How To Prepare Ekpang- Nkukwuo Mboro (Unripe Banana porridge)

I do know that so many of us have been so much in love with the yellow bananas and dont really care about the many uses of the unripe bananas. Both bananas are good sources of potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C and fibres. It does not really matter if you eat unripe or yellow banana, what matters is knowing what to do with them for instance, the ripe bananas are easy to eat just by peeling it while the unripe ones are to be cooked with or without the peels, fried just the same way you will do to plantain chipsorsweet potato chips, prepared into porridge like plantain porridge (though grated first),roasted or boiled just as in case of cocoyam and boiled plantain to be used with stew or vegetable sauce.

Unripe (green) banana porridge is a native staple to southern Nigeria,; it is moslty preparedby the Akwa Ibomitesand Calabites, that is why It is called ekpang- nkukwo mboro. In most cases, it is often treated as fattening food for nursing mothers or pregnant women and for newly born babies, and it is equally used as a lunch or dinner staple in many homes.

I have earlier written on how to make ekpang-nkukwuo, though not with banana but with cocoyam, this time around I will be talking more how to makethis same delicious staple but with unripe banana fruits.

In the preparation of ekpang mboro, you do not need water yam and you may not need pumpkin, tender cocoyam leaves or sweet potato leaves (nkukwo) to roll or wrap the grated banana paste. In addition, most native recipes like this may not require chicken, beef or goat meat, Just fish will give you the needed flavour and the sweet taste but in the absence of assorted fish, chicken can still be used. In this case all you for preparing this porridge are listed below.

Ingredients for preparing unripe banana porridge

• 10-15 unripe(green) bananas (1 bunch)
• 1 cup of crab or prawns, as desired (optional)
• 1 medium size stockfish (optional
• 3 medium size dried fish
• 8-10 pieces of chicken or beef or goat meat
• 2 cups Shelled Periwinkles, well dressed
• cup ground crayfish
• 2 cups of Palm oil
• A handful Basil leaf (scent leaves, spring onions, ugwu , or uziza)
• 5 Fresh pepper, blended
• 1 ball onion, chopped
• 4 seasoning cubes, crushed
• Local ingredients (okpei or dadawa )optional
• Salt to taste

Directions on how to prepare unripe banana porridge (ekpan mboro)

1. using a kitchen knife, chop off both ends of the unripe banana and cut through the peels the long way one side of the banana to peel away the skin one at a time till you are finally done with all the bananas.

 

2.Grate the peeled bananas into smooth consistency (you can used a food processor (blender) in place of grater), add salt and one seasoning cube to mix properly with your fingertips and keep aside. Make sure your hands are clean before mixing this

 

3. Chop off the sharp edges of the periwinkles, wash, boil for 5 minutes with a little salt to remove dirt and keep aside.

 

4. Wash, season and boil meat and stock fish for 20 minutes and keep aside. If you are using fish, dress it and keep aside too.

5. Wash, season and boil meat and stock fish for 20 minutes and keep aside. If you are using fish, dress it and keep aside too.

6. When the pot starts to boil, add, crayfish, the remaining cubes, onion, pepper periwinkles, palm oil, pepper, salt and allow to boil.

7. As the content is on a boiling process, use your fingertips to cut the grated banana into the content bit by bit till you are done with all the paste.

 

8. Add palm oil and cover to boil for 15 minutes and dont stir yet.

 

9. As it starts to boil you will notice the content dissolving into a thick paste although not all that would dissolve. Pour in your fish,stock fish or meat and stir the content all through and allow it to simmer on a medium heat.

 

10. Add scent (basil) or curry leaves,stirand cover for 5minutes. In my own case I decided to usespring onions and scent leaves together but in a little quantity.

11. Off the heat and serve hot

 

• Unripe bananas produce sticky fluids when cut and can paint your palms brown so you may need to stay close to water in other to wet your palms.

Have you ever tried preparing unripe banana porridge (ekpang nkukwo mboro) , or would you like to try this delicious delicacy? Sign in to drop your comment.