This Edition’s Special Food: Onunu
Abuja is a big city in Nigeria, with an estimated population of over 2.5 million. As the state capital of Nigeria, the city is carefully designed and planned and it is located in the center of Nigeria. This makes it to be one of those cities in Nigeria that one can find local foods peculiar and indigenous to tribes/culture miles away.
And funnily enough we found a special meal “ONUNU” at The Raffia Palm located at No 1 Ugheli Close, Area 2, Garki, Abuja. This meal is unique and indigenous to Ijaws and Kalabari in south-south part of Nigeria. Outside the Ijaws and Kalabari, the meal is still not known to many people in Nigeria. For the Ijaws and Kalabari, the meal is still very special as it is mainly served at traditional wedding ceremonies.
Onunu is a mashed meal, but unlike other mashed food found in Nigeria like Garri (cassava flour meal), Pounded yam, Wheat and so on, it is chewed not swallowed. This is one the unique features of the meal and it is not found in the everyday restaurant in the country. Onunu has its own special sauce that goes with it, which is a light spicy fish or meat stew/source. However, the amount of spice depends on ones preferences.
The Breakdown
Onunu is made with yam and ripe plantain. The yam and ripe plantain are boiled either separately or together. But bearing in mind that yam takes much longer time to cook, it is better to boil seperately. The cooked yam and plantain are then pounded together with palm oil to a firm dough. The palm oil gives the though a yellow colour. It is served with either a spicy fresh fish or dry fish stew/source.
Ingredients
A. The Onunu:
1. Yam
2. Ripe plantain
3. Palm oil
4. Salt to taste
B. The sauce:
1. Fresh fish/ meat
2. Pepper and tomato puree
3. Seasoning
How it is made
1. Peel the yam, then cut it into small pieces and put on fire to cook.
2. When the yam is almost cooked, add the peeled and chopped down plantain.
3. Add salt when the yam and plantain are almost cooked. (Salt is optional)
4. When both yam and plantain are cooked, put in a mortar and pound.
5. Add a little palm oil to the mixture during pounding.
6. Wrap in small pieces when the dough is firm enough and serve with fish sauce.
