• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

My Diaspora Kitchen

  • Home
    • Regular Diet
    • Lose Weight
  • About
    • Join Our Community
    • Freebies
  • Recipe collection
  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • Air Fryer Recipes
  • Videos
  • Contact Us
    • Work With Me
    • Our Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure
    • Website Accessibility
  • SHOP
You are here: Home / DIY / Fermenting Ugba/Ukpaka (African Oil bean seed)

Fermenting Ugba/Ukpaka (African Oil bean seed)

June 21, 2018 By Chichi Uguru 1 Comment

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my Full Affiliates Disclosure here.

Love it? Share it!

14shares
  • 13
Jump to Recipe. Print Recipe.

Fermenting Ugba is key to enjoying Ugba related dishes. Ugba is sliced African oil bean seed (Pentaclethra macrophylla) which is a popular ingredient in eastern Nigerian cuisine. This post will show how To ferment Ugba in case you find yourself in the same situation I found myself recently

Fermenting Ugba

To be honest, I have never ever thought of fermenting Ugba until recently. Because I  always got my Ugba already fermented and ready to use, I have never given much thought to how to how ugba is fermented. The little things we take for granted.. I know.

This post is not about how to process Ugba from scratch but rather the process of fermenting ugba at home. But I will give you a bit of insight on how it is done ( from the little I gathered) Fresh African Oil bean seed is cooked for up 12 hrs then sliced washed and fermented for up to 5 days. Read more about it at the end of the post.

If you live in diaspora, then you need to learn how to ferment Ugba in case you find yourself with an unfermented package straight from Naija.

Fermenting Ugba

My brother came visiting and brought some Ugba. Because his visit was an impromptu one, most of the things he brought along from Nigeria were bought in a haste. My Ugba was one of them. (Usually my mom-in-law would place the order to her customer ahead of time but like I said my brother’s visit was impromptu). The Ugba was fresh so I needed to ferment it. I didn’t know how to, but my momma thought me. She simply sent me a kind text outlining how I should go about it even before the Ugba arrived. When the Ugba arrived I received more instructions. This time it was from mom and dad.

Fermenting Ugba

Why Ferment Ugba?

  • Some studies showed unfermented African oil bean seeds contained traces of a poisonous alkaloid known as paucine, as well as small amounts of caffeoylputrescine, (which is a growth depressant)
  • Bacteria such as E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus, as well as molds that can produce mycotoxins in foods, have also been isolated in African oil bean seeds, cooking and fermenting Ugba helps take care of these harmful substance.
  • Fermented Ugba Tastes better. (Not that I have tasted the unfermented Ugba I just know. It should shouldn’t it ? )
  • Fermented Ugba has a softer texture than fresh unfermented Ugba
  • I was told Unfermented Ugba has a bitter taste.
  • Ugba is supposed to be fermented ?

What Dishes can you use Ugba for.

  • Abacha aka African Salad
  • Isiewu
  • Nkwobi
  • Ofe okwuru Ugba aka Ofe Ugba
  • Ugba akworoagwo.
  • Vegetable Yam porridge
  • Vegetable sauce

Benefit of African oil bean seed

  • Ugba is very nutritious and has a high protein content
  • It also contains some fats and oil
  • It contains saponins, or phytochemicals found which is also found in most vegetables, beans and herbs, and which has been linked to lower cholesterol levels*

* Fermentation of Ugba may reduce the levels of these phytochemicals

All these yummy recipes will be up in the blog in due course. Some of them already are. If you would love to get an email when new recipes are posted on the blog join the VIPs of My Diaspora Kitchen and subscribe to our newsletter for FREE!

Ok Let me show you how to ferment Ugba ?. If you know any tips and tricks to help this our fermentation process kindly drop your comments below, I would love to hear from you.

Love

PIN FOR LATER

Read more on how to process Ugba from scratch

Read more on the benefits of African oil bean seed

Print Recipe

How to Ferment cooked African oil bean seed ( Ugba )

Fermenting Ugba is key to enjoying Ugba related dishes. Ugba is sliced African oil bean seed (Pentaclethra macrophylla) which is a popular ingredient in eastern Nigerian cuisine. This post will show how To ferment Ugba in case you find yourself in the same situation I found myself recently
Prep Time10 mins
fermentation time3 d
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Igbo, Nigerian
Keyword: African oil bean seed, ugba
Servings: 4
Author: Chichi Uguru

Ingredients

  • 500 g already processed Ugba (processed means cooked and sliced but not fermented)
  • 1 tsp salt

Instructions

  • Put the processed Ugba in a bowl that has a lid
  • Sprinkle the salt over it and mix in thoroughly by hand.
  • Cover the bowl with the lid
  • Store in a warm place for 3 to 5 days see recipe notes
  • Divide the Ugba into two small freezer bags and store in the freezer till ready to use.

Notes

How to know if the Ugba is fermented
  • The color will change from light gray or beige to a dark brown color
  • The Ugba will be softened
* Unfortunately I couldn't find any nutritional info for Ugba 
Did you try this tutorial? Tag @mydiasporakitchen on instagram and hashtag it #mydiasporakitchen
 

Related

Filed Under: DIY, Nigerian Recipes, Nigerian snacks

Previous Post: « Super Easy Marble Ice cream
Next Post: The Versatile two ingredients dough »

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Nigerian Afang Soup; a delicacy of the South south - My Diaspora Kitchen says:
    November 14, 2018 at 8:15 pm

    […] She always makes sure I have ground okazi in the freezer. And my mom-in-law God bless her too she usually takes care of my Ugba collection lol. These women know how I love to be in the kitchen […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Looking For Something Yummy?

Top Posts

Creamy Ground Beef Pasta

Air fryer Cupcakes from scratch

Nigerian Stew Base Recipe.

When to flip pancakes and how to do it.

a hand holding a half bitten chicken nugget with some more in the plate in the background

Air fryer Frozen Chicken Nuggets

Top view of a paella pan with fried rice in it

Authentic Nigerian Fried Rice.

GET OUR E-COOKBOOK FOR FREE

Hey! I’m Chichi

I am so excited you stopped by my little corner of the internet. I love cooking and baking and I assume you do too.

Cooking up a storm and feeding anyone in sight makes me happy.

Here I make easy delicious family friendly recipes that would please even the pickiest of eaters.

Stay a while and share a meal or two with me in my virtual kitchen. I would love that. Read More…

Footer

OTHER RECIPES

Suya meatballs with Hatfield Ground Sausage

Heart Shaped Donuts | I heart donuts

Ose Oji; Nigerian spiced peanut butter dip

Akara balls : African Black Eyed Peas fritters

CAKES AND SWEET TREATS

Air fryer Cupcakes from scratch

Coffee Ice cream (Dalgona Coffee Ice cream)

Mango ice cream

Birthday Cake Ice cream (no churn)

Stews & Sauces

Nigerian Stew Base Recipe.

Easy Beef Stir Fry And Vegetables

Delicious Ofe Akwu | Palm nut Soup

Ayamase Stew (Designer Green Pepper Stew/Ofada)

mydiasporakitchen
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

SIGN UP TODAY FOR MORE DELICIOUS AWESOMENESS SENT TO YOUR INBOX PLUS YOU WILL BE IN THE KNOW WHEN WE HOST OUR AMAZING GIVEAWAYS……. THE BEST PART, YOU GET OUR E-COOKBOOK FOR FREE

Amazon Associates Disclosure

www.mydiasporakitchen.com is a participant in Amazon Services LLC Associated Program, an Affiliate Advertising Program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

Copyright © 2021 My Diaspora Kitchen on the Foodie Pro Theme

14shares
  • 13
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy