Edikang ikong
A rich soup of fluted pumpkin leaves and waterleaf cooked almost in their own juices, with meat, stockfish, periwinkles and palm oil.
What makes it edikang ikong
- Two greens: waterleaf, and fluted pumpkin leaves (ugu).
- Little or no added water.
- Beef, stockfish and periwinkles, with palm oil and crayfish.
Where it comes from
A soup of the Efik and Ibibio peoples of the south-east coast, and a source of Calabar's reputation for cooking. It's made with a great deal of leaves and very little water: the waterleaf gives up its own, and the fluted pumpkin leaves, ugu, go in last so they stay green.
Its name is usually translated as vegetable soup, and it's a costly one to make well — meat, stockfish, dried fish and periwinkles all go in — which is why it's a dish for guests and celebrations.
How it varies
- Afang soup
- Its sister: pounded afang leaves with waterleaf.
- With spinach
- Abroad, spinach and kale often stand in for the leaves.
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Start your own edikang ikongNo one here has made edikang ikong yet. Start it as v1, and every version after is an experiment the next cook can learn from.
