African Salad

Cookery is not only an art but also a survival skill, our body crave nutrient in proper proportion, this recipe is an all time favorite from the Igbo tribe of Nigeria and its a bundle of wholesome nutrients from the ingredient which is made mostly from vegetable, cassava flakes, fish, meat or better still cow skin popularly called "Pomo" and raw palm oil, it does not require cooking over fire. It's very filling but at the same time does not contain much calories. However as a first time visitor to Nigeria, be careful not to eat much off it at a time so as to prevent frequent stooling 

Ingredients:

6 to 8 cups of Abacha (African Salad)
1 to 2 cups Of Ugba
1/2 cup of crayfish
1 to 2 cubes of  stock cube
10cl of palm oil
1 teaspoon of edible powdered potash
salt and pepper to taste.
3 to 5 garden eggs (optional)
Utazi leaves
Garden egg leaves (optional)
Meat/dry fish or stock fish.(optional)

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, 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.Pour 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 addressed by the igbos), This is the first part to making Abacha (African Salad), add the ground crayfish and pepper, stir, 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 

Add the ugba to the mixture and stir, and then add the abacha, Stir thoroughly .

The garden eggs, the 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. Serve with the meat and also add the garden eggs (sliced) and leaves to individual plate, goes well with chilled palm wine or any soft drink of your choice. 

Enjoy your meal!