Abak Atama Soup

Abak Atama soup is an appetizing and sumptuous soup, prepared mostly by the Ibibios in Akwa Ibom state. The name ‘Abak Atama’ is derived from two major ingredients; Palm Fruit Concentrate (Abak) and Atama Leaves.

What are the ingredients for making Abak Atama soup?

1.      Five hundred grammes of palm fruits

2.      Assorted fish or meat (it could be beef, smoked fish, goat meat, stock fish, ponmo, etc.)

3.      Neatly shredded Atama leaves

4.      I ball of onion

5.      Atarodo, atagigun, Cameroun pepper to taste.

6.      2 seasoning cubes

7.      Salt to taste

8.      150g of cat fish

9.      Small cup of periwinkle

1.  2 tsp of ground crayfish

1.  Ground uyayak

How do you prepare Abak Atama soup?

1.      Boil the meat and fish stock with one seasoning cube. Add the chopped onion and salt to taste.

2.      Shred the Atama leaves or pound, and set aside of later use.

3.      Boil the palm kernel fruit for thirty minutes and make sure that the skin is soft. After that, pound lightly in a mortar to extract the oil. Make sure that you do not break the nuts when pounding.

4.      Pour some hot water and strain the extract with a sieve. Place a pot on fire and boil until it becomes thick and the oil has risen to the top.

5.      Add the mat stock in the pot. Note that the less stock you add, the thicker the soup would be. After that, leave to boil for close to ten minutes.

6.      Add the assorted meat/fish and periwinkle. Mix properly, add the ground crayfish, pepper, ground uyayak and seasoning cube.

7.      Cover and leave to boil for close to seven minutes.

8.      Add the cat fish, cover and cook for another five minutes until the fish is well prepared.

9.      Add the Atama leaves and salt to taste. Leave to simmer for three minutes. Mix properly…and your Abak Atama soup is ready!!!

Serve with eba, semo, akpu, pounded yam and wheat.