Long but not forgotten.

I thought it as a coincidence when I saw this prompt in the inleo calendar I had saved on my phone. For a while now, I have been craving a particular food that I haven't had in a long while. No scratch that, it's been a very long time since I had that meal.

This food is a delicacy in my state of origin (Akwa Ibom) and particularly amongst my tribe (Ibibio). It is a meal that is highly respected and favoured and it also comes highly recommended amongst my people.

Once you eat this food, you would not want to leave as you'll be there asking for more. Its juicy taste is to "die for". It's this particular food that made most people claim that Akwa-ibom women are the best cooks in all of Nigeria 😁.

Even at auspicious ceremonies like traditional marriage, it is paramount that this meal is available or the ceremony is incomplete.

What's the food?

I know some of you are eargerly waiting for me to reveal this mystery food. Well, the food ain't a mystery, it's simply a delight hence all the drama.

Now the one food that I have not eaten in a long time is called Ekpang nkukwo. It is pronounced as (eee- pang- n-ku- kwo*😁). Hope you didn't bite your tongue.

This is a meal that my paternal aunt prepared about ten years ago when she came to Lagos to pay my family a visit. She taught my mum how to prepare it too. I was too lazy to care. All I did was pinch some of the fish to be used but I kid you not guys, preparing this food was kinda stressful and *that's why I never got to preparing it myself.

To prepare this meal, one yam tuber is needed as well as some pieces of cocoyam which would be peeled and grated using a manual grater. Then the grated yam and cocoyam paste would be wrapped in tender cocoyam leaves in bits and placed in an already oiled and pre-heated pot. You can opt for pumpkin leaves if you cannot get cocoyam leaves.

Later, other ingredients like beef stock, seasoning, crayfish, cow skin, beef and curry leaf can be added to the pot and allowed to cook on medium heat. Once the food is cooked, then it is ready to be served. I like mine to be pipping hot (My mouth is watering right now) 😁😁.

This food might be stressful and time consuming but the end result is absolutely delicious and worth all the stress.

For a long time now, I have not been able to prepare it because truthfully, I have been kinda lazy and blaming it all on "no time" plus no one in my area sells the food or I would have just bought from a food vendor. I think @luchyl should come and help me out in the kitchen, lets make this delicacy together soon 🤗.

I leave below a video that explains this food recipe very well.