Cookbook:Asa Akpaakpa (Nigerian Corn Porridge)

Asa Akpaakpa (Nigerian Corn Porridge)
Time	45 minutes
Difficulty

Cookbook | Ingredients | Recipes | Cuisine of Nigeria

Asa akpakpa is a type of corn porridge from the Akwa Ibom people of Nigeria. It is seasonal in Nigeria, usually prepared during the maize harvest season.

Ingredients

• Dried maize
• Whole coconut
• Water
• Onion, chopped
• Ground crayfish
• Dryfish/stockfish
• Palm oil
• Salt
• Ground pepper
• Seasoning/stock cubes
• Fluted pumpkin leaves

Procedure

1. Grind the dried maize kernels to a coarse flour/meal.
2. Break open the coconut, and reserve all of the coconut water. Remove the flesh from the shell, cut into pieces, and blend with some warm water until smooth.
3. Strain the blended coconut, squeezing the chaff well to extract all the liquid.
4. Transfer the coconut water and the extracted coconut milk to a pot. Add chopped onion, dryfish, ground crayfish, and a little palm oil. Bring to a boil, and simmer for a little while.
5. Add pepper, salt, and seasoning cubes. Gradually stir in the maize flour, and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
6. Add more liquid as necessary—it should have the consistency of a porridge. Stir in the pumpkin leaves, and allow to soften.
7. Remove from the heat, and serve hot.

Notes, tips, and variations

• Coarse cornmeal can be substituted for the fresh ground maize.
• Store-bought coconut milk can be used if you don't want to make your own from the coconut.