Spice up your weekend with Ikokore

I kokore is a pottage recipe from the Ijebu and Remo people of Ogun State, Nigeria. It is made with water yam so you need to add a lot of protein to enrich it. it is made specifically from Isu ewura [water yam]. This yam has a lot of hair on its skin and is extremely slimy when you cut it. Growing up, it was one of the delicacies I relished.

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Ingredients:

Water yam [isu ewura]

Palm oil

Chicken/beef/ stock fish

Ground pepper/tatase/Rodo

Smoked fish[ejakika]

Dried fish[panla]

Shaki

Ponmo

Crayfish

Seasoning cubes

Salt

Ogiri ijebu [fermented locust beans]

 

Preparation:

1. Slice the water yam. Remove the hairy peel, grate it finely or blend your water yam till it is almost smooth
2. Add seasoning or salt, crayfish and mix together
3. Blend the tatase/Rodo
4. Pour some palm oil and heat it till it is hot enough. Then add the locust beans and mix it for a minute
5. Add beef stock, seasoning and the blended pepper [and salt to taste if you do not use beef stock] cook for 5 minutes.
6. Stir frequently to prevent from burning
7. Scoop the grated yam into the stew, in both big and small lumps. The small lumps will dissolve into the stew, forming a mushy type consistency while the bigger lumps will create the lumpy Ikokore consistency.
8. Do not stir, leave the contents to boil for 8 –10 minutes on low heat.
9. Stir a bit using a wooden spoon. Stir and break up clumps if you find it too clumpy or leave it as it is. now, add salt to taste and seasoning.
10. Leave to simmer for 3- 5 minutes and it is ready….

You can serve it with beef, fish or any other protein you prefer.

Serve Ikokore on its own or with cold Eba.