Abak Etiyung Soup

 Abak Etiyung Soup is  that soup that makes me remember my childhood visits to the village. Because there is something about the flavour of etiyung ( jute leaves/ ewedu) that reminds me about rustic cooking. 

In today’s world we little time to spare in cooking . So this has forced many of us into getting practically everything pre-prepared, so we just get home and jam things together in the pot.
There was a time when most of our pre -preparation was all done at home. You bought the chicken, slaughtered at home, proceeded to boil water to feather it, then cut up to desired pieces. These days all of these things are done for you in the market. But back then you will never chop Okro or vegetables in the market, my mum always said it was unhygienic, and I believe her. Imagine buying afang or okazi in the market and pounding? Certainly there is no opportunity to wash this vegetable before cooking.

For my Abak Etiyung  Soup it was all prepared at home.  This is a nice twist to the regular Ewedu and stew popularly eaten by people from the southwest part of Nigeria. If you like Ogbono soup, or miyan kuka or any draw soup you will like my offering today. Who says you cannot create new dishes from our regular foods. Enjoy!

Recipe for Abak Etiyung Soup

Ingredients
4 cups of Plam Fruit Juice
1/2 Etiyung / Ewedu ( chopped )
8 Pieces Beef
4 pieces Cow leg
Pieces of Stockfish (optional)
4 pieces Cow skin/ Ponmo
Some fresh Shrimps (optional)
Scotch Bonnet pepper (to taste)
2 seeds African Nutmeg
2 table spoons Crayfish
Seasoning cubes to taste
Salt to taste

Method

1, Boil, pound and squeeze out Palm fruit juice. About N200 palm fruit should make enough juice. You pound the palm fruit in a mortar but if do not have one , just use you hands to separate the palm fruit flesh from the nut.
2, Season and steam the beef , stockfish and ponmo until cooked
3, The next thing is to pour palmfruit juice into the meat pot , add crayfish , dry fish ,seasoning , crushed african nutmeg and pepper and bring to boil for about 10 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken slightly. Taste for seasoning and salt and correct.
4, Pick, wash and choped the Etiyung into very small pieces. 
5, Add the Etiyung to the palmfruit and cook for about 3 minutes stirring through.
6, Serve with ‘swallow’ of choice