Asun – My Owambe Party Favourite

Asun at Owambe party as we call it in Lagos is a common sight in the southwestern part of Nigeria..
I was at my friends mother in law funeral ceremony and it was happening…..
As soon as  I arrived that afternoon, I found my way to my friend’s designated canopy, and was seated , I was greeted with waiters offering  Jollof Rice, Fried Rice , Moin Moin, Pounded yam and Egusi soup all with assorted meats. I guess it is assumed that you will be drinking alcohol so the waiters feel obliged to provide your stomach with some good base to allow the alcohol to settle in. I managed to decline the offer of this “first course”.

Meanwhile at the center of the table are plates of appetizers referred to as “small chops” … Samosa, chinchin, puff puff etc.
All expected to be consumed at this one seating. , I wonder:)
I was allowed to ‘relax ‘ for about one hour and some more food started emerging , this time ,more of meats….Asun, grilled fish, grilled gizzard etc. as expected these go with some Champagne and other drinks of choice

 
.By this time the dance floor is thick with dancers trying to outdo each other as the children of the deceased,friends and family members take to the dance floor and wiggle away  to the music of the band. So funny the different dance steps:). Something else that is fascinating about an owambe party is the color coordination by the guests, it was pink velvet wrapper with white lace top (iro and buba) , velvet fabric is the vogue in wrappers, you cant beat these Lagos babes with fashion:).

I loved the musician on the band stand , Tunde Ayefele  so I was also wiggling away on my seat enjoying my bowl of Asun with very high pepper, just the way I like it.
So this was my experience two weekends ago. With Asun on my mind , I had to share the recipe with you my friends.  Asun is always my escape from all the heavy carbohydrate meals at parties, as a habit I eat at home before heading out …funny eh?
This weekend I decided to stay home and make my Asun at home and enjoy.

Recipe for making Asun

Ingredient
Goat meat
Scotch bonnet Pepper (coarsely ground) to taste
Onion( sliced)
Seasoning cubes to taste
Salt to taste
Little water

Method
1, Clean the meat without cutting into pieces. Always ask the butchers to remove the big bones from the meat particularly if using the arm or legs of goat
2 , Pat dry with kitchen tissue and grill to cook and brown the meat and infuse the smoke flavor.
3, Chop meat into small bite size pieces
4, Place in a pot and add the onion, sprinkle a very little water to cook meat a little further and prevent meat sticking to pot. Cook for 3-5 minutes
5, Mix seasoning, pepper and salt
6,Add the pepper/ seasoning/ salt mix and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring almost all through this time. This helps to make a slightly thick sauce for the meat
7,Serve hot

Cooking Tip:
Female “native” goat works best for Asun. The meat cooks fast and the skin is softer.Ask the butchers when buying.
Adjust pepper to your tolerance level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch the video here: