SLC-S31W1-"My taste My Culture/waterleaf melon soup

my ingredients

Waterleaf melon soup, is one delicacy that marriage taught me. This soup is mostly prepared by Annang speaking part here in Akwaibom. When I visited my mother in-law she taught me how to prepare this mouthwatering soup . Come and learn from me in this post.

Prepare a meal (not snacks) that represents your root and identity and show us the recipes and procedure of preparation.

The recipes are .

• Dry fish
• Water leaf
• Uziza leaf
• Fresh pepper
• Palm oil
• Salt
• Stockfish
• Cow skin
• Goat meat
• Seasoning cubes
• Onion
• Melon

Procedures

Hand melon is preferable, get peeled melon grind it to smooth, cook your proteins with little water, add your pepper, salt seasoning cubes, and allow to cook ,check and add more water for the main cooking put in your grinded melon ,add Palm oil and cover again to cook , add your dry fish , followed with your sliced waterleaf, allow it to cook a little before finally adding the utazi leaf. And our waterleaf melon soup is ready.

Aside the popular Afang, editan ,atama this waterleaf melon soup is one of the Annang identity , the leaf that differentiate this soup from the ibos is the waterleaf that is used. In the then Annang some of them were part of the Igbos which makes them practice similar things in a different way. In other to represent that Akwaibom root they decided to be unique in making this yummy soup in their own way using waterleaf also known as mmomong-ikong ikon efere.

This soup is very rich as it contains calcium good for strong bones. It helps to boost the immune system.

Why is this food important to your people?

This food is very important to my people because it represents the true identity of the Annang that leaved close to the Igbos.
It connects the entire people of Annang to their own way of cooking.
It also provides healthy benefits that makes life better than eating junks.

When is it traditionally eaten? (Is it festive, ceremonial, daily, or symbolic?). What does it represent culturally?

This food is not a ceremonial food of the Annang people ,but it is cooked or eaten as a daily food in many families. In other to alternate food varieties people prefer to cook this waterleaf melon to other foods. .

The waterleaf presence in this soup makes it more rich and cultural. Because the waterleaf represents the cooking culture of the Annang people.

How does it reflect the lifestyle, values, and history of your people?

The lifestyle of the typical Annang cooking style reflects on using waterleaf to make different soup,it shows the value associated with the use of natural resources such as the utazi, melon and waterleaf in getting the real life taste of soup.

Waterleaf is not imported to our people, we plant and nurture it for commercial and domestic use. The history of waterleaf farming can be traced back to the Annang people or the Akwaibom people at large.

This food is been valued hence the contains good percentage of balance diets.

What memories do you personally associate with it and the price of the ingredients in steem and local currency?

This soup reminds me my early days in marriage, as an igbo girl I was not familiar with cooking using waterleaf as the main vegetable or thickener , marriage taught me this and I can proudly prepare it to many people both my in-laws and my people. The way my mother-in-law taught me the preparation made me a good chef till date.

Ingredients	Steem price	Nigerian price	quantity
Dry fish	25 Steem	2000	3 piece
Water leaf	4steem	300	hand full
Uziza leaf	less than 1steem	100	7leaves
Fresh pepper	4steem	300	8 pieces
Palm oil	6.5steem	500	milk cup
Salt	home	home	3-TSP
Stockfish	20steem	1600	1
Cow skin	6.5steem	500	half kilo
Goat meat	25steem	2000	1kilo
Seasoning cubes	home	home	3cubes
Onion	less than 1steem	50 Naria	1
Melon	20steem	1600	2cups

Present your recipe beautifully with a name tag and date and a selfie

Poetic cultural cliche Waterleaf melon soup the hospitality soup that units the Annang and her visitors.. Native meaning. Efere Mmong mmong ikong Ndisana esine owo ke itie kiet.