How to make Ugba

Ugba or Ukpaka, also known as oil bean fruit, is a popular Igbo delicacy that is usually eaten as an appetizer or dessert; before or after meals. It is a very delicious meal that has a unique native taste. It is also very healthy because it is prepared with natural ingredients. Ugba is also a major ingredient used for making what we call African salad. It is served mainly in village meetings or other traditional occasions like traditional weddings (Igba Nkwu), burials, coronation or conferment of chieftaincy titles. Learn how to prepare Ugba for free on Elistatus.

Ingredients

3 wraps of Ugba

1/2 cup of palm oil

1 piece of habanero pepper

Seasoning powder

1 teaspoon of edible potash

1 piece of ogiri

2 pieces of pomo

1 large piece of stockfish

1 small cup of crayfish and prawns

2 tablespoons of ground crayfish

Salt to taste

Serving

1 small red onion

5-6 garden eggs leaves

1 small piece of stockfish

Instructions

Rinse the ugba very well and place it inside a sieve to drain all the water.

Wash the stockfish and the pomo very well. Cut the pomo into small square pieces. Put them inside a small pot and season them very well using the seasoning cubes.

Boil the stockfish and pomo until they are very soft.

Dissolve the edible potash in water. Sieve the dissolved potash and set the resulting solution aside. The resulting solution will have a smooth feel to it.

Wash and cut the pepper into small pieces. Also, cut the garden egg leaves and the onions; that is after washing them.

Pour the palm oil into a small pot. Slowly, pour the sifted potash solution into the oil. The oil will change its colour and have a thicker texture.

Unwrap the ogiri and put it inside the palm oil. Slowly, dissolve the ogiri completely in the oil.

Add the crayfish, prawns, ground crayfish and boiled stockfish into the mixture. If you are using smoked fish, add it to the mixture too. Stir the mixture very well.

Place the pot over medium heat and continue to stir its contents slowly.

Add the washed ugba and pepper into the mixture.Also; pour in the stock got from boiling the pomo and stockfish. The stock should be of a relatively small quantity.

Continue stirring the ugba as it simmers. Add salt to taste and remove the pot from the heat.