Nkwobi

Recipe (to serve 6)

Ingredients:

Limbs only of 1 goat

Palm oil (2 cooking spoons)

Edible potash (Akanwu)

Ground hot peppers

1 onion (chopped into tiny bits)

Salt

Blended crayfish (1 cooking spoon)

Seasoning

Lemon juice (1 cooking spoon)

A native bitter leaf, Utazi

Method:

The goat legs should be de-hoofed and thoroughly washed, using a sponge and lukewarm water. Then chop the meat into small pieces, preferably cubes, and rinse once more. Rub in the lemon juice. Put the meat into a large pot, season lightly and cook on moderate heat for about 45 minutes.

When the meat is tender pour out into a bowl with some of the stock.

In a separate bowl, combine the pepper, chopped onions, crayfish, salt and seasoning. Add warm water and thoroughly mix.

Place a clean pot on the cooker and add the palm oil. Warm it slightly then add in the edible potash and cover for a minute. Stir the oil and the potash vigorously until a thick mash is formed. Add some water to dilute. Stir in the mixture of peppers, onions, crayfish and seasoning, cover the lid and let it simmer for about three minutes.

Wash the utazi leaf in a warm water then chop into tiny bits. Add the utazi into the boiling gravy; too much utazi will give the nkwobi a funny taste so add this condiment carefully.

Allow the entire mixture to simmer for 5 more minutes. (Another option is to simply withhold the utazi and onions and serve it sprinkled on top of the cooked nkwobi).

Put the goat legs into serving mortars or traditional earthenware bowls and pour in the hot mixture.

Nkwobi should be nicely set out alongside chilled palm wine or any cold drink. Invite friends and family to enjoy this culinary delight.