Small Chops

Nkwobi (Spiced Cow Foot)

Name: Nkwobi (Spiced Cow Foot)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 220 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 1800 g cow foot (food-grade, fully cleaned and cut into small pieces by a butcher); 100 ml red palm oil; 0.25 tsp baking soda (sodium bicarbonate; dressing adaptation); 60 ml warm water (for dressing); 2 tbsp ground dried crayfish; 1 tsp ground ehuru; 1 Scotch bonnet pepper (crushed; use more if desired); 2 small onions (one chopped, one thinly sliced); 6 utazi leaves (washed and finely sliced); 1 stock cube (optional); 1500 ml water (for meat; add more as needed); to taste salt

Very tender cow-foot pieces folded through a peppery palm-oil dressing and finished with onion and utazi. Nkwobi is closely associated with the convivial restaurant and bar setting described by Nigerian food writers. The soft meat and creamy dressing make a small serving substantial. It is often confused with isi ewu because the sauces resemble each other, but the cow foot in this version identifies the dish. Cultural context: A well-known Igbo meat dish now served widely. Cow foot is used here; other meats occur in variations. It is distinct from goat-head isi ewu.

Nkwobi cow-foot pieces with orange dressing, onion and leaves

Nkwobi_01.jpg by Joan Onanyo, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · CC BY-SA 4.0

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25 minPreparation

180 minCooking

6Servings

Allow 15 additional minutes for resting / soaking. Total: 220 minutes.

What you’ll need

6 servings

Let’s get cooking

1
Put butcher-cleaned cow foot in a heavy pot with chopped onion, stock cube and water. Bring to a boil and skim foam.
2
Cover loosely and simmer 2–3 hours, topping up water, until the skin and tendons are very tender. Older meat may take longer.
3
Drain, reserving a little broth. Remove accessible small bones and cut large pieces smaller. Let the meat cool for about 15 minutes so it is warm rather than boiling hot.
4
Dissolve baking soda in 60 ml water. Beat the solution gradually into liquid palm oil off the heat until creamy.
5
Add crayfish, ehuru, pepper and half the utazi. Fold in the meat and a spoonful of broth if needed.
6
Warm through gently for 3–5 minutes, season, and serve promptly with sliced onion and remaining utazi. Warn diners about remaining bones.

A little kitchen wisdom

Have the butcher do the cutting; do not chop hard bones with a kitchen knife. Ehuru is calabash nutmeg and has a different flavour from ordinary nutmeg. If the dressing remains loose, use it as it is rather than repeatedly adding more baking soda. Timing: active preparation 25 min; cooking 180 min; additional passive time 15 min; conservative planning allowance 220 min. Some stages may overlap. For Recipe.ng display, prep_minutes includes the additional passive time; it is not all hands-on work. Recipe status: Research draft; not kitchen-tested. Allergens and checks: Crustaceans (crayfish); Check stock cube label

Recipe notes & sources

Research draft; not kitchen-tested

Also known as: Cow-foot nkwobi

A well-known Igbo meat dish now served widely. Cow foot is used here; other meats occur in variations. It is distinct from goat-head isi ewu.

Allergens: Crustaceans (crayfish), Check stock cube label