Nigeria – Achicha Ede

by Verdzekov Bernard

I have you ever eating scramble egg? I know most of you have eating scramble egg. But I am not writing about eggs, but about Achicha Ede. I mentioned egg because, when you look at Achicha Ede, it looks like scrambled eggs because of the nature and appearance after preparing it.

Achicha Ede is a typical Igbo meal. This meal is prepared by the locals and the entire Nigeria; that is for those that can prepare the meal. The meal is delicious and nutritional. Today and because of finmail.com you are able to read about it and even prepare it if you like. Most African meals are not known to many, but because of the finmail site I will do my best to bring to you those African dishes from their roots, how they are prepared and their values.

Ingredients

• Salt to taste
• Maggi 
• 2 large bulbs of Onions
• A dozen Tomatoes
• Ukpaka or ugba leaves. Chopped.
• Curry powder
• 4 cups of cocoyam flakes or achicha ede
• Scent leaves  
• ½ palm oil 
• Spinach 
• Pumpkin leaves 

Procedure

• If you want to prepare this meal and you are certain this is what you want to cook, make sure you steep your achicha ede in water that same day, for the next day. Deciding to prepare this meal, it has to be for the next day because it is lawful to steep your cocoyam flakes overnight so that it softens. 
• Using your hands, crush the achicha ede to tiny pieces.
• Cut some banana leaves, clean and warm then. Put the crushed achicha ede in it rap and put in the pot so that it cooks for like 25min. This is almost carried out like same process like steaming. 
• Wash your pumpkin leaves and chop into fine slices. 
• When using spinach, it is good to note that, you have to boil it in another pot, so that you reduce the water from the spinach leaves. When you take it to put in the pot, take just the spinach leaves. Spinach has a lot of water, if you put it directly in the main cooking pot without boiling to reduce the water, your meal will be to watery as result of the water emitted from the spinach.
• Chop your scent leaves and your spinach leaves, onions and tomatoes. Keep aside.
• Check time. Is 25-30min gone, remove your achicha ede from the pot and set aside.
• In your main cooking pot, put palm oil and heat up, fry your onions and tomatoes until the translucent. Make sure you stirring to avoid the tomatoes from sticking to the pot.
• Add your ugba leaves and stir well. Add your pepper and fry. Add your pumpkin leaves and stir well. Add your spinach. Don’t add water. Just fry like that.
• After about 15min add your achicha ede, stir well, add your curry powder, salt to taste and maggi. Stir well. Allow pot for 10-15min and your meal is ready. 

Enjoy…