On some other days, however, all we care about is getting all the budget-friendly options around us.
The truth is, surviving Nigeria at a time like this, where the value of the naira seems to be depreciating every chance it gets, is pretty much a full-time job. It’s like everyone is now learning how best to allocate and manage their resources.
If that means learning a few budget-friendly soups to make now and then, then that doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Check out these 5 budget-friendly Nigerian soups you can make easily.
Hold on a minute though! Here’s something to put at the back of your mind when it comes to making budget-friendly soups. Be prepared to give up all the surplus meats, fish, and all the other nice stuff that make every Nigerian pot of soup so inviting and extremely delicious.
It doesn’t mean that your soup won’t be delicious, it just means that it won’t be as rich as you’d love it to on a good day.
Okro soup
Okro soup is one of the easiest and cheapest soups to make in Nigeria.
You can either make it plain and serve it with stew on the side, or you could add some oil, pepper mix, dry fish, and some seasonings of your choice. You can serve with eba or semo.
Efo
All you need to make a delicious pot of efo is some vegetables, pepper, onion, locust beans, beef, dry fish (optional), ponmo (optional), and some seasonings.
Beef is about the most expensive item on the list while the other ingredients are fairly cheap, making it a budget-friendly option.
Egusi soup
A cup of egusi(melon) is about N500, which is the main ingredient for egusi soup.
Other ingredients, most of which are cost-friendly, include pepper, ugwu leaves, beef, ponmo (optional), smoked fish (optional) and of course, some seasoning. Like efo, most of the ingredients are affordable as well.
Banga
For those who enjoy eating banga soup, you can tell it’s one of the best soups to enjoy with starch. The amazing part is that it’s easy to prepare and requires only a few ingredients like pepper, crayfish, beef, etc., most of which are affordable.
The major ingredient to make this soup is banga oil, which can be purchased with less than N1000 for a bottle.
Ewedu soup
Like okro soup, ewedu is another draw soup that’s equally easy to make. If you are a fan of Amala, then no doubt, you’d like ewedu soup. To make this soup, buy some ewedu leaves, wash it properly, boil and blend when soft.
Add some salt and boil again for a few minutes and it’s ready. See? Simple and Affordable!