Edikang Ikong (Calabar Greens Soup) with Beef, Prawns and Mashed Yam

Ingredients

• 400 g beef stewing steak, diced
• 200 g raw king prawns, peeled
• 500 g spinach
• 250 g spring greens, shredded
• 6 tbsp red palm oil
• 1 onion
• 2 scotch bonnet chilli
• 2 tbsp dried shrimp
• 1 beef stock cube
• 800 g white yam, peeled and cubed

Method

1. 1

   Put the beef in a pan with half the onion, chopped, the crumbled stock cube and 400ml water. Cover and simmer for 50 minutes until tender. The soup should end up thick, so keep the liquid to about 250ml.

2. 2

   Edikang ikong is made with ugu (fluted pumpkin) and waterleaf; spring greens and spinach are the supermarket swap. Shred the spring greens very finely and roughly chop the spinach.

3. 3

   About 25 minutes before the beef is ready, boil the yam in salted water for 20 minutes until very tender, then drain and pound or mash hard with a potato masher until smooth and stretchy, as a quick pounded yam. Keep covered.

4. 4

   Add the red palm oil, the remaining onion, chopped, the finely chopped scotch bonnets and the dried shrimp, ground to a powder, to the beef. Simmer for 5 minutes.

5. 5

   Add the spring greens and cook for 5 minutes, then the spinach and the prawns, and cook for 3 minutes more until the spinach has wilted and the prawns are pink all the way through. Do not overcook; the greens should stay deep green. Season with salt.

6. 6

   Serve the soup in bowls with the pounded yam alongside.