Ugba

Ugba is an alkaline fermented African oil painting bean cotyledon (Pentaclethra macrophylla) produced by the Igbos and other ethnic groups in southern Nigeria. Due to its lucrativeness and health benefits, especially as a cheap source of factory protein, Ugba is often seen as a family business in numerous homes. Its importance is further established as the Ugba recipe is handed down tradition from former generations.

What is Ugba? 

Africa oil painting bean seed which is also known as Ugba or Ukpaka (Igbo), Ukana (Efik), or Apara (Yoruba). It is used as a seasoning, meat relief, or eaten as a snack in some corridors of Nigeria. 

Ugba/ Ukpaka is the comestible seeds in the fruit of the African oil painting bean tree. Ugba tree grows primarily wild in the southern and eastern corridor of Nigeria and some littoral regions of West Africa. 

Recipe Ingredients

•  3 smatterings ugba (ukpaka) 
• ½ mug red Wine oil painting
•  1 habanero pepper (atarodo, ose oyibo) 
• 1 tablespoon pulverized comestible potash( indispensable baking soda pop) 
• 1 big stock cell 
• ½ tablespoon ogiri Igbo
•  2 big pieces of ponmo (cow skin) 
• 1 big cut stockfish 
• 1 sprinkle crayfish or 2 soupspoons ground crayfish 
• 10 medium crayfish 
• salt( to taste)

 A few notes about this dish

•  Ugba: You can buy dry bone if you cannot find fresh Ugba. This would need to be soaked in hot water for 30 mins before use.
•  Meat/ Fish: You can add your preferred protein to the African oil painting bean seed sauce — meat, fresh fish, dry fish, etc. You can also count on these to make a decent dish. 
• Powdered comestible potash: is used to make the red win oil painting curdle. The form for Ugba requires the red win oil painting to be in that state.
•  Please note that the medium crayfish stated in the list of constituents isn't stock fish ( large dried prawns). By medium crayfish I mean when you buy crayfish, you have some that are relatively big but not as big as stockfish. 
•  Ogiri Igbo: is a veritably traditional Igbo seasoning made from castor seeds. However, skip it, If you don't have it.
•  Ponmo is cow skin: Raw cowskin is burnt to remove the hair to get the ponmo. However, use cow cheese( shaki), If you don't have ponmo. 
• Stockfish is dried codfish: However, smoked mackerel( smoked fish) is the alternative ingredient for Ugba If you don't have it. 

How to make Ugba

•  Pour the win oil painting into a pot. This is done off the cookstove. But if you want to melt the red oil painting, that can be possible. 
• Stir the comestible potash result or the baking soda pop result also sluggishly pour into the win oil painting while stirring simultaneously. The oil painting sluggishly turns unheroic and curdles ( becomes thicker).
•  Add the ogiri Igbo to one corner of the pot/ visage and dissolve it with your spatula. 
• Add the ground crayfish, the pieces of medium crayfish, the pieces of stockfish, and ponmo also stir till everything is combined. However, add it now ahead stirring, If using smoked fish.
•  the pot/ visage to a cookstove and set the heat to medium. 
• Add the Ugba/ ukpaka, sliced habanero pepper, and the stock from cooking the stockfish and ponmo.
•  Stir till everything is combined and formerly it heats up, add a swab to your taste, stir again, and take it off the cookstove.

 That is it! 

Tips and Tricks

The seeds are reused before consumption by boiling and dehulling, followed by turmoil. The length of turmoil could be between 2- 10 days, depending on the end-use of the Ugba seed.

In the Igbo/ Efik fashions – the Ugba seed is generally cut into thin slices. On the other hand, in Yorubaland, the seed is generally resolved into halves before use. 

What to serve with

You can serve it with sliced theater egg leaves and onions. Serve with stupefied Palm Wine, Guinness Stout, or any other soft drink if you don't drink alcohol. 

Nutritional Value

Looking at the nutritional values, the African seed oil painting is a good source of protein, hence why it's used as a meat relief. It's also rich in canvases and some essential adipose acids.

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