Editan Soup: How to cook Editan Soup with waterleaf

Editan Soup is a vegetable soup indigenous to the Ibibios and Efiks of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. It is one of many vegetable soups made in this region. Editan leaf is usually paired with waterleaf just like Edikang Ikong and Afang soup but it has a richer, more complex flavour than both soups. The leaves can also be paired with okro for a delicious soup.

About Editan Soup ingredients

Editan leaf is naturally bitter like Bitter leaf, so it needs to be processed to remove the bitterness before use, although some people cook it without this step because they believe the bitterness has its own medicinal value. Editan also gets slimy when it comes in contact with water, so it needs to be washed well.

The leaves can be used fresh or dried without losing much of their flavour. This makes it perfect for those living in the diaspora, United States, United Kingdom, Canada etc. Editan is a simple and easy soup but it has some extra steps (more work) when prepping the ingredients. The fresh leaves, when bought need to be finely shredded. This requires some expertise to get it really thinly cut but the market women will gladly do it for you or better still, buy the already shredded Editan from the market.

Another step is soaking and washing the sliced, pounded leaves. Some people use potash to soak the leaves which cuts down on the processing time but also compromises the taste leaving the leaves bland and not very flavourful. You will also spend some time cutting off the tips and washing the ‘in shell’ periwinkle. Since it’s a mud creeper, there’s usually quite some sand and mud on the shell. You will need to thoroughly wash off the sand and mud but in order to avoid this, you can use shelled periwinkle.

To cook Editan Soup with waterleaf

3 cups pounded Editan
Meat
Snail (optional)
Ponmo (Cow skin)
1/2 small onions (chopped)
Stockfish head (washed)
1 1/2 cups Periwinkle/Isam (In shell)
6 tablespoons ground crayfish
Dry fish (washed)
1 cup Palm oil
fresh pepper
4 seasoning cubes
4 cups Shredded Waterleaf

Using a mortar and pestle, pound shredded editan leaves or grind using a food processor or dry mill of a blender.

Place ground editan leaves into a bowl and add boiling water, enough to adequately cover it. leave to stand for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile place meat, ponmo and snails in a medium pot over medium-high heat, season with salt and one seasoning cube, add chopped onions and little water, cover and cook until meat, ponmo and snails have softened.

After 10 minutes, drain editan leaves through a chiffon cloth. Squeeze well to remove as much water as possible, rinse in cold water, drain and squeeze well again, set aside.

Using a big knife cut off the tails of the periwinkle (or use a clean plier). Wash in several changes of water until the water is clear.

Rinse and add stockfish and cleaned periwinkle-in-shell (see below) to the boiling meat and cook for 10 minutes.

Add crayfish, dryfish, palmoil, fresh pepper and three seasoning cubes. Stir, cover and cook until oil doesn’t taste raw.

Add waterleaf, cook for five minutes.

Sprinkle in the editan, cover and shake the pot, cook for five minutes.

Stir, taste and correct seasoning.

Cover and cook for five minutes and take off the heat.

Serve with swallow of choice.

Notes

• If using dry Editan, sprinkle a little water on the dry shredded leaves and pound in a mortar or use the dry mill of your blender.
• Since periwinkle is a mud creeper, there’s usually quite some sand and mud on the shell. It, therefore, needs to be thoroughly washed off. To avoid this, you can use shelled periwinkle.

If you enjoyed my Editan Soup with waterleaf, you will also enjoy my  Atama soup, Abak Atama, Afang soup, Nigerian Vegetable soup and Afang deluxe soup.

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Editan Soup

Editan Soup is a vegetable soup paired with waterleaf.

Course Dinner, lunch, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine niger delta, Nigerian

Keyword Editan Soup, nigerian soup, snail, stockfish, vegetable soup

Prep Time 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author gaga

Ingredients

• 3 cups pounded Editan
• Meat
• Snail optional
• Ponmo (Cow skin)
• ½ small onions chopped
• Stockfish head washed
• 1 ½ cups Periwinkle/Isam In shell
• 6 tablespoons ground crayfish
• Dry fish washed
• 1 cup Palm oil
• fresh pepper
• 4 seasoning cubes
• 4 cups Shredded Waterleaf

Instructions

• Using a mortar and pestle, pound shredded editan leaves or grind using a food processor or dry mill of a blender.
• Place ground editan leaves into a bowl and add boiling water, enough to adequately cover it. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile place meat, ponmo and snails in a medium pot over medium-high heat, season with salt and one seasoning cube, add chopped onions and little water, cover and cook until meat, ponmo and snails have softened.
• After 10 minutes, drain editan leaves using a chiffon cloth. Squeeze well to remove as much water as possible, rinse in cold water, drain and squeeze well again, set aside.
• Using a big knife cut off the tails of the periwinkle (or use a clean plier). Wash in several changes of water until the water is clear.
• Rinse and add stockfish and cleaned periwinkle-in-shell (see below) to the boiling meat and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add crayfish, dryfish, palmoil, fresh pepper and three seasoning cubes. Stir, cover and cook until oil doesn't taste raw.
• Add waterleaf, cook for five minutes.
• Sprinkle in the editan, cover and shake the pot, cook for five minutes.
• Stir, taste and correct seasoning.
• Cover and cook for five minutes and take off the heat.
• Serve with swallow of choice.

Notes

• If using dry Editan, sprinkle a little water on the dry shredded leaves and pound in a mortar or use the dry mill of your blender.
• Since it's a mud creeper, there's usually quite some sand and mud on the shell. It, therefore, needs to be thoroughly washed off. To avoid this, you can use shelled periwinkle.

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