Sunday, July 1, 2018

how to cook okpa

All Nigerian Recipes All Nigerian Recipes Cookbook Scroll down for recipes Recipes Categories Rice Recipes Snacks Recipes Soups Recipes Stews Recipes List of all the Recipes Home >> Beans Recipes >> Okpa How to Cook Okpa di Oku: Oji River Okpa and 9th Mile Okpa Nigerian Okpa Nigerian Okpa Okpa di oku, Okpa di oku, Okpa! Okpa!! Okpa!!! If you are travelling to Enugu, Nigeria from Onitsha, Lagos etc, anywhere from the west of Enugu, these shouts from Okpa sellers will remind you that you are approaching Enugu. How to Cook Okpa [Video] How to Wrap Okpa [Images] 9th Mile Corner in Ngwo near Enugu is well known for the special Okpa that you can trade your valued possession for. The Okpa is so good that many people have tried severally but failed to replicate the unique taste in their own homes. But the secret to 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. This flavour is ruined when people start adding lots of seasoning to the meal. Other names for Okpa are Igba and Ntucha. Ingredients for Okpa For 12 medium wraps of Okpa, you will need: 3 cigar cups | 450g | 1lb Okpa flour 15 tablespoons red palm oil 4 small stock/bouillon cubes (Maggi, Knorr etc) Salt (to taste) Habanero pepper (to taste) 1.2 litres lukewarm/tepid water Okpa wrappers In addition to the wrappers below, you will also need a strong food safe string/twine for tying the wrappers. I use the strings from the big Nigerian rice bag, you know, the 50kg bags of rice. I advice that you use bowls as a last resort because Okpa needs to be completely immersed in hot boiling water for an even texture when done. This cannot be achieved with bowls. Dry banana/plantain leaves Tough transparent plastic bags that can withstand high heat Aluminium foil bags Bowls (use as a last resort) Notes on the ingredients Okpa beans is known as Bambara groundnut or simply Bambara nut. In some parts of the world, it is known as Jugo Beans. There are different species of Okpa. It comes in small pods which you crack open to release the seeds. The seeds are very hard and only special heavy duty industrial grinders can easily grind these seeds into powder. So, this one is not a job for your kitchen dry mill. If you live outside Nigeria, you can buy Okpa flour on Amazon. You can also ask family or friends to send you Okpa flour from Nigeria. The customs of most countries will allow it because it is dry powder. You need enough oil to give the okpa a popping yellow colour and to improve the taste. Okpa does not need much seasoning so the ingredients listed above are all you need. Onions and crayfish ruin the natural delicious flavour of okpa. The Okpa mix may seem watery but 1.2 litres of water is the quantity of water you need for the perfect Okpa texture. If you add much less water, you will end up with rocky Okpa. Before you cook Okpa Prepare the banana leaves by washing them in plenty of salt water. If you have a banana/plantain tree in your backyard, you need to wilt the leaves by passing them over a low flame, then leave them to dry up before using them. You cannot wrap Okpa with fresh banana leaves. Crush the stock/bouillon cubes. Slice the habanero pepper into small pieces. Prepare 1.2 litres of lukewarm water. Cooking Directions Sift the Okpa flour into a big enough bowl. Add salt and the crushed stock cubes. Mix very well. Add the palm oil. Mix the palm oil and flour very well till the palm oil is well incorporated into the flour. You will have a nice even yellow colour when done. Pour a generous quantity of water in a big pot and set on the stove to boil. Start adding the lukewarm water to the Okpa flour and mix till there are no lumps. Watch the video below to see how I crush the lumps without stress by passing the mix through a sieve with a wire mesh. You can also use a blender to get the smoothest mix. But that's a lot of washing up