Recipes · Nigerian · Breakfast
Okpa (Steamed Bambara Nut Pudding)
One serving has 474 kcal and 24 g protein, and at least a fifth of a woman's daily need of folate (158%), copper (97%), manganese (86%), thiamin (77%), phosphorus (61%) and magnesium (60%). Ready in 75 minutes.
- Preparation: 15 min
- Cooking: 60 min
- Makes: 1 serving (287 g)
- Difficulty: Medium
- Diets: Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free
- Contains: gluten, nut
Ingredients
- 100 g Bambara nut flour (okpa flour)
- 15 g Red palm oil
- 1.5 g Dried chilli, ground
- 0.5 g Salt
- 170 g Warm water
Method
- Sift the Bambara nut flour into a bowl. Add the palm oil (melted, if it has set) and rub it in with your fingers until the flour is evenly yellow.
- Add the ground chilli and salt, then pour in the warm water gradually, whisking, until you have a smooth, lump-free batter about as thick as pancake batter.
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Grease a heatproof bowl or large ramekin with a drop of palm oil, pour in the batter and cover it tightly with foil. Traditionally okpa is wrapped in leaves or tied in small plastic bags instead.
- Stand the bowl on a rack or a folded cloth in the pot, with the water two-thirds of the way up its side. Cover the pot and keep it at a steady boil for 1 hour, topping up with boiling water as needed.
- It is done when it is firm and smooth, a deep orange-yellow, and a knife pushed into the middle comes out clean. Leave it for 5 minutes, then turn it out.
- Serve warm, sliced. In Enugu and across Igboland okpa is a favourite breakfast, sold hot by the roadside in the morning.
Nutrition per serving
| Nutrient | Per serving | Share of a day's need |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 474 kcal | 22% |
| Carbohydrates | 61.1 g | |
| Water | 182 mL | |
| Fiber | 11 g | 37% |
| Protein | 23.7 g | 49% |
| Tryptophan | 0.29 g | |
| Threonine | 0.9 g | |
| Isoleucine | 0.96 g | |
| Leucine | 1.8 g | |
| Lysine | 1.6 g | |
| Methionine | 0.34 g | |
| Cystine | 0.26 g | |
| Phenylalanine | 1.4 g | |
| Tyrosine | 0.76 g | |
| Valine | 1.1 g | |
| Histidine | 0.73 g | |
| Fat | 16.4 g | |
| Monounsaturated | 5.7 g | |
| Polyunsaturated | 2 g | |
| Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) | 0 g | |
| Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) | 0 g | |
| Omega-6 | 1.8 g | |
| Saturated | 7.7 g | |
| Trans-Fats | 0 g | |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | |
| Calcium | 116 mg | 12% |
| Copper | 0.87 mg | 97% |
| Iron | 8.4 mg | 46% |
| Magnesium | 187 mg | 60% |
| Manganese | 1.5 mg | 86% |
| Phosphorus | 426 mg | 61% |
| Potassium | 1,140 mg | 24% |
| Selenium | 9.1 µg | 16% |
| Sodium | 218 mg | |
| Zinc | 3.4 mg | 43% |
| Thiamin (vitamin B1) | 0.85 mg | 77% |
| Riboflavin (vitamin B2) | 0.24 mg | 22% |
| Niacin (vitamin B3) | 2.2 mg | 16% |
| Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) | 1.5 mg | 30% |
| Pyridoxine (vitamin B6) | 0.37 mg | 28% |
| Folate (vitamin B9) | 634 µg | 158% |
| Cobalamin (vitamin B12) | 0 µg | 0% |
| Choline | 96 mg | 23% |
| Vitamin A | 22.9 µg | 3% |
| Vitamin C | 2 mg | 3% |
| Vitamin D (D2 + D3) | 0 IU | 0% |
| Vitamin E | 2.8 mg | 19% |
| Vitamin K | 7.8 µg | 9% |
Shares of a day's need are for a woman of 30, 165 cm, 60 kg, lightly active, by the US and Canadian Dietary Reference Intakes. SustainBite works out each person's own needs, by the standard where they live: the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations in Norway, the UK's, EFSA's in the EU.
Climate footprint
0.2 kg CO2e a serving: lower than most breakfasts, sides, desserts and drinks on SustainBite. Source: ADEME, Agribalyse 3.2.
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