#ugwu

[andreadeyemo]

I know you’re isolated but consider this an invitation. RSVP in the DM. —- #eforiro #vegetables #ugwu #deadknife #knife #andrebluntphoto #oldknife #documentaryphotography #blackandwhite #marketday #covid_19 https://www.instagram.com/p/B-M-ClyjQOA/?igshid=b82fk7vqnj3p

[enlilwind]

Jumătate de soare galben de Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Recenzie literară

[generalbreadstarfish]

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Thanks again to @ponmo_ijebuamerica for my abo fish 🐠 ponmo and ugwu leaves. I’m enjoying them with white rice and plantain. Go to @ponmo_ijebuamerica today for yours. #ugwuleaves #ugwu #ponmo #rice #abofish #nigeriandelicacy #nigerianfood #naijafood #naijafoodblog #naijafoodlover #plantain #friedplantain #dodo https://www.instagram.com/p/BpX5-yIBycC/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=c80ud2mvfp7s

[jujufilms]

Adamu Adamu is a Fulani cattle herdsman and vegetable street hawker.

[openingfiction]

Master was a little crazy; he had spent too many years reading books overseas, talked to himself in his office, did not always return greetings, and had too much hair.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Half of a Yellow Sun

[food4thoght-blog]

Pumpkin Leaf (Ugu) Pepper Soup

Pumpkin Leaf Pepper Soup

In this post I am tapping into the versatility of soups and thinking "Out of the Nigerian Foodie Box"!. Notice I emphasized Nigerian, this is because we feel very precious about our food, and recipes like the one I am sharing today, raise a lot of eye brows......well initially at least....then they come around...hehehe. All over the world, people eat soups and every nation has its ways of making them. Ingredients used to make soups vary widely, and these could range from poultry to beef, seafood, and of course different types of vegetables etcetera....These ingredients are used individually or in combination, and the proportion and choice of combination depends entirely on you....and your preference(s). In Nigeria, soups are always ever eaten as an accompaniment to a carbohydrate rich main dish like pounded yam or gari or tuwo...Its not really a Nigerian culinary concept to eat soup as a main dish. Living in the UK for so long, I do enjoy eating soups especially during the colder seasons and I do get real fullness and satisfaction from eating them. Nutritionally speaking, soups are so light and are readily assimilated into the system, in fact they are the lightest form of food known to man, because of the ingredients used in them and because they are made up of. up to 90% liquid (water). This fact is known to learned health, fitness and nutrition practitioners that they recommend soups to those who are serious about managing their weight. In Nigeria, we have the very popular pepper soup which is made of either meat or fish. While pepper soup could be really flavourful and delicious due to the wonderful spices used to make it, it usually lacks body and boldness. The main focus of making the typical Nigerian pepper soup is to add spices (actually the spicier the better), choice of meat or fish and not much else perhaps some yam or plantain.  This makes the soup quite thin and basic, little wonder it is mostly served as a starter or something to eat while the main food is being prepared, or for social/recreational purposes. All that is about to change.....at least for me. I have created a variety of soups which can be served up as a main meal with a small accompaniment. My focus in creating these soups, is health and well being. I want to use soups as a means to load up on the vital vitamins and nutrients....

I invite you to come and join me...and for this recipe idea, all you have to do is blend your ugu leaves and add to your pepper soup, using your own preferred recipe or you can check my recipe guide below.

"Serve and enjoy as a light meal on a cold evening or include in our weight management plan. Its a great way to eat more highly nutritious pumpkin (ugu) leaves and if you find it hard to add ugu to your smoothies, blend and add to your soups...!"

What you need

Fluted pumpkin leaves (Ugu) (you can use kale as an alternative)

Goat meat

Dried smoked fish (shred, bone and wash thoroughly)

Fresh tomatoes

Pepper soup spices (iyere, uda, aridan, ehuru)

Cameroon pepper

Salt to taste

Onion

Scent leaves

Fresh thyme preferably

Olive oil (optional)

What to do

Cut your goat meat into small pieces and season with some salt. Chop the onion and tomatoes and add to the seasoned meat.Add the thyme and some water enough cook the meat until quite tender. 

