TUWO SHINKAFA AND MIYAN KUBEWA

In Nigeria culture, a vast population of the people have little understanding about the culinary arts in the northern region considering the variety of local dishes that is common among the people, such as Tuwo Mansara, Tuwo Shinkafa, Miyan Taushe, and the popular fura drink just to mention but a few. Having spent almost two years in the Nothern part of Nigeria, I got to love the fura drink and also the tuwo shinkafa but I like it when it's served with okro soup and I prefer it cold.

My experience in a new place, and having a taste of meals I never had could only leave me with taughts that could best be kept safe when they're made written words and as one gets to know more about the varieties and delicacies, the similarities and differences that it has with other cultures begins to erupt. Funny it is but there is some similarities among the different culture in Nigeria when we have the local food in mind. Take for example the northerners have Miyan Agushi and this can be liken unto the egusi soup prepared in the eastern part of the country. Our most common jollof rice is being prepared as Dafaduka and the list continues.

During the sallah celebration which is normally celebrated by the muslims that happens to be the dominant population of the north, food and drinks is being shared among themselves and one of the most common food that is being shared is Tuwo Shinkafa and it does taste great. I had to go order for it in a local restaurant after I had the first taste because I do not know how to prepare it. The Muslim friends served me while they where celebrating sallah and I loved it. But I got to know how it's being prepared when I met Shuadetu, a Muslim friend I had. And this was the steps she gave me.

• The rice should be a soft one that could possibly get sticky when cooked.

• Water.

Direction: Rinse the rice before it is placed in the pot for cooking

Pour enough water into the rice. Just enough to get it cooked.

In the first stage of cooking, the water gets soaked up by the rice and at this stage it is not yet cooked enough to the point needed to make Tuwo Shinkafa so you will have to add more water to it, just enough to get it cooked and soft When the rice is soft, you mash with a wooden spatula, you do this gradually with the heat source lowered. After mashing, cover the pot and allow to steam for about 3minutes. Mix thoroughly and serve the. It is advisable to serve it wrapped to avoid being air dried.

I enjoyed eating Tuwo when it was served with okro soup which the northerners in Nigeria calls Miyan Kubewa and this made shuadetu to teach me her own unique way of preparing the okro soup. She started by listing the necessary ingredients that will be needed and this include

• Okro 500g

• Red palm oil

• 1.5kg of assorted meat

• Fish (ice, dry, stock)

• Cray fish

• Pepper and salt

• Vegetables

• onions (optional)

To begin, you par boil the meat with the ingredients such as salt, pepper, chopped onion and Maggi for about 5 minutes, and while the meat is been boiled, you proceed to grinding the cray fish with the pepper and cutting the okro into tiny bits to make it easily cooked and become slimy as you also watch and cut your vegetables and onion as well.

You wash and boil the stock fish and also wash the dry fish with salt and soak in boiling water to remove sand particles. Add the stock fish, dry fish to the meat and cook for 10 minutes then you add the crayfish, palm oil, Maggi cubes, salt and pepper, stir and cook for 10 minutes.

Finally you add the okro and allow to cook for 5minutes, you add salt before adding the vegetables and mix properly you allow to cook for 5 minutes and your okro soup is ready.

You can now serve your soup with your tuwo shinkafa and it does taste delicious. I'll say I had a great experience in the north as I got the opportunity to taste meals I never had tasted before.

Authored by @admiralsp

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