Hello steemit family, how are you all? I guess you are doing very fine. I am great also. I wish for you all Love, Peace, Good health and Abundant blessings.

In daily life, I do different things and I always try my best in balancing my profession as a teacher with my passion for cooking and sharing my experiences with fellow Steemians.

Today, I'm excited to take you through the process I took on cooking my delicious vegetable soup on Monday 14th July. Vegetable soup is a popular Nigerian dish, especially in the southern region.

![IMG20250714162306.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmepxFaLW37zBWLBFKHb9SmopbWHqfiWryHBqBZdEHQBhB/IMG20250714162306.jpg)

Vegetable soup is made with fluted pumpkin leaves popularly called ugu leaves. It is often combined with water leaves or okra. I enjoy both variations, but this time, I opted for water leaves. Here's how I prepared my tasty soup:

I started by thoroughly washing the pumpkin leaves to remove any dirt or sand. Then, I chopped them into tiny pieces. Next, I repeated the process with the water leaves, but with an additional step by squeezing out the bitter taste.

![IMG20250714162332.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQhKL9p4EZ7xKEgWPF6RK5qLA3yapUYjqFw6MXtSfEhup/IMG20250714162332.jpg) ![IMG20250714164332.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmeSdfYPLdcxb5VzfVNyYTqzdkaoDVbTzCYvJFonsd9vPL/IMG20250714164332.jpg) With my leaves prepared, I moved on to readying the other ingredients: • Meat • Fish • Crayfish • Onions • Fresh pepper • Seasoning maggi • Palm oil, and more. ![IMG20250714162240.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmbmBA3RjFgfvif9mqfmuTXgPR8djTkGheBocPJebNozua/IMG20250714162240.jpg)

I poured three cups of water into my cooking pot and heated it on the gas cooker. After five minutes, I added the ingredients, stirring well to combine.

![IMG20250714172826.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmaRjfbqGde6K3kJU64Nk6nsJuUMq3c96NgDDH9oLdABHg/IMG20250714172826.jpg) ![IMG20250714172818.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmTRcTomp9RgCxfqv11uocb8BbHNhLJLyBK3YLwkz87MRw/IMG20250714172818.jpg)

Finally, I added the pumpkin and water leaves, stirring once more to combine with the other ingredients. I allowed the soup to simmer for two minutes before serving. To complete my meal, I prepared garri, a traditional Nigerian staple, to enjoy with my delicious vegetable soup.

I hope you've enjoyed reading about my cooking process and feasting your eyes on the accompanying pictures! Thank you for joining me on this culinary adventure, do have a great time ahead.