APRON AND PANS - AFRICAN SALAD (ABACHA)

INGREDIENTS

6 to 8 cups of Abacha (African Salad) 

Ehu

Ehu seeds – 3 (optional) 

1 to 2 cups Of ugba (ukpaka)

Ugba

Half cup of crayfish

1 to 2 cubes of maggi or knorr

About 10cl of palm oil

Edible powdered potash (1 teaspoon)

Edible potash

Salt and pepper to taste

3 to 5 garden eggs (optional)

Utazi leaves (optional)

Garden egg leaves (optional)

Meat/dry fish or stock fish (optional)

PROCEDURE

Using the dried abacha instead of the freshly made wet abacha, gives you the advantage of heating at the beginning for few minutes without being overly wet.

You can either heat or soak the dry Abacha in boiled water for about three minutes, then sieve and keep on a separate bowl.

Blend your crayfish and also slice the onions and garden egg leaves. It is advisable to dissolve the powdered potash in about 5 cl of clean water, (this is to easily filter out unwanted solid materials that is often embedded in potash).

Filter the dissolved potash into a mortar or pot leaving out the residue.

Add about 10cl of palm oil and stir to form a yellowish paste (ncha, as the Igbos call it). Add the ground crayfish and pepper, stir, then add the ground ehu if you so desire.

Ugba is an important ingredient in the process of making African salad, it is considered incomplete without the present of this ingredient. Ugba is usually sold in most Nigerian markets or African shops (if you live outside Nigeria).

Add the ugba to the mixture and stir, then add the abacha and salt to taste. It is advisable to heat the dry abacha (using the method outlined above) just few seconds before you use so it doesn’t get cold, as most people in Nigeria like their abacha a little warm.

Stir the ingredients well, and you are almost through with the preparation part.

The garden egg, leaves and the onions are used mostly to spice up or for decoration purposes and not added during preparation but while dishing out. They are often sliced and kept aside in different plates or bowls, then added while individual plates are dished out; this also goes for the meat or fish used.

Abacha (African Salad)

You may want to turn on the cooker and heat for few minutes if it is not as warm as desired.

Serve with the meat, garden eggs (sliced) and leaves to individual plate.

Credits: allnigerianfoods.com, google images