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Abak Atama Soup

Print Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • Assorted meat and fish. You can use: Beef or Goat Meat, Cow Skin (ponmo)Smoked fish, Dry fish, Stockfish
  • 500g Palm Fruits or 400g tinned Palm Fruit Concentrate
  • 1 handful atama leaves thinly sliced
  • 1 onion
  • 2 tbsp ground crayfish
  • 2 milk cups unshelled periwinkles
  • Habanero pepper (Atarodo, ose oyibo, atarugu: to taste)
  • 2 small stock cubes
  • Salt (to taste)

Instructions
 

Before Cooking

  • Extract the palm fruit concentrate from the palm fruits. If using the tinned palm fruit concentrate, open the tin and set it aside.
  • Dice the onion, blend the fresh Pepper and wash and cut the ponmo into small pieces and set aside.
  • Soak, debone and clean the dry fish. Debone and clean the smoked fish. Rinse in cold water making sure they are free from sand. Then break them up into desired pieces and set them aside.
  • Cut the pointed ends of the shells of the periwinkles with the blunt side of a machete. This is known as trimming the periwinkles. This can be done for you in Nigerian markets. Wash them thoroughly to remove all sand. Wash several times till the water runs clear.
  • Place the periwinkles in a pot, cover with water and boil with a pinch of salt for about 10 minutes, drain off the water, and set the periwinkles aside. While boiling the periwinkles, do not cover the pot else it boils over.
  • Wash the atama leaves thoroughly and cut them into thin slices. Atama can be sliced for you by sellers in Nigerian markets.
  • If you wish to reduce the bitterness, squeeze and rub the leaves between your palms and fingers while washing the sliced leaves just like washing bitter leaves. Change the water a couple of times. The dry leaves are not as bitter as the fresh atama leaves, some of the bitterness is lost during the drying process.
  • Clean all meats thoroughly.

Directions

  • Place the pieces of beef or goat meat, pieces of ponmo, and stockfish in a pot.
  • Add as little water as possible, add the onion (diced) and the stock cubes then cover and cook till tender.
  • Add the deboned dry fish and/or smoked fish when almost done.
  • Pour the extracted palm fruit concentrate into another pot, set the pot on the stove, and start cooking on high heat.
  • Leave to boil till you notice come red oil at the top of the palm fruit extract.
  • If you think that it is watery, cook till the extract has thickened to a medium consistency.
  • Add the cooked meat and fish with the meat stock, crayfish, and pepper, the precooked periwinkles, the atama leaves, and salt to taste.
  • Stir gently and leave to simmer for 5 minutes.

For Tinned Palm Fruit Concentrate

  • When the beef and fish are well done, add the palm fruit concentrate, stir and add water if necessary to get the consistency you like for your soups.
  • Leave to boil.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients (continue from step 3 above).NB: Do not worry if the soup appears light. Abak Atama Soup tends to thicken by the next day. It can also easily become saltier overnight so please add salt sparingly.

Notes

NB: Do not worry if the soup appears light. Abak Atama Soup has a tendency to thicken by the next day. It can also easily become more salty overnight so please add salt sparingly.
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