Efere Usung Udia is a traditional Nigerian recipe for a classic soup (a stew to be served with pounded yam) of goat meat, smoked fish and periwinkles cooked with chillies, greens and spices in a stock with palm oil and thickened with dried crayfish or dried prawns. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Nigerian version of: Efere Usung Udia.
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Efere Usung Udia, also known as Afang soup, is a traditional Nigerian dish made with Afang leaves and often served with pounded yam.
Ingredients:
8 pieces of goat meat (about 100g each)
2 medium-sized smoked fish
200g periwinkles (in their shells)
5 uziza (afang) leaves (Guinea pepper leaves)
1 medium-sized yam
1 tbsp uziza seeds (Ashanti pepper)
2 ate pods
6 medium-sized fresh pepper (any aromatic ones such as Scotch bonnets)
1 tbsp dried chillies
3 tbsp ground, dried, crayfish (prawns)
3 tbsp red palm oil
2l water
salt, to taste
Method:
Wash the goat meat thoroughly then season with salt and 1 Maggi cube. Place in a pan and stew in its own juices until the liquid released by meat has all dried up.
Remove the tails from the periwinkles, wash thoroughly, scrubbing the shells, then set aside. Bring a pan of water to a boil, add the pieces of yam and cook for about 20 minutes, or until just tender. Drain the yam (reserve the liquid), place in a mortar and pound until smooth and dough-like.
Wash the fish thoroughly then tie them together with string in a bundle. Grind the ate pods and the uziza leaves together. Place in a pot with the fish and pour over enough water to cover then bring to a boil. Make bundles of the pounded yam in heated plantain leaves or greaseproof paper. Tie into parcels and set aside (reserve about 6 tbsp as a thickener).
Pour the yam cooking liquid into a pan with the dried fish and ate pods and bring to a boil. Add the crayfish, periwinkles, chillies and spices. Bring back to a boil then cut the reserved pounded yam into small pieces and whisk half into the stock until thickened to your liking. Add the other half to the fish mixture and stir until thickened (this is your white soup).
Crumble in the remaining maggi cube into the periwinkle mixture and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Pour the periwinkle mixture into a bowl (you can remove the periwinkles if you desire) then add 2 tbsp hot water to thin the soup and gradually add palm oil, stirring constantly, until the mixture is yellow (this is the Atong). Remove the smoked fish from the white soup then scoop the soup into a serving bowl. Arrange the smoked fish on a dish and pour over the Atong.
Serve the white soup and atong-topped fish accompanied by the parcels of pounded yam.
