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Efik Traditional Nigerian Soups

Kale Edikang Ikong

You must be wondering, did I read that correctly. Dunni has come again. To you, I say why not. We have tried Kale Efo Riro which I named Kale Riro (recipe HERE), or at least I hope you have. We have also tried Kale Egusi soup, some of us have, well I think it is time to step out of the Yoruba culture and explore what other ways we can cook Kale Nigerian. Today, I am stepping into the Efik culture to cook the “revered” Edikang Ikong. Yup, I dared to, I went there, deal with it.

If the lack of sourcing Ugu and Water leaves have been a problem for you, well this is good news. I have told very many people to substitute spinach for water leaf, as water leaf is more difficult to find than Ugu is. Well, if you live in those parts of the world where even finding Ugu is a problem, well look no further than Kale. This is very similar to my Kale Riro recipe, but this time cooked Edikang Ikong style i.e. no tatashe, no frying the onions, no frying the pepper, no adding Iru etc. Cooked proper Efik style but with different vegetables. I served this for my SYTCC ladies on Saturday and they can testify, because that their plates came back empty.

The joy of being a cook is the flexibility you can afford yourself. The dimensions you can go to with food are limitless, and if we want other people to embrace our food, to understand that we are a food super power too, we have to learn to drop down our walls and take that leap. No dead king is going to cut off your head, nah, no grandma is going to roll in her grave, even if she does, oh well, sorry Grandma. You are alive, she is dead and the world is for the living. If you check the meaning of culture, you will find that it evolves. Lets hold hands today and be known as that generation of Nigerian cooks, who dared to look into the face of tradition, but not to throw it away but to adapt it. Let us be the generation known to introduce new flavours and concepts to Nigerian cooking. Let our daughters and our sons remember and thank us when they can easily walk into a store in major cities anywhere in the world and prepare food that is familiar. Let our generation be the one where the ball of frustration stops because you no longer have to miss home cooking, when you can improvise to delicious results. Can I hear an Amen somebody. The Nigerian Food revolution has started in earnest, which part are you prepared to play in it?

Okay, enough of the political speech, let’s get to cooking. After, I had much success serving it last week to my SYTYCC guests, I decided to cook this again today. People, this is the best thing I have EVER made with Kale. I have probably stepped on the toes of the Efik people enough today, but I will stretch this a little further and say I prefer this veggie combo to the traditional one. Okay, I am running away now hanging unto my head. Hehehehehehehehe. That’s just my naughty side talking. No offence meant really.

If you are reading this and you live in Nigeria, not to worry. Wherever I wrote spinach, replace it with Water Leaf. Where I wrote Kale, replace it with Ugu. See, everyone is happy.

You will need

2 bunches of spinach

1/4 – 1 bag of Kale – see, i am also replicating the ugu : water leaf ratio

Assorted meats

2 pieces of Yellow ata rodo (scotch bonnet/habanero pepper) – use red if that’s what you can find

Palm oil

Large Prawns

Ground Crayfish

Periwinkles

Shredded Stockfish and Smoked Catfish

How To

I would like to stress again, that I used the same method as my previous Edikang Ikong recipe HERE. This time I am using un-shelled periwinkles, because by some stroke of luck, I found some at BIMS in Peckham.

1. Boil your assorted meat, with very tough smoked catfish. Season with seasoning cubes and salt. Trust me, if you want to stop using seasoning cubes and salt in your soups, get your stock right and you will no longer need to. A tip I learnt from my Calabar friend Joy.

Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: I normally boil a huge portion of meats, with lots of stock, but for Edikang Ikong, I pick out the pieces of assorted meat I need into a separate pot, add about 4 cooking spoons of stock to it, and let it boil till the meats absorb almost 80% of the stock, leaving very little. Remember, Edikang Ikong is not a watery soup, using too much stock at the beginning will spell doom later on.

2. Now you have your assorted meat and softened smoked crayfish in the pot, with the stock reduced, add freshly grounded pepper (ata rodo – scotch bonnet/habanero pepper) and Palm oil. With the heat on medium, allow the palm oil to dissolve into the stock, and let it be simmering nicely, getting ready for the chopped spinach.

