Different ways to prepare Sallah meat

Eid el-Adha or Eid el-Kabir is the occasion that Muslims sacrifice an animal, usually a ram, cow, or camel, depending on the individual’s financial strength, in commemoration of Prophet Abraham’s great act of genuine submission to the will of God. This period not only brings prayers to our hearts, but the thought of good food, […]

Eid el-Adha or Eid el-Kabir is the occasion that Muslims sacrifice an animal, usually a ram, cow, or camel, depending on the individual’s financial strength, in commemoration of Prophet Abraham’s great act of genuine submission to the will of God.

This period not only brings prayers to our hearts, but the thought of good food, and sharing meaty moments with friends and family.

An Islamic scholar, Haruna Audu, says animal slaughter during Eid el-Adha (also called to as ‘Big Sallah’) is a religious rite in memory of the sacrifice performed by Prophet Abraham. 

The scholar said the sacrificed animal should be divided into three parts: One for the family’s consumption, the second shared amongst friends and relatives, and the third given out as alms to the poor and needy in the community.

Meat preparation can be tricky and, while some housewives get overwhelmed due to the quantity, others get creative with the preparation.

Here are some creative ways to spice up your Eid el-Adha Sallah celebration with a variety of delicious meat dishes:

Stewed: Meat can be prepared in tomato stew. It can be fried or cooked in tomato stew.  When slices of meat are stewed they add flavour to the stew and become tender and delicious to eat.

Grilled: This is another healthy cooking method for ram meat as it involves direct dry heat to make the meat tender. The meat is cut slim and seasoned before grilling and some of the advantages of grilling meat include eating less fat, because the excess fat cooks off and drips off.

Fried meat:  Fried meat is an amazing cooking method that involves frying the meat with oil in very high heat. Frying the ram meat doesn’t only leave it tasting really succulent, but gives it a fresh taste. 

The advantages of frying the Sallah meat is that the cooking method allows you cook in bulk – that way there’s enough to share with family and friends.

‘Dambun Nama’ (shredded meat): This is a delicious, spicy-savoury Nigerian dried beef floss. This beef recipe is from the Northern part of the country. The dried, shredded meat floss can be eaten as a snack or sprinkled over rice or stuffed inside bread. It also goes along so well with ‘masa’ (baked rice or corn flour).

Preparing ‘dambu’ is very easy but can be time consuming. The meat used is one that does not contain any fat at all.

It also needs to be boiled till it falls apart and is very tender. Then the meat is shredded by ccontinous turning or by pounding or if you don’t have a mortar, there are various other options to shred the meat. You could use a mallet or rolling pin on a chopping board.

 Add the amount of salt needed in order to get the desired taste. Add the spices and once ready, heat up oil in a large pan and shallow fry.

This is best done in batches and takes anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. Getting the right texture for the ‘dambu’ is crucial. 

If the oil is not hot enough, the shreds will absorb most of it giving a greasy result. If the oil is too hot, the beef becomes dry and crunchy, instead of soft and chewy. Best to try a few small batches and work out your preferred texture and flavour.

Peppered meat: The peppered meat is another delicacy that can be prepared using the Sallah meat. It is very easy to prepare.

First wash and pat the meat to dry. Cut and season with the ingredients and marinate for some hours. This marinating process helps the meat not only to be well seasoned, but to be tender. 

Heat oil in a deep fryer and fry the meat until golden brown.

Fry some peppered sauce and mix the meat in the sauce, after this process the meat is ready to eat.

Pepper soup: The ram head and legs can also be made into pepper soup. After scrapping the hair, the ram head could be cut into pieces making sure that the essential parts are properly washed.

 The meat is cooked with chunks of onion, stock cubes and water. Add spices and more onions to garnish the soup. When the meat is done, serve with the soup.