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Culture they say is the way of life of people which may vary from place to place. Different people living in different places have something so special about their ways of life, they have what distinguishes them from others; it can be

food
clothe
dance
art works etc.

Well for this contest hosted by @sndbox, I will like to write on a very special dish in my town which is popularly known as AMALA AND EWEDU. I am a Nigerian and I belong to the tribe YORUBA. W e are known to be the descendants of ODUDUWA. Not to bore you with history, let me go straight to the topic i want to write on; a special delicacy which is loved by all in my tribe.

Waoh!!!, at the sight of the combination of the two that is AMALA plus EWEDU, you will have no choice but to eat it, it has a very pleasing aroma, a very attractive appearance and a very soft texture which appeals the palm of the hand. Let me take you through a process of making this delicious delicacy.

above are some of the pictures taken with my
phone

FOOD ITEMS NEEDED

Yam flour
stiring stick
Ewedu (jute mallow)
egusi (melon already grounded )
Iru pete (locust bean)
ijabe (match broom)
pepper
tomato
onion
fish (dried)
meat (beef)
palm oil
maggi
salt
koun (potash)

METHOD OF PREPARATION

The first thing to do is to prepare the soup which is known as OMI OBE in my local dialect. so the following steps are to be followed to successfully prepare the soup;

1. Get the pepper and Tomato ready by rinsing in clean water and slice the onion into it.
2. Then grind the mixture of pepper, tomato and onion
3. After grinding, pour it into a pot and put on any heat source which can be used to cook; either you use the local kerosene stove or you use a gas cooker.
4. Pour a little amount of water in it about 0.4 liter to boil the pepper so as to reduce the pepperiness
5. Pour 0.3 liter of palm oil into it and add a cube of Maggi and add salt into it with the locust bean
6. Add the dry fish after rinsing and also the meat into it so that it cooks well.
7. Allow to cook for about 15 minutes or more depending on the heat source.

So with this you have successfully prepared the soup, so the next thing to do is to prepare the ewedu

1. Get a pot and pour about 0.6 litre of water into it and add potash.
2. let the water boil for just a little time and take a little from the pot to mix with the melon
3. Add the jute to the already boiling water and also add the mixture of melon and hot water to it
   The essence of pouring hot water into the melon is to allow for proper mixing and equal distribution during cooking so that the melon won't just stick together.
4. Allow to boil for just 5 minutes and add locust bean.
5. Drop the pot containing it from the fire and use match stick to increase the surface area of the jute mallow and to make it look good, palatable and eatable.
6. Return the pot back on the heat source and allow to cook for 5 minutes stiring it occasionally and after 5 minutes, you are done preparing the EWEDU.

The last stage involve preparing the AMALA which is achieved by following the steps below;

1. Pour about 1 liter of water in a pot and put on a heat source and allow to boil at 100 degree Celsius.
2. Add about 0.7 kg of yam flour to the hot water and use stiring stick to stir well.
3. After stiring well, allow to cook for another 5 minutes and you are done preparing the AMALA.

At last you have been able to prepare the food, so what is left is to serve. One good thing about this meal is that it is better you serve hot for maximum enjoyment. My people prefer to eat the combination of AMALA and EWEDU in a single plate; pouring the EWEDU on the AMALA. You can also enjoy with any cold drink.

watch a video below
https://dlive.io/video/camillius/e31ebb30-3273-11e8-8c78-95b7c3b77998

I think it will also be proper to let you know the nutritional benefits of this special delicacy.

1. It provides the body with essential minerals and vitamins. Vitamins like A,B,C,E, K and minerals like magnessium, 2) Phosphorus, Calcium, Potassium etc.
2. It provides the body with carbohydrate
3. It provides the body with the needed protein
4. Provision of fat.

I chose to write about this topic because it is beleived that

you are what you eat
and my people are the type that are wary of what they eat; they love to trake something good, what will make them strong and agile.
Thank you for this great opportunity @sndbox.