Màmá Àshàké's Hot Àmàlà recipe

In Màmá Àshàké's kitchen (as in every Yorùbá kitchen), hot àmàlà is in high demand.

Madam Ashake (2019)The Centenary Project

Màmá Àshàké

Màmá Àshàké, the restaurateur who owns and runs Àshàké's Kitchen, sits in the kitchen, donning a white jalabia and turban. While kitchen porters work in the background, she holds onto a casio calculator and notebook for inventory, intermittently supervising her workers in the preparation of the Àmàlà and soups. 

Dinning area in Ashake's kitchen (2019)The Centenary Project

Àshàké's Kitchen —a typical bukka

Àshàké's Kitchen, although a major food establishment that offers outdoor and indoor catering services including food delivery packages, is like a grand scale local bukka.

Bukka is coined from the Romanian word "bucataria", which means kitchen. It is typically a small structure designed with sticks or poles and plain single roofs. It is a major feature of Nigeria's street food culture and can be seen at roadsides, street corners and construction sites in the country.

Set up of a local kitchen in Nigeria (2019)The Centenary Project

Ìkòkò irin ati Àdògán

What makes Àshàké's kitchen even more special for the àmàlà preparation is the use of local pots, made by local artisans, and firewood in the preparation of meals. Many indigenous persons prefer the taste of the food prepared with this cookware.

As a result, meal preparation at Àshàké's kitchen is also faster because of the way the firewood conducts heat to reach all sides of the pot at once.

Amala in 'Kokorin' (2019)The Centenary Project

"Hot Àmàlà available, as e dey hot, Óngbónó feli feli"

Àmàlà occupies the prime spot on a local kitchen menu in Nigeria. In fact, flashing signs in front of small roadside bukkas usually advertise nothing but “Hot Àmàlà Available, As e dey hot, Óngbónó feli feli.” 

Elubo 'Yam flour' for preparing Amala (2019)The Centenary Project

It all begins with Èlùbó

The most common type of flour for àmàlà is the yam flour, which is also known as the àmàlà isu. Fresh tubers of yam are peeled, sliced and put into boiling water over a period of time, depending on how thick the yam slices are.

The yam slices are only partly cooked, then dried in a dryer. The dried yam slices are then milled directly into flour. Uneven particle sizes are sieved out of the flour, known as èlùbó in Yorùbá language, before it is processed into àmàlà.

Man kneading hot Amala in local pot, 'Kokorin' (2019)The Centenary Project

Àmàlà preparation process

A kitchen porter in Àshàké's kitchen kneads the èlùbó with a turning stick known as omorogùn. As a way of keeping the pot firmly in position while kneading, he carefully uses his feet to hold the bottom of the pot in place.

Steaming hot amala in 'Kokorin' (2019)The Centenary Project

A stiff, smooth dough

The most difficult stage in the àmàlà preparation process is the act of kneading the dough into a smooth paste. To prepare Àmàlà, pour water into a pot and place on a lit burner. Once the water has come to a boil, reduce the heat and add flour, stirring it energetically until the water is completely absorbed.

Amala preparation (2019)The Centenary Project

More hot water

Add more hot water, and leave the dough to simmer for 5 minutes. Knead the dough until it is free of lumps and amasses into one in the pot.

Amala, Gbegiri, Ewedu soup, and stew (2019)The Centenary Project

Preparing Ewédú

Àmàlà is popularly consumed with ewédú soup, which is prepared with leaves scientifically known as jute mallow or nalta jute, while gbègìrì is prepared with brown beans and palm oil. 

Kitchen porters on duty plucking Ewedu leaves (2019)The Centenary Project

Ewédú blades

Kitchen porters gather around to pick ewédú leaves, separating leaf stalks and branches from the blade.

Only the leaf blades are used in the preparation of ewédú soup.

Ewedu soup (2019)The Centenary Project

Thickness and stickiness

In Ashake's kitchen, ewédú leaves are mashed the traditional way, with the use of a cooking broom known as Ìjábè. The leaves are mashed with a cooking broom to increase the viscosity of the soup and for better consistency.

Preparation

The ewédú leaves are first boiled with a little potash to make them tender. Then, the leaves are mashed with a cooking broom for about five minutes or less. Other ingredients including ground crayfish, fermented locust beans (irú), maggi, salt and pepper are added to the soup as desired.

Ewedu soup (2019)The Centenary Project

Draw soup, the ewédú way

Ewédú soup is one of those soups in Nigeria known as "draw soup" because it pulls and drags as a result of its viscosity, which makes it easy to swallow and fast to consume with solid meals like Àmàlà.

Ewedu soup (2019)The Centenary Project

From cooking pot to dish-bowl

After preparation, Ewédú soup is transferred from the cooking pot into a dish-bowl.

Amala, Ewedu soup and Gbegiri (2019)The Centenary Project

Multiple ways to enjoy Àmàlà

Àmàlà can be eaten with a variety of soups. Two of the most popular, especially among the Yorùbás, are Gbègìrì and Ewédú soups.

Amala, Wheat, Eba, Pounded Yam (2019)The Centenary Project

The black sheep of the "swallow" family

Àmàlà is one version of solid meals or fufu which are popularly called "swallow" in Nigeria. The colloquial term originated as a result of the consumption process of the solid meals which need no chewing before swallowing.

Amala, Gbegiri, Ewedu soup, and stew (2019)The Centenary Project

Àmàlà demands moistness and flavour

Swallows like Àmàlà are bland in taste and demand moistness and flavour for a finger-licking (quite literally, because swallow is locally consumed with the hands), mouth-watering meal. Hence, many natives consume àmàlà with a combination of gbègìrì and ewédú soups with Nigerian tomato stew, known in Yorùbá as Obè ata.

Àmàlà ball

After preparation, Àmàlà is portioned using a saucer known in Yorùbá as Ìgbáko, and wrapped in a small transparent cellophane bag.

Ewédú àti Gbègìrì

The taste of ewédú is salty, leafy, and herby, and when dished with gbègìrì, a mellow taste of beans is added to the mix.

Ewédú àti Obè ata

Àmàlà can also be taken with ewédú and stew (obè ata) prepared to include assorted meets including the edible intestines of cow meat (inú eran or abòdì).

Amala, immersed in Gbegiri, Ewedu soup, and cow meat stew (2019)The Centenary Project

Amala dunk in soup

Many home-grown Nigerians prefer to eat their àmàlà in a soup bowl like this, immersed in a combination of gbègìrì, ewédú soup and cow meat stew for a well-rounded savoury taste.

Credits: Story

Curator: Patrick Enaholo / Olúwafisáyọ̀ Ọkàrè
Research: Olúwafisáyọ̀ Ọkàrè
Photography: O'Buchi Multimedia
Text: Olúwafisáyọ̀ Ọkàrè
Text editor: Munachim Amah

Special thanks to:
Mama Ashake

© The Centenary Project

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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