lunch is served_my menu epistle

Am back, guess there is no difference between the prodigal son and i... I abandoned steemit for exactly 29 days yet it still welcomed me with open arms

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Its been a while i made a post talk more of a recipe post. Today I'll be sharing how to get a tasty melon soup;my recipe.

Melon soup is one of the most delicious soups in Nigeria having melon as its main ingredient. though,it seems easy to prepare, its very technical as the slightest mistake could affect the taste or general outcome of the soup.

There are several ways to prepare melon soup, there's the frying method,(my Mom has a knack for it) then there's the boiling method, and other methods.

Whenever I do a recipe post like this, I like to personalize it, "My recipe" which means I don't necessarily use the normal method everyone uses, I love exploring other ways, as far as it will yield the desired result.

Without further ado, I'll start by listing the ingredients before plunging into the step by step procedures in cooking melon soup. Leggo.

Ingredients

1. Melon (desired quantity, depending on the size of the consumers, I usually use two cups for mine)

2. Meat/Cow skin/Fish(smoke fish)

3. Vegetables (ugwu leaves)

4. Fresh pepper

5. Onions

6. Periwinkle (the one that's been removed from the shell already)

7. Salt

8. Maggi cubes

9. Crayfish

10. Palm oil

11. Water

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Preparation

• Grind the melon into a smooth powder, soak in water then whisk to achieve a smooth paste. this is to ensure that the left over particles are selected out.

• Wash the meat/cowskin (canda), season with pepper,onion, salt and maggi cube and cook it separately. When its done you set it aside from the stock.

(the pepper,onion and maggi cubes)

(the meat/canda)

• Wash the smoked fish and set aside

(smoked fish and periwinkle)

• Cook the periwinkle and set it aside too.it should be noted that cooking of the periwinkle is optional, some people put it like that in the soup that's what in the beginning I said its "my recipe"

• Grind your onion, pepper and crayfish.

• Pick the veggie leaves, wash and slice.

(picked veggie leaves)

(washed and sliced)

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When all has been achieved, you are just a step away from cooking. Normally I prepare everything for my cooking before I start( this is known as mise-en-place), this makes cooking very simple. So ensure everything is within reach.

The cooking procedure

• Put a pot on fire, pour the smooth melon paste into the pot. Add the already cooked meat with the stock, add the washed smoked fish and periwinkle(Your cooker should be on low heat so that the melon will cook properly. if the fire is intense, the melon will burn before its done)

• Let the content of the pot boil for sometime before adding other ingredients; (spices) Maggi, onion, pepper, salt and crayfish.

• Then taste the broth to make sure everything is okay, whatever you feel is lacking, you can add a little more. Add palm oil.

• Add your sliced veggie leaves.

• Let everything boil for at least 2 minutes or less.

And there it is, your tasty melon soup is ready.😍😍😍😍🙌🙌

It can be served with semovita, garri, fufu, pounded yam, wheat or plantain flour. mine is garri.

(lunch is served)

PS: You don't need a lot of water in preparing melon soup. You'd notice I didn't add any water, rather stock from the meat; that's all the water you need as more will only make your soup watery.

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How do you cook your melon soup? Feel free to share in the comment box.
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