I am from Kwara State, the North Central of Nigeria. We have a favourite dish we are known for. Many times, when someone asks where I hail from and I tell them my state, they quickly say, "Oh, the state that loves eating..." That's them referring to this meal.
The name of the meal is called Ekuru in my tribe and we are known for this favourite meal together with other states like Ekiti and Ondo. This meal is translated as "Plain beans with Sauce". Ekuru is made from beans while other ingredients like okro and stew follow. Preferably, Ekuru goes along with Eko. Eko, also known as Agidi, is a traditional Nigerian dish made from fermented corn starch or maize.
I was craving this meal immediately after I saw a friend posted it some days ago and I decided to treat myself to it during the weekend. It's been a long time that I tasted this meal and that was since I left my hometown in January, this year. Definitely, this is something I wouldn't miss when I travel for the Christmas and New Year festival as my family would gladly prepare it in a more special way than I did here.
Here are the recipes I use:
- 1 cup of white beans
- Two medium sized onions
- 5 pieces of okro
- Scotch bonnet & Tomatoes
- Palm oil
- Locust bean
- Seasonings to taste
- Scent leaves
- Curry leaves.
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The first step was to soak my beans which I did overnight so it can be soft before sifting to remove the beans shaft and ready for grinding.
I proceeded to blend without adding anything to it because it must be plain to give me what I wanted. Then I went ahead to scoop into the nylon bit by bit until I was done and made 3 pieces of it.
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I added a little water in the pot and cooked for over 30 minutes and it was done. I set aside to move to the next thing which was to prepare the okro. Ekuru doesn't require much work and it's so stress-free.
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The next step is to make my okro. As you can see, I grated all the 5 pieces of okros, added a pinch of salt and cooked for less than 3 minutes on low heat. That, I also set aside when it was done.
Onto the last step which is making the main stew for the Ekuru.
I blended the pepper for the stew.
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I added some palm oil to the pot and I set it to low heat making the oil hot until it turned plain, making the foams clear away. I poured in my sliced onions and locust bean next and stirred. A few seconds later, I poured in the grated scotch bonnets and added all seasonings including curry leaves.
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I stirred and covered it to cook for another few minutes and when I was sure it was almost done, I added the sliced scent leaves which came last and boom, the stew is ready.
The Ekuru isn't complete without this stew and okro. Though not everyone prefers adding okro, but trust me, the combination is heavenly. There is nothing as eating a good traditional meal as it sends a signal that I still remember home and my culture.
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