• Nkwobi Recipe from Afrolems

    Nkwobi is a dish that is traditionally eaten by the Ibo people (a main tribe in Nigeria). It is a very rich dish but slightly high on the calories. If you are watching your weight, you should limit the palm oil and amount of potash in the dish. Hope you have a lot of success making the dish.

    Recipe for Nkwobi

    Ingredients

    • Cow leg (goat limbs – substitute)
    • Edible ground potash ( also known as akanwu )
    • Blended scotch bonnet peppers ( 1 table spoon)
    • Bitter leaf
    • 3 Seasoning cubes
    • Palm oil ( 2 cooking spoons)
    • Onions ( 1 medium size)
    • Dry blended red pepper (chilli flakes)
    • Salt ( to taste)
    • Dry Cray fish ( 1 cooking spoon)
    •  Utazi leaves
    Method

    Cut, wash and season the cow leg with salt, dry pepper and 2 seasoning cubes and bring to boil with 3 cups of water. Boil cow leg on medium heat for 30-40 minutes. Taste to see if it is soft. Once the meat is tender, transfer into a bowl.

    Combine the blended pepper, onions, blended crayfish, salt and 1 seasoning cube. Add water and mix thoroughly.

    Place a clean cooking pot on medium heat and pour in the palm oil. Bleach the palm oil and add the edible potash and then cover up the pot for about 1 minute. Stir the oil and potash thoroughly until a thick paste is formed. Add some water to the mixture to dilute the paste.

    Add the pepper, Cray fish, onion and seasonings to the pot with the paste and allow to simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes.

    Place the cow leg in the serving bowl and pour in the mixture. Garnish with the bitter leaves & utazi leaves.

    Nkwobi is best served with Boiled Yam or can be used as a stand-alone dish.

    nkwobi dish nkwobi

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Tip from one of our Afrolems Fans as a substitute for Potash.

    Growing up, Mother always used dried plantain peels in place of potash. She’d burn it and then use the ash (mixed in water). The result is almost the same.
    She made me to understand that too much consumption of potash is not very healthy. Infact, most people react to it. They tend to have running stomach after eating any food that was prepared with akanwu. (African salad, nkwobi, isi ewu, abacha, etc)
    So for some of us who reside in areas where potash might be scarce, why not try plantain peelings. #mytwocents#

     

     

     

     

     

     

    22 comments on “Nkwobi Recipe from Afrolems”

    1. Oge Reply

      wow this is awesome but its so hard to get potash in this part of the country, please share any substitute for the potash. Thanks!

    2. Emmanuel Udofia Reply

      Pleas, may I know what edible potash is realy made of. Could it be bought the way it is and if yes, where can I buy it? Or is it being prepared or processed to obtain it, if yes, how can I prepare it, and what are the components for preparing it?

      • Afrolems Reply

        Hi, It is made of potassium but I guess a milder version. I don’t know how to differentiate them but I know when I go to the market or African stores, I ask for edible potash. I have never tried to make it myself.

    3. Esther Reply

      Growing up, Mother always used dried plantain peels in place of potash. She’ld burn it and then use the ash (mixed in water). The result is almost the same.
      She made me to understand that too much consumption of potash is not very healthy. Infact, most people react to it. They tend to have running stomach after eating any food that was prepared with akanwu. (African salad, nkwobi, isi ewu, abacha, etc)
      So for some of us who reside in areas where potash might be scarce, why not try plantain peelings. #mytwocents#

    4. SAB Reply

      Potassium carbonate was first identified in 1742 by Antonio Campanella and is the primary component of potash and the more refined pearl ash or salts of tartar. Historically, pearl ash was created by baking potash in a kiln to remove impurities. The fine, white powder remaining was the pearl ash. The first patent issued by the US Patent Office was awarded to Samuel Hopkins in 1790 for an improved method of making potash and pearl ash.

      In late 18th century North America, before the development of baking powder, pearl ash was used as a leavening agent in quick breads. (wikipedia)

      In other words, Baking Powder has replaced Potash. I’ll be making the substitution in all of my Nigerian Recipes. 🙂

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    10. Anonymous Reply

      Pls just wish to add that bitter leaf is not same as utazi leaf..utazi is different from bitter leaf.

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