How to prepare Abacha (African Salad)

Abacha Or African salad as it's known is a traditional meal which originates from the eastern part of Nigeria. No feast, festival or gathering is complete without this wonderful delicacy especially when its served with Fresh palm wine from the best palm wine taper.....My mouth is watering already :). Abacha is prepared from cassava which is boiled till it softens then shredded. The shredded cassava is then soaked overnight in cold water, washed thoroughly and then spread out in the sun to dry. 

Ingredients:

*3 cups Palm oil
*4 pieces Fresh fish (fried)
*2 stock Seasoning (Maggi/Knorr)
*1 teaspoon ground Ehu seeds (Calabash Nutmeg)
*Dry Pepper, ground
*4 Garden eggs
*Ogiri
1 tsp. potash "Akaun"
*3 Utazi leaves (Gongronema latifolium)
*Garden egg leaves
*Pomo / Kanda (cow skin)
*2 large Red Onions
*4 Handfuls Abacha
*1 wrap Ugba (Ukpaka)

Steps:

1. Soak the Abacha in a bowl of warm water for about 30 mins till soft then drain

2. If you want to use Kanda, Season and cook till soft then cut into small cubes

3. Chop the vegetables, wash the whole garden eggs and Dice one of the onions then set aside

4. Cut the other bulb of onion in ringlike circles 

5. Place the potash in a cup or bowl and pour about 1 cup of warm water. Stir well and you are -ready to start making the African Salad. 

6. In a pot, pour in your palm oil and the potash mixture making sure you don't pour in the potash -residue along with it. 

7. Stir consistently till the palmoil and potash mixture turns into a yellow paste

8. Add the ground ehu,Seasoning, Ground pepper,diced onions, Crayfish and ugba (ukpaka), then stir very well till the mixture is well incorporated. 

9. Add the Iru/ogiri and Diced kpomo and stir well

10. Finally, gently add your soaked abacha into the mixture making sure you incorporate the whole mixture together and you are done!

11. If you like your abacha warm like i do, you can heat it up a little on a burner

12. Garnish with the sliced Utazi(Its quite bitter so i'd advice you use sparingly), Garden egg leaves, Onion rings,Fish and Garden eggs

13. Serve with a Cup of palm-wine for that breath taking feel ;)