ISI-EWU, SPECIAL DELICACY

Isi-Ewu

Ingredients: 

1 whole goat head 

1 Ehuru/Ehu/Erulu/African nutmeg (whatever it's called in your dialect) 

1 Teaspoon Uziza seeds 

6 utazi leaves 

2 hot peppers/habanero 

1 Knorr Cube 

4 Tablespoons palm oil 

Onion rings (JUST for garnishing)

The MAIN work in cooking isiewu is cleaning the head. So once you have that accomplished, you've pretty much done the bulk of the work. So first and foremost, I'll go over how to properly clean your goat head:

DON'T cut the goat head up in the market so that you can clean it THOROUGHLY. Just ask the butcher to remove the teeth and horns and then make a deep cut bilaterally that will crack the skull open but not separate it. Goat head needs to be cleaned whole for best results. Put the goat head in a big basin, boil hot water and pour on the head making sure the whole head (or at least most of it) is submerged in the HOT water. Allow the head soak there for a minute or two then remove from water and start work. Using a knife, scrape the ears WELL. There's usually black stuff in the ears, you want all of that out. Then scrape the tongue with the knife. You'll see whitish stuff peeling off easily. Scrape the whole mouth well. Then use an iron sponge to scrub the outer part very well. There's always soot on the skin from burning the fur off. You don't want to cook the goat head with all that black soot. Inspect the goat meat and make sure it's VERY clean...now you can start cooking.

Directions: 

Put the clean goat head in a pot big enough to contain it whole and cook the goat with a pinch of salt. Goat takes a while to cook so if you have a pressure pot, you'd wanna whip it out now and use to save yourself time and gas/electricity.

When the goat head is done, take it out from the water and allow it to cool down. When it's cool enough for you to handle, cut the flesh out from the bones. If your meat is well done, it should separate easily from the bones. I personally don't like fighting with bones when I eat isiewu and some commercial ones have toooo much bones. That is because they cut the head up in the market (which means it's probably not properly cleaned).

After you've skinned the head, the skull should be able to be pulled apart easily too. If it's not opening, break it open with something strong like a pestle or rolling pin. Remove the brain and put in a separate bowl. Set aside.

Put the pepper, ehuru, uziza seeds, 2 utazi leaves and knorr in a mortar and pound well.

This is what it would look like after like 2minutes of pounding.

Add the the brain, pound and mix very well. 

Now add the palm oil and mix everything well.

By now, the meat you cut out of the bones would be cold. Return it to the pot and add about 3 cooking spoons of the goat stock and heat up very well.

Strain the meat from the water and add to the sauce in the mortar. Mix everything well and dish into a smaller mortar. 

Garnish with onion rings and the remaining utazi leaves (sliced finely)...Traditionally, isiewu is served in a small mortar which I don't have so I served mine in a plate.