Nigeria @58: Enjoy WAZOBIA foods

AS Nigeria celebrates 58 years of independence, the celebration can only be complete with delicious meals. This is why we are presenting 3 different types of food from the three major tribes—Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba. Let us start with Igbo.

Have you had a taste of Okpa. It is a delicious food that is commonly found in Enugu State. The secret in making the best Okpa is to use as few ingredients as possible because Okpa beans (bambara groundnut or bambara beans) have a natural delicious flavour. Let us get started on how to cook Okpa.

Ingredients

For 12 medium wraps of Okpa, you will need:

3 cigar cups 450g 1 ib okpa flour

15 tablespoons red palm oil

4 small stock/ bouillon cubes (maggi, knorr etc)

Salt (to taste)

Habanero pepper(to taste)

1.2 liters lukewarm/ tepid water.

Dry banana/ plantain leaves

Tough transparent plastic bags that can withstand high heat

Aluminium foil bags

Bowls (use as a last resort)

Preparations

Sift the okpa flour into a big bowl. Add salt and crushed stock cubes. Mix very well. Add palm oil. Mix the palm oil and the flour very well till the palm oil is well incorporated into the flour. You will have a nice even-yellow colour when done. Add a reasonable amount of water in a big pot and place the fire. Add the lukewarm water to the okpa flour and mix till there are no lumps. Add sliced Habanero pepper. Check the salt and add more if necessary. Satisfied scoop the mixture, into them wrappers. After wrapping them, tie with the strings and put them in a pot of boiling water. When done, cover the wraps with more leaves or plastic bags. Cover the pot and cook with a medium to high heat. Cook for, at least, one hour before checking it. The okra is done when it is solid all over.
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Now, a Northern food

Pate is a watery dish. It is a nourishment food taken at lunch by the Hausas

Ingredients

Dried grinded maize (not powdered); green, yakwa and gawta leaves; fresh groundnut or white beans as preferred; and dawadawa.

Preparation

Pour water inside a pot. When it boils, add the grinded maize. Then, stir until it is cooked. Add groundnut and allow it to boil for 5 minutes. Then, add green, gawta and yakwa leaves. Allow it to boil for, at least, three minutes. Then, your pate is ready.
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How to cook the third food, which is for the Yoruba

Ekuru is a sumptuous meal common in western part of Nigeria. The most special thing about this meal is that no matter how many times you eat it, you would always ask for more. Let us get started on how to cook Ekuru.

Ingredients

Beans, leaves (ewe eran), onions, pepper, palm oil, assortments of meat, salt, and Maggi cubes

Preparation

Peel the beans and blend them with little water. It must be very thick. Pour it inside a spacious bowl and stir for like 15 minutes to make it very succulent. Then, add the leaves (ewe eran) and wrap them. Put a little amount of water and arrange the Ekuru inside the pot to boil for 20 minutes. While boiling, blend the pepper and onions. Wash the meat and boil it after taking the Ekuru off the fire. After boiling the meat, put a frying pot on the fire and pour the palm oil. Allow it for  two minutes to make it hot, but not too hot.  Pour the blended pepper and onions, and stir them. Add your Maggi and salt. Then, put the meat and stir. The stew should not be watery. Cook for like 15 minutes. then your stew is ready. You could serve it with the ekuru, but it is best served with eko.