When meat is cooked, add some hot water to increase quantity of the stock you have produced from the goat meat and add you pepper soup spices. Add also the Cameroon pepper (use ground chill as an alternative. This will give heat to the soup so use with caution). 

At this point you want to turn the heat to medium to avoid overcooking the meat. We just want the flavours from the spices to infuse into the meat. Taste for salt and adjust according to your requirements, you may also put additional condiments of your choice to give the soup the aroma/flavours you desire. Give the emerging soup a final taste and once you are happy with the taste, add the shredded , boned and washed smoked fish. 

Finally Blend your ugu leaves and scent leaves and add to the soup. Allow to simmer and stir well to combine all ingredients. The ugu leaves will thicken the soup so the amount you add should be proportionate to the other ingredients.

Drizzle some good quality oil such as olive oil or avocado oil at the final stage of cooking. This is optional though but it adds to the goodness of the soup.

Serve hot with a small portion of boiled yam or hard crusted wholemeal bread and enjoy as a light meal on a cold evening or include in our weight management plan. Its a great way to eat more ugu and if you find it hard to add ugu to your smoothies, blend it and add to your soups.

[citypeoplenews]

12 benefits of Pumpkin leaves(Ugwu)

12 benefits of Pumpkin leaves(Ugwu)

Fluted pumpkin (Ugwu)is one of the commonly consumed dark green leafy vegetables in Nigeria and many of us in Nigeria have been eating Ugwu without really realising the benefits.

This type of dark green leafy vegetable is so versatile and can be recognised as a panacea to cure some of our hunger as well as illness if only we can look deep into its benefits.

While many people prefer to cook it…

[generalbreadstarfish]

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A post shared by Bukola Oriola (@bukolaoriola)

Hello My Fabulicious People, Back to food 🥘 food 🥘 food 🥘 Thanks to @ponmo_ijebuamerica, I got my abo fish 🐠 and ugwu leaves vegetables today. I love 💕 both of them. If you want correct abo fish 🐠 for your egusi soup or vegetable soup, contact @ponmo_ijebuamerica today. I will be cooking tonight. #nigerianfood #abofish #ugwu #vegetables #nigeriandelicacy #naijafood https://www.instagram.com/p/BpQQE_plLim/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=10xxou5syiiix

[bigilajames-blog]

Cleaner gets N7,200 salary increment for returning N12m

Josephine Ugwu, the airport cleaner who returned a passenger’s luggage containing local and foreign currencies to the tune of N12m has been rewarded with a N7,200 salary increment.

Ugwu, who works for Patovilki Cleaning Services, a concessionaire engaged by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to keep the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos clean, was on a monthly salary of N7,800…

[food4thoght-blog]

Ugu & Kilishi Salad

Funke Koleosho's Ugu & Kilishi Salad

My Ugu & Kilishi salad is pushing my foodie boundaries to the very limits.....at least this would be what my Nigerian peeps would be thinking..... But you only need to investigate and understand the character of Ugu leaves to know that there is logic in the matching. (Read more about ugu leaves here). I have often heard remarks that Nigerian cuisine does not feature a lot of fresh vegetables. The truth though is, there is a lot of vegetables used but the difference when compared to other types of cuisines is that virtually all forms of vegetables used are cooked. I do not know of many dishes served with raw uncooked vegetables, except of course it its being used in a medicinal concoction.

 Ugwu & Kilishi Salad

In recent times, Nigerians will eat salads made from the common salad leaves such as lettuce....actually only lettuce. Other ingredients include carrots, cucumber and white cabbage. That's it. Nothing else. These were the only common or available salad ingredients. After living in the UK for many years, I have become so used to eating salads. I love to enjoy those different tastes, textures and flavours that the individual ingredients bring to the salad. Then of course, the dressing.....aaahhhh the dressing makes the salad; in my opinion. I find salads to be a really great food to eat to give the system a break from the high sugar, fat and carbs foods we normally have. So eating salads gave me a feeling that I am taking care of myself.... it gave me a feeling of well being! Also salads were eaten mostly in the summer. Most of them were served cold. Eating cold salads has a really cooling effect on body temperature....at least its what I thought. So I ask, why don't we eat alot of salads in Nigeria where it is always sunny and warm? I don't think I know the answer to this question....but I can only guess that its got something to do with our unwillingness to change our diet and inability to be creative with food and try new things.....(just saying) Anyway, here is an opportunity to start exploring the possibilities of creating salads with indigenous vegetables.... Make this salad and discover something really astounding in taste, Its fresh and earthy and full of goodness. I have used very basic ingredients this time but the possibilities are endless. Add bits of bacon or chicken with a rich dressing of your choosing......Enjoy

