Afang soup; a delight to behold and to eat. It is a special delicacy of the Efik and ibibio tribes of Nigeria. Some parts of Cameroon bordering that part of Nigeria also enjoy this delicacy.
Afang Soup is soup is a soup rich in meats and vegetables and palm oil. If you are averse to palm oil then this soup may not be for you. Some people actually make this oil free but Noooo I can’t make this soup oil free lol. The oil is the real deal in this recipe. I am sure the originators of this dish will agree with me ?. Oil compliments most vegetable soups like Afang and Edikang ikong. Having tasted Afang with oil. I doubt you can convince me to ditch the oil in this recipe.
The originators of this dish love to add a lot of seafood to afang but i am not one for seafood therefore I would be sticking to the few I usually include in my soups which are stockfish and dry fish. One seafood I know I won’t be including in this dish is periwinkles with the shells. In as much as I, I love to watch the way it is enjoyed by people who love it. I can’t eat it. It’s a pleasure to behold because the ‘periwinkles eating’ has a style to it.
Table of Contents
What is Afang Soup made of?
Afang is made from afang vegetable (okazi in Igbo) and waterleaves. It is very similar to Edikang ikong. The afang leaves differentiates them since edikang ikong soup is traditionally made with water leaves and Ugu while afang soup is made with okazi and waterleaf vegetable.
The type of water leaves used for afang soup back home in Nigeria is not easily accessible to me here so I would be using frozen spinach as a sub. I have the okazi leaves washed, pounded and frozen prepared by my beloved momma. I wonder what i would have used as a sub if I didn’t have okazi leaves. God bless you for me mom. She always makes sure I have ground okazi in the freezer. And my mom-in-law God bless her too she usually takes care of my Ugba collection lol. These women know how I love to be in the kitchen chai!?
Anyway let’s get cooking. But before we do, how do you make your vegetable soups in Diaspora. What are your preferred vegetable substitutes? Kindly share in the comments below.
Get more Nigerian Soup Recipes!
So back to our Afang Soup…. so yummy ? Afang soup can be eaten with any swallow of your choice but the best I hear is pounded yam which is the traditional swallow of choice. Where are my Ibibio and Efik peeps…. your input is needed here please.
Swallow options to have with Afang Soup.
- Pounded Yam
And if you are on low carb / keto plan
Keto Amala aka eggplant fufuCauliflower fufu ( microwave method)Cauliflower fufu ( stove top )Cabbage fufu
Let’s get started.
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Nigerian Afang Soup
Ingredients
- 4-6 cups Meat Stock (Add more water as needed)
- ½ cup Ground crayfish
- ½ Tbsp Cameroon pepper
- 1-1/2 to 2 cups palm oil
- 2 large onions chopped
- 300 g beef or roasted turkey pre-cooked
- 350 g cow feet pre-cooked
- 350 g stock fish pre-cooked
- 2 cups frozen cooked shrimps (optional
- 907 g frozen spinach
- 500 g ground okazi
- 2 teaspoons Bouillon powder (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- 2 pieces of Dried fish cleaned and deboned. (optional)
Instructions
Using Precooked meats
- Add crayfish and Cameroon pepper to the meat stock and Bring the meat stock to boil*
- Add the ground okazi to the meat stock and set on medium low to simmer
- In a separate saucepan, heat up oil and sauté chopped onions for about a minute to release its flavor.
- Pour sautéed onions with oil into the pot, then add the shrimps, stock fish, dry fish and other precooked meats. Stir, taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
- Finally add the spinach, stir to mix, lower heat to simmer for another 2 minutes then turn off heat.
- Serve with your choice of swallow.
When not using precooked meats
- Add assorted meats to a pot. Season with bouillon and salt. Add water just enough to cover the meats then bring to boil.
- When the meats begins to boil, add crayfish and pepper and continue to cook till meat is almost fully cooked.
- Add the ground okazi and oil with sautéed onions to the meats, stir and taste for seasoning. Adjust to taste.
- Add the spinach. Stir in and Lowe heat to simmer for about 2 minutes. Then turn off heat and serve.
Notes
- I usually prep the meats used for my soups and stews a day or up to a week before making the soup. That way I save a lot of time on the day I make the soup. The meat stock is also prepped ahead.
- If you don't have precooked meats, all you need to do is start by cooking the meats then continue with the steps outlined above.
- Sautéing the onions is an optional step but I noticed it improves the taste of the soup. If using fresh pepper, chopped it up and sauté with the onions in palm oil.
- For the precooked meats option: Quantity of salt and Bouillon powder (Maggi or Knorr powder) is a guide you will need to adjust to your taste bearing in mind that the meat stock already has some in there.
- If cooking your meats from scratch, the quantity would need to be increased as well. Let your taste buds guide you.
Thanks Chi Chi it was really helpful
And simpler with ur explanation
You are welcome Omah! Happy it helped. Thanks for letting me know.
– Chichi
Thanks so much it’s was of great help to me n easy to follow
Hi Elisabeth,
You are welcome! Glad you found it helpful. Thank you for taking out time to leave a comment.
– Chichi
This was delicious. Thank you
Hi Amaka,
Thank you for letting me know. Happy new year.
– Chichi
this is so direct and easy to make following your instruction, u did not include when to add the stockfish and dry fish to the soup and the quantity of meat stock to be used
Hi Becca,
Thank you for your compliment and also for your observation. I have updated the recipe card with the quantity of the meat stock to start with.
You will need to adjust it according to the consistency you prefer, bearing in mind that Afang soup is usually thick.
The precooked stock fish is added with the other precooked meats.
Let me know when you try the recipe and don’t hesitate to drop me a comment if you have any more questions. Stay safe & well.
– Chichi