Of Skins and Snacks: The Peppered Ponmo Delicacy
A delicious meal known for being very hot and peppery.
Very hot and peppery cow skin
Peppered "ponmo" is another way to describe spicy, succulent cow skin that is typically prepared among the Yoruba in Nigeria. The full name is "ponmo alata sue sue" which means "very hot and peppery cow skin".
Meat sellers at Balogun market (2019)The Centenary Project
Buying ponmo
Cow skin, locally called "ponmo", is a favourite beef part enjoyed as a side dish, snack and condiment in south-western Nigeria. It is inexpensive and, perhaps for this reason, very common in restaurants and eateries. Buyers look out for either soft or thick ponmo for their crunchiness.
Ponmo sold in market (2019) by The Centenary ProjectThe Centenary Project
Colourful condiment
When cooked in peppered sauce, ponmo can be enjoyed as a snack in-between meals or as a part of "small chops" (finger food) served at parties and events.
Making peppered ponmo at home
The beautiful thing about making peppered ponmo at home is that you get to control how tender, crunchy, spicy or hot your ponmo should be. Peppered ponmo is a welcoming delight to Nigerian guests. Here is how to make a spicy, succulent ponmo.
Cow skin (ponmo) about to be cooked (2019)The Centenary Project
Pre-boiling ponmo
To be hygienic and edible, ponmo needs to be boiled for a while to kill the bacteria and to make it soft and easily digestible. Thin and soft ponmo can also be bought directly from the market.
Red bell pepper, 'Tatase' (2019)The Centenary Project
Preparing your peppers for a wonderful flavour
For a wonderful pepper flavour, a mixture of ata-rodo (scotch bonnet) and sombo (chili pepper) is used in making the peppered sauce. Select and wash pieces of both peppers for a hot spicy sauce.
Tomatoes (2019)The Centenary Project
Beating down the heat with tomatoes
To beat down the heat from the peppers, add a few tomatoes. A bowl of about 15 peppers only requires 3 to 5 tomatoes.
Blended pepper (2019) by The Centenary ProjectThe Centenary Project
Blended mixture
The peppers and tomatoes are then blended together. Onion, ginger and garlic could be blended into the puree for a flavourful sauce. To retain a rough texture, do not blend for too long.
Baskets of onions (2019)The Centenary Project
Onions added to the mix
Although onions can be added to the mix of peppers and tomatoes, they need to be added separately.
Chopped Onions, 'Alubosa' (2019)The Centenary Project
Sliced onions
The choice of onions are sliced, washed and made ready to be fried with hot oil.
Frying of pepper (2019) by The Centenary ProjectThe Centenary Project
Frying onions and adding red sauce
The onions should be fried separately in oil before the pepper sauce (the pepper and tomato mixture) is added to the frying pan.
Seasoning of peppers (2019) by The Centenary ProjectThe Centenary Project
Adding seasoning
Seasoning is added to the frying pan mixture to improve the flavour and taste.
ponmo poured into fried pepper on the fire (2019)The Centenary Project
Here comes the ponmo
After a while, the ponmo can be added to the frying mixture and allowed to fry for about 30-45 minutes depending on the level of crunchiness desired.
Sauce stirred with ponmo (2019)The Centenary Project
All aboard!
The content of the frying pan is continuously stirred even while the ponmo is added.
Ponmo stirred in sauce (2019) by The Centenary ProjectThe Centenary Project
Almost ready
The ponmo is allowed to cook and mix properly with the sauce so that it takes as much of the taste and flavour as possible.
Cooked ponmo straight from the pot (2019)The Centenary Project
Done!
When satisfactorily cooked, the peppered ponmo can be served directly on a dish and is ready to be enjoyed.
A hungry man's delight
Peppered ponmo can be eaten as a stand-alone snack or as a side dish to another meal like rice or pasta.
Curator: Patrick Enaholo
Research: Omotunde Omojola
Photographs: Chris Udoh
Text: Patrick Enaholo / Omotunde Omojola
Text editor: Munachim Amah
Special thanks to:
Abigail Omojola
© The Centenary Project
