Abacha and Ugba, also known as African salad, originates from the Igbo tribe of Eastern Nigeria and is a cassava-based dish. Abacha refers to dried shredded cassava, while Ugba is fermented African oil bean seed. I was introduced to Abacha by my Igbo neighbors back in Nigeria when I was in primary school, and I absolutely loved it!
Abacha has remained an absolute favorite of mine because it’s incredibly easy to prepare, and its ingredients are readily available. Unfortunately, my pictures don’t do justice to the recipe because I encountered a slight hiccup with my camera just as I was about to begin. You’ll notice the picture quality changed after I added the Potash mixture to the Palm oil. I didn’t have much time to fix it, so I had to wait until the end to get help with adjusting its settings. Please bear with me on this.
It’s essential to note that Abacha and Ugba is not a hob/stove-cooked dish, so don’t be tempted to cook it with heat.
Ingredients:
– 4 Cups Abacha
– 1.5 – 2 Cups Ugba
– 1 Cup Palm Oil
– 1 Teaspoon Edible Potash (Akaun)
– 1 Whole Fresh Fish (Mackerel/Titus preferred)
– 2-3 Medium Stockfish/ Okporoko (Optional)
– 1-2 Scotch Bonnet or 2 Tablespoons Ground pepper
– 1 Red Onion
– 4-6 Garden Eggs (Optional)
– 6-8 Utazi Leaves
– 2 Tablespoons Crayfish Powder
– 5 Calabash Nutmeg Seeds (Ehuru)
– 1/2 Teaspoon Ogiri
– Knorr Cubes or any Bouillon Cubes
Preparation:
Firstly, clean and gut your fish, then marinate it with salt, curry, bouillon cube, or seasoning. Leave it to marinate in your fridge or a cool place for at least 30 minutes…
Then grill or fry. I prefer grilling, this was grilled for 45 minutes on 220 degrees…
Soak the Abacha in cold water till soft, this should take roughly 10 minutes, leave to drain in a colander….
Rinse the Ugba with warm water to rid it of dirt…
Boil the stockfish with salt and seasoning till soft…
Dissolve the Potash in 1 cup of water…..
Blend the scotch bonnet, 1/2 of the onion, crayfish and ground Ehuru till smooth and set aside….
Roast the Calabash nutmeg, peel and grind in a mortar or mill. I’m using pre-ground Ehuru but this is what Calabash nutmeg looks like in case you’re wondering….
Pour the palm oil into a bowl or saucepan, gradually add the potash mixture into the palm oil, mix thoroughly, you’ll notice the palm oil will begin to thicken and the colour will turn yellowy. Be careful not to add too much also be careful not to add the residue at the bottom of the bowl…
Now, add the pepper mix into the palm oil…
Now, add the shredded stockfish, Ogiri, then the Ugba, stir and combine…
Then add the Abacha, stir and combine….
And it’s ready.
You can mix in your chopped Utazi leaves at this time if you wish to. I prefer to just garnish with it. Be careful not to add too much Utazi though, it’s quite bitter and will affect the taste of your Abacha if added in excess.
Note: If you prefer your Abacha warm, do transfer it to a hob and let it simmer on low heat for 2 minutes or heat up in a microwave.
Garnish with Onion rings, Garden Eggs, Utazi leaves and the Grilled/Fried Fish
