Nkwobi

Ingredients

Meat

• 1.2 kgcow foot, cut into pieces
• 1onion
• 2stock cubes
• 1 tspsalt

Emulsion

• 250 mlred palm oil
• 1 tspfood-grade akanwu, edible potash, or ¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 100 mlwarm water

Seasoning

• 2 tbspground ehu, calabash nutmeg
• 2 tbspground crayfish
• 2scotch bonnet peppers, chopped
• 1 tspsalt
• 1stock cube

To finish

• 1onion, sliced into rings
• 1 handfulutazi leaves, very finely sliced

To serve

• wooden bowls
• cold beer
• or boiled unripe plantain

Directions

1. Use only food-grade akanwu sold for cooking, use the small amount specified, and do not increase it. Wash the cow foot thoroughly, scraping the skin, and rinse it several times. Boil it with the onion, stock cubes and salt for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours. It takes hours.
2. Keep a little of the cooking liquid and drain the rest. Dissolve the akanwu in the warm water and let the grit settle, then pour off the clear liquid and discard the sediment.
3. Put the palm oil in a bowl and add the potash water a little at a time, stirring hard and continuously. The oil will change before your eyes from clear red to a thick, opaque, pale yellow paste.
4. Keep stirring until it is uniformly thick and creamy, like a loose custard. If it stays runny, add a very little more potash water; if it seizes, loosen it with a spoonful of the meat stock.
5. Stir in the ground ehu, the crayfish, the chopped peppers, salt and stock cube. Fold the hot cooked cow foot into the emulsion until every piece is thickly coated.
6. Add the meat hot and coat it while everything is warm, which is when the emulsion clings best. Slice the utazi as finely as you possibly can, almost to threads.
7. Serve in wooden bowls, topped with onion rings and the shredded utazi. The wooden bowl is traditional and it keeps the dish warm without the oil catching a metallic edge.

Technique

• Ehu and utazi are sold in Nigerian shops and both are worth ordering rather than substituting.
• It is rich and is eaten in small portions with a drink.
• It does not reheat well, because the emulsion breaks.

Substitutions

• Bicarbonate of soda in place of akanwu, at about three quarters of the quantity.
• Goat head, making isi ewu, or oxtail.

Variations

• Isi ewu, with goat head.
• With assorted meats and tripe.
• Served with boiled unripe plantain.

History

An Igbo bar dish from the east, thickened with edible potash that turns palm oil into a yellow emulsion, served with cold beer.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nkwobi?

Nkwobi is a main from Nigeria: cow foot in a thick spiced palm-oil emulsion, eaten from wooden bowls. An Igbo bar dish from the east, thickened with edible potash that turns palm oil into a yellow emulsion, served with cold beer.

How long does Nkwobi take to make?

Nkwobi takes 30 min of preparation and 2 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Nkwobi?

Yes, within limits. Bicarbonate of soda in place of akanwu, at about three quarters of the quantity. Goat head, making isi ewu, or oxtail.

What is the most important thing to get right in Nkwobi?

Use only food-grade akanwu sold for cooking, use the small amount specified, and do not increase it. Wash the cow foot thoroughly, scraping the skin, and rinse it several times. Boil it with the onion, stock cubes and salt for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours. It takes hours.