Local ponmo seller – Image credit matsecooks

I honestly can believe it’s already August. Where did my summer go? I have been so busy with the baby, blog , school and several projects that 24 hours just isn’t enough anymore.  I wonder how people like Gordon Ramsay manage to balance it all.

So August is DIY month on 9jafoodie.com! Who is excited? We will feature recipe for things that you will typically buy premade. These are invaluable skills for times when you might not have access or when you feel safer with homemade products.

We are kicking things off with ponmo (cow skin).  Ever wondered how ponmo is made? Ponmo is a much beloved part of Nigerian cuisine, it’s used extensively from popular stews like Ayamase and Buka stew, to soups like vegetable soup and Onugbu . There is just something about properly cooked ponmo that is magical. I especially love when it’s slow cooked in stew and the sauce find its way into the crevices of the ponmo and when you bite into it, the sauce oozes out of all corner (oh dear)

Take a moment to appreciate these ponmo perfection.
If you live in Nigeria, oya look away and run along. Oh wait, maybe you need this as well, we have all heard those scary stories of ponmo sellers injecting it with all sorts in order for the ponmo to look thick and plump. You might want to make your own if food safety is of great importance to you.

This post is specially dedicated to Nigerians in the diaspora. Most of us have taken to buying our meat from farms, but, we often don’t know how to get that ultimate local Nigeria pomo from the cow skin we get.

Now, you know how they say there is more than one way to skin a cat? Well, that is also true for ponmo. There are several ways to do it, but this is my favorite method for home cooks.

Ingredients:

Smoked cow skin (this is done to remove hair from the skin. it’s typically done at the farm or abattoir)

Procedure

• Start by cutting the cow skin into large pieces you can handle.

• Scrape off the back of the skin to remove dirt.
• Remove any excess meat that might be on the inside of the ponmo. Wash the ponmo under running water. Pat dry.

• Preheat oven to 400f and line an oven tray with some foil

• Place the ponmo pieces on the lined tray and place in the oven. Bake until pieces are curled and dried. (25-30 minutes) Locally , this step is done by open pit fire. the cleaned cow hide is thrown into burning flame and cooked until curled.

• Remove ponmo from the oven. Place curled pieces in a large pot and cover with water. (I used a pressure cooker). Cook for 30-45 minutes . Remove cooked ponmo from water and set aside to cool. Cut into smaller pieces.

Note: This is where I typically stop processing for the ponmo I use at home. however, you can choose to process further. Do note that the more your process the ponmo, the softer it becomes.

Alternatively: Process further

• Place a large pot on medium-high heat and fill with oil. Heat up oil. Place cooled ponmo pieces in oil and fry until crispy. Remove from oil and set aside.
• Place fried ponmo pieces in a large bowl, cover with water and allow to rehydrate overnight.

Ponmo is ready to use in your favorite soups and stews. Fried ponmo require less boiling time.

Note: The end color of your ponmo is determined by the color of the cow as well as scraping. black and white cow will typically produce white ponmo while brown cows produce brown ponmo.

Local sellers usually scrape the processed ponmo until the complete outer layer is removed .

Processed ponmo – unfried

Are you encouraged to make your own ponmo at home? What other DIY recipes will you like to learn?