I pay close attention to my body, noticing even the smallest shift. My friends barely believe me when I tell them that I notice every little change -like if my breast shifts by even an inch - I’ll feel it. I remember once waking up in the middle of the night, feeling something was off. When I checked the mirror, I noticed a slight bump on both shoulders. After several hours of searching Google to figure out what it could mean. I realized it could be connected to weight loss, and indeed, I lost a lot of weight that during that period because I’d been barely eating right. Guess my body was trying to get my attention.
It reminded me how our bodies are always talking to us. With October being Pink Month, it’s a perfect time to listen a little closer to what our bodies are trying to say, especially when it comes to something as delicate as breast health.
As a kid, I remember Googling breast cancer after reading this novel where a woman went through surgery. Believe me, the search results were terrifying, especially when I saw how common it is for women. I even read that breastfeeding could be a factor - and, for a moment, I thought I’d never want kids because of it! (Don’t worry, I’ve grown past that now).
In my church, during one of our sister’s fellowship meetings, we were taught how to self-examine our breasts for lumps and early signs of cancer. I wouldn’t dare say I’ve been consistent with it, but every now and then, when the fear creeps in, I remember to do a self-exam.
But hey! Self-care isn’t only about routine check-ups; it’s also about finding small comforts that brightens our days, especially on the tougher ones. For me, nothing lifts my spirit than a delicious meal. And what better choice than the almighty Afang soup!
Oh yes! I love eating Afang soup - it’s my second favorite meal in the world, (I’ll tell you about my top favorite another day). Whether I’m bored, sad, happy, or just craving something to eat, when others are craving junks, I run to Afang soup. Any day, anytime - even in the middle of the night, every day of the week, in sickness and in health 😂.
Honestly, I can’t say I know the health benefits of the soup. I just enjoy eating it. But if you check the internet, you might find that Afang leaves are said to improve eyesight boost heart health, reduce blood sugar, enhance skin, and even promote weight loss, among other things. All I know is that with all the “orishirishi” (fish, stock fish, crayfish, periwinkle, meat) packed inside, they sure do have health benefits.
Afang soup is a typical Nigerian dish cooked and enjoyed by the southerners, Akwa-Ibom to be exact. I actually hesitated to make this post because I wanted to include photos of me cooking it. I guess my “Cooking? Hard pass” attitude got in the way. Just because I said I don’t like cooking, doesn’t mean I don’t know how to cook. I’ll be sharing with you how to prepare this deliciousness.
Ingredients needed
-Afang leaves
-Water leaf
-Seasoning (Maggi)
-Salt
-Pepper (fresh or ground pepper)
-Crayfish
-Stock fish
-Fish
-Meat
-Red oil
-Periwinkle
-Onions
-Ponmo (cow’s skin)
-Garri or fufu, some
Materials needed
-Pot
-Water
-Mortar and Pestle
-Hand grater
-Tray
-Bowl
-Chopping Board
-Knife
-Sieve
Preparation
Now, unlike other foods that can be measured in cups (like 5 cups of rice, etc), you’ll need to rely on the market women’s suggestions or trust your instincts when buying both leaves. And we know you call water leaves weed, but it has several health benefits, you know!
- Slice and pound the Afang leaves until they’re a bit moldy. You can use of pestle and mortar, or you can ask the market people to make use of the special manual grinder they have. Please, do not use electric blenders.
-Pick out the bad water leaves, or any unwanted leaves. Rinse the good leaves in a bowl of clean water thoroughly to remove sand particles or dirt. Slice them afterwards on a tray or chopping board.
If you’re using fresh pepper, you can grate it with your hand grater, or pound it in pestle and mortar.
Rinse your stock fish thoroughly. Debone your fish. (I strongly recommend dry fish like panla, etc)
-Sieve your crayfish to remove dirt, if you feel there are some inside. Grate it.
Thoroughly rinse the periwinkle and wash it with salt
Rinse the meat and slice the onions.
Pre-cooking process
- In a clean pot, put the meat, season it with the onions, Maggi, salt and pepper. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. This will help the meat soak up the ingredients. Add a little water and bring the meat to boil. Cook until it’s tender.
Cooking Process
In a clean pot, add water, put the stock fish inside. Allow it to boil.
Add the ponmo, dryfish and ponmo to the pot with the boiling water, at intervals.
Add seasoning and pepper.
-Add the meat and its stock.
-When everything is soft, you can add the red oil and let it boil.
- Add the water leaf.
-Add crayfish.
Add salt to taste.
Finally, add the Afang leaves. After a few minutes of cooking, bring the pot of soup down.
And there you have it! You can eat this soup with any swallow of your choice, garri, semo, wheat, etc.
Now, cooking this food is really easy and putting the ingredients in the pot does not follow any strict pattern. Some people prefer to add the crayfish last before taking the pot off the fire, while others like to add the oil last. It’s completely up to you. I only advise that you boil the harder ingredients first (like the ponmo and periwinkle), to make easier to consume.
Please, do not add fresh tomatoes or any other absurd ingredients to the soup, you’ll ruin it. I advise you start off small when attempting to cook it. If you have questions or want to share your own experiences with afang soup, drop a comment below.
So there you have it. My love for Afang soup and a simple recipe to enjoy this dish. As you savor this delightful dish, take a moment to appreciate your body and listen to what it’s telling you. October is a month to prioritize our health, so, let’s celebrate it with good food and awareness.
Happy cooking and stay healthy.
All videos and images are mine.