Yes, you read that correctly. Take a few moments to laugh would you, because I definitely did. This #fitfam movement is inspiring all sorts of revolutionary Nigerian recipes. All hail #TheNewNigerianCookery. Temitope of Stunnababez Cuisine first introduced us to fortifying our soup staples with vegetables. See Post HERE, and see quick pictorial summary of the process i.e. blend your veg, combine with your choice of staple flour and cook till firm.
Let me digress a bit, and talk about the word “swallow”. For the love of everything polite, I am still wondering how we came upon that word. It doesn’t evoke any pleasant food thoughts to be honest. I know it came from trying to find an English word for “okele”, but I am not sure “swallow” was a good alternative. I stuck to using the word solids, which in retrospect, what the heck was I thinking myself. Saying “solid” is just as bad, as it doesn’t mean anything. For creating content on the new blog, I was seeking out creative ways for certain categories. My friend Ade and I came up with The New Nigerian Cookery, which in my opinion is 100 shades of fabulous to describe the new wave of Nigerian Cooking. The next thing was to do something about that word “swallow”. Ade too can’t stand it, kindred spirit right there. We tried all sorts of permutations and one day while Googling Garri and other “solid foods” for inspiration, I came across a Wiki page. The word “staples” kept repeating itself on the page and from the dictionary meaning of the word “staples”, I knew I was on to something, and then it occurred to me to create the phase “Nigerian Soup Staples”. Eba, Amala, Fufu, Pounded yam are staples commonly served with Nigerian soups. Make sense eh?
Now, back to the “Ebbage”. Colouring a soup staple is fun using blended veg, but if you are averse to green, red or orange Eba for example, you can add the veg in whole, for the added bonus of also bulking up your soup staple, to help you feel fuller for longer.
Last summer, this was all the rave, in different colours and shapes
My favourite – such a beautiful picture, funny how people responded more positively
People tried it with beetroot, also veg and even beans. Then my friend Vivian put up a picture of her purple Eba on Facebook, which I also shared on Instagram. The comments were hilarious. See top right.
Vivian pureed purple cabbage, heated it up and added a handful of garri to firm it up, so technically, she is consuming more veg than starch. Genius right. Last week, I shared all my pictures shown above on fortifying soup staples with veg, and it kept my Instagram page very busy for hours. See why you should kindly follow @dooneyskitchen. The comments were just the best. I doubled over laughing so many times, I gave myself a headache. The purple Eba post was the busiest that day. I suggested that people can also use White cabbage, if the purple colour wasn’t agreeable. Oh, the comments. Click on it and laugh your head off.
Switching between Social media accounts can make my head spin on some days, but hey, I take it all in stride. That afternoon on a fitness group, Olaedo put up this picture using white cabbage and oatmeal. I also shared on Instagram and the comments
“I would rather be fat”
“I would rather eat more soup”
“The fat had better take over”
Come on people, it is not that bad. The day after, another fitfam sister Ruona also tried it and it is from her, the word “Ebbage” came about. Eba + Cabbage. Get it? Lol
I love the Nigerian social media food space. You come across all kinds of things. If you are a true foodie, you should get in on the action. There are many Nigerian food pages to follow on Instagram and Facebook. Your kitchen will never be boring. So, from henceforth, why don’t we call every vegetable fortified Nigerian Soup staple, “Ebbage”, like a collective word for it. Whether you use Oatmeal like Ameena, or Garri like this @zumbaforlife who immediately tried it,
Welcome to 2015, the year of The Ebbage. As many of us are making healthier food options, this is a great way to consume less of our starchy soup staples in one meal, and replacing with veg. You can try this with White Cabbage or even Pureed carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Butternut squash, Pumpkins, Celeriac, basically root vegetables that will hold their own. Some root veg might be too sweet that others though, so be mindful of that. Not sure leafy greens will do a good job though as they don’t contain as much fibre. The bland tasting the better, but I guess you can get used to the taste, especially as you are pairing it with a delicious Nigerian Soup.
Here is my video of making the Ebbage
Let’s Cook
- ¼ - ½ a small Cabbage
- ¼ - ½ cup of Staple flour - semolina, oatmeal, garri,
- Green vegetable - optional, but it would help cut down on the sweetness
- Water
- Cut your cabbage into Chunks and puree in a blender with as little water as possible
- Transfer to a pot. You can also puree green veg with the cabbage
- You can also transfer into a fine sieve to drain the water out, thereby cutting down on the cooking time and preserving the nutrients in the cabbage.
- Cook the pureed cabbage until it almost starts to dry up
- Add the powdered staple flour and stir till it firms up - refer to video above.
- Once firm, the bottom of the pot should be almost clean
- The Ebbage, should have a look and feel of cooked Eba
- Here is the green version using cabbage and greens
. You can also puree green veg with the cabbage
I do realise that we traditionally don't use cabbage in our savoury dishes, as Nigerians, so if you are skeptical about this, why don't you try using Tatashe - red bell pepper, or even green pepper. You may just prefer that
Here are two pictures of people who have tried the Ebbage
Using red pepper – tatashe. The one with no heat
Oh, and Dupe another #Fitfam sister tried what we now call the CauliPoundo. She pounded cauliflower with boiled yams. Brilliant eh. 2015, the year of The New Nigerian Cookery
Love this! Now, only if my husband would agree to try it. :p
Interesting way to get more fiber in. I like.
Tried this using cabbage with semovita. Amazing result, one would hardly tell (the cabbage was about a third of the portion, thus reducing the semo content by a third). My kids ate very well, and hubby didnt know until i told him. He loved it and encourage me to keep it up. I used the fine portion of a regular kitchen grater instead of a blender (PHCN wahala), and it was a success
Ooooh, love that you pushed the envelope. Semobbage. Well done
FitFam from now on……..I just told hubby its from that food website(ever since the garden egg sauce, he always remembers “that food website”) and he was game…
hahahahahahaha. Love that Dera
Wow…I’m so trying ds d next ti I’m taking “swallow” oh I love colors. All hail fitfam. Lool… Glad I found ur blog btw. Bookmarked!
A friend of mine just sent me this Ebbage link. Awesome! Will certainly try it.