Stay healthy with nutritious African Breadfruits (UKWA)

Ukwa which is African breadfruit, is deĮnitely one of the most popular Igbo foods. People keep wondering ‘what is African breadfruit?’ and how to prepare it the exact way an Igbo person or a typical Nigerian would like and enjoy it. Today, we will explain

Breadfruit contains moderate levels of essential vitamins and minerals. It is rich in riboflavin, iron, niacin, It contains minerals like potassium, copper, iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc, manganese, selenium and phosphorus. It also has adequate levels of protein. Breadfruit protects the body against heart disease and heart attacks. Also the fibre found in breadfruit can help those with diabetes to control the disease, fibre can control diabetes by reducing the absorption of glucose from the food we eat. Here we will explain in detail how this recipe is prepared in two different ways.. Ukwa could be cooked with potash and just eaten like that or it could also be separated from the water for just the seeds to be mashed with some ingredients and thereafter served with the extract (water). Below are the ingredients for preparing Ukwa (African Breadfruit), what you have below would serve about three to four people, you can increase or decrease depending on the number of persons you are looking to serve.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups of ukwa Potash (a spoon full) Fresh pepper Ogiri (optional) (a local ingredient) Maggi (half cube) Salt to taste Red oil 5/10 cl

2 cups of maize (optional) HOW TO PREPARE UKWA

1. Cook the corn till it is very soft for consumption. 2. Wash the ukwa, It is necessary to wash severally in a bowl with lots of clean water, so that tiny sands would be sieved out.

3. Put in a cooking pot and cook to boiling point before adding the potash.

4. It is needful to note that Ukwa does not ever get soft (done) without the use of the catalyst (potash).

Cook till the ukwa is soft for consumption and you can serve. This is one of the two ways to eat African breadfruit in Nigerian, some people like to add a pinch of salt while some don’t use salt for this particular recipe.

The second recipe continues where the one above stopped.

1. Once the Ukwa Seeds are soft for consumption, Separate the seeds from the water (that is to sieve out the soft seeds from the water) most people prefer to eat just like that or make it the way it appears above.

2. Pound the pepper with mortar and pestle, add about 5cl of red oil, a half cube of maggi, one ball of ogiri and stir use a turner, add the soft corn, stir then add the soft ukwa seed then turn very well with the turner.