Homework, Goat leg Nkwobi, Goat leg in spicy sauce

Homework, goat leg nkwobi, goat leg in spicy sauce is a variation of the more popular Nkwobi made with cow leg (cow trotters). The name Homework, I believe, came about because of the time and concentration devoted to eating this succulent dish. You need to get your fingers into it, nibble, chew, suck, lick,…there is so much “work” to do.

The first time my Renaissance man brought home this dish as a take-out from a local restaurant, I was sceptical. The goat trotters were whole, which was initially off-putting, but on tasting it, wow, wow… I became hooked. Now, when I buy goat trotters, I ask the butcher to cut them into smaller bits. This makes it more presentable and easier to eat.

The meat needs to be boiled until it is very soft, fall-off-the-bone soft. Some goat meat can be very tough, usually the female goat, so to save time and fuel, use a pressure cooker or add 10-15 pieces of dry beans to the meat (beans act as a meat tenderizer, this I learnt from my butcher and honestly still don’t know the science behind it).

You can also use any meat tenderizer that is totally flavourless and won’t affect the taste of the finished dish. Be careful if using akanwu (potash) to tenderise the meat because this extra akanwu can throw the recipe out of balance.

Ehuru needs to be roasted before use. The heat releases its essential oil which contains its essence and flavour. You can roast ehuru in a dry pan over high heat or over an open fire, better yet, buy the pre-roasted one in the market. Utazi or any good bitters is needed to balance the richness of the sauce.

Curry, thyme or crayfish are not used in making homework. It is a simple dish, which is where its beauty lies.

To make Homework, goat leg Nkwobi, goat trotters in spicy sauce:

Goat trotters
salt
seasoning cubes
1 tablespoon Akanwu water*
Palm oil
2 ehuru or 1 teaspoon ground ehuru (calabash nutmeg)
Scotch bonnet, (fresh pepper) chopped
1 large onions, sliced
utazi leaves

*1 tablespoon Akanwu powder (10g) + 2 tablespoons water

Wash trotters well, season with salt and seasoning cubes, then add enough water to fully cover the meat.

Be careful with the salt because you will need a concentrated stock.

Cook meat until very, very soft and long enough to release enough gelatine from the bones into the stock. (This is what makes the sauce sticky and adds a lot of flavour to it).

Add more water as needed and cook down to 1/2 cup of stock.

Set the meat aside to cool down a bit.

Meanwhile, thinly slice onions and chop or grind pepper, set aside.

In a small bowl, put akanwu powder and water, stir until well mixed, let it settle a bit to allow any sand settle at the bottom.

sliced onions for homework — sliced Onions

chopped pepper for homework — Chopped Pepper

homework 1 2 e1510187490335 Homework, Goat leg Nkwobi, Goat leg in spicy sauce — Akanwu (Kaun, potash)

Put palm oil in a bowl,

Add 1 tablespoon of the potash water and stir continuously using a wooden spoon, until the colour of the oil changes from red to yellow.

If it is cracking, add another 1/2 tablespoon of akanwu water and stir. This is called ncha (soap).

Add the ncha to the cooled meat in the pot. If the meat is too hot, the ncha, which is an emulsion, will crack causing the oil to leach out and the sauce will lose its consistency and taste oily.

Add ehuru, pepper, sliced onions and utazi to the pot (reserve some onions and utazi for garnishing).

Stir very well and taste, add seasoning cube if needed. Remember the stock is already concentrated, so it is most likely you won’t need to add any more salt.