FOOD : how to do Isi ewu, Goat head

 

Isi ewu, goat head in spicy sauce is a delicacy from Igboland of Eastern Nigeria. Similar to Nkwobi (cow foot in spicy sauce) and Homework (goat foot in spicy sauce),

 Isi ewu is more flavoursome because of the addition of the fatty brain of the goat.

I have eaten so much Isi ewu, I could almost identify from which restaurant a plate of Isi ewu was bought in my neck of the woods. Some are consistently divine while with others, you could sometimes get tough meat or incomplete parts but the worst is when you have a craving and the best joints have all sold out.

So it is very important to have a good Isi ewu recipe under your belt so there won’t be any stories because the craving for Isi ewu is difficult to ignore.

The goat head is supposed to be cooked whole after the butcher has given it a few cuts in the skull. When cooked, you cut it into pieces. This method is neither easy nor pleasant. I have never done the

 

cutting myself, my Rennaisance man did that for me. The easy way, which is how I now cook goat head, is to have the butcher cut it up into large parts while preserving the brain whole.

For the perfect isi ewu, restraint is key. Do not over spice it or it will overpower the taste and flavour of the creamy sauce. It should be spicy, pepper-hot but mellow enough to taste the mild sweetness of the sauce.

How to prepare Isi ewu, goat head in spicy sauce

1 Goat head
2 seasoning cubes
Dry chili pepper
salt
4 Ehuru (toasted)
1/4 teaspoon ground uziza seed
2 scotch bonnet
3 leaves Utazi
Akanwu (potash, kaun)*
1/2 cup Palm oil
Garnish
1 small onion
few utazi leaves
1/2 chopped scotch bonnet

Pour hot water on the tongue and cheeks, using a knife, scrape off the white top coat.
Scrub inside the ears very well.
Gently rinse the whole brain, wrap it in foil and place along with the meat in a pot.
Add water, salt, seasoning cubes and dry chilli pepper.
Cook meat until soft.
Be careful when adding water and salt because you want to have just about 2 tablespoons of concentrated stock remaining in the pot when meat is ready or you might need to cook it down later.
Fish out the parcel of the brain and set the meat aside to cool down a bit.
Remove excess pieces of bones leaving some intact.
In a blender dry mill grind or pound in a mortar, ehuru, uziza, scotch bonnet and utazi.
Dump the cooked goat-head pieces into the slurry and mix to get the sauce into the crevices.
Serve in a bowl garnished with onions rings, scotch bonnet and utazi.
Serve with palm wine or any drink of choice.

FOOD : HOW TO COOK AFANG SOUP, OUR SOUTH-SOUTHERN DELICACY

 

Afang soup; a delight to behold and to eat. It is a special delicacy of the Efik and ibibio tribes of Nigeria. Some parts of Cameroon bordering that part of Nigeria also enjoy this delicacy.

Afang Soup is soup is a soup rich in meats and vegetables and palm oil. If you are averse to palm oil then this soup may not be for you.

 Some people actually make this oil free but Noooo I can’t make this soup oil free lol. The oil is the real deal in this recipe.

 I am sure the originators of this dish will agree with me ?.

 Oil compliments most vegetable soups like Afang and Edikang ikong. Having tasted Afang with oil. I doubt you can convince me to ditch the oil in this recipe.

The originators of this dish love to add a lot of seafood to afang but i am not one for seafood therefore I would be sticking to the few I usually include in my soups which are stockfish and dry fish.

 One seafood I know I won’t be including in this dish is periwinkles with the shells.

 In as much as I, I love to watch the way it is enjoyed by people who love it. I can’t eat it. It’s a pleasure to behold because the ‘periwinkles eating’ has a style to it

WHAT IS AFANG SOUP MADE OF?

Afang is made from afang vegetable (okazi in Igbo) and waterleaves. It is very similar to Edikang ikong. 

The afang leaves differentiates them since edikang ikong soup is traditionally made with water leaves and Ugu while afang soup is made with okazi and waterleaf vegetable.

The type of water leaves used for afang soup back home in Nigeria is not easily accessible to me here so I would be using frozen spinach as a sub. I have the okazi leaves washed, pounded and frozen prepared by my beloved momma.

 I wonder what i would have used as a sub if I didn’t have okazi leaves. God bless you for me mom.   

She always makes sure I have ground okazi in the freezer. And my mom-in-law God bless her too she usually takes care of my Ugba collection lol. These women know how I love to be in the kitchen chai!?

Anyway let’s get cooking. But before we do, how do you make your vegetable soups in Diaspora. What are your preferred vegetable substitutes? Kindly share in the comments below.

