Nigerian Cocoyam Recipes

Cocoyam, a tuber crop similar to yam, can also be used to make mouth-watering Nigerian food recipes where the cocoyam is mainly grated, boiled or pounded.

 Nigerian Ekpang Nkwukwo                  submitted by Mrs Eze

Ekpang Nkwukwo is one of the Nigerian cocoyam recipes made with grated cocoyam, water yam, cocoyam leaves and periwinkle. It is a Nigerian food recipe native to the South South Eastern Nigeria – the Cross River and Akwa Ibom States of Nigeria. Ekpang Nkwukwo is a meal reserved for special occasions and is the preferred Christmas meal.

Ingredients for Ekpang Nkwukwo

• Cocoyam – 500g
• Water Yam – 250g (Optional)
• Vegetable – A big bunch of tender Cocoyam leaves | Pumpkin leaves & Scent leaves (Nchanwu)
• Palm oil – a generous quantity
• Crayfish – a handful
• 3 medium bulb Onions
• Periwinkles – 2 milk cups | 300g if shelled or 500g of unshelled periwinkle
• Assorted Beef & Offal
• Dried fish
• Snail (Optional)
• Pepper & Salt to taste
• Seasoning – 2 Maggi / Knorr cubes

Before you cook the Nigerian Ekpang Nkwukwo

1. Wash and cook the beef, offals and dry fish with the seasoning till done.
2. Peel, wash and grate the cocoyam and water yam (if you will be using this). Mix the two together and set aside.
3. Prepare the pot by rubbing a generous amount of red palm oil on the insides of the pot.
4. Wash the tender cocoyam leaves and tear into medium pieces. If using pumpkin leaves, wash these and set aside.
5. Blend the pepper and crayfish and set aside.
6. Wash the shelled or unshelled periwinkles.
7. Wash and slice the scent leaves into tiny pieces.

Cooking directions for Nigerian Ekpang Nkwukwo

1. If you will be using unshelled periwinkles, place these at the base of the well-oiled pot.
2. Scoop a small quantity of the grated cocoyam into a piece of the torn cocoyam leaf or one pumpkin leaf. Wrap the cocoyam with the leaf and place in the pot. Repeat this procedure till all the grated cocoyam (and water yam) is exhausted.
3. Add the pepper, crayfish, onions, shelled periwinkles and assorted beef.
4. Add hot water to the level of the pot contents and set to cook on medium heat for 20 minutes.
5. Now, add the scent leaves, a generous amount of palm oil and salt to taste. Cook for more 5 minutes and the Ekpang Nkwukwo is done.
6. Leave to stand for 5 minutes and stir.

That's how to cook the Nigerian Ekpang Nkwukwo.

How to cook Bitterleaf Soup  

Bitterleaf soup is one of the most traditional soups in Nigeria. The name is quite misleading in that a well prepared Bitterleaf Soup should not have even the faintest bitterness. This is achieved by washing and squeezing the bitter leaves (and changing the water at intervals) till all traces of bitterness has been washed off.
One will be deemed a bad cook if his/her Bitterleaf soup tastes bitter!

Ingredients

• Vegetable - Washed and squeezed bitterleaf
• Cocoyam – 8 corms
• Red Palm Oil – 3 cooking spoons
• Assorted Beef – Includes best cut, shaki (cow tripe)
• Assorted Fish – Dry Fish and Stock Fish
• Pepper, Salt and Ground Crayfish (to taste)
• Seasoning – 3 Maggi or Knorr cubes

Before you cook Bitterleaf Soup

1. Make sure that the bitter leaves are well washed, such that there is no trace of bitterness left. If not, wash and squeeze it more. If the bitterness cannot be completely washed off (which is usually the case with most washed bitter leaves sold in the market), boil it for about 15 minutes and wash in cold water.
   
2. Wash and cook the cocoyam till soft. Remove the peels and use a mortar and pestle to pound the corms to a smooth paste (as shown).

Cooking Directions

1. Boil the shaki (cow tripe), stock fish and dry fish in 1 litre of water till they are well done. First sign of a done shaki is that the cuts will start curling on itself.
2. Wash the beef and add to the pot of shaki etc. and continue cooking. When the meat is done, add 3 cubes of Maggi/Knorr and cook for 5 minutes.
   
3. Add pepper, ground crayfish, bitter leaves (if they have not been parboiled) and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the cocoyam paste (in small lumps) and the palm oil then go to step 5.
   
   Note: If the bitter leaves were parboiled to remove the bitterness, then for step 3; add pepper, ground crayfish, the cocoyam paste (in small lumps), the bitter leaves and the palm oil. In other words, add all the ingredients at this stage.
4. Cover the pot and leave to cook on high heat till all the cocoyam lumps have dissolved. You can add more water if you feel that the soup is too thick.
5. Add salt to taste and the soup is ready to be served with Eba, Foo Foo, Semolina or Amala.