Make it a date with Ikokore

BY BOSEDE OLUSOLA-OBASA

Ikokore

Ikokore, a delicacy common among the Ijebu of Ogun State, South-West Nigeria, is made essentially from water yam.

In its finished form, ikokore looks like a stew made of water yam, smoked fish, meat and chilly among other ingredients.

The Ijebu say it’s great to serve it hot on its own or with cold pap (eko) or eba.

Water yam, also known as ewura in Yorubaland, grows in most parts of the tropics, and is said to be extensively cultivated in the West Indies, the Pacific Islands and tropical Asia.

There are other dishes that can be prepared from water yam.

You may eat it boiled, fried (by mashing to make ojojo), mashed and steamed (to make ikokore); you can also make water yam chips.

Flour made from water yam can also be used for dishes such as queen cakes, biscuits and pastries.

According to EzineArticles.com, the nutritional values of water yam are wide.

Some of them are: Moisture – 70 per cent, Starch – 28 per cent, Sugar – 0.5 per cent, Fat – 0.1-0.3 per cent, Crude protein – 1.1-2.8 per cent, Crude fibre – 0.6-1.4 per cent, Ash – 0.7-2.1 per cent, Vitamin C(mg per 100g) – 5-8 per cent, Vitamin B1 (mg per 100g)- 0.09 per cent, Vitamin B2(mg per 100g) – 0.03 per cent and Vitamin A.

Ikokore Ingredients

Ikokore Ingredients

•Water yam

•Smoked or dried fish

•Beef, saki, ponmo

•Two cooking spoons of palm oil

•Salt

•Shrimps (dried or fresh)

•One tablespoon ground pepper

•One medium size onion

•Tomato

•Moderate portion of ogiri (locust beans)

Method

•Boil the beef, saki, ponmo with onions, salt and other seasoning

•Once cooked, leave to cool and cut into tiny pieces

•Peel yam, wash and grate

•Pour some water into a pot

•Add dry grounded pepper, ogiri, dried fish and shrimps, meat

•Cover and allow to cook

•Add grated yam in lumps to the pot

•Allow to cook

•Add palm oil, salt and other seasoning

•Stir gently with a wooden spoon

•Serve