Ewedu Soup (Jute leaves soup)

Ewedu soup is a tasty Nigerian soup. It is popular in the western part of Nigeria. It is a very slimy vegetable soup made from jute leaves. It is highly nutritious. Ewedu soup is greenish in colour with slimy texture. In an average Yoruba home, ewedu is not served alone. It is often served with buka stew or gbegiri soup and it accompanied with Amala, Eba, Semovita, Fufu e.t.c. 

Jute leaf popularly called Ewedu among the Yoruba’s, Ahihiara among the Igbo’s  and Ayoyo among the Hausa’s has a lot of health benefits. This benefits include; protecting the body from degenerative disease such as cancer, Has high antioxidant property, Aids the repair of body cells and improves vision, Improves circulation and helps lower the risk of cataracts and other eye disorder, controls blood pressure e.t.c

There are several methods of cooking ewedu soup and I will be discussing two of the methods in this post.

USE OF POTASH(KAUN) IN COOKING EWEDU SOUP.

Ingredient

1. 1 bunch of ewedu leaves.
2. 1/2 teaspoon of powered potash.
3. 1 cup of water.
4. Salt to taste.
5. Seasoning Cube.
6. Locust bean (iru) (optional).

Procedure

• Pluck ewedu leaves, make sure you don’t pick the stalk/stem along with it.
• Wash the leaves thoroughly to get rid of dirt.
• Place a pot on medium heat, pour a cup of water into the pot, bring to a boil and add potash.
• Add ewedu leaves to the boiling water, cook uncovered for 5 minutes or until the leaves are soft.
• If you are making use of a blender; Pour the boiled ewedu into a blender and process until smooth, then return the blended ewedu into the pot. But if you are making use of mashing broom (ijabe); you will use the broom to pound the cooking ewedu until the leaves are broken into tiny pieces.
• Add locust bean (if using), salt and seasoning cube. Stir and allow to stay for few minutes. Turn off the heat. Your Ewedu is cooked. 

COOKING EWEDU WITHOUT USING POTASH.

Ingredient

1. 1 Bunch of ewedu leaves.
2. 1 cup water
3. Salt to taste
4. Seasoning cubes
5. Locust bean (optional)

Procedure

• Pluck the leaves, make sure you don’t pick the stalk/stem along with it.
• Wash the leaves thoroughly to get rid of dirt.
• Place a pot on medium heat, add 1 cup of water into the pot then bring to a boil.
• Add ewedu leaves to the boiling water, cook uncovered for 5 minutes or until the leaves are soft.
• Pour the boiled ewedu into a blender and process until smooth.
• Return the blended ewedu to the pot, then add locust bean (if using), salt and seasoning cubes. Stir and allow to stay on fire for few minutes. Turn off the heat. Your ewedu is cooked.