 Ugwu Salad

What you need

Young shoots of ugwu leaves

Cucumber

Carrot

Vinegar

Lime or lemon juice

Kilishi (Nigerian beef jerky) Instead of this you can use beef jerky or bacon or grilled chicken

Black pepper

Salt

Good salad cream (or make your own basic dressing using virgin olive oil/coconut oil. salt. lime juice, black pepper)

What to do

Ensure you pick only the very tender young shoots. These are not tough and are preferred because they possess more of the nutrients.

First rinse the leaves thoroughly with fresh clean water to remove all traces of sand and other debris.

Then thinly slice the leaves. The thinner the better. This aids chewing.. Rinse the leaves again in some water with added vinegar or lime juice. 

Wash the carrots and cucumber then thinly slice then also. Best use a potato peeler to get the effect shown in the picture.

Place the sliced ugwu leaves, sliced carrots and cucumbers into a large bowl. Toss all together. Cut into bits and add the kilishi. Add your salad dressing and toss all together to combine all ingredients. Serve.

 Ugwu & Kilishi Salad

[food4thoght-blog]

Food Profile - Ugu (Fluted Pumpkin Leaves)

Fluted Pumpkin Leaves - Ugwu

There are very few vegetables that can be described as highly nutritious, and within Nigeria, Ugu leaves conveniently take the lead...! These leaves are packed full of vitamins & minerals and are one of the few vegetables high in protein. So then, why do we seem not to eat more and more of these leaves? Ugu leaves (as they are called in the local dialect) are the leaves of the fluted pumpkin and are native to the Eastern / South Eastern parts of Nigeria where they are traditionally added to soups or stews. The leaves are also used to make medicinal concoctions to manage certain ailments. There is no doubt that based on research findings, the leaves are highly nutritious. Check out the nutritional data below. Nutritional Data (100g picked leaves only) Calories - 40 kcal Dietary fibre - 1.6g Carbohydrate - 5g Protein - 4g Fat - 0.8g Vitamins - A, C, K, E, folate, Riboflavin Minerals - Potassium, Iron, Magnesium, Calcium, Phosphorus I have often wondered, that because ugu leaves are so beneficial to our health, why do we not eat them raw, y'know like in salads. I know that this way you are guaranteed to make the most of their nutrients. We all know that the process of cooking most certainly means that a considerable portion of the nutrients will be lost. New Ways to Eat Ugu I have already established other ways to use Ugu leaves rather than cook them in stews/soups. I have been able to add them successfully to my egg dishes (check out the recipes below). I have also blended and added them to my smoothies and boiled rice & pasta. I thought I had pushed my foodie boundary wide enough, considering that Nigerians are so opposed to change, until I ran out of lettuce the other day, and I had to make some salad. Getting some more lettuce was an uphill task because the supermarket that stocks salad leaves was about 20 kilometers away from my house in Lagos...!!! So facing a dilemma, I went out in search of the local green grocers... I did not find many who had fresh salad greens and the few I saw were far from usable. On my way back I spotted some freshly picked ugu leaves and I stopped to buy some. Checking through the bunches and seeing how fresh the leaves were, brought about a light bulb moment. On getting home, I picked the youngest shoots of the leaves that were still tender, rinsed then in some water with added vinegar, I substituted them for lettuce in my salad. The result was astounding. I could not believe the taste. Because the leaves I picked were still young, they were not at all tough. They had a very deep earthy taste similar to rockets (arugula) without the peppery flavour. It was a winner for me! I got really excited and made a whole bowl of ugu and kilishi salad. My neighbor who had a taste of it, had no idea what she was eating. She loved it and after inquiring what it was, I told her and she would not believe it even when I showed her the remaining unused leaves....

