with us in the days to come.
Today though, we’ll take a look at my version of Edikaikong. I add a few more ingredients which is why I call it my version. One tip I want to share with us is, for those of us who live in Lagos, as much as possible, buy things in bulk. l shop monthly in Oyingbo market and this makes my life easier. I decide what two soups we’ll eat for the month then go ahead and buy the ingredients.
I hardly buy things in my area except for fruits and vegetables, things that can’t keep long such as carrots, cabbage – thanks to PHCN.
Now, let’s dig into the soup!
Ingredients:
2 medium bunches of Pumpkin leaf (ugu)
4 medium bunches of waterleaf
1 medium bunch of uziza leaf
5 large snails
A cup of periwinkles (Isam)
A cup of water snails (mgbi)
A cup of crayfish
20 pieces of assorted meat
2 cups of fresh Pomo
2 medium pieces of dry fish
4 cooking spoons of palm oil
2 small wraps of ogiri *Optional
2 small Okpei
3 bulbs of yellow pepper
3 bulbs of red pepper
1 teaspoon Cameroon pepper
2 Maggi crayfish Cubes
2 Maggi cubes
Salt to taste
Wash the meat thoroughly with salt and put on fire seasoning it with 1/2 teaspoon of Cameroon pepper, 2 Maggi cubes, 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt. Here’s what I do to roundabout so I don’t risk eating the debris in it.
With my kitchen shears (Scissors) I cut it open completely -Yeah it alters its shape but it’s clean and totally safe- I’d choose that over shape of meat. š
Wash the pomo thoroughly with salt and fry until dry. (this only applies if you are using fresh pomo like the one in the previous picture)
Add the fried pomo to the boiling meat.
While the meat is boiling set about blending the crayfish, peppers, Ogiri and opei. Blend with 3/4 cup of water until its a smooth paste then set aside.
In a big bowl wash the water leaf with salt once, then several times with just water until you no longer see sand at the bottom of the bowl. Wash the Ugu and Uziza leaves same way then cut all three vegetables into small slices separately and set aside.
Keep an eye on the water content of the meat, add a cup every 15 minutes depending on how quickly it dries up.Ā Once the pomo is soft enough, remove and cut into tiny bits and put it back into the pot of soup.
After about 40 minutes on the fire, wash and add the stock fish, snails, dry fish,Ā periwinkles, water snails, crayfish blend, the 4 spoons of palm oil and 2 Maggi crayfish cubes to the meat. Let it all boil till the water dries up completely.
Add the water leaf and let it boil for 10 minutes. (depending on how soft you want the meat, you can remove it for this process and add it back once the Ugu leaf goes in)
By now the water leaf would have released water into the soup. I like my soup with a bit of water so I don’t let it dry out before adding the Uziza leaf and Ugu leaf. But if you don’t want water at all let the water dry out.
Add 1 Maggi crayfish cube, then add the Ugu and Uziza leaves, stir and taste for salt. Allow it boil for 5 minutes, then bring it down from the fire.
Serve with fufu, Eba or Semo. l ate mine with fufu. š
Azu š
20 Comments
Now I’m hungry!!!!!!!!! And I just went shopping for the month yesterday! If I had seen this post a day or two earlier! Well, nothing spoil, I must still make it anyway!
Aww… so sorry dearie….
Wow… nice!!!
Wow! I tried dis dish on saturday n it was delicious! Hubby licked his fingers n was just lookin @ me (corner eye) hahaha! Keep up d gud work Clara,d Lord is ur strength. Love u much 4 dis! Pls don’t 4get Ofe-onugbu o,lol.
Aww..-Joy so glad you enjoyed the recipe. And no!l haven’t forgotten your bitter leaf soup request lol! Thanks for the encouragement.
This picture made me try the recipe yesterday. Soooo glad I did, was worth it totally. I really love the uziza and ogiri, made my soup taste different and delicious. Thanks dear for encouraging me to try it out.
You are welcome Uloaku! That’s what I’m here for….tempt to the point where you have no choice but to try out, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
i really enjoy ur recipies.its really an eye opener for a wise woman who wants to d belly of her man.thanks.
Thanks alot!
Came across this recipe as I was going through the old post, and I can’t stop swallowing please you talked about water snails. where can one get that in Abuja? can i add fresh shrimps? I also saw your adversary pics and I wish a love filled home with lovely kids. Cheers and be blessed
Thanks so much Helen, appreciate the comment, in Abuja, I would say Garki market but I’m not so sure, you know they are harvested from swampy areas so finding them there might be a challenge, so sorry!
[…] at him just in time to watch him lick all four fingers that had just been dipped into piping hot EdikaikongĀ soup. My mouth waters, I try to hiss and fail making a slushy sound instead and Henry’s […]
[…] soups are named after the dominant vegetable for example: Oha soupĀ , Efo riroĀ , Egusi soupĀ , EdikaikongĀ , Okra soupĀ etc. That is to say the soup will come out fantastic without the addition of ginger, […]
Excellent recipe, each step very well explained and illustrated, excellent blog – love the name! This is great!
Thanks so much Ogo! Appreciate the comment.
Nice one clara. I can enjoy this delicious meal with my family this weekend having learnt the step-by-step from your website
Awwww,
Glad to hear that Sir. Thanks
[…] leaves stay long and chewy is part of what makes the soup Ofe Onugbu. Well, except for Efo riroĀ ,Ā EdikaikongĀ andĀ Afang, I prefer light sprinkles of veggies in soups that have sauce as their base. Soups like […]
OK…FIRST ON MY TO DO LIST., most certain if i try this hubby will renew his vows again!!!!….Woow ur blog is so impressive.
i m yet to decipher niwaz as i wanna go through all your menu to pick on for the weekend, this one is top on my list though….
nice work..so much effort seems to be put in this, i am definitely bookmarking this…#wink
Lol @Husband renewing his vows.
Thanks so much for the compliments, alot of work sure goes into this I tell you and having people appreciate it makes it worth my while.