Okpa Enugu and Abacha are the most popular native meals that visitors enjoy in all parts of Igboland, and both are native to Enugu. Many visitors and citizens who live outside the South East region widely copy the recipe. There may be variations in preparing the abacha but the method for preparing Okpa is however the same everywhere we go.
Well, let us tell you this, just as we did on the abacha feature: If you visit Enugu and fail to sample okpa enugu meals, note that your trip is not complete! They are really nice meals, as visitors to Enugu testify after tasting one of them.
Preparation
Those who know prepare Okpa as they do moin-moin. It comes wrapped in fresh leaves. They either pound the seed at home (after soaking and fermentation) or take to the open market where to ground into flour for the preparation.
Okpa seed is Bambara nuts. It is from this seed that the delicious paste emerges. Bambara nut has many native names in Nigeria, including Gurjiya or kwaruru in Hausa language.
There are things to watch out for if you want to buy okpa in Enugu. Although desperate housewives trying to make ends meet have now perfected by learning how to make the paste, some of them prefer to wrap them in cellophane paper. Others go further to hide the cellophane wrapping inside the native leaves. Never buy any of these!
Ingredients
- Okpa flour
- Palm oil
- Crayfish (ground)
- Fresh pepper (blended)
- Seasoning
- Uziza leaves (sliced)
- Water
- Salt to taste
- Wrappers (banana and plantain leaves preferred). Some prepare in milk cones while others us nylon bags (not recommended for health reasons).
Watch out for the chef preparation video, coming shortly, to learn how to make Enugu Okpa.
Eating healthy
The okpa wrapped only in special leaves as it is cooked is the best and healthiest.
The best and by the most original okpa is arguably prepared in (Oji River LGA) and by Udi people, with Nsukka coming a distant third. The Achi people have so perfected the brand that they are the only ones that now serve the healthy version (wrapped only with leaves). It is a great advantage to people traveling westwards. Travelers going to the Northern parts can buy the Udi Okpa at 9th Mile Corner or make a stopover at Obolo Afor to get the healthy Nsukka version from a particular seller called Mama Onyinye.
This cheap and filling food has now caught up fast and can be found in all parts of Nigeria, hawked by Igbo women who have mastered the simple art of cooking it.
10 BEST WAYS TO DINE OUT IN ENUGU
Author
