← Nouns Cooking · West & East African

Ingredients

• 900 g frozen spinach (stands in for waterleaf), thawed and squeezed very dry
• 250 g ugu (fluted pumpkin leaves) or kale, finely chopped
• 600 g cooked beef, cow skin or smoked turkey, in chunks
• 200 g smoked or dried fish, soaked, deboned and flaked
• 250 ml meat stock
• 200 ml red palm oil
• 3 tbsp Ground crayfish
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 2 Scotch bonnet chilli, finely chopped
• 200 g raw prawns (or periwinkles) (optional)
• salt or stock powder, to taste

Method

1. Put the beef, smoked fish and stock in a large pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 5 min.
2. Stir in the palm oil, crayfish, onion and scotch bonnets and simmer for 5 min more.
3. Add the spinach (the waterleaf part) and stir well; it will release a little liquid. Cook for 3–4 min.
4. Add the ugu or kale and the prawns, if using, and stir. Cover and cook for 3–5 min, until the greens are just tender and the prawns are pink. The soup should be thick, not watery.
5. Season with salt, stir once more and turn off the heat. Serve with pounded yam, fufu or eba.

Tips

• Squeezing the spinach really dry is key: real edikang ikong has almost no added water.
• Don't overcook the greens; they should stay bright green.
• Wear gloves to cut or blend scotch bonnets, keep your hands away from your eyes and wash the board, knife and blender well afterwards.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Low Carb Africa My Diaspora Kitchen 9jafoodie