Achicha with Fio Fio (Pigeon Peas and Taro)
Achicha with fio fio is a Nigerian dish of pigeon peas and dried cocoyam, traditionally made by the Enugu people. The cocoyam is pounded fine, washed, wrapped in parcels and steamed in the same pot as the beans, so nothing extra needs washing up. The beans then go into a palm oil sauce sharpened with habanero, ugba, scent leaf and ugwu leaves, giving a bitter, peppery, deeply savory stew.
Instructions
Pick over the pigeon peas to remove any dirt or debris, then wash them well under running water. Put them into a pot of boiling water with a whole red onion and salt to taste, and cook for about 45 minutes.
Pound the dried cocoyam in a mortar until it is fine and smooth. Wash the pounded achicha until the water runs clear, leaving a little water in it so it stays soft. After a few minutes, drain it and move it to a dry bowl.
Divide the achicha into four or more equal portions. Wrap each portion in transparent nylon and tie it tightly. Lower the parcels into the pot with the boiling pigeon peas and cook for 20 to 30 minutes.
Heat palm oil in a separate pot and cook the chopped onion for about 2 minutes. Add the grated habanero and cook for a few minutes more.
Stir in the ugba, seasoning cubes, scent leaf and ugwu leaves. Lift the achicha parcels out of the pot, then stir the pigeon peas into the sauce.
Unwrap the cooked achicha and serve it alongside the pigeon pea stew.
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