Afang soup is fast climbing the top of the list of popular Nigerian soup. If you are interested in exploring Nigerian foods, this delicious soup would definitely spur your interest in Nigerian foods.
This delicious soup is native to the Efiks, the major occupant of (Cross River & Akwa Ibom State). It really doesn’t matter your language, background or ethnic group, you can go ahead and try different foods from different Nigerian cultures and ethnicity.
Over the last few months I have been focused on Efik delicacies, afang sits right on top of the list and today we are going to learn how to make this soup and other delicious Efik/Calabar foods.
I think After Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba; Efik is another popular group in Nigeria; they have delicious foods that have left the rest of us salivating. Apart from this soup, they also have Edikang-Ikong, atama, nsala, and a few other delicious soups.
This is made with afang leaves (ukazi) and water leaves, these two different leaves combine seamlessly to make a delicious looking afang soup. The Ukazi leaf is usually sliced and then ground with either a kitchen blender or a hand-grinding machine while the waterleaf is just sliced with a kitchen knife.
I just like this soup because it is made with just vegetables, and I love vegetables! – They are nutritious, medicinal and contain fiber that helps the body cells to function properly. Don’t let your focus be on just Food alone, also make sure they are also healthy for consumption.
Afang Soup and Pregnancy
Since Afang leaves are very rich in folic acid and vitamin A, it is therefore considered healthy and nutritious for pregnant women and their unborn babies.
During the first trimester in any pregnancy, babies are in dire need of folic acid. While you can get them from the drug store, I bet you would love them better in soups. 😀
So let’s make a delicious pot of afang soup, the list of ingredients below would make enough soup that would serve 6 persons twice. You can always refrigerate leftovers.
Most people complain that vegetable soups are not easy to prepare, usually because it takes time to pick and slice the different leaves. But once you pass that phase, the rest is chocolate! and no, I don’t eat chocolates. 😀
Sliced fresh water leaves (1kg)
1/2 cup of ground crayfish
Ground fresh Ukazi leaves (200g)
3 cubes of knorr (sweetener)
1 stock fish head (medium size)
2 medium sized dried or roasted fish
1.5 cups of palm oil
1 cup of Periwinkles (optional)
Snails (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste (red fresh pepper)
Pkomo (Optional)
1-2KG of any meat of choice.
Preparation
Assorted meat is the most suitable for afang soup but if you can’t find it in your location you can use any meat you find. I used a combination of assorted meat and pkomo.
Wash the snails with lime juice or grape juice and be sure it is rid of its slimy fluid. The periwinkle (isam) are usually cleaned by the sellers, you just need to wash.
The ground ukazi leaves act as a thickener for this soup, I use fresh leaves for all my soup but if you can’t find fresh stuff in your location, go ahead and substitute with the dried alternative. You can tell from the image above that the leaves are fresh.
How to Cook Afang Soup
Just go ahead and start parboiling the meat with all the necessary ingredients (2 cubes of knorr, half cup of sliced onions, salt and other spice of choice)
Some people wash the water leaves before slicing them while others choose to slice them before washing; I prefer the latter. Slice and wash the water leaves and set aside in a plastic sieve to make sure that water is properly drained away.
Most people don’t like a trace of water in their afang soup, that can be easily arranged, just try to squeeze the water leaves tightly before you add them to the soup.
Soak the dried fish with warm water, remove the center bones and wash thoroughly with just water; also wash the stockfish head with warm water. Add them to the cooking meat and cook till they are soft and the pot is almost dry. Add the palm oil, stir all together.
Add a seasoning cube, ground pepper, snails and salt to taste, allow cooking for 3-5 minutes.
Add the water-leaves; allow to simmer for 5 minutes before adding the periwinkles, ground ukazi, and ground crayfish
Stir all together, cover the pot and allow simmering for another 5 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.
That is how to prepare afang soup, it can be served with fufu, eba, pounded yam, wheat. Any nice soft drink would be a welcome addition.
There are other delicious efik soups that you may wanna give a whirl, compare Edikang-Ikong
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How To Make Afang Soup Recipe and Video.

Afang Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Cooker
Ingredients
- 15 cups Sliced fresh waterleaves
- 1/2 cup of ground crayfish
- 3 cups Ground fresh Ukazi leaves
- 3 cubes of knorr sweetener
- 1 stockfish head medium size
- 2 medium-sized dried or roasted fish
- 1.5 cups of palm oil
- 1 cup of Periwinkles optional
- Snails optional
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 6 Red fresh pepper
- 2 KG Assorted meat
Instructions
- Grind the ukazi leaves, it acts as the thickener for this soup.
- Season the meat with a half cup of sliced onions, salt, two seasoning cubes and other spice of choice)
- Slice the water leaves and set aside in a sieve so excess water will drain away.
- Wash the stockfish, dried fish and add them to the cooking meat, let them cook till they are soft and the pot is almost dry.
- Add the palm oil, crayfish and stir all together. Add one seasoning cube, ground pepper, snails and salt to taste, allow cooking for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the water-leaves; allow to simmer for 6 minutes while you stir continuously.
- Add the ground ukazi leaves. Stir all together, cover the pot and allow another 5 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.
- and you are done with a delicious afang soup.
- Serve with eba, fufu or pounded yam
Video
72 Comments
You’re doing a great job Chy…Kudos! Thanks for the Afang recipe..Will try it someday!
Fenks to u.my fried rice was perfect.
Thank You Chi,I’ve been longing to know how to prepare afang and today you taught me how to.
I must say a big thank you to you
chy this is lovely, thank you for the sharing you ideas with us. remain blessed!
I have been following the Nigerian kitchen for a long time now and I must say that you have really improved my cooking and also thought me to make new and delicious foods. Thanks for the good work and thanks for the vegetable soup.
I love you and your good work .
Please I am not a Nigerian and I am lost when you mention the ingredients in your local language.
Thank you
Thank you very much for this wonderful site. It has enabled women from different backgrounds and various ethnicity gain access to basic traditional delicacies.
Chi,u are fantabulous i just love u,the way u break things down to the simplest term u are great,as u are building homes for others,God will make yr home a strong pillar that no man can pull down,i just ran into to site minutes
ago and am so so confused dont kw what to even put down,God bless u and u family.
Thanks for showing me how to make this soup finally, I have searching for the recipe for a very long time.
Pls can I use the dried ukazi for making afang soup? My mum left some dried ukazi from the time she visited and I don’t know what exactly to make out of it.
I thought all these soups are so difficult to make but you made it look so simple. Gosh am in love with this site already.
Pls how can I get some of your nigerian cook book and ingredient book
all of this is very good I want to join
Thanks, it helps me a lot God bless you dearly
well done Ma Chy pls what is Ogiri Thanks for your enlighting
tnx Chi,do u have a distributor of your cookbook in enugu?
Am so thankful I came across this site. I have learnt so much here. Thanks to u chy.
Thanks for the receipt of the Afang soup so helpful and grateful to join this sit. Thanks and remain blessed
i like d food n i ll like to recive more
nice one. thanks for sharing
This is really yummy! Hmmmmmmm! More recipes pls
This is really yummy! Hmmmmmmmm! Mouth watering! More recipes pls
Omg!!! U r really of great help to me Chy now I can cook so many soup.. I cooked delicious fried rice xday. Thanks thanks thanks a lot.. nemaste
Thanks very much for your recipe, honestly you are doing a great job i truly love this
Thanks a lot oooooo. I love cooking but I didn’t know that these soups were easy to cook
yummylicious chy, but I didn’t see onion on the recipe, is it that onion is not needed in afang soup?
am booking for my cookbook today. by GOD’s grace
I will like to be a distributor in kaduna, how do I go about it
Thanks for the recipe and a job well done to you God bless u ma.will try it soon
Kudos to u chy, and may God visit u at the point of ur needs. Because in ur own little way, u’re saving many homes from shame. May God reward u of ur kind gesture.
thanks for the Afang recipe. will ensure i try it. Stay bless
Thanks dearie & may God continue to bless your efforts.
This soup looks yummy. keep it up.
U are really doing a great job.Thanks very muchfor the recipes.God will bless u in all ur endevours in Jesus name.
that’s very thoughtful of you…I have a suggestion to make..I have been in calabar for over a year and I have watched my friends cook afang.they first put d water leaf on fire in an empty pot and allow for 2- 3 minutes.This is to make sure there is no trace of water in the water leaf before using it for your soup..
you are doing a great job,weldone! I tried your fried rice recipe and everyone was wowed!!!God bless you.
Wao Chy great job you are doing. Thanks for the afang soup recipe,have been looking for where to learn how to make it.Am from Benue state but it’s one of my favorite soups. God bless and strengthen you dear.
My God! I feel so tasty after watching this video of afang soup. Big thanks to the cooks and to the idea designers of this software. Big thank u I will try it. Once again thanks.
I highly appreciate the great job you are doing. Go ahead !
The last time I prepared Afang it came out bitter, what could be the cause
you are doing a great job my dear.
Pls can i add Oziza leave
Put the water leaf in an empty pot, cook for about 4-5 min, ( this is the best option for beginners, you may have added a lot of water in the meat, adding the water leaf to it is a no for me until u master the cooking…) cook it for 3min( if you are using a gas cooker). Go ahead and add your steamed fish, meat etc.
Add know cube, salt, grounded crayfish, a little pepper and then the oil. Leave to cook for about 2 minute, add the grounded Afang, stir and bring it down. Leave the pot covered for 2min. Your Afang soup will be fresh.
Awesome!!!!!!!!
I just cooked the afang today it came out bad not tasting like the one I do eat in restaurant.. Wat am I missing I followed the instructions but my afang leave came out strong to eat .. I didn’t even know it should be grinded was DAT the reason why it didn’t come out well or was it becos I didn’t put archi or periwinkle pls reply I want to try it second time
Wao… Now I can try it . thanks
Wao! In fact just this afternoon I found a long lost recipe of Afang soup a friend wrote down for me prior to my wedding 10 years ago. This just complement and will make my Afang thick!!! Thanks so much
You are wonderful. I’ve learnt a lot from you. Keep up with the good work.
I love this site
I will cook afang soup tomorrow
i can’t believe i try this delicacy and it is wonderful…i almost roll my tongue on the plate
thanks to you chy
I think am already in love with this site. Thanks so much for the clear explanation of how to make afang soup. Am about preparing it.
Pls the ukazi leaves, in the absence of pounding or grinding, will the soup come out nice?
Nice one Chy. Is okazi different from Ukazi or they are the same. So as not to mix it up when buying.
Thanks
I really appreciate your good work. I always love to be served with afang soup but never prepared it by myself but will soon do that . thanks a lot
As in eh!
If I am to use the dried utazi, do I blend or pound it
Afang soup is really one of the best soups in Nigeria. This recipe is good. Thanks
I have been following this blog since 2011.
Wow this soup that you just share I was wondering how they are cooking it, thanks for this information love you.
Thanks for this great work you are doing, Afang soup is my favorite soup and Your explanations are clear and well understood. Kudos dear.
If you are cooking afang soup in the traditional way of the; Akwa Ibom and Cross River people, then grinding or blending the leaves is not acceptable. The afang leaves should be pounded with mortar and should be the last thing to go into the pot. Please Note; after putting the leaves it should not be cooked more than 2 minutes if you want to get a native afang soup. Hi chy i’m from akwa ibom and this is one of my favourite soups, and i also want to commend you for the good work you doing on this platform, so weldone!. Lastly i want to know how much it would cost me to get both your Nigerian Cook Book and Rice Cook Book (paper back), Thank you.
I have been wanting to learn how to cook this soup until i stumbled into this, thanks for the insight Chi
Wow thanks ma’am will always visit here I like the way you teach and display pictures.
Thanks for the recipe for afang soup, I have been following your site for almost six months now and I must say that you are doing a wonderful job. Pls How do I get your books.
Dare. A