Photo Credit: TN
Travel Noire Eats And Recipes: Nigerian Nkwobi
Nothing brings people together better than good food. To celebrate the black men and women who are using food to connect cultures and communities, we’re sharing some of our favorite recipes from chefs, at-home cooks, and food lovers who know that great flavors can bring us all together. The team behind African Chow (@africanchow) shares how to make Nkwobi, a traditional East Nigerian dish of spicy cow foot that is a delicacy native to the Igbo tribe.
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WHAT YOU’LL NEED
4.4 lbs cow foot (cut into sizeable pieces)
200 ml palm oil
1 tablespoon powdered edible potash (Akanwu/Kaun/Keun)
1 teaspoon ground Ehu seeds (Calabash Nutmeg)
2 tablespoons ground crayfish
2 habanero peppers (or to your taste)
1 medium onion
2 big stock cubes
salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1). Wash and put the cow foot chunks in a pot.
2). Add the stock cubes (crushed) and the chunks of onion.
3). 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.
4). While the meat is cooking, pour the palm oil into a clean dry pot.
5). Pour in the potash mixture (sieved) into the oil.
6). Stir with a wooden spatula as you pour the potash. You’ll notice the palm oil begin to curdle and turn yellow. Keep stirring until all the oil has turned yellow.
7). Add the ground crayfish, pepper and ehu 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.
8). Add the well-done cow foot to the palm oil paste and stir very well with the wooden spatula.
9). Put it back on the stove/cooker and heat till the Nkwobi is piping hot, stirring all the 10). time to make sure it does not burn.
10). 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.
11). Add the thin slices of utazi and onion rings on top for the full effects.
12). Best served with chilled drinks: palm wine, beer or stout and soft drinks.
