Amala food is a delicacy mainly eaten by the Yoruba tribes in Nigeria, if you have not tasted this food my dear you miss oh!
Moreover, Amala food is gotten from yam, however, yams are peeled, slice, wash, dried, and grind into a powdered form which is yam flour locally called Elubo in native Yoruba language and is used to prepare amala recipe.
Basically, amala flour is being used to prepare amala swallow which is another name for amala.
Meanwhile, yam flour is milk white in color when it is still in a powdered form, but, immediately it goes into the heat the color changes to dark brown.
Similarly, amala can also be made using cassava flour called Lafun in Yoruba language or unripe plantain amala commonly refers to as amala ogede which is the most nutritious of all amala food.
Merely sighting amala in a plate people describe it as black amala swallow, but it’s certainly not black but dark brown morsel.
Àmàlà swallow can be eaten with your favorite soup ewedu and stew, what a delicious combination that compliments each other; it can also be eaten with a variety of soups such as amala and egusi soup, amala and ogbono soup, okra soup, and efo soup.
Nutritional Value and Health Benefit of Amala food
Amala contains carbohydrate which is an energy giving food required for optimal body function, hence, carbs when eaten is digested, thereafter broken down into glucose before going into the bloodstream.
Carbohydrate content in amala is a good source of fuel for the brain since, our brain demands high energy, in the same vein, if you’re on a low carb diet plan or not having adequate food, the body automatically starts using other alternative sources to produce enough energy to fuel the brain.
Yam flour also contains little amount of fiber, in other words, fiber is a special kind of carb that aids good digestive health which may as well lower the risk of heart diseases.
Most importantly, amala food can be classified as healthy and balanced diet when eaten with plenty of vegetables likes ewedu with either beef or fish which is the protein.
Health Benefit of Ewedu (Jute) leaf
Ewedu which is the Yoruba name for jute leaf is a green edible leafy vegetable that can be cooked into a fine slimy delicious soup very rich in vitamins and mineral, a good source of antioxidant too.
Jute leaves also contains folate very essential for pregnant women, potassium, iron, riboflavin, sodium, proteins, phosphorus, vitamin A, C and B6, calcium and niacin is a staple food mainly eaten in most African countries and Asia.
How to cook Ewedu leaf (Jute leaf)
- Pick your ewedu leaf by removing it from the stem, then wash in running water, thereafter, place in the cooking pot and boil for few minutes.
- Remove from heat allow cooking for a few minutes and blend make it rough blending after that pour it back to the pot.
- Add your crayfish, salt, seasoning cube and cook for another 3 minutes before putting off the heat.
How to Make Amala Food without lumps
Ingredients
- Yam Flour
- Boiled Water
Instruction on cooking Amala food
- First of all, boil the quantity of water you need in a pot
- Secondly, remove boiled water from heat and start adding the elubo flour gradually as you continue to stir with a wooden stick popularly called turning garri stick. Though some people stir in their elubo flour when water is still boiling, whichever way the swallow still turns out great.
- Thirdly, increase the paste at which you turn the yam flour so that the consistency will stick together at once much delay might cause lumps in the amala.
- Finally, add little water and return back to fire, cook for 5 minutes before putting off the heat, then continue to turn until smooth. At this point, your amala swallow is ready.
In other to keep warm, dish into a cooler or wrap in nylon and keep in the oven
Serve your tasty and delicious amala and ewedu with a cold glass of zobo drink
Enjoy your meal.
