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How To Make Abacha (African Salad)

By Chidirim Ndeche
20 July 2017   |   8:42 am
Abacha is an Eastern Nigeria dish made using dried shredded cassava, which can be eaten as a snack or a full meal. There are many variations to the way this salad is made. The more ingredients you add, the tastier the dish is. However, whichever way you choose to prepare it will still come out…

Abacha is an Eastern Nigeria dish made using dried shredded cassava, which can be eaten as a snack or a full meal. There are many variations to the way this salad is made. The more ingredients you add, the tastier the dish is. However, whichever way you choose to prepare it will still come out delicious. This is the full recipe for Abacha. The optional ingredients will be written too.

PHOTO: pinsdaddy

Ingredients

  • 600g abacha
  • 2 cups ugba (ukpaka)
  • 1 cup palm oil
  • 2 tablespoons Powdered Potash
  • Fish (Mackerel/Dry Fish/Stockfish), spiced and cooked
  • 1 large Onion, chopped
  • Salt and dry pepper (to taste)
  • 4 tablespoons ground crayfish
  • 2 stock cubes (Maggi/Knorr)
  • 1 teaspoon ground Ehu seeds (Calabash Nutmeg)
  • Boiling water

Optional ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon Ogiri / Iru
  • Fresh Utazi leaves (Gongronema latifolium),
  • Ponmo, cooked and sliced
  • 6 Garden Eggs, diced
  • Garden Egg leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 medium onion (for serving), sliced

Directions

  1. Soak the abacha in cold water for about 10 minutes until it softens.
  2. Drain out the cold water, pour boiling water over it and quickly drain out the water. Rinse the ugba/ukpaka in warm water and set aside.
  3. Let it sit in a colander for about 5 minutes.
  4. Dissolve the potash in water and sieve out the water, then stir the potash water with the palm oil in a pot. It will form a yellowish paste.
  5. Place on heat and add the ground ehu, pepper, crayfish and seasoning.
  6. Stir properly then add the ground ehu, crushed stock cubes, crayfish, diced onions, and ugba/ukpaka. Take off the heat.
  7. Add the ogiri and mix properly, then add the fish and ponmo.
  8. Add the abacha and mix properly allowing all the ingredients to blend.
  9. Add sliced utazi and salt to taste.
  10. Garnish with chopped garden egg leaves and sliced onions. You can eat abacha cold or warm depending on how you like it.

Feel free to play around with the ingredients until you get the perfect taste you desire.

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