Ingredients for Nkwobi
-
Cow
leg (cut into sizeable pieces)
-
Palm
Oil
-
1
tablespoon ground edible potash (Akanwu/Kaun/Keun: used for thickening)
-
1
teaspoon ground Ehuru/efuru seeds (Calabash
Nutmeg) ground along with the crayfish
-
2
tablespoons ground crayfish.
-
2
habanero peppers (or to your taste)
-
Chopped
onions
-
Sliced
utazi (bitter native vegetable leaves)
-
Sliced
ugba (oil bean)
-
Seasoning
cubes
-
Salt
(to taste)
To garnish
-
1
medium onion
-
10
Utazi leaves (Gongronema latifolium)
Method
-
Cut cow leg into pieces, season with salt and onions. Cook till tender,
then leave to cool. Cow leg is quite tough so if you have a pressure cooker, do
use it for cooking it to save time and gas/electricity. You may be able to buy
calf foot which is softer and cooks in less time.
- Ehuru
(Calabash Nutmeg) is a very traditional ingredient that is difficult to find
outside Nigeria. If you can't buy it where you live, just prepare the Nkwobi
without it. Ordinary nutmeg is not an alternative to this because they are not
similar in any way. If you have friends or family in Nigeria, they will be able
to buy ehuru seeds and send to you, a small quantity goes a long way.
-
Potash
is what makes the palm oil curdle.
- Utazi adds a nice bitter flavour to the
Nkwobi. If you can't buy it where you live, use spinach (bold ones), it gives
the same effect and actually tastes nice.
Before you make the Nkwobi
-
Cut the cow leg into medium chunks. The butchers will cut it
for you.
-
Put the powdered potash into a bowl. Add a small quantity of
water (about 4 table spoons) and stir
well.
-
Pass it through a fine sieve and
set the liquid aside.
-
Cut 1 onion into 4 big chunks.
- Pound
the pepper with a mortar and pestle or blitz it.
-
Grind the crayfish.
-
Crack and remove the outer shell of
the ehuru then grind with a dry mill
Directions for making Nkwobi
-
Wash and put the cow leg chunks in a pot.
-
Add the stock cubes (crushed) and the chunks of
onion.
-
Add a small quantity of water and start cooking at medium
heat till well cooked. Add just enough water to prevent burning as you cook.
There should not be any stock (water) in the pot when the meat is done.
-
While the meat is cooking, pour the palm oil into a clean dry pot.
-
Pour in the potash mixture (sieved) into the oil.
-
Stir with a wooden spatula as you pour the potash. You'll
notice the palm oil begin to curdle and turn yellow.
-
Keep stirring till all the oil has turned yellow.
- Add
the ground crayfish, pepper and ehuru seeds. Stir very well till they are all
incorporated.
- When the meat is done, add salt, stir and
cook till all the water has dried.
- Add the well done cow leg to the palm
oil paste and stir very well with the wooden spatula.
- Put
it back on the stove/cooker and heat till the Nkwobi is piping hot, stirring
all the time to make sure it does not burn.
- To
prepare the garnish, cut the onions into rings and cut the utazi into long thin slices.
- Serve the Nkwobi in a wooden mortar as
shown in the image above.
- Add
the thin slices of utazi and onion rings on top for the full effects.
Best
served with chilled drinks: palm wine, beer or stout and soft drinks
Keep visiting this site (blog)
and send us your comments. You can also advertise your product/service and
reach thousands of food lovers daily.
Enq.----08141541965,08033460064, 07017313323.
No comments:
Post a Comment