THE MAISON
Igbo • Southeastern Nigerian Culinary Heritage

Classic Ugba

Igbo African Oil Bean Salad

Tender fermented African oil-bean strips folded into a creamy palm-oil dressing with ground crayfish, aromatic spices and the distinctive bitterness of fresh utazi.

PREPARATION

25 minutes

COOKING

25 minutes

TOTAL TIME

50 minutes

SERVES

6 servings

FROM THE MAISON PANTRY

Ingredients

  • 1½ pounds fermented and sliced ugba, also called African oil bean
  • 8 ounces cooked cow skin, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 6 ounces dried stockfish, soaked, cooked and deboned
  • ½ cup natural red palm oil
  • 1 teaspoon food-grade potash, also called akanwu or kaun
  • ¼ cup warm water for dissolving the potash
  • ¼ cup ground crayfish
  • 1 teaspoon ground ehuru
  • 1–2 habanero peppers, finely blended or adjusted to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground Cameroon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon premium sea salt, adjusted to taste
  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced into rings
  • ¼ cup finely sliced utazi leaves
  • ½ cup warm stock from the cooked stockfish or cow skin, as needed
THE MAISON METHOD

Preparation Method

  1. Clean the ugba: Place the fermented oil-bean strips in a colander and rinse thoroughly under cool running water.
  2. Warm the ugba: Transfer the rinsed ugba to a pot, cover with fresh water and simmer gently for 5–10 minutes. Drain thoroughly and set aside.
  3. Prepare the proteins: Ensure the cow skin is tender and cut into small pieces. Remove all bones and tough skin from the softened stockfish, then break it into bite-sized pieces.
  4. Prepare the potash solution: Dissolve the food-grade potash in ¼ cup of warm water. Allow any sediment to settle, then carefully pour the clear liquid into a separate bowl, leaving the sediment behind.
  5. Emulsify the palm oil: Pour the palm oil into a large mixing bowl. Add the clarified potash solution gradually, one teaspoon at a time, stirring continuously until the oil thickens and changes to a creamy orange color. Stop adding the solution once the desired consistency is reached.
  6. Season the dressing: Stir the ground crayfish, ground ehuru, blended habanero, Cameroon pepper and sea salt into the palm-oil emulsion.
  7. Adjust the sauce: Add the warm stock gradually, stirring until the dressing is smooth and creamy but still thick enough to cling to the oil-bean strips.
  8. Add the proteins: Fold the cow skin and stockfish into the seasoned dressing until evenly coated.
  9. Combine with the ugba: Add the drained ugba and toss gently until every strip is thoroughly coated in the palm-oil dressing.
  10. Warm gently: Transfer the mixture to a pot and warm over very low heat for 3–5 minutes. Stir gently and do not allow the dressing to boil vigorously.
  11. Finish and serve: Remove from the heat and fold in half of the sliced utazi. Transfer to a calabash or serving dish and finish with the remaining utazi and thin red-onion rings.

A NOTE FROM THE MAISON

Maison Notes

Ugba is a traditionally fermented ingredient and should have a pleasantly distinctive aroma. Rinse it thoroughly, but avoid prolonged boiling that could soften the strips excessively or diminish their character.
Use only food-grade potash intended for cooking. Add the clarified solution little by little because only a small quantity may be required to emulsify the palm oil.
Classic Ugba may be enjoyed warm or at room temperature as a shared appetizer, light meal or accompaniment.

PLEASE NOTE

Allergen Information

Contains fish and shellfish from the stockfish and ground crayfish. Check all packaged seasonings before use. Prepared in a kitchen where other allergens may be present.
FROM THE CAMASI MAISON PANTRY

CaMasi Maison™ Premium Dehydrated Sliced Ugba

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