Ugu Leaves

How I Now Use my Ugu Leaves

I add to my soups including edikang ikong, ogbonna, okra, egusi soups etc

I also add to smoothies

I blend and boil with my rice and spaghetti

I shred finely and add to omelettes and scrambled eggs

I add to my salads

I use as a garnish

Things to Bear in Mind when Using Ugu Leaves Raw

Ensure you pick only the very tender young shoots. These are not tough and are preferred because they possess more of the nutrients.

Before use, ensure you first rinse the leaves thoroughly with fresh clean water to remove all traces of sand and other debris.

Then thinly slice the leaves. The thinner the better. This aids chewing.

Before serving rinse the leaves again in some water with added vinegar or lime juice. This helps to eliminate any microbes and also help tenderize the leaves a little.

Ugu Recipes

Edikang Ikong

Green Rice

Ugu Salad

Ugu Omelette

Ugu Scrambled Eggs

[food4thoght-blog]

"Man Catching / Husband Keeping" Edikang Ikong Soup

Funke Koleosho's Man Catching / Husband Keeping Edikang Ikong Soup

There are a few "iconic" dishes/soups in Nigeria, and the Edikang Ikong Soup is definitely one of them! What makes this soup so popular/iconic....? I believe it could be because of the accolade given to the soup - Man Catching / Husband Keeping Soup! Edikang Ikong is a popular Calabar/Efik soup made with a combination of vegetables mainly pumpkin leaves, (traditionally called ugwu or ikong ubong leaves) and water leaves. An assortment of fresh and dried meats and/or fish is also added. This soup is rich in taste (from all the different flavours from the veggies and meat) and also rich nutritionally. See the nutritional profile of Pumpkin Leaves below. Calabar/Efik women know the worth of this soup so much that it is used to rekindle romance in relationships. Yes it is that tasty. There is a general notion that once any man tastes a well prepared Edikang Ikong soup, something happens to them internally........ something good and favourable to the cook/chef.... The soup as I said is often made with two types of veggies one of which must be the pumpkin leaves (else it wont be edikang ikong). Others may be added such as water leaves, scent leaves, spinach, etc. These are added to make eating the soup easy because pumpkin leaves could be quite tough. Some actually believe that if you pick only the tender pumpkin leaves to make the soup, you do not necessarily need to add water leaves.

Edikang Ikong Soup

According to most Efiks, a good, well made edikang ikong soup would have all sorts of meats, fish, periwinkles, and most importantly must be "dry"! The idea of having liquid form in the soup is not desirable, so the vegetable are squeezed dry of excess liquid before adding to the soup. I beg to differ a little on this idea and I do allow some veggie juice to develop in the soup to keep the soup bold, thick but also wet and moist. I also tend to use less meat, fish pieces, not more than necessary, frankly. The meat/fish pieces, for me, must also be bite size, with little or no bones present.... Nutritional Data (fluted pumpkin leaves (Ugwu, ikong Ubong leaves) 100g of picked leaves) Calories - 48kcal Dietary fibre - 2.6g Carbohydrates - 4g Protein - 4g Fat - 0.8g Vitamins - A, C, K, E, Folates, Riboflavin Minerals - Potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus For all its worth, I feel if you are truly Nigerian, you need to master how to make this dish, if not for anything else but for the nutritional benefits you can get from it. Also you never know if this dish could come in handy if you are trying to create an impression or you simply want to rekindle romance with your partner. Trust me, the soup sends the right/required signal(s), whatever the situation. In today's post, I have created a really simple, straight forward method for cooking Edikang Ikong; stage 1: Prep the ingredients. stage 2: Cook the soup. I invite you to give it a try.

Edikang Ikong Soup served with Eba or Pounded Yam

What you need

2 bunches of pumpkin leaves

1 small bunch of water leaves or spinach

Half a cup of dried smoked prawns

300g of fresh goat meat

100g of stock fish

150g of cow-foot or cow-skin

150g of beef tripe

150g of raw king prawns

1 small onion

2 fresh ripe plum tomatoes (yep, not normally used, but I use it to cook/boil the goat meat. It provides a depth of flavour for the finished dish)

1-2 scotch bonnet peppers

1 medium onion

2-3 Stock/bouillon cubes

2-3 serving spoons of red palm oil (red palm oil is very rich in vitamins A & E and is good for you. It contains no cholesterol!)

What to do Stage One: The first thing is to prep the different meat/fish pieces and the vegetables.

