One of the popular delicacies peculiar to the Kalabari people is Tomina Fulo. You don’t have to belong to this group of people to enjoy this sumptuous seafood delicacy.
The Kalabari people are found mostly in Rivers and Bayelsa State, Nigeria. These people live close to the seashores and are no doubt living healthy as they consume fresh fishes and other seafoods such as prawns, crayfish, periwinkle, oysters and so on.
Tomina Fulo is one of the Kalabari’s dishes with seafood as the major ingredient- it’s a proper seafood delicacy of the people alongside Onunu, Tomina odu, Odo’fulo, Faroo fa, and so on.
Ingredients for Tomina Fulo
The ingredient include prawn, crayfish, oyster, periwinkle, fish, cocoyam, fresh pepper, palm oil, salt, onion & seasoning (optional).
Preparation of Tomina Fulo
Seasoning and onion are excluded from the original Kalabari foods but might be added these days. Prawns are used in the place of seasoning and onions which is pounded with a small mortar and pestle.
Cocoyam is to be boiled which is used as thickener in the seafood delicacy. The fresh pepper is to be ground with a grater.
The fresh fish is to be placed in a cooking pot with which the grind pepper with water to cook on medium heat. Other seafoods such as oyster, periwinkle (isam) is then added as well as salt to taste.
A small quantity of oil palm is then added. Water of the grind prawns is then introduced which is then allowed to boil for few minutes.
Cooked cocoyam (ikwu) is then pounded in another mortar by a pestle till it is smooth. The pounded cocoyam (oturokwu) is then introduced into the pot of seafoods which is allowed to cook for few minutes.
Tomina Fulo is ready thereafter and can be eaten with solid foods, rice and so on. You’ll definitely enjoy this traditional delicacy of the Kalabari people.
Bon appetite!
