Nkwobi — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Tender cow foot pieces glazed in a rich, spicy palm oil and utazi sauce, served in a traditional wooden mortar — the quintessential Igbo delicacy.

Ingredients

1 Pressure cook cow foot with salt, bouillon, and onion until very tender, about 45 minutes (or boil 2 hours).
2 Mix palm oil with dissolved potash and stir vigorously until it thickens and becomes a yellow paste.
3 Add ground crayfish, blended scotch bonnet, ogiri, and some of the cow foot stock to the paste.
4 Add the cooked cow foot pieces and stir to coat evenly in the sauce.
5 Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, stirring gently.
6 Garnish with sliced utazi leaves and serve in a wooden mortar bowl.

Did You Know?

Nkwobi is traditionally served in a wooden mortar to honour its Igbo roots — eating it from a regular plate is considered a culinary crime.