Request your butcher to chop the goat meat into small bite size pieces. Wash thoroughly trimming off fats and remove bones where possible. Transfer the goat meat into a small pot with chopped fresh tomatoes, and chopped (small onion). Season with some salt or stock cubes. Add enough water to cook and soften the meat. Remember the meat must be cooked until all juices dry out. No need to save the stock. Also watch the amount of stock/salt you add to avoid over salting. 

Once cooked and softened to your preference, set aside. Also bear in mind that the meat will be returned to the stove later for further cooking so its important to get the softness right.

Simultaneously, wash the cow-foot and stock fish. Then transfer into a pressure cooker (this will help cook and soften more quickly). You only need to add water and a little salt to this. Cook under pressure until soft. Again take care to ensure that the cow-foot does not get over cooked. Once cooked, (should be around 20 minutes depending on thickness) carefully open the pressure cooker and remove the stock fish and cow-foot pieces. When cooled, remove bones and cut the cow-foot into small bite size pieces. Also remove bones from the stock fish and flake into small pieces. Set aside

Then wash the beef tripe and cook till soft in a separate pot. Season with salt and cook until it softens and all the juice dries out. Once cooked, allow the tripe to cool and cut into bite size pieces. Set aside

Remove the shell from the prawns, de-vein and rinse thoroughly. Set aside

Pick the pumpkin leaves from the tough stalk. Aim for the most tender leaves and stalk. Wash the picked leaves first, shake off excess water and shred finely. Shredding finely is really important as it enables the leaves to cook faster. Set aside. Also pick the water-leaves or spinach, wash thoroughly to remove all traces of soil. Again shred very finely. Set aside

Edikang Ikong Soup (with a tad bit of veggie juice)

Stage Two:

Now in a large enough pot, transfer the goat, stock-fish, cow-foot and beef tripe pieces. 

Coarsely blend the scotch bonnet chillis, the second medium size onion and dried smoked prawns. Add a cup of water to enable easy blending. 

Place the pot containing the meats onto the stove and add the blend, add also half a cup of water. Stir well, cover the pot and allow to cook (under moderate heat) for about 5 minutes. After a few minutes bubbling, add the palm oil. Stir well. Have a little taste and adjust as necessary using the remaining stock cubes. 

Once satisfied with the taste, add the shredded pumpkin leaves and stir in. Stir well. A tip is to add a little at a time and stop once you achieve your preferred proportion. Also add the shredded water-leaves. Again add a little at a time. 

Finally add the cleaned king prawns. Turn the heat down and allow the prawns to cook and the leaves to soften. Should be around another 5 minutes. I do this with the pot covered again. This will allow the soup to steam up to create a little moisture (which I love)...Stir well and have another taste. Adjust as required with salt/stock cube.

Serve hot with a "swallow" of choice (....remember to add a little pumpkin leaves to your "swallow". Learn how to do it here ).

Edikang Ikong Soup

Edikang Ikong Soup

[food4thoght-blog]

Ugu (Pumpkin Leaves) & Yam Omelette

Funke Koleosho's Ugwu & Yam Omelette

Every corner I turn in the open markets of Lagos, I find abundant bunches of freshly picked Ugwu; pumpkin leaves. This is such a contrast to what we get in the UK where you only get fresh ones just once a week! Everyone seems to be eating them and rightly so. This vegetable is so rich in minerals and vitamins its really a "sin" not to eat them. And if you already eat them, you should be eating them at least 5 times a week...! Yes they are that good for you. Today's post is about sharing ideas on how to eat Ugwu other than in your soup.

Check out its nutritional profile below: Nutritional Data for 100g of freshly picked Ugwu leaves Calories: 48 kcal Dietary fibre: 1.6g Carbohydrates: 5g Protein: 4g Fat: 0.8g Vitamins: A,C, K, E, Folate, Riboflavin Minerals: Potassium,  Magnesium, Calcium, Phosphorus Ugwu leaves are more popularly used to make delicious traditional Nigerian soups such as Edikang Ikong. where is it used as the main ingredient. The leaves can also be added to other soups such as Egusi soup and Ogbonna soup to add extra flavour and taste. Its a known fact that excessive cooking (which the leaves are put through in the process of cooking soups) can actually destroy some of the vital nutrients of vegetables, so eating then as close to their raw state as possible offer the most promise of getting the most nutrients they offer. So I experimented using the Ugwu leaves in simple recipes that require only minimal or no cooking. I also used then in smoothies which I added to rice (check out my Green Rice recipe here) and even used them to garnish my dishes. The results were encouraging...!

