Abak Atama soup

The name Abak Atama comes from the two main ingredients, palm fruit and atama leaves. The palm fruit extract used in Abak Atama Soup is not the same as the red palm oil used in regular Nigerian cooking. Ingredients

Beef, smoked fish, pomo (Cow skin), stockfish, periwinkle in shell, atama leaves, palm fruit, ground crayfish, uyayak (local spice), seasoning, water, salt and pepper.

Recipe

• Clean the periwinkles, then wash and boil the palm fruits for 30 minutes.

• Remove the palm fruit from the water and pound until the pulp/fibre separates from the nuts.

• Boil some water and add it to the pounded palm fruit, then thoroughly mix to separate the oily extract from the rest of the pulp before straining.

• Wash, cut up, and season your beef with salt, seasoning, and pepper before steaming for 5 minutes over low heat. Then add about one and half cups of water and the stockfish and continue to boil for about 20 minutes, or until the meat is almost done, and remove from heat.

• Cut the Atama leaves into small pieces. Pound them for about 10 minutes, or until the leaves are finely pounded. After that, put the

palm fruit extract on the stove and let it boil for around five minutes to get rid of any moisture.

• Add cooked meat, smoked fish, meat stock, periwinkle, crayfish, pepper, seasoning, and uyayak. Stir and simmer for approximately 10 minutes.

• Boil for 10 minutes more after adding the atama leaves. Stir and adjust with salt to taste. Cook for 10 minutes, or until slightly thick.

• Remove from the heat and serve.