Ekuru is a delicious dish made from beans which belongs to the legume family. Beans are either white or brown, but there are kidney types and colors found that are indigenous to the western countries like Europe and the United States of America. But in Africa, the white and the brown species are indigenous to us, with the brown being subdivided into the ordinary type and the sweet variety. They can be cooked whole or washed with the skin removed and blended at the local mill to prepare some tantalizing Nigerian dishes using simple recipes for fabulous results.
For this write up, the dish under discussion is Ekuru which can be prepared with either white beans or the brown variety. It involves washing the beans to remove the skin and blending at the local mill to produce a smooth consistent paste for preparing the dish which is easy and is as follows. Ingredients and measurements depends on the number of people that the dish is meant for, this dish is being prepared for four people, so when preparing for family or friends or whatever the occasion measure accordingly.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups of beans
- Ground crayfish
- Smoked fish or fresh fish according to individual taste or desire
- Liver cooked and diced up
- 3 medium sized tatashe or bell pepper
- 4 rhodo or chili pepper
- Tomatoes is optional as in some cases makes the dish pudgy
- Aluminum foil or tin containers or moin-moin leaves which can be found locally sold in the market. It is the most preferable as it enhances the taste and aroma of the final product – the dish.
- Maggi according to individual taste desires
- Salt
- Warm water
- 1 Onion big size
METHODS
- First things first, soak the beans in water after removing stones and dirt for about 30min or overnight depending on how soon you want to make the dish, remove the skin which has now become soft and wash the beans clean.
- Add the tatashe, onion, rhodo and tomatoes if applicable to the washed beans and blend at the local mill for a smooth consistent paste. The blender cannot produce this smooth and consistent paste which is crucial in its preparation.
- Cook the fresh fish if using it or/and the liver, if you haven’t cooked and diced it yet.
- Pour the blended paste into a clean bowl, add the remaining ingredients one after the other checking for a good taste to prevent over salting the dish. Once the palate feels the salt content is ok, then it’s cool.
- Mix the mixture properly for an even constituency and scoop paste into the moin-moin leaves or the aluminum containers about two thirds full to allow for the paste rising during the cooking process and cover with the aluminum foil.
- Cook until the dish is done about 45mins to an hour when the food is hardened and no longer semi liquid paste.
- Remove from heat and serve with pap, custard or any other drink or semi liquid food desired.
Ekuru and moin-moin are similar and are prepared the same way same for a slight difference, which is that for Ekuru, there is no addition of oil whether vegetable oil or palm oil at all producing a white semi transparent semi solid dish which is equally tantalizing.
CUSTARD PAP
This is an accompaniment for the Ekuru and can be washed down with a chilled bottle of drink for lunch or a juice at dinner or just simply water.
INGREDIENTS:
- Custard powder
- Kettle
- Water
- Sugar or honey
- Milk or cream
METHOD:
- Mix some quantity or scoops of custard powder with water to get a slightly thick liquid adding sugar and milk immediately or later as you desire.
- Boil water but do not allow to boil but remove from heat before boiling properly to pour into the custard paste to prevent formation of curds.
- Stir until the mixture is even and consistent
- Garnish with berries, apple, orange and other fruits or add vanilla for extra flavor.
The tantalizing aroma can be smelt from far away and when mixed with Ekuru is simply delicious and yummy. A must try for people looking for versatility and those who desire to try out foreign dishes