Today’s foodie Friday recipe is in honor of Nigeria’s independence celebration. We will be sharing the recipe of one the most universal soups every Nigerian tribe is familiar with.
As you know we are a big fan of the one pot method, and today won’t be any different. We give you the recipe of the one pot Nigerian spinach soup. Spinach soup can be eaten with absolutely any Nigerian staple sides like; rice, Eba, Amala, Semovita, pounded yam, Agidi, Tuwo, Fufu, or even eaten alone.
Health benefits of spinach
- It is low in fat and cholesterol
- Rich in Zinc and niacin
- Rich in vitamin A, C, E, and K
- Good source of protein and fiber.
What you need
- Spinach (finely chopped and thoroughly rinsed)
- Red oil- 2 tbs
- Stock fish (optional)
- Dry fish (boneless)
- Desired protein of choice ( cow, chicken, goat meat, fish, etc)
- Yellow and red chili Pepper – 4-8 pieces (roughly pound)
- Locust beans
- Pomo (cleaned and diced)
- seasoning (to taste)
- Onions – 1 whole (finely chopped)
- Powdered Crayfish – 2-4 tbs
How to prepare
- In a hot water resistant bowl, pour in spinach, then add 2-3 tbs of salt, pour in 4-5 cups of boiling water then cover for about 3-5 minutes. Rinse spinach and squeeze out excess water and set aside.
- In a pot, pour in all the ingredients asides from the dry fish,spinach, and pomo. Pour about 3-5 cups of water in the pot and cover up, add seasoning i.e Salt and Maggi to taste, set on medium heat then allow to boil.
- Your selected protein will determine the number of cups of water and how long it will cook for. So if you are using beef it should boil for about 10-20 minutes depending on how tender it is, if you choose to use the soft chicken, then 10-15 minutes should be enough.
- Pour in dry fish and pomo then stair.
- It is important that you don’t add excess water to the soup, so it is okay for you to pour the water in bits until the protein is tender.
- Once the water in the soup has almost dried up completely, and the soup looks more like a sauce ( medium thickness and all the ingredients are together) then pour in your spinach and reduce the heat to low. Mix everything together with a wooden spoon and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes (do not cover).
Turn off the heat and serve hot with desired sides.
Image source – Sisi Jemimah
