Atama Soup
Atama soup is the Akwa Ibom take on banga, a rich Nigerian soup built on the oily extract of mudu palm fruit. The fruits are boiled, pounded and strained, so the soup gets its body from the palm itself rather than from thickeners. Snails, periwinkles, smoked fish and meat go in together, and the ground atama leaves are left to cook undisturbed. Serve it with pounded yam or fufu.
Instructions
Snip a little off the tail end of each periwinkle, wash them well, then boil them with a teaspoon of salt for 8 to 10 minutes until they foam. Drain and wash again to remove any remaining grit.
Wash the palm fruits and boil them for about 30 minutes. Drain, pound them briefly, then stir them into warm water and strain off the oily extract.
Trim the unwanted bits from the snails, add 2 tablespoons of salt and knead them to draw out the slime. Rinse them thoroughly with the lime to remove what is left, then season and boil the snails until cooked.
Chop the atama leaves and grind them finely.
Pour the palm fruit extract into a pot and boil it for about 5 minutes. Add the snails, meat, cleaned fish, periwinkles, pepper and maggi, stir, and boil for about 10 minutes.
Add the ground atama leaves and boil for 10 minutes without stirring.
Stir in the uyayak and salt to taste, then simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and serve with pounded yam, fufu or boiled rice.
Make it personal.
Custom engraved cutting boards, utensils, and kitchen accessories. Great gifts for anyone who cooks.
Shop Custom Chef →Affiliate link · PicksByRecipe may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
