Egbo and Lamuluke
Egbo and Lamuluke is a combination of food you’ll have delight in eating. This delicacy is very common in Ibadan, Oyo state and some other parts of Southwest Nigeria. ‘Egbo’ is the Yoruba word for cooked dry corn while ‘Lamuluke’ is cooked beans wrapped in leaves. These two go hand-in-hand like a snail and its shell. If you haven’t tasted it, then you are really missing.
While growing up, especially during the college days, children from this part of the world like to save their pocket money or transport fares (we will rather trek several kilometres than missing this meal) to buy this delicacy. It is being sold by food vendors in the streets and local markets. You are not Ibadan born and bred if you haven’t tasted ‘Egbo’ and ‘Lamuluke’. Well, there’s still time for you to learn, prepare, and enjoy this special delicacy after going through this recipe.
Apart from the delicious taste of Egbo and Lamuluke, it is also very nutritious as all the food classes are represented in the meal. While other children liked candy, chocolate, and all sweet things that can have bad effect on their health in the long run, we enjoyed our local delicacy that makes us stronger in body, soul and mind. Hmm! The list of ingredients used in preparing this delicacy makes it sumptuous.
The list of ingredients for this perfect food combination include dry corn, black-eyed-peas (beans), ground fresh pepper, palm oil, fish, ponmo (cow skin), beef, wrapping leaves, stock cubes, onions, and salt to taste.
Egbo and Lamuluke is very easy to prepare. Rinse cups of dry corn in water thoroughly. Use a grinder to crush the corn into smaller pieces like the size of rice. Cook the corn in a medium heat (just like you cook rice). Add a pinch of salt then leave the corn to cook until it is very soft. When it is done then set aside.
After picking your beans, rinse in water then cook in a pot of water on medium heat. Slice your onions into the beans then cook until the black-eyed-pea is very soft and dry without water. The next thing to do is to wrap the cooked beans in clean wrapping leaves. Then set aside too.
This combination of food must be enjoyed with a sauce. You prepare your sauce by boiling your fish, and beef (slice onion, stock cubes and salt to taste). Wash your cow skin thoroughly and set aside. The broth can be used as you fry the fresh ground pepper in a hot palm oil. Add the fish, beef, cow skin, crayfish (optional), stock cubes, and salt to taste.
Allow to cook for about 20-30 minutes on medium heat. Once your sauce is ready, then your Egbo and Lamuluke are ready to be served. Just as you have rice and beans, add this combination together in the wrapping leaf (plates, nylon, can also be used but the scent of the wrapping leaf makes it a masterclass). Then put your sauce on top of this two. This serves as the stew for this ‘awesome combo’.
It is so yummy! Enjoy this delicacy with your favorite soft drinks and thank me later. A trial will definitely make you add this sumptuous delicacy to your menu list and a regular for your lunch. If you can’t go on with this process of preparing this perfect combination of food then you have to visit the part of Nigeria where you can have a taste.
Thanks for taking time in reading this piece. Bon appetite!