Asun

Ingredients

Goat

• 1 kggoat meat, preferably smoked, in bite-sized pieces
• 1onion, quartered
• 2stock cubes
• 1 tspsalt

Pepper base

• 4to 8 scotch bonnets, blended
• 2red peppers, blended
• 2onions, one blended and one sliced
• 4 clovesgarlic
• 2cm ginger

Also

• 4 tbspoil
• 1 tspground crayfish, optional
• 2 tspcurry powder
• 1 tspdried thyme
• salt

To finish

• 1onion, in thick slices
• 1green pepper, in strips
• spring onions

To serve

• as party food, with a cold drink
• with fried plantain or rice

Directions

1. Boil the goat first until tender, then smoke it in a covered barbecue or a stovetop smoker over wood chips for thirty to forty minutes. Alternatively grill it over charcoal until well charred, which gives some of the same character.
2. Boil it with onion, stock cubes and salt for forty-five minutes to an hour before anything else. Keep the stock, which is used later. Cut it into small bite-sized pieces, since asun is eaten with a cocktail stick. Cut it after cooking rather than before, which is easier and keeps the pieces juicier.
3. Blend the scotch bonnets, red peppers, onion, garlic and ginger into a rough paste. Asun is meant to be very hot, and a version with a couple of chillies is not really asun. Adjust it to what you can genuinely eat, and know that a Nigerian party version would use considerably more. Wear gloves when handling that quantity of scotch bonnet and keep your hands from your eyes.
4. Fry the blended paste in oil over a medium heat for ten to fifteen minutes. Fry it until it darkens noticeably and the oil separates and pools at the edges. Stir it regularly, since a thick pepper paste catches readily. Add the curry powder, thyme and ground crayfish.
5. Add the smoked goat pieces to the fried pepper base and toss them thoroughly. Add a splash of the reserved stock to loosen it slightly. Now the cooking, which should be brief and hard.
6. Fry it over a high heat for eight to ten minutes, stirring. The aim is for the sauce to cling to the meat and dry onto it rather than to make a stew. Let some pieces catch and char slightly against the pan, which is wanted. Add thick slices of onion and strips of green pepper in the last two minutes.
7. Add them late so they stay crisp and fresh against the soft smoky meat. They should soften slightly and keep their bite entirely. Taste it and season it with salt. Now serve it out hot in a bowl. Serve it hot in a bowl with cocktail sticks, as small chops with a cold drink.

Technique

• The smoking over wood is what distinguishes it from ordinary peppered goat.
• It is meant to be genuinely very hot rather than mildly spiced.
• The sauce should cling to the meat rather than pooling as a stew.

Substitutions

• Ready-smoked goat from a Nigerian shop.
• Lamb in place of goat, though goat is correct.

Variations

• Made with smoked turkey, which is common.
• Made with chicken or with fish.
• Milder, with fewer scotch bonnets.

History

A Yoruba party dish from Ondo and Ekiti, where goat is smoked over wood before being fried hard with scotch bonnet.

Frequently asked questions

What is Asun?

Asun is a street food from Nigeria: smoked goat chopped and tossed with fiery peppers and onions. A Yoruba party dish from Ondo and Ekiti, where goat is smoked over wood before being fried hard with scotch bonnet.

How long does Asun take to make?

Asun takes 25 min of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Asun?

Yes, within limits. Ready-smoked goat from a Nigerian shop. Lamb in place of goat, though goat is correct.

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

Boil it with onion, stock cubes and salt for forty-five minutes to an hour before anything else. Keep the stock, which is used later. Cut it into small bite-sized pieces, since asun is eaten with a cocktail stick. Cut it after cooking rather than before, which is easier and keeps the pieces juicier.