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Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: A little tip from me about cooking with spinach. Many people have problems cooking with spinach and I’ve always wondered why, because it has always been smooth sailing for me. Today, out of nowhere, it hit me. I always buy my spinach in its natural form i.e. stalk and all. By chopping the leaves with the stock, you are giving the leaves some body, so when you cook with it, it is not as watery as using the leaves (picked of the stalk) alone. So, if you’ve always bought frozen spinach, try buying fresh, and I don’t mean fresh already picked of the stalk in bags, I mean fresh as in, a bunch of Spinach, and when you do buy the bunch, don’t put it in the fridge. There is something about the cold air that turns your spinach to mush.

Image 1

3. Chop the spinach and add to the pot.

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for some strange reason (i was probably cooking on auto pilot), I decided to add one half of the spinach first, then I remembered periwinkles, and I stopped. Got it out of the freezer,  then added the other half.

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4. Once the spinach is in, crank the heat back up to high. In about 2 minutes, the spinach will be wilting nicely, and would have leached water out into the stock, not to worry. Just stir and leave it for another minute or so, and add the fresh prawns, while you are at it. . See, the water at the edge of the pot. Again, like I mentioned above, the pot is not flowing with water, because I am using fresh spinach.

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You need to let the spinach wilt properly and soften before you add the chopped Kale. Here’s my Kale sitting pretty in the Colander to drain properly.

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5. Chop the Kale and add to the pot. Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: now, I will be a little honest here. I bought a bag of Kale, thinking I will use it all. I ended up using about half. When you are pouring the Kale in, start with taking it in handfuls first and stir. A full bag, is probably too much. Right about the halfway mark, you will see that it is just right. You don’t want to use too much Kale and drown out the Spinach. 

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6. Once, you have your Kale in, with the heat still on high, stir, and then add ground crayfish and a little extra smoked catfish. Dooney’s Kitchen tip: I always like adding crayfish towards the tail end of cooking, so you get the maximum impact of its flavour.

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7. Stir gently, and just leave the veggies to combine nicely with the other ingredients for another 2 – 3 minutes. Taste for Salt and Seasoning cubes, and adjust if necessary. Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: One tip I picked up from Joy which always freaks out novices with Edikang Ikong and leads them to making a rookie mistake (adding extra stock) is this. After you add the Kale and stir, it will look like all the water has been absorbed and you will think your end result will be too dry. Do NOT be tempted to add stock, seriously DON’T. Palm oil to the rescue. 

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Adding Palm oil, will create the fluidity that you need. About a cooking spoon extra or more. Remember, Edikang Ikong is NOT a watery soup. When the Kale has wilted sufficiently enough, but still with a green colour, take it off the heat. You don’t want to overcook the veggies.

…………and that’s your Kale Edikang Ikong, done and dusted. Enjoy!!!!

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When the soup has fully cooked, and you serve, you see the juices that you were initially scared wasn’t there, will gradually pool beneath the vegetables in the plate. See below.

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Okay, if I served this to you, and did not let you know that I did not use the traditional veggies used for Edikang Ikong, you wouldn’t know. Trust me.  Even if I did tell you, believe me, it tastes sooooooooooo good, you wouldn’t care. My guests definitely didn’t. That plate emptied so fast, I had to go get some more from the pot.

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34 Comments

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FILED UNDER: Efik, Traditional Nigerian Soups
TAGGED WITH: edikang ikong, Kale Edikang Ikong
Dooney

About Dooney

Dooney is the blogger, recipe developer and photographer for Dooney's Kitchen. I spend my days trying to figure out creative ways to redefine Nigerian food, either by creating a new dish itself using ingredients in ways that have never been used before, or changing the approach to Nigerian cooking using kitchen gadgets.

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Comments

  1. AvatarTumi says

    February 15, 2014 at 7:07 pm

    D saw the recipe on my newsfeed, your ”Martin Luther King” speech for food lovers made me chuckle, l have smoked goat head in my freezer just chilling away….. well done again

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      February 15, 2014 at 7:20 pm

      Trust me, I wrote that for a particular group of people who have decided to bury their head in the sand regarding where their food is involved. Times are moving on, and we will gladly leave them behind. I dared to “mess” with their recipe and I will keep checking my neck to see if my head is still attached. LMAO. You must know by now that I am very naughty. hehehehehe. Smoked goat meat. Oooooooh, you will definitely love it in this dish. Thanks for your comment.

