Just the recipes to amazing African dishes that you definitely need to try if you're a lover of food (like me) with vegetarian options for the vegetarians out there, it covers every food from awara (you have to read it to find out what this is) to N...
I love african salad, its also called Abacha and Ugba or Shredded Cassava and Warm Oil Bean salad, its the G.O.A.T of all salads and I've tried a lot of salads (i love salads and i have no idea why)
Abacha is prepared with cassava. The cassava tubers are cooked till done then sliced with a special grater. The sliced cassava is then soaked in cold water overnight, washed thoroughly and dried under the sun (you can also buy it already dried)
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Your African Salad will not be complete without Ugba, Ugba also known as Ukpaka is made from oil bean seeds, These seeds are cooked for several hours then sliced, washed and left to ferment a little bit.
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INGREDIENTS
3 handfuls abacha (about 600g) 3 cups Ugba 30cl palm oil (red oil) 2 tablespoons powdered potash(food tenderizer) Fish (Mackerel, Dry Fish and or Stockfish) 1 large Onion Salt and dry pepper (to taste) 4 tablespoons ground crayfish 2 stock cubes (Maggi or Knorr) 1 teaspoon ground Ehu seeds (Calabash Nutmeg)
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GARNISH
1 teaspoon fermented locust beans (Iru) 3 Fresh Utazi leaves (Gongronema latifolium) and or Garden egg leaves (1 medium bunch) Cow skin (Ponmo) 6 Garden Eggs 1 medium onion (for serving)
PREPARATION -Prepare the ehu seeds by roasting, peeling and grinding them with a dry mill. See this video for how to do that. -If you will use Cow skin, cook till done and cut into small pieces. -Depending on your choice of fish (you can also use all of them), fry or roast the mackerel, soak the stockfish in hot water and debone the dry fish. -Wash and cut the vegetables into tiny pieces. -Cut the big bulb of onion into tiny pieces and cut the medium one in circles. -Wash the garden eggs and set aside (no need to cut these but you can if you want to). -Grind the crayfish with the pepper -Soak the Abacha in cold water and rinse the Ugba with lukewarm water. -Once the Abacha has softened, put in a sieve to drain. -Put the powdered potash in a cup or bowl and pour about 1 cup of cold water, Stir well and you are ready to start making the African Salad.
METHOD -Pour the palm oil into a sizeable pot (Yes you need all that oil so your Abacha will not have a dry feel in your mouth when you're done). -Pour the water from the potash mixture, making sure not to pour the sediments. -Stir very well and you'll see the oil turn into a yellow paste. -Add the ground pepper, ground ehu, crushed stock cubes, crayfish, diced onions and ugba (ukpaka), then stir very well. (Please not that we are doing everything off the stove). -Add the iru and make sure it is mixed very well. -Add the diced ponmo and stir very well. -Now add the soaked and drained Abacha and stir till it is well-incorporated in the palm oil paste. -Add the sliced Utazi and salt to taste and stir well (You can also use dry Utazi if the fresh one is not available where you live). It is important that you add salt last because after adding all that seasoning, your Abacha may not even need salt any more.
I like my Abacha warm. If you like yours that way too, transfer to a stove at this point and heat it up to your desired temperature at medium heat. When done, turn off the heat and add the sliced garden egg leaves, fish and onions, stir very well and serve.
If you like your Abacha cold, after step 6, add the sliced garden egg leaves, stir and serve with garden eggs, fish and onions.
Serve with any chilled drink of your choice preferably Chapman (my chapman recipe is in my first chapter)
