HOW I PREPARED MY FAVORITE LOCAL DELICACY (ONUNU)

Onunu food is a River's State delicacy, it is mostly prepared by the Okrika and kalabari people of River's State, Nigeria.

^{A plate of Onunu food served with pepper soup}

I actually learnt from my Mom how to prepare this wonderful delicacy.

Onunu is my favorite native food because it's very delicious and I can practically eat it everyday without being tired of it.

KEY NOTES ABOUT ONUNU FOOD

• This unique food is prepared with yam and ripe plantains boiled and pounded together, and then finished off with Palm oil and fresh pepper (optional)
• One need lots of energy to pound the yam and ripe plantain to make it tender.
• The quantity of yam should be fairly more than that of the plantain.
• However, salt can be added while pounding or when boiling the yam and ripe plantains. Either ways can go. In my own case I normally add salt when I'm pounding it.
• Onunu food is more enjoyable when eaten hot or warm but not when it's cold.

INGREDIENTS

1. Yam
2. Ripe Plantain
3. Palm oil
4. Salt
5. Fresh pepper (optional)

STEPS ON HOW TO PREPARE ONUNU

• First of all, peel, wash and cut yam into cubes. Put into a pot and start boiling.
• When the yam has cooked right about halfway, add the cut and washed ripe plantains
• Ensure that both the yams and the ripe plantains have cooked through till soft before you pound.
• Put the yam gradually in a mortar and start pounding, when the yam is tender.

^{A picture of me pounding the yam...the first stage of preparing Onunu}

• Add ripe plantains and continue pounding.

^{Ripe plantains ready to be peeled and added to the yam already in the mortar}

^{Pounding of ripe plantains together with the yam}

• Add salt and pound until the salt mixes properly with the yam and ripe plantain.

• Add palm oil and pound a little more.

• Finish off the pounding, when the palm oil properly combines, the color changes to yellow. In that way it's ready for consumption.

^{Adding of oil to the tender yam and ripe plantains}

^{Onunu food in a mortar ready for consumption}

You can serve Onunu food with either pepper soup, stew or any spicy soup of your choice.

In this case I made pepper soup for the consumption of the Onunu.

INGREDIENTS USED FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE PEPPER SOUP

1. Fresh fish
2. Fresh pepper
3. Onions
4. Salt
5. Maggi
6. Scent leave
7. Local pepper soup spice (Uda)
8. A little drop of palm oil (optional)

STEPS

1. Wash your fresh fish very well into a pot
2. Spice it with your onions, salt, maggi, fresh pepper, and add a little drop of palm.oil (optional) and allow it to boil very well.
3. Add your desired water, leave it to boil small.
4. Then add your native pepper soup spice (Uda).
5. Add your washed and cut scent leave. Allow to boil for a while and your pepper soup is ready.

^{A plate of delicious Onunu food served with pepper soup}

Thanks for reading through. Hope you try this out someday.......