How to make Nigerian Pap (Akamu/Ogi)

Nigerian Pap known as Akamu by the “Igbo’s and as Ogi by the Yoruba’s is a popular corn meal made from wet corn starch. It gives a sour taste and can be sweetened with sugar and milk. It can be taken as I mentioned in my previous post with beans, fried plantains and potatoes, Akara, puff puff, moi-moi and Okpa.

Health Benefits of Pap

1. Pap assists nursing mothers to increase the flow of breast milk.

2. It is 100 percent natural as it retains all of its nutrients after processing.

3. It is easy to digest and also helps pass out unwanted elements in the body through urine

4. It replaces lost body fluids

5. It’s a good source of energy because of its carbohydrates content.

6. It reduces risk of blood pressure because of its high potassium and zero sodium content.

Ingredients : Dry corn, Sugar, Milk, muslin cloth, water, bowl, spoon, Sieve bag.

Preparing your corn Starch

1a. Soak your dry corn in water for some days to ferment.

1b. Blend your fermented corn, it normally demands a bigger grinding machine than the normal household blender.

2. Sieve out the chaff using your muslin cloth and water.

3. Dry out the chaff and allow the corn starch to settle.

4. When it does, remove excess water and dry it further using a sieve bag.

You can store in your freezer.

Preparing Nigerian Pap (Akamu/Ogi)

1. Dissolve your corn starch with clean water, avoid adding too much water so it won’t be too watery.

It should be added gradually to form a thick solution.

2. Place your water over the fire to boil. Do not allow it to boil for too long, as this could lead to lumps.

3. Stir your dissolved Akamu with your left hand while pouring the boiled water with your left.

4. Allow it to cool for a few minutes then add your sugar and milk to taste.

Do you like Nigerian Beans??

As a foodie 😉, there’s hardly a meal that I don’t like beans being one of them. I like to take them with Pap locally known as “akamu”(I will share the steps of preparing it my next post) in the Eastern part of the country.

Most people hate beans because they can’t prepare it well, sometimes leading to stomach upset and other problems.

Beans is a very good source of protein, it can be prepared alone and can also be prepared with yam, potatoes and plantain(ripe and unripe).

Ingredients:

Beans, Fresh Pepper, Crayfish, vegetable oil, onions, salt and Maggi

Steps to Preparing a Sweet Nigerian Beans

1. Get your ingredients ready.

2. Pick your beans to remove stones, rotten seeds and other dirts.

3. Grind your pepper and crayfish

4. After picking your beans, wash and place in a clean pot.

5. Add water to the pot, place on fire and allow to boil.

6. Remove the water from the beans using a sieve and pour cold water over it. This helps avoid stomach upset as this washes off chemicals used in preserving it.

7. Put it back on fire, add fresh water to it and allow to boil.

8. Add onions, it helps it soften and get done quickly.

9. Add a measured quantity of salt, Maggi, ground pepper and crayfish and leave to boil.

10. Check for cracks in the bean seeds this signifies softening of the beans seeds, you can get a few bean seeds with the help of your spatula and check its texture by mashing it with your index finger and thumb.

11. When you notice enough cracks in all the seeds, add your vegetable oil and leave it to boil for about 5 – 10 minutes.

12. Stir your beans using a spatula. Your Beans is Ready to be Served.

Note: If you want to cook it with yam, potatoes or plantain, you can add it to your beans at step 10 and leave it to get done. Then continue to step 11.