Atama soup (Abak Atama)
Atama soup (Abak Atama) is a palm nut juice-based soup. It is aromatic and floral with a slightly bitter taste.
Ingredients
- Palm nut juice boiled* or canned palmnut extract
- 3 cups shredded Atama leaves
- Beef
- Ponmo (cow skin)
- Stockfish
- 1 wing Uyayak
- 1 cup Periwinkle (with shell)
- Dryfish
- Dry pepper
- Fresh pepper (scotch bonnet)
- 6 tablespoons Crayfish
- 3 Seasoning cubes
Instructions
- Wash and pound Atama leaves using a mortar and pestle, the dry mill of your blender or food processor, set aside.
- Using a big knife cut off the tails of the periwinkle (or use a plier). Wash in several changes of water until the water is clear.
- Wash the meat and Ponmo, place in a pot, season with salt and seasoning cube. Add a little water and place over medium heat. Cook until the meat and ponmo have softened.
- Rinse and add stockfish. Cook until meat is tender.
- Soak dry fish in boiling hot water for 2 minutes, drain and rinse well with cold water.
- Pour the palm nut extract into the meat. Add uyayak and Periwinkle, bring to a boil.
- Add dry fish, pepper, crayfish and seasoning cubes. Stir well and taste, add salt.
- Cook for about 5 minutes, add Atama and cook for a further 5 minutes and take off the heat.
- Serve with swallow, white rice or Ayan Ekpang.
Notes
- *Click to see how to extract palm nut juice.
- For dry Atama leaves, soak in water until it softens a bit. drain and squeeze out as much water as you can.
- If using shelled periwinkles, add with Atama leaves.
- If using frozen fish or fresh fish (depending on the size), season and set aside then add after adding Atama leaves.
- When using large fresh fish cuts, steam seasoned fish for 3-5 minutes before adding to the soup.
- Do not add too much water when extracting palm nut juice so that your soup will not be watery. Bear in mind also that the soup thickens further as it cools down.
- Fresh or dry prawns, shrimps, periwinkles, snails etc. are all delicious in Atama soup.