to do later. :) Add the sliced habanero pepper. Check for salt and add more if necessary and it's ready to be scooped into the wrappers! Now the water in the pot should be boiling. If not, wait for it to boil and add some spare wrappers or plastic bags before moving on to the next step. These wrappers and plastic bags act as a base for the Okpa wraps. Now to a major step: wrapping the Okpa! In the video and images below, I showed 3 ways to wrap Okpa: 2 with the banana leaves and 1 with plastic bags. Hopefully the images and explanations make sense but if you really want to master wrapping the Okpa, watching the video is so worth it. Go to a cyber cafe if you can't watch it on your phone/gadget. Some things just can't be adequately explained in writing. After tying one end of the banana leaves as shown in the video and image links below, stir the okpa mix very well and scoop into the leaf/plastic bag. Tie the other end with a string and place the wrapped okpa in the pot of boiling water. It is important that the Okpa is completely immersed in the hot water. Repeat the above step for the rest of the mix. Make sure you stir the mix, scoop into the wrapper, tie with the string and put in the pot of boiling water before wrapping another one. When done, cover the wraps with more leaves or plastic bags. Cover the pot and start cooking medium to high heat. Cook for at least 1 hour before checking it. The Okpa is done when it is solid all over. Wrapping Okpa Click on the links to view images. How to wrap Okpa with banana leaves (Method common in Enugu State, Nigeria) Place 2 sheets of banana leaves on a flat surface. Fold one end to meet the other (vertically). Okpa Enugu Roll up the open end like a mat till you have enough fold to prevent a leakage. Gather one end together and tie it up securely with the string. Stir and pour the mix into the bag. Tie up the other end and it is ready to go into the pot of boiling water. How to wrap Okpa with banana leaves (method common in Anambra State, Nigeria) Place 2 sheets of banana leaves on a flat surface. Fold it into 2 (horizontally). Okpa Anambra Roll up one the open end like a mat till you have enough fold to prevent a leakage. Pick it up and place the pointed end in the cup of your palm. Stir and pour the mix into the bag. Fold the other end like a mat and gather the only open end together and tie it up securely with the string. And it is ready to go into the pot of boiling water. How to wrap Okpa with plastic bags (if you do not have banana leaves) You can simply scoop the okpa mix into plastic bags, tie it up and place in the pot of boiling water but this is how to get the classic Okpa shape when using plastic bags. Double the plastic bags and tie the end with a string. Stir and scoop the mix into the bag. Okpa Plastic Bags Tie it about half way up the bag. Stir and scoop the mix into the second half of the bag. Tie again and it is ready to go into the pot of boiling water. For breakfast, serve with cocoa drink (Milo, Ovaltine drink), Akamu or Ogi, custard meal or oatmeal. For lunch or dinner, serve with soaked Garri (asoki). You can also eat it as a snack with a chilled drink. Latest Recipes Stainless Steel Pots Maintenance How I Maintain My Pots Click the title if you want to learn how I maintain my pots so that they look like new for years. click here for the video. Beef Mince Jollof Rice Beef Mince Jollof Rice Beef Mince Jollof Rice is the tasty version of Nigerian Jollof Rice prepared with minced beef. click here for the video. potash-free abacha, nkwobi isi ewu Potash-free Abacha, Nkwobi, Isi Ewu Now you can enjoy potash-free Abacha, Isi Ewu and Nkwobi. click here for the video. different ways to prep okra How Should You Prep Okra for Okra Soup? So how should you prep okra for Nigerian Okra Soup? 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how to prepare isi ewu

