Ukwa Breadfruit

African breadfruit (ukwa) is definitely one of the popular foods in Nigeria, it is a well-known delicacy in Igboland.

I have a comprehensive recipe about Igbo foods and recipes, You could read all about it.

People keep wondering ‘what is African breadfruit?’ and how to prepare it the exact way an Igbo person would like it.

The majority of the questions I get via my contact form are from ladies that are married to a Nigerian man, I get questions like – what to serve a Yoruba man for dinner? What to serve an Igbo man for breakfast and stuff like that.

That was the main reason I started an entirely new series on foods eaten by different Nigerian ethnic groups and here we are dealing with African breadfruit (ukwa) as one of the popular Igbo foods.

I will try to explain in detail how this recipe was prepared in my own very kitchen and then I would talk briefly on another recipe of Ukwa that I know about.

The Two Ukwa Recipes

Ukwa is a very popular food in the eastern part of Nigeria, the people of Igbo are very familiar with the two recipes that I would be talking about below.

Ukwa could be cooked with potash and just eaten like that or it could also be separated from the water for just the seeds to be mashed with some ingredients and thereafter served with the plain cooked ukwa.

By the way, you can purchase ukwa from our online store In case you live outside Nigeria and can’t find it around you.

Below are the ingredients for preparing Ukwa (African Breadfruit), what you have below would serve 3 people. You can increase or decrease depending on the number of persons you are looking to serve.

Ingredients For Ukwa

6 cups of ukwa
Potash (akanwu) teaspoon
Fresh pepper (about 5)
Ogiri (optional) (a local ingredient)
Maggi (half cube)
Salt to taste
Red oil (100ml)
2 cups of maize.

How To Prepare Ukwa

Wash the ukwa seeds, It is necessary to wash severally in a bowl with lots of clean water. I also use a plastic sieve just to be sure that all hidden tiny stones are sorted out.

Set a cooking pot on heat, add 5 cups of water and start cooking the ukwa (breadfruit). Once it boils, add the potash. Dissolve the potash in one cup of water, filter in the clear water and throw away the residue.

It is needful to note that Ukwa does not ever get soft (done) without the use of the catalyst (potash).

I tried this in secondary school and we cooked for more than three hours before we realized that something was missing.

There is another ingredient that serves the same purpose as potash, it is in the form of ash gotten from the burning of palm fronds. It is locally called ngu and a popular choice among the Igbos.

If you want to make Ukwa with ngu apply the same method as though you are using potash, dissolve in a cup of water allow for a minute or two then use the filtrate.

Cook till the ukwa is soft for consumption and you can serve. This is one of the two ways to eat African breadfruit in Nigerian, some people like to add a pinch of salt while some part of Igbos doesn’t use salt for this particular recipe.

Breadfruit (Ukwa) Recipe 2

The second recipe (mashed Ukwa & Corn) continues where the one above stopped and you will need this ingredients below.

Cook the corn till it is very soft as you can see above

Separate the seeds from the water as you would find in the video below, (that is to sieve out the soft seeds from the water). See the image below.

Pound the pepper with mortar and pestle, add about 100ml of red oil, a half stock cube, A pinch of salt, ogiri and stir (use a garri turner, a spoon-like wood).

Add the soft corn, stir.

Then add the soft ukwa seed then turn very well with the wooden turner and you will get the exact resemblance of the image above. Taste for salt and you are done making this African delicacy.

Serve the two together as you can find below.

Those are the two recipes I know for Ukwa, African Breadfruit.

Breadfruit Recipes | How to Cook Ukwa

Chef Chidi

Breadfruit species are rampant in the world and grows in different parts of the world bearing different names, having different shapes and different sizes. This recipe is for African breadfruit, a popular species in Nigeria that serves as foods to Igbo People.

5 from 7 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Dinner

Cuisine Nigerian Cuisine

Servings 4 People

Calories 383 kcal

Equipment

• Pots

Ingredients

  

• 6 cups of ukwa
• 1 teaspoon Potash akanwu
• 4 Fresh pepper
• Ogiri optional (a local ingredient)
• 1/2 seasoning cube
• Salt to taste
• 100 ml palm oil
• 2 cups of soft corn

Instructions

 

• Start cooking the ukwa seeds - wash, transfer into a cooking pot and start cooking with 5 cups of water.
• Add the potash once it boils.
• Turn off the heat once the Ukwa (breadfruit) is soft, you don't want the water dried. Roughly 30 minutes.
• You can add water inbetween.
• Separate the seeds from the water.
• Pound the pepper with mortar and pestle, add palm oil, a half seasoning cube, A pinch of salt, ogiri and stir use a wooden spoon.
• The corns (maize) should follow.
• Serve Ukwa (African breadfruit) the way you see above.

Video

Keyword African Breadfruit, Breadfruit, Igbo Foods, Ukwa

Video For Preparing African Breadfruit (Ukwa)

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