Ikokore is a staple of the Ijebu tribe from the Ogun State in South-West Nigeria. Without Ikokore, Nigerian food would never this delicacy that is made from water yam. Find out how to cook Ikokore Ijebu right now!
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1. Ingredients for the Ikokore recipe
Before you learn how to prepare Ikokore, let’s take a look at the ingredients list for Ikokore and make sure you have everything you need at hand.
To make Ikokore, nigerian dish that everyone loves, you will need the following ingredients:
- Medium-sized water yam – 1
- Dry fish – 5
- Beef (or other protein) – 500g
- Crayfish – 2tbsp
- Palm oil – 2tbsp
- Ground black pepper – 1tbsp
- Chopped atarodo pepper – 1 tbsp
- Seasoning cubes – 2
- Salt – to taste
- Water or stock – 3 cups
The list of ingredients for Ikokore can be modified. For example, if you like your food spicy, you can add more hot pepper. If you prefer an exotic flavour in your food, season your Ikokore with curry or any of your other favourite spices.
2. How to cook Ikokore
Now that you know which products are used in cooking Ikokore and have all the ingredients ready, it’s time to finally find out how to make Ikokore. Follow these steps to prepare the classic Ijebu Ikokore.
- Peel the skin off the water yam, chop it into medium-sized chunks, and rinse.
- Using a fine grater or food processor, grate the yam into a bowl.
- Fill a pot with water and put it on medium heat. Add the seasoning cubes, palm oil, black pepper, and salt the stock to taste.
- Once the water is boiling, add the fish and your protein of choice. Cook the meat and fish until they are tender. Scoop the fish and the protein out of the pot and leave the pot on the stove.
- Lightly salt and season the yam in the bowl and mix thoroughly. Start adding the yam mixture into the pot, one spoon at a time.
- When every bit of the yam mixture is in the pot, put the lid on and cook for approximately 10 minutes. Don’t stir the pot, so that the individual balls of yam can be cooked separately.
- Remove the lid from the pot. Add the cooked beef and fish. Stir well and sprinkle with crayfish and atarodo pepper for extra flavour. Serve while hot!
3. How to serve Ikokore
One of the best things about Ikokore is that it’s a great standalone dish – it contains both carbohydrates and protein and therefore can be eaten on its own.
However, if you are serving a big crowd or want to make your Ikokore even more filling, you can serve it the traditional Ijebu way – with some cold eba or garri.
You can also increase the nutritional value of the dish by adding more vegetables to your dinner – either in form of a salad from fresh vegetables or with some vegetable stew.
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