Food is life you know. When it comes to eating good food,"good food" in the sense that it is rich in taste and nutrition, I am always excited.
There is this food common in my home town here in Nigeria. It is called Pounded yam and egusi soup. The Pounded yam just like the name sounds is made by pounding yams into a consistent smooth textured ball.
The Pounded yam is a good source of carbohydrate which gives enough energy for the day. The soup which is egusi otherwise known as melon in English is also rich in fats and oil as wells as protein.
Aldo depending on what is added to the egusi soup which can be vegetables which is rich in vitamins, cray fish, fish and meat which are rich in protein. These ingredients makes the soup taste very delicious.
Steps in making Pounded yam
Wash clean the yam,then place on a chopping board to peel of bark as well as cut the yam into cook able sizes.
Rinse the cut yams into a pot then boil for at least 15 minutes or till the yams are soft.
After booking till soft, set out a mortar and pestle to pound the yam
[Source] (https://unsplash.com/photos/YvtI0qR5KaE)
Pound the yam in the mortar and pestle till smooth. Sprinkle water on the yam while pounding to have a smooth consistency. When the the smooth consistency ball is achieved, pack into a plate or a transparent leather bag.
Steps in making egusi soup
The egudi or melon seeds suitable for use is the grinded one either in powder or paste form. If you are to use the powdered form, mix with water and onions before use
Source
Set a dry pot on fire, add palm oil. Leave the palm oil to get heated, then scoop in the grinded egusi or melon seeds into the pot and allow to fry. After frying for a while, stir then add grounded fresh pepper. Add your seasoning, salt, crayfish, fish, meat and allow all to cook well. When it is cooked, it give a particular aroma which is a sign that it's cooked.
You can now add the chopped green vegetables usually ugwu or spinach. This makes the egusi soup thicker and colorful.
When the soup is done it looks like this
Colorful,isn't it?
This can then be enjoyed with any chilled drink of your choice.
Thanks for reading