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Asun

Also known as Asun (Smoked Peppered Goat Meat — Premium)

Asun is the premium, skin-on smoked and peppered goat meat dish of the Yoruba people — one of the most prestigious and intensely flavoured party dishes in Nigerian cuisine. What separates Asun from other peppered meat dishes is the mandatory use of skin-on goat meat and the smoking step that chars the skin before the meat is finished in a fiery pepper sauce.

Asun, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 1 big piece of goat leg or shoulder — with skin on (approximately a big quantity)
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of thyme
  • 1 teaspoon of curry powder
  • 1 big onion — half sliced for boiling, half for sauce
  • 1 seasoning cube (Knorr) FOR THE PREMIUM PEPPER SAUCE:
  • 5 to 6 Atarodo (very hot chilli peppers), blended
  • 2 Tatashe (red bell peppers), blended
  • 3 cooking spoons of vegetable oil
  • 2 big handfuls of ground crayfish
  • 2 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • 1 teaspoon of ground uziza seeds — optional
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. 01

    Cleaning the Goat. Rinse the goat pieces thoroughly. To remove any strong smell, rub generously with lemon juice and salt. Let sit 10 minutes then rinse well. Do not remove the skin.

  2. 02

    Parboiling. Place the goat in a pot with sliced onion, salt, thyme, curry and 1 seasoning cube. Cover with water and parboil for 30 to 35 minutes until half-cooked. The meat should be partially tender but still firm. Remove and drain. Reserve the stock.

  3. 03

    Smoking and Charring the Skin. This is the defining Asun step. Place the parboiled goat directly on a charcoal grill or very close to a gas flame on a wire rack. Grill for 10 to 15 minutes, turning regularly, until the skin is visibly charred and blistered. The skin should have dark char marks all over — this is correct and essential. The interior remains moist while the skin chars. Cut the charred goat into smaller pieces.

  4. 04

    Making the Premium Pepper Sauce. Heat 3 cooking spoons of oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat. Add blended Tatashe and Atarodo. Fry very vigorously for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until deeply cooked, dark and the oil floats clearly on top.

  5. 05

    Finishing the Asun. Add the charred, cut goat pieces to the pepper sauce. Add ground crayfish, remaining seasoning cubes, ground uziza seeds and salt. Add a splash of the reserved stock. Stir well to coat every piece in the thick, fiery sauce. Cook for 10 more minutes on medium heat until the sauce is very thick and clinging to the meat. Taste and adjust — Asun must be intensely hot and flavourful.

  6. 06

    Serving. Serve on a platter garnished with sliced raw onion rings. Insert toothpicks for party service.

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