Have you ever looked at the little money in your pocket and wondered, “Can this really cook a pot of soup?” That was me one morning with just ₦2,000 in hand. With food prices soaring daily, I decided to challenge myself and see if it was possible.
I went to the market early in the morning with my budget in hand. My goal was to prepare a simple but tasty pot of soup that could serve at least a small family for two to three days.
Here’s what I was able to buy:
Vegetables (ugu leaves) – ₦500
Palm oil – ₦400 (half bottle)
Ground crayfish – ₦300
Maggi and pepper – ₦300
Stockfish or dry fish (small pieces) – ₦400
Ponmo (cow skin) – ₦100
Unfortunately, ₦2,000 was not enough to include meat or fresh fish, which would have made the soup richer. But with these few items, I managed to put something together.
The preparation was straightforward: I boiled the ponmo with seasoning to create a stock, added palm oil, crayfish, pepper, and a little salt. After letting it simmer, I added the dry fish and finally stirred in the ugu leaves.
The result? A simple but flavorful pot of soup. It wasn’t luxurious, but it was healthy and could be eaten with garri, rice, or yam.
My Verdict:
Cooking soup with ₦2,000 is possible, but the quality and richness of the soup are greatly limited. Without proteins like beef or fish, the soup feels incomplete. It’s a reminder of how tough things have become for the average Nigerian household, where feeding the family has become a daily struggle.
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