Welcome to another episode of Hive Learner's Creative Sunday initiative within George. As usual, I will take you through one of the things I was happy doing in the kitchen.
I didn't have a plan to participate in today's Creative Sunday challenge but one thing led to another and I figured out what to prepare after a brief argument with a friend.
We were chatting and somehow, we started talking about food. He did something I didn't like which was condemning one of the things I fell in love with as a kid. My relationship with this thing didn't end with childhood and even as an adult, a week won't pass without me eating Ponmo (Cowskin).
I have seen many write-ups condemning the consumption of Ponmo but none has a concrete reason to make me stop eating it. I also have concerns about Ponmo which are the ways it is been processed and that's why I have a fixed vendor for it.
In response to my friend's claim about how Ponmo might be affecting us, I decided to make peppered Ponmo.
It is a very simple thing to do and it is one of the best ways to enjoy eating Ponmo (Cowskin).
RECIPE
- Ponmo (Cowskin)
- Red pepper
- Onions
- Groundnut oil
- Salt and Seasoning.
- Basil leaves
As you can see, the recipe isn't much but the satisfaction I derive from these little things you see above is huge.
Let's go to the preparation process...
Ponmo is usually exposed to lots of that so it requires lots of cleaning before the proper preparation begins.
- I washed the Ponmo thoroughly and used a knife to scrape the dirt that might be inside or on the back as well.
- I cut the Ponmo into smaller pieces.
- I boiled the Ponmo in hot water for about 10 minutes to be sure I have removed whatever dirt that might be hiding in it. While cooking, I added salt, a cube of seasoning, and onions.
- While it was cooking, I washed other recipes that needed to be washed and processed them as well. I used a hand blender for the pepper, while the onion and basil leaves were cut into smaller pieces.
After the thorough cooking, I removed the Ponmo from the hot water.
I heated the pot before turning a small quantity of groundnut oil into it.
- I didn't let the oil get hot before I turned the cooked Ponmo into it and I reduced the heat so that it would fry slowly.
- About 6 minutes later, I turned my onions into the frying Ponmo and allowed it to fry for a few more minutes before adding the blended pepper to it.
- I add my seasoning and salt, stirred everything together, and allowed it to fry for another 6 minutes under low heat. I didn't cover the pot since I needed it to just fry.
- Lastly, I added my Basil leaves and allowed them to fry for another minute before turning off the heat.
Ponmo has been stigmatized by a lot of people because of the smell, the appearance and many even refer to it as poor man food but many of these people can't resist it when it is been served in a meal.
It doesn't have to be made this way, I only love it like this because I can get a pack of juice and settle with a movie while eating.
Ponmo can be added to vegetables and used for stews as well. The secret to getting the best of it is preparing it well and making sure the Ponmo absorbs the sauce very well.
I hope you enjoyed reading, thanks for visiting my blog again.
Kindly pardon my image quality, all images were captured in the night