On my just concluded visit to the city of Calabar home of famous and delicious cuisine. For those of you have have had the opportunity to visit Calabar, you would agree with me that Calabar is known for its food and warm hospitality. I have taken time out to bring you mouth watering details on how to prepare one of Calabar's famous soups known as Edikan-Ikong Soup as well as others. The soup is rich in proteins and calories. Enjoy. This special delicacy is prepared with: 3 cups of pumpkin leaves (ikong ubong/ugwu) 5 cups of Water leaf (mong mong Ikong) Meat (beef or goat meat) 100g Perewinkle (mfi ikpok) or Nkon-kong (shell less prerewinkle) Stockfish 1 or 2 cooking spoon of Palm oil Crayfish 100g Pomo Dry or smoked fish Fresh or dry pepper Meat stock Shaki 1 cup of Fresh Prawn (optional) and other essential ingredients. PREPARATION 1. Wash the meat thoroughly and place in a large pot. Season and boil your meats with stockfish. I use beef, goat meat, saki (cow stomach), and cow leg. Add just enough water to cover the meat, and bring to a boil. Depending on how tough the meats are, this volume of water should be enough. Watch it closely though. 2. Just before the meat is tender, add shredded smoked fish and pomo. This is to soften the fish and infuse some of that smokey flavour into the stock. Adding the pomo too will allow it to soften, making it easier to chew. Tip: When your meat is tender, you should be left with a little stock. About half a cup worth. If you have more than that, decant into a bowl and keep aside Boil your meat, till most of the stock has been absorbed into the meat. If you season your meat properly, and let it absorb most of the stock, you may not even need to use seasoning cubes. Crayfish and stockfish will do just fine, but if you feel you have to, fine. Remember, stock is the worst offender for making Edikang ikong. 3. Add a cooking spoon or two of Palm oil into your pot of meat, let it boil till the Palm Oil dissolves into the stock then add the blended pepper and let it dissolve too. I love pepper, so I tend to add 2 cooking spoons of pepper. 4. Add the periwinkle and waterleaf, and stir. Cover the pot, lower the heat and let this steam for 3-5 minutes. Don’t worry if it looks like the waterleaf has taken over the pot. The steam will sweat it down. Tip: Wash the smoked dry fish with salt and soak in slightly salted water for 5 minutes in order to kill any insect and loosen any sand or dirt and rinse thoroughly with lots of cold water. Top and tail the periwinkles and wash thoroughly if using periwinkle (mfi ikpok) 5. Add blended crayfish. Tip: I rinse my crayfish in water to remove the dirt and I blend with about 1- 2 tablespoons of water. Let this cook for another 2 – 3 minutes, then taste the difference in the liquid left in the pot. Crayfish amps up the flavour immensely, you may not need seasoning cubes. 6. And finally, Add the shredded ikong ubong (Ugwu), give it a stir, and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Stir and taste for salt. If you need more add a little. If you are itching to add a seasoning cube, you can, but why don’t you try adding more crayfish instead. Trust me, seasoning cubes have nothing on crayfish. Add a little more crayfish, stir, cover the pot and just wait an extra 2 minutes or so and remove from heat and serve hot ……..and voila......that’s it really. It is a very simple soup, yet very very very delicious.……..and that’s a wrap Usually, I like to cook mine very aromatic and fresh, by fresh I mean I dont over cook my vegetables I always like it half done with plenty of crayfish to give it its aroma and taste. I also like to use fresh pepper instead. Some commom mistakes. Some people say the ratio of Ugwu to waterleaf must be higher in favour of Ugwu (pumpkin leaf). Wrong. It’s actually the other way around. Some people fry the waterleaf in palm oil. Also wrong Some people use blended pepper – combo of tomatoes, tatashe and rodo. Wrong. Otherwise you are making Efo Riro. Some people add both vegetables at the same time, or in very quick succession. Wrong. Waterleaf comes first, so it can leach out its water content. The Ugwu leaf is now introduced to mop up some of that water. Some people use too much palm oil. Depending on the volume of vegetables, you just need 2 cooking spoons maximum. If oil starts to float on the surface in the pot (you’ve missed your way) Some people use onions. Wrong Edikaikong is NOT a watery soup. Maybe not as dense as Afang, but if you are left with the vegetables swimming in liquid you’ve done something wrong. Most likely, you have used too much meat stock. Water leaf is basically called that due to its water content