This week on our Afro Cuisine recipe is Okpa. It is another #TastyThursday and we want you to savor a taste of Africa. You can search for the ingredients in African stores around you; or better still take a trip to Africa and give your tastebuds a treat.
Okpa is a traditional Nigerian food; very popular in the eastern parts of Nigeria and tastes really good.
It is made with Bambara flour.
The flour can be made from scratch by grinding dried Bambara nuts/beans.
Okpa beans are known as Bambara groundnut or simply Bambara nuts.
In some parts of the world, it is known as Jugo Beans.
The nut can also be cooked and eaten.
Bambara groundnut is an important legume that could become a major source of dietary protein in developing countries whose staple foods are predominantly carbohydrates.
Unfortunately however, bambara nut is eaten mostly by a small proportion of the population especially in Northern Nigeria; while the Okpa (flour) is known widely in Eastern Nigeria.
Let’s proceed to the making of Okpa.
Ingredients For Okpa
Okpa flour
Salt
Crayfish
Palm oil
Fresh PepperEggs and Vegetables can also be included in Okpa for variety.
Directions.
Sieve the okpa flour into a big bowl
Add palm oil and stir till a fluffy paste is achieved.
Add the lukewarm water into the fluffy okpa paste and mix very well to avoid lumps.
Stir until the lumps are dissolved.
Make sure that the content isn’t thick like moimoi paste.
Add salt, pepper paste and crayfish. You can decide to add onion & maggi.
Stir for 10seconds and scoop the mixture into aluminium cups or plastic bags (nylon) or wrapped with a special plantain leaf used in wrapping Okpa.
Make sure there’s a boiling water as you’re mixing
Put the cups into the pot of boiling water.
Cover the pot and cook on a very high heat for one hour. After an hour, poke with a fork to ascertain if it’s well cooked. Bring the pot down, set the table and enjoy.
#Engee’sKitchen
