ATAMA ABAK SOUP (AKWA-IBOM)
Hey guys!!
This soup as you can see shares a name with me. The palm fruit is boiled, pounded and the fiber extracted. what's left is known as "abak" looks like palm oil. A lot of cultures have their different ways of eating this. The Niger Delta and the Ibos have a similar version they call "Banga" and "Ofe Akwu" respectively.
The "Atama" is the leaf we add to the soup. You know we eat a lot of vegetables.
Ingredients;
what I used;
- Palm fruits(about 12 would do)
- Atama (a small bunch)
- Fresh Fish ( you can use protein of choice)
- Beef (1/2 kilo)
- Stockfish part ( could be head or body. I used a medium size cut of the body )
- Cow Skin (pomo) ( about 5 to 10 medium pieces)
- Cray fish (1 cooking spoon)
- Fresh red pepper (2 tablespoons)
- Salt (to taste)
- seasoning cubes (2)
- Onions (1/2 of a whole)
- Hot water ( 2 liters)
You can also add
- periwinkle
- shrimp
Procedure:
- Clean fresh fish, wash; beef, stockfish, cow skin. Put in a clean pot, add seasoning cubes, onions, pepper, salt and allow to simmer without any water under your watchful eyes of course before adding little water from time to time till done.
- Wash and boil palm fruits for about 30 minutes. Strain off water and in a mortar, pound till fiber is separated from the nuts.
- Add hot water to the pounded palm fruit still in the mortar to separate the oily extract from the rest
- Wash and cut Atama leaves finely. In a clean mortar, pound the finely cut leaves for about 10 minutes. While i was making mine, I pounded my Atama with about 3 fresh scotch bonnets. if you like the extra heat you can do this otherwise skip adding the peppers.
- Transfer the oily extract (Abak) to a pot and allow to boil for about 5 minutes to thicken then add stock, beef, fish, stockfish, cow skin and allow to boil for about 10 minutes the add your atama leaves and allow to boil for 5 minutes before reducing heat and allow to simmer for an extra 5 to 10 minutes to get the thickness you want.
You can serve with Fufu, pounded yam, garri or even rice!
Do let me know how it turns out in your kitchen!!
This soup as you can see shares a name with me. The palm fruit is boiled, pounded and the fiber extracted. what's left is known as "abak" looks like palm oil. A lot of cultures have their different ways of eating this. The Niger Delta and the Ibos have a similar version they call "Banga" and "Ofe Akwu" respectively.
The "Atama" is the leaf we add to the soup. You know we eat a lot of vegetables.
Ingredients;
what I used;
- Palm fruits(about 12 would do)
- Atama (a small bunch)
- Fresh Fish ( you can use protein of choice)
- Beef (1/2 kilo)
- Stockfish part ( could be head or body. I used a medium size cut of the body )
- Cow Skin (pomo) ( about 5 to 10 medium pieces)
- Cray fish (1 cooking spoon)
- Fresh red pepper (2 tablespoons)
- Salt (to taste)
- seasoning cubes (2)
- Onions (1/2 of a whole)
- Hot water ( 2 liters)
You can also add
- periwinkle
- shrimp
Procedure:
- Clean fresh fish, wash; beef, stockfish, cow skin. Put in a clean pot, add seasoning cubes, onions, pepper, salt and allow to simmer without any water under your watchful eyes of course before adding little water from time to time till done.
- Wash and boil palm fruits for about 30 minutes. Strain off water and in a mortar, pound till fiber is separated from the nuts.
- Add hot water to the pounded palm fruit still in the mortar to separate the oily extract from the rest
- Wash and cut Atama leaves finely. In a clean mortar, pound the finely cut leaves for about 10 minutes. While i was making mine, I pounded my Atama with about 3 fresh scotch bonnets. if you like the extra heat you can do this otherwise skip adding the peppers.
- Transfer the oily extract (Abak) to a pot and allow to boil for about 5 minutes to thicken then add stock, beef, fish, stockfish, cow skin and allow to boil for about 10 minutes the add your atama leaves and allow to boil for 5 minutes before reducing heat and allow to simmer for an extra 5 to 10 minutes to get the thickness you want.
You can serve with Fufu, pounded yam, garri or even rice!
Do let me know how it turns out in your kitchen!!
Comments
Post a Comment