Isi ewu, goat head in spicy sauce
Isi ewu, goat head in spicy sauce is very flavoursome because of the addition of the fatty brain of the goat.
Ingredients
- 1 Goat head
- 2 seasoning cubes
- Dry chili pepper
- salt
- 4 Ehuru (toasted)
- ¼ teaspoon ground uziza seed
- 2 scotch bonnet
- 3 leaves Utazi
- Akanwu (potash, kaun*)
- ½ cup Palm oil
Garnish
- 1 small onion
- few utazi leaves
- ½ chopped scotch bonnet
Instructions
- Have the butcher cut the goat head into large pieces, leaving the brain, ears, tongue and eyeballs whole. Wash the pieces well.
- Pour hot water on the tongue and cheeks, using a knife, scrape off the white topcoat. Scrub inside the ears very well.
- Gently rinse the whole brain, wrap it in foil and place it along with the meat in a pot.
- Add enough water to cover the meat, add salt, seasoning cubes and dry chilli pepper.
- Cook meat until soft.
- Fish out the parcel of the brain and set the meat aside to cool down a bit.
- Remove excess pieces of bones leaving some intact.
- In a blender dry mill grind or pound in a mortar, ehuru, uziza, scotch bonnet and utazi.
- In a small bowl, put akanwu powder and water (1 tablespoon Akanwu powder (10g) + 2 tablespoons water). Stir until well mixed, leave to stand to allow any sand to settle at the bottom.
- Meanwhile, thinly slice onions into rings, shred utazi and chop pepper for the garnish, set aside.
- Pour palm oil into a bowl.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the akanwu (potash) water and stir continuously using a wooden spoon, until the colour of the oil changes from red to yellow.
- If it is cracking, add another 1/2 tablespoon of akanwu water and stir.
- Unwrap the brain and add, mash very well to get a smooth mixture. A pestle does this very well.
- Add the ground spices and about 1-2 tablespoons of concentrated meat stock, stir well, taste for seasoning.
- You might need to add a 3rd seasoning cube especially if your goat meat is not the very aromatic type.
- Dump the cooked goat-head pieces into the slurry and mix to get the sauce into the crevices.
- Serve in a bowl garnished with onions rings, scotch bonnet and utazi.
- Serve with palm wine or any drink of choice.
Notes
- The number of utazi leaves might vary depending on their size.
- Be careful when adding water and salt because you want to have just about 2 tablespoons of concentrated stock remaining in the pot when meat is ready or you might need to cook it down later.
