THE MAISON
Nigeria • Akwa Ibom–Ibibio Culinary Heritage

Classic Atama Soup

Traditional Palm Fruit and Atama Leaf Soup

Rich, aromatic and deeply rooted in Ibibio culinary heritage, Classic Atama Soup combines concentrated palm-fruit extract, fragrant Atama leaves, assorted meats and seafood in a luxurious Southern Nigerian soup.

PREPARATION

30 minutes

COOKING

1 hour 20 minutes

TOTAL TIME

1 hour 50 minutes

SERVES

6 servings

FROM THE MAISON PANTRY

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds assorted meat, such as beef, goat meat, tripe or cow skin, cleaned and cut into pieces
  • 1 cup cooked stockfish pieces, rinsed and deboned
  • 1 medium smoked or dried fish, cleaned, deboned and divided into pieces
  • 2 cups cleaned periwinkles in their shells or 1 cup shelled periwinkles
  • 4 cups unsalted palm-fruit extract or palm-fruit concentrate prepared according to its package directions
  • 1½ ounces CaMasi Maison™ Premium Dried Atama Leaf
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup CaMasi Maison™ Premium Ground Crayfish
  • 1 small uyayak pod, gently cracked, optional
  • 1–2 tablespoons ground dried pepper, adjusted to taste
  • 2 teaspoons premium sea salt, divided and adjusted to taste
  • 2 seasoning cubes, optional
  • 2–3 cups reserved meat stock, plus more as needed
THE MAISON METHOD

Preparation Method

  1. Rehydrate the Atama: Place the dried Atama leaves in a bowl and cover them with warm water. Allow them to soften for 15–20 minutes, then drain and rinse gently. Squeeze out the excess water and set the leaves aside.
  2. Clean the periwinkles: Wash the periwinkles thoroughly in several changes of water. If using them in their shells, trim the pointed ends where necessary so the meat can be removed easily when eating.
  3. Season the meat: Place the assorted meat in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the chopped onion, 1 teaspoon of sea salt, the seasoning cubes if using and approximately 1 cup of water.
  4. Cook the meat: Cover and cook over medium heat for 35–45 minutes, or until the meat is tender. Add hot water in small amounts as needed to maintain sufficient cooking liquid.
  5. Add the stockfish: Add the cleaned stockfish during the final 15 minutes of cooking the meat. When tender, reserve approximately 2–3 cups of the cooking stock.
  6. Prepare the palm-fruit base: Pour the palm-fruit extract into a separate large pot. If using concentrated canned extract, dilute it according to the package directions until it has a thick but pourable consistency.
  7. Reduce the extract: Bring the palm-fruit extract to a gentle boil and cook uncovered over medium heat for 15–20 minutes. Stir occasionally until it reduces, thickens and develops a rich reddish-brown color.
  8. Combine the proteins: Add the cooked meat, stockfish and approximately 1 cup of reserved meat stock to the palm-fruit base. Stir gently and simmer for 8–10 minutes.
  9. Add the seasonings: Stir in the ground crayfish, dried pepper and cracked uyayak pod if using. Simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes so the spices can infuse the soup.
  10. Add the periwinkles and fish: Add the cleaned periwinkles and smoked fish. Stir carefully to avoid breaking the fish, then simmer for 8–10 minutes.
  11. Add the Atama leaves: Fold the rehydrated Atama leaves gradually into the soup. Stir until the leaves are distributed evenly throughout the palm-fruit base.
  12. Complete the soup: Simmer uncovered for another 8–10 minutes. Add reserved stock in small amounts only if necessary. The finished soup should be concentrated, richly spoonable and slightly glossy rather than watery.
  13. Adjust the seasoning: Taste and add the remaining salt or additional pepper as required. Remove the uyayak pod before serving.
  14. Rest and serve: Remove the soup from the heat and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Serve warm with eba, pounded yam, fufu, semolina or another preferred heritage swallow.

A NOTE FROM THE MAISON

Maison Notes

Atama Soup is defined by its concentrated palm-fruit base rather than added bottled palm oil. Allow the palm-fruit extract to reduce thoroughly before adding the Atama leaves so its raw taste disappears and its distinctive richness develops.
Atama has an assertive aromatic character, so introduce it gradually. The finished soup should be thick, dark and deeply flavored, with the leaves enhancing rather than overwhelming the palm-fruit base.

PLEASE NOTE

Allergen Information

Contains fish from stockfish and smoked or dried fish. Contains shellfish from ground crayfish and periwinkles. Check the ingredients of any palm-fruit concentrate and seasoning cubes used. Prepared in a kitchen where other allergens may be present.
FROM THE CAMASI MAISON PANTRY

CaMasi Maison™ Premium Dried Atama Leaf

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