Abak Atama Soup is a delicious soup popular amongst the Ibibios of Akwa Ibom State in Southern Nigeria. Its name is derived from the two dominant ingredients: Palm Fruit Concentrate (Abak) and Atama Leaves. The base palm fruit concentrate used in preparing Abak Atama makes it similar to the
Banga soup of the Niger Delta origin and the Ofe Akwu of the Igbos but the difference is in the spices and vegetables used for each of these soups and stews.
Ingredients
For 4 servings, you will need:
500g Palm Fruits or 400g tinned Palm Fruit Concentrate
Assorted meat and fish. You can use:
Beef or Goat Meat
Cow Skin (ponmo)
Smoked fish
Dry fish
Stock fish
1 handful thinly sliced atama leaves
1 onion
2 tablespoons ground crayfish
2 milk cups unshelled periwinkles
Habanero pepper (Atarodo, ose oyibo, atarugu: to taste)
2 small stock cubes
Salt (to taste)
PREPARATION METHOD
1. Wash periwinkles thoroughly. Then Wash and boil the palm fruits for about 30 minutes. Strain off the water and pound the palm fruit until the pulp/fibre separates from the nuts.
2. Boil some clean water and add to the pounded palm fruit and mix thoroughly to separate the oily extract from the rest of the pulp, then strain off the oily extract.
3. Wash, cut up and season your meat with salt, Knorr cube and small pepper, then steam for about 5 minutes on low heat. Then add about 1½ cups of water and the stockfish head and continue boiling for about 20 minutes till the meat is almost cooked, and remove from heat.
4. Cut the Atama leaves into very fine pieces. Pound them for about 10 minutes till the leaves are finely pounded. Then place the oily extract on the burner and allow to boil for about 5 minutes to remove all moisture.
5. Add cooked meat and washed smoked fish, meat stock, periwinkle, crayfish, pepper and Knorr and Uyayak. Stir and allow to boil for about 10 minutes. Add the atama leaves and boil without stirring for another 10 minutes. Stir and add salt to tast.
6. Allow to simmer for another 15 –10 minutes or until slightly thick. Remove from heat and serve with pounded yam, garri or cassava fufu.
