Though the indigenous name for our delicacy this week is Abacha, it is popularly called African Salad. It is a dish that can serve as dessert or main course and it is usually eaten by many people. In this piece, TAYO GESINDE writes on the health benefits of this food that is loved by people from the eastern part of Nigeria.
Abacha or African Salad is made with cassava garnished with garden eggs and with fried fish. It can be served as a meal or snack at home, restaurants or parties. Abacha is a nutritious and healthy food. Some of the health benefits of abacha include the followings: it protects the bones from damages; it aids digestion and boosts blood circulation. Below is the ingredient and preparation of abacha.
Ingredients for African Salads
Abacha
Ehu seed
Ugba
Crayfish
2 Maggi
Palm oil
Salt and pepper
Garden eggs
Utazi leaves
Dry fish or stock fish
Preparation
Step 1: Grind the Ehu seeds in a mortar till it becomes powders. Soak the stockfish in water and remove the bones from the dry fish. Cut the big bulb of onion into tiny pieces and cut the medium one in circles. Next, wash the garden eggs and cut them into chunks of square balls as you require. Then grind the crayfish and pepper.
Step 2: Soak the Abacha in cold water and rinse the Ugba with lukewarm water. Once the Abacha has softened, put it in a sieve to drain. Stir well and you are ready to start making the African salad.
Step 3: Pour the palm oil into a pot. Stir very well till the oil turn into a yellow paste. Remove it from the cooker and add the ground pepper, ground ehu, crushed stock cubes, crayfish, diced onions and ugba, then stir very well. You can also add ogiri to it, but make sure it is mixed very well.
Step 4: Now add the soaked and drained abacha and stir till it is well mixed in the palm oil paste. Then add salt to taste and stir well. Put the abacha back on the cooker and leave on a temperature of medium to low heat. When done, turn off the heat and add the sliced garden egg leaves, stir very well and serve.
and then