In the spirit of Independence celebration ololade alabi writes about the three local dishes people of different ethnicities may give preference to during the event tomorrow. The foods include Amala and Ewedu, MiyanTaushe, Tuwo Shinkafa and Ofe Nsala.
This is a delicious soup popular in the Eastern part of Nigeria. It is also known as white soup because of its light colour, due to the absence of palm oil.
Ingridents
-1 medium sized cat fish
-5 small sized raw yam cubes or yam powder
-2 table spoonful chopped Utazi leaves or Parsley
-1 teaspoonful ground crayfish
-1 teaspoonful ogiri or iru
-1 teaspoonful chopped onions
-chili peeper
-1-2 stock\seasoning cubes
-salt
-dried fish
-stock fish
-5 pieces chicken pieces or 10 pieces beef pieces
How to prepare
-If you want to add beef, chicken or stock fish or dried fish to your Nsala soup, season and cook the meat or dried fish, to your Nsala soup, season and cook until done and set aside.
-peel the yam cubes and boil until soft, then pound to a smooth paste, using a mortar and pestle.
-Next, place the catfish into a pot, pour enough water to cover it, add the chopped onions, seasoning cube and salt to taste. cook for about 10- 15 minutes or until the fish is almost done.
-Now, add the pepper, crayfish and ogiri/iru
-Finally, add the utazi leaves, taste for salt and simmer for 30seconds.
-Now you have a delicious Nsala soup. Ofe Nsala is usually served with pounded yam, fufu, Amala, eba and semolina.
Amala and Ewedu
Recipe for Ewedu
A handful of frozen jute leaves (1/4 pack – ewedu leave)
-1 teaspoon of Iru (locust beans)
-1 teaspoon of blended crayfish
-A pinch of salt
How to prepare Ewedu
-Blend the jute leaves and pour in a pot
-Pour in the Iru, blended crayfish and salt
-Stir in pot and do not cover throughout the process
-Boil on medium heat for about two to three minutes
-Serve with your stew and Amala
How to Prepare Amala
Amala is a popular delicacy of the Yorubas in South – West, Nigeria and is usually eaten alongside ewedu. Amala is one of the lightest “swallows” making it easily digestible.
Steps to making a lump – free Amala
-Heat water on the fire to a boiling point
-When the water is boiled, bring it down from the fire and gradually begin to add your yam flour. Do not add the flour to the water while still on the fire so it doesn’t form lumps.
-Begin to turn the yam flour with a wooden stick quickly so as not to form lumps. Turn for a while add little water and put it back on the fire to cook on low heat for about five minutes.
-After five minutes, begin to turn the Amala again, keep turning until a smooth lump is formed.
Miyan Taushe And Tuwo Shinkafa
This food is basically eaten by the Northern part of Nigeria. Tuwo Shinkafa, is a simple rice cooked till it becomes soggy, and it is mashed to form a soft starchy doughy paste.
Recipe for Miyan Taushe Soup
-1 Small sized pumpkin
-½ cup of raw groundnut
-Assorted Namaa
-Assorted Offals
-1 piece of smoked fish
-¼ cup of dawadawa
-2 piece of atarugu (ata rodo)
-100 g of Yakuwa leaves
-1 bunch of spinach
-1 cooking spoon of palm oil
-1 piece of jam tatasei
-2 piece of tomatoes
-1 albasa
-Seasoning cube
-Gishiri – Salt
-1 ½ cups of aborio/ Paena rice
How to Prepare Tuwo Shinkafa
-Wash the rice with cold water, cook on medium heat, let the water absorb the rice.
-Stir and add more water to cover the rice.
-Let the rice cook till it becomes soggy. Try to mash the rice with the spoon and it should flatten easily. Once this happens, lower the heat to prevent burning just like making semolina but this time, mash with a wooden spoon. This food is meant to be slightly lumpy and grainy.
-Serve in medium sized balls either by rolling in your hands or using a thin cellophane sheet.
How to Prepare Miyan Tuashe
-Boil and season the Pumpkin (after cutting and removing the seeds) with the assorted meats and smoked fish mash the cooked pumpkin to a pulp in the pot containing beef stock
-Roast the groundnut for three minutes in a pan; peel the skin off (groundnut), then blend in a mill till the groundnut forms a paste.
-Blend the ingredients for the pepper and reduce it till most of the water content has evaporated.
-Put the fried meat into the pot containing beef stock and mashed pumpkin till it bubbles, lower the heat, add the groundnut paste, stir and let it also dissolve. The groundnut paste will take roughly three minutes to dissolve thoroughly and you will notice that the stock has thickened. Add dawadawa and 1 ½ cooking spoons of the reduced pepper and palm oil.
-After a few minutes, you should taste the groundnut you will notice the difference the pepper and the dawadawa make to the flavour in terms of aroma and taste.
-The rich pumpkin soup will be watery at first, let it sit on the low heat till it thickens. Wash and chop the spinach, stir and let it cook for a minute
– Rinse the Yakuwa leaves, chop and add to the soup
and then