How to prepare Edikang Inkong - Nigerian Dish

What is Edikang Inkong?

Edikan Inkong is a thick, tasty and healthy meal made from a generous amount of vegetables, usually Ugwu (fluted pumpkin leaves), water leaves, palm oil and an assortment of meat and fish.

Preparation time

Cooking time- 30 minutes.

Serves - 3 to 4

Ingredients

• Ugwu or fluted pumpkin leaves. 1 kg (washed and chopped)
• Water leaves. 1kg (washed and cut into small pieces)
• Onions. 1 (chopped)
• Beef stake + assorted
• Smoked fish
• Periwinkle. 1/2 to 1 cup
• Fresh pepper. 5 (blended with some onions)
• Dry chilli pepper (ground)
• Palm oil. 1/2 cup
• Dry crayfish 1/3(pounded or ground)
• Salt
• 2 seasoning cubes
• 1 large stockfish

Optional ingredients

1. If you can't get meat and fish at the same time, it's OK to use one. Using both is preferable but not the only way.
2. Stockfish. I added stockfish as an optional ingredient because some people don't like the aroma it gives to food. If you don't like stockfish, you can leave it out.

Preparation

Wash the stockfish and soak in hot water for 30 minutes.

Direction for cooking

1. Wash and cook the meat until almost tender, then add your stockfish and cook until tender. Season meat with salt, some chopped onion and one seasoning cube. Make sure that your meat has as little water as possible by the time it's well cooked. Why? That is because this soup needs to be very thick. The leaves and palm oil will give it enough water to Cook.
2. Add fresh pepper, crayfish, periwinkle, palm oil and cook for 7 to 10 minutes.
3. Add the fish and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Add water leaves, Ugwu leaves, chilli pepper, salt, and one stock cube and cook for five minutes.

Your Edikang Ikong is ready.

Servings

Edikan Ikong can be served with any swallow: Eba, Amala, Semo, Wheat etc.

Note

1. Don't add much salt when cooking this soup as it can get salty fast.
2. If you are using heavily smoked fish, add it at the same time you are cooking the stockfish.
3. Don't like spicy food? It's okay to leave out chilli pepper.

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