African Salad (Abacha)
Photo: Phizzle01, CC BY-SA 4.0
Abacha is a cold-served Igbo dish of shredded dried cassava, and it gets its character from a handful of West African pantry staples. Potash stirred into hot palm oil turns it into a thick yellow paste that clings to every strand. Crayfish, ehu seeds and fermented ogiri add depth, while bitter utazi leaves cut through the richness. Fried fish and soft ponmo make it a full plate.
Instructions
Soak the dried abacha in warm water for 40 minutes, then drain it and set it aside.
Season the fish and fry it. Season the ponmo and boil it until it is soft.
Stir the potash into a cup of warm water until it dissolves, then strain the liquid to remove the residue.
Heat the palm oil in a pot and add the strained potash liquid. Stir until the oil turns into a thick yellow paste.
Add the crayfish powder, pepper, ground ehu, ukpaka, ogiri or iru, diced onion and seasoning to taste. Stir well so the paste is evenly mixed.
Add the soaked abacha to the pot and stir until every strand is coated in the paste.
Serve the abacha topped with the fried fish, ponmo, garden egg, onion rings and the chopped utazi, using the utazi sparingly because it is bitter.
Make it personal.
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