Ukwa (African breadfruit)is an exquisite local delicacy that has a wonderful creamy taste.
It's both flavourful and creamy
Ukwa dish is a traditional dish loved by everyone in my family especially my mum and my mum in-law.
My mum in-law prefers Ukwa to any other dish, it is the perfect gift that I do give her whenever I visit her and she will feel happy.
One thing I love about this dish is it's creamy texture and taste and the fact that I can prepare it with little or no ingredients at all.
Too much ingredients changes the original taste , that's why I prefer cooking it with ingredients that are not harsh.
In my locality, Ukwa is served in any occasion organized by rich and influential Igbo men (Igbo land is an eastern part of Nigeria),
It must be served as a sign of culture
I have been craving this dish for a long time but haven't had time to go to the market and purchase it and when I do, I usually don't have extra money with me.
Luck was on my side last week, I have extra cash with me,
I quickly made a purchase with great joy in my heart and head home.
Below is a detailed process of how I made it and ingredients needed
Ingredients needed
- 1 and 1/2 cup of ukwa
- 1 medium sized onions
- 1 stem of Garden egg leaf
- A handful of red fresh pepper
- Salt to taste
One good thing about breadfruit dish (ukwa) is that is doesn't require much ingredients, because too many ingredients will end up changing the original taste of the breadfruit and am sure, you wouldn't like that.
Sometimes I prefer adding just salt and water to my breadfruit while other times, I wouldn't even add salt, just water as this allows me to experience the sweet creamy taste of ukwa ( breadfruit).
How to prepare
Step 1
I washed my ukwa seeds with water and boil it till tender.( Note: do not add salt now, as it will not allow the breadfruit to soften, you can only add salt when the breadfruit is already soft)
Remove some of the water as most people love the water alot like I do.
Step 2
As my breadfruit was boiling,I sized that opportunity to slice my onions, pepper and garden egg leaf and set them aside.
Step3
When the breadfruit is already soft and ready to be eaten, I began adding the other ingredients one after the other,
I had to add my onions, red fresh pepper , garden egg leaf and covered it.
I stir it in-between and allow the water to dry a little l.
My breadfruit dish is ready ,now is time to enjoy 🥂.
I don't just love eating this dish since my childhood but I love the water as well,
The creamy texture of ukwa water won't satisfy me even when I drink a full cup, I would go for it a thousand times.