Ugwu & Yam Omelette

Ugwu leaves can be pretty tough so I chose the very tender leaves and stalks for use in today's recipe. I also sliced them as thinly as possible to enable then cook faster. One other tip is to pick the leaves, rinse them before slicing. This way the water soluble nutrients will not be rinsed away after slicing. First up of my new Ugwu recipes is Ugwu and Yam Omelette. Healthy, great tasting and quick and easy to make. Excellent for breakfast of light evening meal. Check out the recipe below: What you need

Some pre-boiled/cooked Abuja yam (you can use puna yam (for those who live in the UK) or any other yam suitable for boiling. If you have some cooked yam left overs, they will be perfect for this recipe.)

Eggs

A handful of thinly sliced freshly picked tender Ugwu leaves and stalk

Some salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste

A handful of diced fresh tomatoes

A handful of diced onion 

Sunflower oil (or any other oil you prefer)

What to do

Chop the yam into small chunks/cubes and set aside. Crack the eggs and whisk in a bowl. Add salt to taste. 

In a frying pan, heat some oil, then add the diced tomatoes and onions to soften. Season with some salt. black pepper and stir well. Add the cubed yam and allow all to heat through. Then add the sliced ugwu leaves. 

Stir all together and finally add the whisked eggs. 

Allow the eggs to cook for about 2 minutes on each side (by carefully flipping over) then fold the omelette and serve on a plate. I prefer it served hot but also delicious served cold.

Please note, the amount of eggs you use should be in proportion of the other ingredients and also align with your preference.

Ugwu & Yam Omelette

[food4thoght-blog]

Ugu (Pumpkin Leaves) Scrambled Eggs

Funke Koleosho's Ugwu Scrambled Eggs

Still on the use of pumpkin leaves in non traditional soup recipes. After successfully making Ugwu and Yam Omelette, I also tried making some scrambled eggs with some added shredded pumpkin leaves. It too, turned out quite nice. I could barely taste the ugwu leaves in the eggs, but it was savoury and delicious and I had a general sense of eating healthy...! The ugwu scrambled eggs was served with boiled yam but I reckon it would also work well served with boiled potatoes, bread or plantains. A really simple recipe using simple ingredients, and easy to make...! A must try.

Ugwu Scrambled Eggs

What you need

Eggs

Butter

Fresh milk (optional)

Salt 

Freshly milled black pepper

Finely sliced cleaned ugwu leaves

Pre cooked fresh Abuja Yam

What to do

Melt butter in a fry pan and immediately add the ugwu leaves and crack the eggs into the pan.  

Add, milk, salt and black pepper and stir all in rigorously until the eggs are cooked. 

The amount of eggs you use should be in proportion with the other ingredients. You may choose to have the eggs medium or well cooked depending on your preference. 

Serve with boiled yam, plantains, potatoes or bread.

Ugwu Scrambled Eggs

[citypeoplenews]

12 benefits of Pumpkin leaves(Ugwu)

12 benefits of Pumpkin leaves(Ugwu)

Fluted pumpkin (Ugwu)is one of the commonly consumed dark green leafy vegetables in Nigeria and many of us in Nigeria have been eating Ugwu without really realising the benefits.

This type of dark green leafy vegetable is so versatile and can be recognised as a panacea to cure some of our hunger as well as illness if only we can look deep into its benefits.

While many people prefer to cook it…

[citypeoplenews]

12 benefits of Pumpkin leaves(Ugwu)

12 benefits of Pumpkin leaves(Ugwu)

Fluted pumpkin (Ugwu)is one of the commonly consumed dark green leafy vegetables in Nigeria and many of us in Nigeria have been eating Ugwu without really realising the benefits.

This type of dark green leafy vegetable is so versatile and can be recognised as a panacea to cure some of our hunger as well as illness if only we can look deep into its benefits.

While many people prefer to cook it…