Ingredients

• 4-6 cups Meat Stock (Add more water as needed)
• 1/2 cup Ground crayfish
• 1/2 Tbsp Cameroon pepper
• 1-1/2 to 2 cups palm oil
• 2 large onions chopped
• 300 g beef or roasted turkey pre-cooked
• 350 g cow feet pre-cooked
• 350 g stock fish pre-cooked
• 2 cups frozen cooked shrimps (optional
• 907 g frozen spinach
• 500 g ground okazi
• 2 teaspoons Bouillon powder (adjust to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
• 2 pieces of Dried fish cleaned and deboned. (optional)

• Instructions

  Using Precooked meats

  • Add crayfish and Cameroon pepper to the meat stock and Bring the meat stock to boil*
  • Add the ground okazi to the meat stock and set on medium low to simmer
  • In a separate saucepan, heat up oil and sauté chopped onions for about a minute to release its flavor.
  • Pour sautéed onions with oil into the pot, then add the shrimps, stock fish, dry fish and other precooked meats. Stir, taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
  • Finally add the spinach, stir to mix, lower heat to simmer for another 2 minutes then turn off heat.
  • Serve with your choice of swallow.

  When not using precooked meats

  • Add assorted meats to a pot. Season with bouillon and salt. Add water just enough to cover the meats then bring to boil.
  • When the meats begins to boil, add crayfish and pepper and continue to cook till meat is almost fully cooked.
  • Add the ground okazi and oil with sautéed onions to the meats, stir and taste for seasoning. Adjust to taste.
  • Add the spinach. Stir in and Lowe heat to simmer for about 2 minutes. Then turn off heat and serve.

  Notes

  1.  I usually prep the meats used for my soups and stews a day or up to a week before making the soup. That way I save a lot of time on the day I make the soup. The meat stock is also prepped ahead.
  2. If you don't have precooked meats, all you need to do is start by cooking the meats then continue with the steps outlined above.
  3. Sautéing the onions is an optional step but I noticed it improves the taste of the soup. If using fresh pepper, chopped it up and sauté with the onions in palm oil.
  4. For the precooked meats option: Quantity of salt and Bouillon powder (Maggi or Knorr powder) is a guide you will need to adjust to your taste bearing in mind that the meat stock already has some in there.
  5. If cooking your meats from scratch, the quantity would need to be increased as well. Let your taste buds guide you.

FOOD : HOW TO COOK ATAMA SOUP

 

Abak Atama Soup

• 1 Wash periwinkles thoroughly. Then Wash and boil the palm fruits for about 30 minutes. Strain off the water and pound the palm fruit until the pulp/fibre separates from the nuts.
• 2 Boil some clean water and add to the pounded palm fruit and mix thoroughly to separate the oily extract from the rest of the pulp, then strain off the oily extract.
• 3 Wash, cut up and season your meat with salt, Knorr cube and small pepper, then steam for about 5 minutes on low heat. Then add about 1½ cups of water and the stockfish head and continue boiling for about 20 minutes till the meat is almost cooked, and remove from heat.
• 4 Cut the Atama leaves into very fine pieces. Pound them for about 10 minutes till the leaves are finely pounded. Then place the oily extract on the burner and allow to boil for about 5 minutes to remove all moisture.
• 5 Add cooked meat and washed smoked fish, meat stock, periwinkle, crayfish, pepper and Knorr and Uyayak. Stir and allow to boil for about 10 minutes. Add the atama leaves and boil without stirring for another 10 minutes. Stir and add salt to tast.
  
  
  
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• Ingredients
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  • Beef (1/2 kilo)
  • Fresh or smoked fish (1 medium size)
  • Cow skin (10 medium pieces)
  • Stockfish head (1 medium head)
  • 1 cup of Periwinkle in shell
  • 1 small bunch of Atama leaves
  • Palm fruit
  • 3 tablespoons of ground crayfish
  • Uyayak (local spice)
  • 1Knorr cube
  • 2½ litres of Water (for extraction of the oily liquid)
  • Salt to taste.
  • Pepper

FOOD : HOW TO COOK Edikaikong Soup

 

(Edikaikong Soup)

Edikaikong soup is the real vegetable soup of the Ibibios or Efiks people of South South region in Nigeria. The soup 

1. Before cooking, I like to pick, wash properly and allow to drain then slice all the vegetables. Ugwu, water leaves and scent leaves. Put each in separate bowls.
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3. Wash you Meats, seasons accordingly and cook till almost tender, then add the washed Stockfish head and cook... Make sure the meat stock is almost Dried...we don't need water in the soup, cause the water leaves and palm will generate stock for the soup.
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5. Before the stock Dried out completely, add water leaves, pour in the palm oil, add Periwinkles, pounded fresh pepper and stir properly. cook for 3-5 mins. (Ensure you don't over cook the water leaves)
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7. Add in Ugwu, scent leaves, pounded shrimps, smoked fish, black pepper, stock cubes and stir the content of the pot very well..Cover the pot and leave to cook for
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9. Lastly, according to my Grandma's recipe, you add the pounded Crayfish and taste for salt, give it a stir and that's it.(pls be mindful of the salt and stock cubes, cause vegetable soup can easily become salty)

