Nigeria – Obe Ishapa

by Verdzekov Bernard

Obe Ishapa is a Nigerian cuisine eating by those of western Nigeria. The cuisine is not so common but it eating so well by those who know of it and who can prepare it. This same cuisine could be known by another name in another locality or state of Nigeria. The cuisine is highly Nutritional and delicious. Scares but delicious meal. Follow guide below if you want to cook this for your family or friends.

Ingredients

• Meat. Red meat or dried meat.
• Smoked fish
• Pepper
• Maggi
• Salt to taste
• Tomatoes
• 2 cups of ground Egusi
• Palm oil 
• Onions
• Tatashe
• Hibiscus leaves or Ishapa or white zobo leaves.

Process

• Wash meat slice into eatable slices and put into pot. Slice your onions into the pot with maggi to taste, turn on heat and boil. Boil until it is ready. If water dries of, add water and continue boiling process until meat is fully ready. Meat is so uncomfortable to eat when it is not ready and that makes chewing so difficult which can bring problems to your tooth.
• Wash your smoked fish, using your hands, scatter the fish into small but visible shapes.
• Wash your pepper and tomatoes, slice some onions and add to it, slice your tatashe and add to it too. Blend all at once and put aside.
• Ishapa or Zobo leaves could be used in the preparation of this cuisine, that is why it is found in the list of ingredients. Either dry or fresh Ishapa can be used. To use any, make sure you boil well, strain before use. But with the fresh, you need to wash well before boiling.
• Put palm oil in your main cooking pot for this cuisine and heat up. Don’t heat for so long. 2min is ok. And your blend ingredients. Allow for about 5min for it to fry. Stir continuously so as to prevent it from sticking to the pot. 
• Add your meat and stir well. 
• Add dry fish and stir gently. Allow pot for about 10min. stirring after every 5min.
• In-between your 10min interval, make your egusi paste. Let it not but watery. When the 10min elapse, add the paste to the pot and stir. Add your salt to taste and maggi and cover pot for about 10min.
• Open and add your Ishapa leaves. Allow for about 15min more, making sure you stirring.
• Your Obe Ishapa is ready.

Serve with cooked garri or pounded yams.