How to Cook Calabar Afang Soup
Cook authentic Calabar-style Afang soup by braising savory meats, balancing waterleaf moisture, and finishing with pounded okazi leaves in rich palm oil.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Heavy-bottomed stockpot
- ✓ Mortar and pestle
- ✓ Wooden stirring spoon
- ✓ Colander
- ✓ Chef's knife
- ✓ Cutting board
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Assorted meats (beef, tripe, cow skin)
- ✓ Dried stockfish and smoked fish
- ✓ Ground okazi (Afang) leaves
- ✓ Fresh waterleaf (or spinach)
- ✓ Red palm oil
- ✓ Ground crayfish
- ✓ Shelled periwinkles
- ✓ Scotch bonnet peppers and seasoning cubes
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Keep pot handles turned inward to prevent tipping boiling liquid.
- • Use caution when pouring red palm oil into hot broth to prevent hot oil splatters.
- • Wash hands thoroughly after handling chopped Scotch bonnet peppers.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Season and Braise the Assorted Meats
Place cleaned tough meats such as tripe and cow skin into the pot with chopped onions, crushed Scotch bonnet, seasoning cubes, and salt. Add stockfish pieces and minimal water so the meats cook in their natural juices. Simmer under medium heat until tender, adding softer beef cuts midway through.
- • Meats are fork-tender and reduced to a rich, concentrated base broth with little free water.
- • Adding too much water initially, creating a diluted broth that ruins the soup's final thick consistency.
Pound and Soften the Afang Leaves
Place dry-sliced Afang (okazi) leaves into a clean mortar. Pound with a pestle using rhythmic, firm downward strokes until the tough shreds break down into a fine, softened texture. Alternatively, pulse dry in a food processor without adding water.
- • Afang leaves transformed from stiff, dry strips into a finely crushed, semi-compact green mass.
- • Adding water during grinding, which makes the leaves soggy and dilutes the palm oil base.
Wash, Chop, and Drain the Waterleaf
Rinse the waterleaves repeatedly in cold water to remove all grit, picking out thick stems. Slice the leaves finely on a cutting board, then transfer them into a colander. Allow the chopped leaves to drain completely for at least 10 minutes to remove excess moisture.
- • Finely shredded waterleaf resting in the colander with minimal pooling liquid below.
- • Adding soaking-wet waterleaf to the pot, resulting in a runny, watery soup.
Build the Seafood and Palm Oil Base
Add deboned smoked fish, washed periwinkles, and a generous portion of ground crayfish directly into the boiling meat pot. Pour in red palm oil until the surface takes on a deep orange-red sheen. Stir well and boil uncovered for 3 to 5 minutes so the oil and seafood integrate with the stock.
- • A rich, glossy, red-orange bubbling base with aromatic steam and dissolved seasoning.
- • Skimping on palm oil, which prevents the Afang leaves from coating properly.
Add Waterleaf and Wilt Down
Add the drained, chopped waterleaf directly into the boiling stockpot. Stir gently with a wooden spoon to submerge the greens under the oil and meat broth. Allow the pot to simmer uncovered for 2 to 3 minutes until the waterleaves soften and release their natural juices.
- • Waterleaves wilted and reduced in volume by half, suspended evenly within the orange-red sauce.
- • Covering the pot with a lid after adding waterleaf, which causes it to over-sweat and turn brown.
Fold in Pounded Afang and Finish
Add the pounded Afang leaves into the pot along with the remaining ground crayfish. Turn the heat down to low and gently fold the leaves into the vegetable base until fully incorporated. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes without a lid, then turn off the heat immediately.
- • A thick, vibrant green soup bound by glistening red palm oil with evenly distributed meats and seafood.
- • Overcooking the Afang leaves after adding them, making them tough, dark, and leathery.
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Joyful Cook — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Fresh waterleaf? Fresh spinach (washed, blanched, and thoroughly squeezed dry)
- No Mortar and pestle? Dry pulse food processor or high-speed spice grinder
- No Shelled periwinkles? Diced sea snails or extra smoked fish