Hello my wonderful friends and fellow steemians, the whole community of @steemfoods, greetings to you all. It is my great pleasure to present my celebration meal to you in response to the contest no. 11 by @steemfoods. In case you have missed the link, [here is it](https://steemit.com/hive-148497/@steemitfoods/steemfoods-contest-11-or-promote-your-favorite-celebration-meal-or-biggest-awards-ever) Try and participate, it is fun. Please follow me, let me share my celebration meal with you.

MY ENTRY

Earlier this month, on the 8th of December to be precise, I and my husband, my entire family celebrated our wedding anniversary with just cake and drinks and I made a post to that effect here, it was our 13th years wedding anniversary. And we have been planning to host the after anniversary party on a weekend since the 8th was on a week day, Tuesday to be precise. On seeing this @contest by @steemfoods, I thought it will be a great opportunity to make the celebration complete.

my favourite celebration meal is Isi Ewu with Palm wine

Isi Ewu is a traditional Igbo dish that is made with goat head. This meal very special to me because it is my own traditional dish from the south Eastern part of Nigeria. It is mostly enjoyed by most Nigerians, those who understands merriment. It is a special dish to me because I like giving my people a treat. It is not a regular meal. It is best at dinner and that is exactly what I wanted. Everyone in the family likes it slot but it is not easy to come by. For instance, when I went out to buy the goat head, I could not see any, I was even very lucky to find just one in all the meat market here in Uyo. The reason being that there is a man who was married for the oast14 years without a child. And just a year ago, the wife delivered of a bouncing baby boy. So today, the family is celebrating the birth day of that baby and for that reason, he had ordered all the goat head in the meat market, he is preparing this type that I just prepared, he is inviting all who can to come and celebrate with him and the family. This I am just to tell you how cherished this dish is. It is a dish that is longed for by most Nigerians and beyond. The taste is superb.

Gathering the Ingredients

I went to the market as early as 6:30am today to buy the goat head. That is the time to get it if not I could have missed the only one available. I was there when the sellers came out and I waited for the meat to be brought.

This is the fiat head displayed on the meat market what3word code I bought it at approximately 28 steem

The seller is cutting the head in pieces

Here is it, already in pieces.

I then gathered the other ingredients

Fresh pepper, for garnishing about 2 or 3 pieces

Utazi /Otazi leaves (Gongronema latifolium): This leaf is heart shaped with a somewhat bitter taste(not as bitter as bitter leaf)

ehuru or Traditional nutmeg

Cameron pepper

onions

seasoning cube

salt

Red oil

crayfish

potash( prepared with dried unripe plantain peels that was burnt and then the ash gathered, soaked in water and sieved.

the goat brain. This is a very important ingredient in preparing this type of dish. It acts as a thickener and sweetner.

Inside this plate is the traditional nutmeg in seed form. Then onions, seasoning cube and grinder Cameron pepper

Fresh pepper for garnishing

Crayfish for spicing

The potash water in a container

The utazi leaf is being sliced here

After gathering the ingredients, I started the preparation

First, I washed the goat head thoroughly and severally

I then put them in a clean pot, I also tied the goat brain in a bag and cooked alongside the meat and added onions, salt and seasoning cube. I then mixed it thoroughly and placed on a fire to cook and the soften. I didn't add any water initially but I later added when I noticed that the water from the meat can not be enough to soften the meat.

When it was tender, with little water in it, I the drained the meat out from the pot and kept separately in a plate

I sliced another onions, fresh pepper, and the leaf for garnishing

I grinded the traditional nutmeg and crayfish and set aside. I then started combining all the ingredients.
I began with mashing the goat brain inside the little stock that remained in the pot. The pictures below will explain better

I then added black pepper in a mashed goat brain

I added grinder crayfish and traditional nutmeg (ehuru)

I added red oil and the potash water to make the paste as you can see in the picture

The then poured in the meat

And turned it to look like this. I also checked for salt and balanced every other ingredients that needs balancing. Haha.

I then transferred it to a small mortar and garnished with onions, pepper and utazi leaf. This dish is traditionally served in a mortar not plate. That us what gives it the respect it deserves as you can see in the picture.

You can see I, @benton3 and wisdom my son at the table

You can see Fortune enjoying her part

We connected with other family members via zoom video conferencing as they witnessed the whole event.

Here, we mixed mirinda soft drink to palm wine and that gave it the orange colour in the glass cup and we also mixed Pepsi soft drink to palm wine and got the other colour in the other glass cup.

It is really a memorable day. Wedding anniversary is done once in a year. It is not easy to spend 13 good years in marriage with all the blessings that came with it. Though it is not without problems but the Almighty God has been seeing us through thick and thin. We are grateful to him.

Cc : @steemfoods
Cc :@steemcurator01
Cc :@steemcurator02

Thank you all for reading through.