My Food Diary: Make Edikan Ikong Soup With Me(05-09-2025)

Hi, I'm Blessing Isong known here on Steemit as @blezisong. I'm a newcomer who doesn't feel like a newcomer anymore because I've explored the platform enough and I'm really enjoying the experience. On today's blog, I'll share my food diary blog with you all and I think I'll be doing more of this weekly. Yes, you heard me. It's now going to be a weekly routine where I'll be sharing my meal preparation steps from start to finish with you all. I'll be doing this to introduce to my beautiful Steemit friends all over the globe, my delicacies both local and intercontinental. So if you're a lover of food like me and would love to explore, stay locked in to my blog and you won't regret.

^{Hi, I'm Blessing}

I woke up and was low on resources and you know what happens anytime I'm low on funds, I run to my farm to source for produce. I walked majestically into my farm and began to look around for crops I could use to fix one or two at home. I first sighted my vegetable farm, I walked through and observed the massive growth and I was so happy because breakfast is settled. That's one thing I love about farming, whenever you run to it, you'll surely have a harvest no matter how small it is. I also checked out the waterleaf beds and the growth too was sporadic.

^{vegetable farm}

^{waterleaf beds}

After due observation, I began to pluck the quantity of leaves I needed that will prepare me a sumptuous Edikan ikong soup(vegetable soup). I took my harvest out of the farm, went home and made a small list of the things I needed to buy at the market and rushed to buy them. I bought the needed items and returned home , put the items in a bowl to check if all my ingredients were complete before I embark on the journey. Now here's a brief introduction of our meal for today and the ingredients I'll be using for it's preparation.

^{ingredients I bought at the market}

Edikan Ikong soup is a delicacy whose origin can be traced to the Efik people of Calabar and Ibibio people of Akwa Ibom state in the southern part of Nigeria. This meal is widely eaten in many parts of the country and served in important occasions. Ingredients I'll use include Vegetable leaf, waterleaf, palm oil, perewinkle, cow skin, stockfish, fish, meat either beef or goat meat, seasonings, salt, pepper, crayfish and water. I started by washing the proteins, seasoned and steamed them.

While the protein was on fire, I carefully washed the vegetable leaf and sliced it and also did same to the waterleaf. I kept them aside and checked in the pot on fire, the proteins were well cooked and tender so I added a little more water to the pot and adjusted my seasonings. I gave it some minutes to boil and I went in with waterleaf, crayfish and palm oil and allowed it to cook. After some minutes, I checked on it again and the aroma was satisfying, I added the vegetable leaf, added a little amount of oil again, sprinkled crayfish lastly and gave it a quick stir and the soup was ready

^{sliced vegetable}

^{soup is ready}

My swallow was ready and sitting pretty in a plate, I dished the soup and took it to the room where I sat down gently and ate. The soup was fresh and greenish and that's how I love it, I dished some into a good pack and took it to my sister's place. I so much missed her and my nephew. I'm grateful to have you read my blog, until we cross paths next time.