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Home >> Nigerian Restaurant Specials >> Nigerian Isi Ewu: Spicy Goat Head

Nigerian Isi Ewu: Spicy Goat Head

> Madam please give us Isi Ewu!
> Okwa one?
> Bring okwa 5!
How to make Nigerian Isi Ewu [Video]
The above conversation is what you will hear most evenings in some Nigerian restaurants known as joints. This is a guest requesting 5 mortars of Isi Ewu from the restaurant Madam. lol
The process of preparing Isiewu is so similar to that of Nkwobi that lots of people find it hard to differentiate between the two of them. One major difference is that Nkwobi is prepared with cow foot while Isi Ewu which literally means goat head, is prepared with goat head!

Ingredients for Isi Ewu

1 Goat Head
15 cl (150ml) Red Palm Oil
2 teaspoons ground Ehu seeds(Calabash Nutmeg)
1 tablespoon powdered edible potash (Akanwu/Kaun/Keun)
2 big beef flavoured stock cubes
2 medium onions
About 10 Utazi leaves (Gongronema latifolium)
2 habanero peppers (or to your taste)
Salt (to taste)

To garnish the Isi Ewu

1 onion
About 10 Utazi leaves (Gongronema latifolium)

Notes on the ingredients

In Nigerian restaurants, the goat heads are cooked whole (without cutting them up) because they have a big pot where they can pile several goat heads and cook them at the same time. When preparing one goat head, it is not practical to cook it whole because you will need lots of water to get the goat head well cooked. And since we do not want lots of water in the meat when done, it is better to cut the isi ewu up before cooking it.
Goat meat is quite tough so if you have a pressure cooker, do use it for cooking it to save time and gas/electricity.
Ehu (Calabash Nutmeg) is a very traditional ingredient that is difficult to find outide Nigeria. If you can't buy it where you live, just prepare the Isi ewu without it. Ordinary nutmeg is not an alternative to this because they are not similar in any way. If you have friends or family in Nigeria, they will be able to buy ehu seeds and send to you, a small quantity goes a long way.
Potash is what makes the palm oil curdle as you will see in the video below. A healthier alternative is what we call Ngu in Igbo. Ngu is even more traditional than potash so potash is much more available. If you can't find potash, use baking soda, follow the instructions onEdible Potash Alternative for how to use it to make palm oil cuddle.
Utazi adds a nice bitter flavour to the Isi ewu. if you can't buy it where you live, use leafy spinach (bold ones), it gives similar effect and actually tastes nice! :)))

Before you make the Isi Ewu

Cut the goat head into pieces making sure that the essential parts: ears, tongue etc are whole cuts that is, they are not cut into pieces.
Remove the brain and put in an aluminium foil bag then fold the bag to close just like with Nigerian Moi Moi.
Wash the meat very well with foam and iron sponges where necessary, using a knife to scrape off the tough top skin especially on the tongue. There will also be traces of sooth from burning the fur off the goat, ensure that these are all cleaned.
Put the powdered potash into a bowl. Add a small quantity of water (about 4 table spoons) and stir well. Pass it through a fine sieve and set the liquid aside.
Cut the 2 onions into 4 big chunks.
Crack and remove the outer shell of the ehu then grind with a dry mill eg coffee grinder.
Pound the pepper with a mortar and set aside.

Directions for making Isi Ewu

Cook the goat head with the chunks of onion, the stock cubes and as little water as possible. Top up the water as necessary but make sure there is as little water as possible in the pot. This is because we do not want any stock in the pot when the meat is done. Remember to cook the brain too.
While the meat is cooking, slice the onion for garnishing into thin rings.
Cut half of the utazi into thin slices. Cut the other half into tiny pieces. The first will be used for garnishing while the latter will be added into the palm oil paste.
When the meat is done, remove the chunks of onion, take out the brain and mash it up till smooth.
Add salt, stir and cook till all the water has dried.
Set the meat aside to cool down.
Now, pour the palm oil into a clean dry pot.
Pour in the potash mixture (sieved) into the oil.
Stir with a wooden spatula as you pour the potash. You'll notice the palm oil begin to curdle and turn yellow. Keep stiring till all the oil has turned yellow. Use as little potash as possible because too much of it can upset your stomach.
Add the pepper, mashed brain, ehu seeds and the utazi that has been cut to tiny pieces. Stir very well till they are all incorporated.
Add the goat head to the palm oil paste and stir very well with a wooden spatula.
Put it back on the stove/cooker and heat till the Isi Ewu is piping hot.
Serve the Isi Ewu in a wooden mortar as shown in the image above.
Garnish with the thin slices of utazi and onion rings for the full effects.