      Reply
  2. AvatarKofo says

    February 15, 2014 at 8:23 pm

    Please invite me to your house nau….. I’m tooo lazy to try any of these!! *sobs*
    Ps: I live in London and I have a satnav..lool

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      February 15, 2014 at 8:32 pm

      Hahahahahaha. Aaaaaaw, it is quite simple to prepare o and the ingredients are easily sourced

      Reply
  3. AvatarEmem umana says

    February 15, 2014 at 10:12 pm

    Dooney, this is edikang ikong modernised. well done. will have to try this out. l love trying out different stuff couldn’t be stock up with same old method of cooking, time is moving on. Anyway, the soup looks yummy

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      February 16, 2014 at 12:16 am

      Aaaaaaaaw, thanks for understanding my vision.

      Reply
  4. AvatarRosemary says

    February 16, 2014 at 12:14 am

    please what is this stock you substitue for maggi and salt and where can it be found am in canada

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      February 16, 2014 at 12:19 am

      B stock, I mean the liquid that is left after you meats have cooked

      Reply
  5. AvatarEfe says

    February 16, 2014 at 12:16 am

    I usually steam the kale before mixing in with spinach because kale is really harsh as in it can affect the thyroid glands if eaten raw. I try not to steam too long though so as not to lose all the goodies. What do you think?

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      February 16, 2014 at 12:33 am

      You will get the same effect as steaming, if you cook it the way I do. I don’t particularly like steaming veggies as it loses nutrients very fast to the water it is steamed in. I hope that explains it

      Reply
  6. AvatarAjokeade says

    February 17, 2014 at 7:06 pm

    Hey Rosemary. U can get chicken or beef stock @ any grocery store in Canada. It might also be called broth. But like Dooney said its best to make your own. Just season your meat well. Most African stores here have Naija Knorr or Maggi. Chicken might be hard to find but just ask @ the African stores n they might be able to help. If you are in the GTA (Toronto area) I might be able to recommend a free stores.

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      February 17, 2014 at 8:33 pm

      Thank you so much for that Joke

      Reply
  7. AvatarMo says

    February 18, 2014 at 8:00 am

    Please where can I get periwinkles in uk or can I cook this without it? Ta

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      February 21, 2014 at 1:02 am

      I bought mine from Peckham. You can replace with cockles, which you can find at Sainsburys, otherwise, just leave it out

      Reply
  8. AvatarLiv says

    February 18, 2014 at 9:32 am

    Hello Dooney, I made this on Sunday…It was delish! It’s great to know I can replicate my edikanekong soup with just a trip to Sainsbury’s rather than the long trip to the Nigerian food shop, and cheaper too. I’m from Akwa-Ibom and I’ll admit that the taste was pretty close (Although, being partial to my origins, I wouldn’t say better, but it was a close second :-)). And since you changed the ingredients, I wouldn’t still call it edikanekong, maybe kalekong or doonekong, since u created it. lol. In the spirit of trying out new things, I mixed a bit of watercress with the spinach, cos it somehow reminded me of waterleaf, and as I can’t get essam where I am , I used cockles (they are quite similar, and it was available in Sainsburys), and it was great. In summary, thanks a lot for this recipe!

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      February 21, 2014 at 1:00 am

      Lol. You know you can say you better it, hehehehehe, your secret will be safe with me. Lol. The watercress idea is really a good one. As for the name, I wanted something catchy that people will remember, and not to take away from the glory of Edikang Ikong. Nothing can take away from Edikang Ikong. I hope you understand. Dooney Kong. I like that. Lol. Youa re most welcome

      Reply
      • AvatarAlero says

        February 22, 2014 at 1:06 pm

        cockles for periwinkles ? A most try !!!!

