Abacha Recipe

Abacha is found easily in the eastern part of Nigeria. This Abacha recipe preparation starts from the main ingredient, which is Abacha. It is made from a cassava plant, which undergoes some procedures (cooking of cassava plant and slicing with a specific grater) and comes out wet. 

When the procedures are done from the beginning, harvested cassava is gotten, peeled, washed, cooked, and sliced into desired sizes or shapes.

Most people love having it wet, then a larger quantity will be sun-dried for preservation.

Abacha and Ugba is a local food consumed in the Southeastern region of Nigeria. The name Abacha is known to have originated from Igbo mythology that salad contains lots of vegetables without proper cooking.

  It is an irreplaceable source of carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber.

Abacha, as the Igbos usually call it, is one of the dominating foods in eastern Nigeria. They prefer Abacha to kola for their visitors and some places in the eastern region only offer Abacha to their guests.

What is Abacha?

African salad also known as Abacha food is a mouth-watering West African food known to the Ndi Igbo(Igbo people). 

Tapioca is a starch obtained from cassava root. This delicacy is native to the North Region of Brazil but spread widely throughout the South American continent too. The plant was transported by Portuguese and Spanish travelers to most of the West Indies, and continents of Africa and Asia, including Nigeria.

The Portuguese carried the Tapioca to Nigeria. It is now planted and harvested in Nigeria especially in southeastern Nigeria, among the Igbos.

A main food now in many parts of Nigeria, tapioca is used as a thicker in various food recipes. Tapioca is one of the safest forms of starch food. The Igbos call Tapioca, ‘Abacha.‘

It is a food that can be prepared within 15 minutes and it requires some ingredients like cassava Flakes, palm oil, crayfish, Ugba, and a few more ingredients.

African salad or Abacha recipe is also known as Igbo food and they serve mainly Ugba or Abacha to their visitors and they desire the delicious delicacy.

Abacha Recipe Ingredients

• 3-6 cups or handful of Abacha (African salad)

• 1-2 handfuls of Ugba (as desired)
• 3 seeds of Ehu (optional)
• 1 cup of crayfish
• Red palm oil
• 1 teaspoon of powdered potash
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 stock cubes
• 3 garden egg ( optional)
• Utazi leaf
• Garden egg leaves
• Meat/ kpomo (cow skin)
• Dried fish/ stock fish.

How To Make Stir Fry Abacha

• Soak the Abacha in water (warm water) for 3 minutes.
• Filter the powder potash into a pot, leaving out the residue.
• Pour the Abacha into the pot, and add the Ugba, Ogiri-ede, crayfish, pepper, salt, seasoning cube, and palm oil.
• Afterward, start stirring and blending all the mixture from the top to the bottom (you can use your hand if preferable).
• Pour a little quantity of water on it if necessary to allow the mixture to blend very well
• You can add your sliced onions or add them when serving (besides the Abacha).
• Once you are done with that, Serve your Abacha recipe with the kpomo, meat, dried fish, or stock fish.

Tips and Tricks 

• It is very much advisable to heat the Abacha recipe before serving. 
• Ugba is a very important recipe for Abacha, it is considered incomplete without that ingredient.
• To get that yellow paste for that Abacha recipe, you have to stir very well.

What to serve with

One can serve with meat or dried fish/ stock fish or kpomo as mentioned above. Also, the garden eggs, the leaves, and the onions are used to beautify the decorations while serving. Different regions of the eastern part will prefer palm or preferably your favorite drink.

Nutritional Value 

This Abacha recipe carries a rich volume of minerals and nutrients which are thus: Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium, Sodium, Vitamin C, Zinc, Iron, Vitamin A, and Phosphorus. Cassava is also a great source of thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin.

Note; Tapioca (Abacha) mainly consists of only carbohydrates, it is low in saturated fat, protein, and sodium. It has no important essential vitamins or dietary minerals.

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