If you are a Nigerian who prides in the idea that they have never tasted the famous amala and ewedu meal, then perhaps my experience will encourage you to try it out. Or not.
It’s been over three years since I moved to Lagos, and I never tried amala and ewedu for no particular reason.
Maybe it was the fear of eating something I was not familiar with. Bottom line is I’m not a food enthusiast, so I am mostly satisfied eating just the meals I’m used to.
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However, the truth is, whenever I visit roadside canteens, I’m fascinated by this meal. I have always wanted to have a taste of it, but the courage to order the meal did not suffice. So I added this wish to my bucket list and looked forward to the day I’d eat it.
During a conversation at work, I opened up to my colleagues that I had never tried the popular Western delicacy. Their reaction wasn’t shocking. I’d heard it a few times before. “Three years in Lagos, and you haven’t eaten amala and ewedu? Why?”
Then came Thursday. I was hungry, and a colleague offered to buy me lunch, amala and ewedu at a local buka. Excitedly, I stood up, knowing I was about to eat amala and ewedu for the first time.
We got to the buka and headed to where the meal was being served. At first, I was discouraged by the condition of the place, with its questionable hygiene. Perhaps, I was expecting a “five-star kitchen” and was disappointed by the kiosk where the food was kept.
I decided I had come too far to turn back at this point. I said to myself, “Taste the meal and have that experience.”
So I ordered a plate of amala and ewedu with gbegiri (beans soup).
I didn’t know whether to use a fork or my hands, so I opted for my hands instead. Once I had the first taste, I couldn’t stop. Amala with ewedu is so delicious! The softness of the amala will blow your mind, then the taste of the palm oil stew, mixed with ewedu and gbegiri is on another level.
If you are a lover of colours, then you will love this meal. The ewedu is green and made from ewedu leaf. It also has a thick consistency that draws a little. Gbegiri is plain beans soup, brown in colour. Adding this is optional. There is also the delicious, red, peppery stew made using palm oil.
To top it all off, there is an assortment of cow meat, fish, and goat meat, to spice up your meal.
I felt like asking my plate of food, “Where have you been for the past three years of my life”. Writing this review is already putting me in the mood to have another plate.
This meal also has a lot of nutritional benefits. Ewedu leaf is high in vitamins A, C and E, which protect the body from diseases. Ewedu also assists in intestinal health by helping with bowel movement.
Take it from me, you will love this meal! Remember to share your experience with us when you eventually try it out. We will be waiting for you in the comments section.