        Reply
        • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

          February 22, 2014 at 1:07 pm

          In fact, I was impressed myself. Would never have thought of it

          Reply
  9. AvatarLamide says

    February 26, 2014 at 10:34 pm

    omg!!! I didn’t believe this would work. Growing up, we had an akwa Ibom help and she made the best edikaikong so seeing this recipe brought back good memories and I decided to try it out.
    I followed the steps to the letter even though I didn’t have periwinkles it turned out heavenly and tasted fab!
    You rock Dooney!!!
    Thanks

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      February 26, 2014 at 11:28 pm

      Aaaaaaw, well done Lamide. Really pleased you enjoyed it

      Reply
  10. AvatarChiz says

    March 3, 2014 at 2:31 am

    Dooney the genius! Made this soup last night & I’ve woken up 2ice to go lick some. Hope I save some for hubby who is out of town. Thanks for discovering & sharing. God bless U.

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      March 3, 2014 at 12:40 pm

      Aaaaaaaw, well done. Don’t finish it o, so you can bask in your husband’s praise. Well done

      Reply
  11. AvatarAmy says

    May 16, 2014 at 3:39 pm

    hi Dooney, am a big fan, please whats the local Nigerian name for Kale

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      May 16, 2014 at 5:17 pm

      Hi Amy, Kale is not a local vegetable. It is used by those who live outside of Nigeria, in the place of Ugu

      Reply
      • AvatarAmy says

        May 16, 2014 at 9:53 pm

        Thanks Dooney, I thought as much, was just hoping I could try this out. Looks yum BTW #wink

        Reply
        • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

          May 19, 2014 at 1:10 pm

          Please Amy do and let me know how it turns out

          Reply
  12. AvatarAdesunbo Atunrase says

    June 7, 2014 at 11:57 am

    Hi Dunni, just want to commend here that you’re truly a blessing unto this our generation….umhhhnnn where do I start from, I went to this Halal store to buy fresh shrimps and some fresh meats, but instead I saw lots of fresh water leaf ( Gbure), Okazi leaf as well as Ugwu leaf. I was like whoa!!! Then I thought of buying some if it all even though I’ve got no clue on what to use the water leaf for…. On getting home, I went through your web page and I saw that I can use the water leaf and the Ugwu for (Edikang ikong), lo and behold I tried it and it came out really great and tastes so yummy, to add here that it’s a sumptuous type of soup too.
    I’m keeping the okazi leaf to use it for Afang soup as well as for the nkwobi to give my hubby a fathers’ day treat….
    I choose not to post the pix on the group page.. Thanks a million for sharing your recipe and the cooking method. A little secret here is that my children adores you so much!!! As they are always saying you’re very kind to be sharing all these idea

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      June 11, 2014 at 9:07 pm

      Oh wow, what a lovely discovery. Thank you so much for sharing this with me and big hugs to your children

      Reply
  13. AvatarOyindamola says

    July 30, 2014 at 3:48 pm

    Hello Dunni, Have never cooked kale before and the only time have tasted it was in smoothie which my mum inlaw (usually) made for me when I was pregnant ( she will not allow me take soda or any can juice except the once she made with fresh fruits and veggies) Was at the store and I saw this fresh ‘looking’ kale – wondered if there is a special way to cook this, I remembered dooneyskitchen and I bought it. Planning to cook it today, I decide to search for it here (wasn’t sure though if I will find it, I just typed the word ‘kale’) so happy to find it and am sure it will turn out well as I have all the ingredients except the periwinkle (not tasted that before though). Thanks for coming to my rescue, without people like you, I won’t even bother to try different healthy dishes…. God will continue to be with and bless you. Love.

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      July 30, 2014 at 3:51 pm

      Amen and Amen, thanks Oyin and all the best with your soup

      Reply
  14. AvatarAnonymouzly says

    November 20, 2014 at 12:39 am

    I just made this and it works! I’m having this for dinner! Thanks Dooney! You have revolutionized my kitchen and cooking!

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      November 21, 2014 at 11:27 am

      aaaaw, thanks. Happy to help

      Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      November 21, 2014 at 11:28 am

      Awwww, hugs. Thanks

      Reply
  15. AvatarEstee says

    December 31, 2014 at 12:19 pm

    Thank you so much for this Dooney! I relocated to a new country a few months ago and I have been missing home so much especially during these holidays. I just made this and now, I have a piece of home with me. I will be having it for lunch with rice.

    Reply

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