10. Remove from fire and enjoy with Fufu, Pounded Yam, Semo, Samvita or even Eba.

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12. Ingredients

     6-8 servings

    1. I kg (5 bunch of Pumpkin leave) ssameame as Ugwu
    2. 500 g water leaves
    3. 2 handful Ntong (scent leaves or Effirin
    4. I kg Assorted Meat
    5. Ponmo
    6. 200 ml (2 cups) Palm oil
    7. I medium onions
    8. I Cup of periwinkles
    9. Head I Large stockfish
    10. 2 Medium Sized Smoked Fish
    11. 6 fresh Yellow pepper (pounded)
    12. I Cup pounded Crayfish
    13. 1/2 Cup Dried Shrimps (slightly pounded)
    14. 1 tbs black Pepper
    15. 2 stock cubes

        

        
        
    16. Salt

FOOD : HOW TO COOK OGBONO SOUP

 Ogbono soup

 (Draw Soup) is a rich, nutrition-packed Nigerian soup made from ogbono seeds (ground African mango seeds),

 palm oil, assorted meats, and traditional spices. It packs a lot of bold and rich flavors and is incredibly delicious!

Ogbono soup is commonly eaten with fufu dishes like pounded yam or eba. It is called 'Draw Soup',

 due to the mucilaginous nature that gives it a slippery and viscous texture.

It might take some getting used to due to this texture, but once you taste it, it really does taste amazing and it makes your fufu go down easily!

Ogbono seeds are part of a fruit called Irvingia gabonensis, also known as African mango, wild mango, bush mango or dika.

 It is indigenous to parts of Central and West Africa as well as Southeast Asia. While the whole fruit is edible, only the seeds are used in making ogbono soup.

Yes, ogbono soup is allowed on a keto or low carb diet.

Ogbono seeds have high fat and high protein content. 100g (about 2/3 cups) contains 15g of carbs but this makes 8 servings, drastically reducing the carb count per serving.

Health Benefits Of Ogbono Soup

Ogbono soup is very nutritious and filled with vital nutrients and minerals. African mango is well known for its health benefits and is a good source of calcium, magnesium,

 potassium, and iron. Research has shown that bush mango seeds can:

• Help stabilize blood sugar levels.
• Aid in weight loss.
• Reduce high blood pressure.
• Help lower cholesterol levels.

• Ingredients

  
  
  • 1 cup ogbono seeds
  • 1 lb beef
  • 8 oz shaki (tripe)
  • 12 oz cow feet
  • ¾ cup palm oil
  • 1 cups chopped spinach or your choice of leafy greens
  • 1 cup chopped onions
  • 1 tbsp bouillon powder or 2 maggi stock cubes
  • 1 tbsp ground crayfish
  • 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 cups meat stock
  • 2 cups water
  • salt to taste
    
    
    

  Instructions

  • Cook all the meat you’re going to use, with some salt, pepper and bouillon powder until it becomes tender.
  • Chop the spinach and onions and set aside.
  • If using whole ogbono seeds, grind it using a mortar and pestle set or a coffee grinder. Skip if using pre-ground seeds.
  • When the assorted meats are ready, drain the stock out but save some of the stock so you can use it to flavor the ogbono soup.
  • In another pot, add some palm oil on low heat and add the ogbono seeds to it.
  • Mix in the ogbono seeds and break any lumps with a serving spoon. Stir until it’s thoroughly coated.
  • Add the stock from the cooked meats and stir.
  • Add water and stir until you reach your desired thickness.
  • Bring to a boil, then set to low heat and let it cook for about 10 minutes, stirring intermittently.
  • Add in the meats, bouillon powder, cayenne pepper, crayfish.
  • Taste for salt and add some if needed.
  • If it becomes too thick, add a little more water.
  • Let simmer for about 10 minutes.
  • Add the chopped spinach and let simmer on low for about 2 more minutes.
  • Your ogbono soup is ready to serve!
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  Notes

  This recipe serves 8 and contains 5 net carbs per serving.

  When you add the ogbono to the palm oil, make sure it’s on low heat and watch it carefully so it does not burn.

  When adding stock and water to the soup, add one cup at a time and stir. Watch carefully and STOP when you reach your desired consistency.

  If you buy pre-ground ogbono seeds and it loses its freshness, the texture of the soup might be off. Keep in an airtight container or better still, buy whole seeds and grind when you need it.

  
  You can substitute spinach with pumpkin leaves, collard greens or bitter leaf, or leave out the vegetables entirely if you wish.Use your favorite meat choice or whatever you have on hand. You can make it yours!
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