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    Home » Precious Kitchen

    PUBLISHED: Nov 14, 2020 · UPDATED: Nov 17, 2020 by Precious · This post may contain affiliate links · 23 Comments

    HOW TO MAKE DELICIOUS EKWANG

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    When you love someone and you want to express your love, make them some Ekwang. That is if the person knows what Ekwang is. It is one of the meals I cooked to declare my love for Mr N in the good old days.

    Bowl of Ekwang

    Making Ekwang is a process which involves grating, wrapping then wrapping some more. This thing could take some hours of your life. But there's a reward. The reward is the scrumptiousness.

    There's never enough Ekwang when I make some. It disappears fast! It's the kind of food I dig into with no cutlery.

    Close up of ekwang on a plate

    It is rich in ethnic flavours: crayfish, palm oil. So finger-licking good! It is the perfect meal for a contri geh like me. Watch me whipping it up below!

    So what is Ekwang? It is grated cocoyams tied in cocoyam leaves and cooked with palm oil and other aromatic ingredients. This is one of the dishes that reminds me of the similarities between Nigerians and Cameroonians.

    The Efiks and Ibibios in Nigeria prepare something very similar which they call "Ekpang Nkukwo." In Cameroon, it is called, "Ekwang". Some people call it, "Ekpang" while others call it, "Ekwang Coco". It is a staple of the Bafaw people of the South West region of Cameroon but widely eaten in the rest of the country. Because it is so good!

    landscape picture of ekwang
    The ingredients used in making Ekwang include cocoyams, cocoyam leaves, palm oil, crayfish, smoked fish and spices depending on preferences. I always add in some freshly blended garlic and ginger paste and some chopped onions.
     
    ekwang-ingredients

    The cocoyams used in making Ekwang are a particular specie. They are longer and slimmer than other types of cocoyams. They are either white or pink on the inside. In stores here, they are labelled, "taro white" or "taro pink" while in Cameroon, they are locally called, "macabo coco". For a successful Ekwang dish, please get the right cocoyams. Then you peel the life out of them.

    macabo-cocoyams
     If you can not find cocoyam leaves for wrapping, feel free to use any green leaves. I have used potato leaves before. Others have used spinach and they say it works well. Any green leaves should be fine. Just make sure they have no holes so they keep your grated cocoyams secure. In this recipe, I used collard greens.
     
    collard-greens
     
     Grate your cocoyams into a paste. You could use a food processor but I love going the old-fashioned way with a grater. The texture it gives is unbeatable.
     
    grating-ekwang
     
    Then you wrap the cocoyam paste in leaves. Please watch the video to see how I wrap them.
     
    wrapping-ekwang
     
    I always rejoice at the sight of this!
     
    ekwang-all-wrapped-up
     
    When all the wrapping is done you dump in the other ingredients and make a heartwarming pot of Ekwang. Be still, my heart.
     
    pot-of-ekwang
     
    Make some soon! Check out the printable recipe below for all details.
    Bowl of Ekwang

    Ekwang

    A Cameroonian delicacy typically made by the Bafaw people of the South West region of Cameroon. It features grated cocoyams, wrapped in green leafy vegetables then simmered with crayfish, palm oil and other ethnic spices.
    4.67 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Cameroonian
    Prep Time: 1 hour
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    Servings: 8 people
    Calories: 727kcal
    Author: Precious

    Ingredients

    • 8 large "macabo" cocoyams white and pink mixed
    • 6 bunches cocoyam leaves (or spinach/collard greens)
    • 2 pounds smoked fish/stock fish/beef do a mix or choose 1
    • 1 ½ cups palm oil
    • 2 cups crayfish
    • 1 habanero pepper - blended optional
    • 1 medium sized onion-chopped
    • 1 teaspoon ground "contry onions" (rondelles) optional
    • 2 tablespoons blended garlic and ginger
    • ¼ teaspoon white or black pepper
    • 3 seasoning cubes (Maggi) or 1 ½ large crayfish seasoning cubes (Maggi crevette)
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    Instructions

    • Peel cocoyams and grate to a paste using a grater with small holes. You could alternatively use a food processor to bring the cocoyams to a paste. Season the paste with a quarter teaspoon of salt and mix together well.
    • Coat a large pot with palm oil the way you will coat a pan with oil/margarine to bake a cake. Take a teaspoon of cocoyam and place at one end of a leaf and start wrapping until you get to the end.  Please see the video.
    • Repeat wrapping process until the paste is finished. Make sure you place your little wraps in criss-cross patterns so the stock goes round well.
    • Add every other ingredient mentioned above to the wrapped cocoyams. Add 2-4 cups of water and bring to a boil. If you have stock from boiled meat or something, use it instead of water.
    • Let it cook together for 30 minutes. Half-way through the cooking, check to see if you need to add more water. If the liquid is at the same level as the wraps then it is good. Avoid stirring so you don't unwrap the little wraps. This is what I do: I hold the pot on both handles and shake so every ingredient mixes nicely and evenly. If you must stir, use a wooden spoon and run it around the edges of the pot. 
    • Taste, adjust seasonings if need be and voila! Ekwang is ready! Serve warm. 

    Notes

    The sweetest part is the burnt portion under the pot. My brother and I will fight for this. Enjoy your Ekwang!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 727kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 201mg | Sodium: 1005mg | Potassium: 2603mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 24142IU | Vitamin C: 78mg | Calcium: 349mg | Iron: 9mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @preciouscore or tag #preciouscore!
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    About Precious

    Welcome to my core! I am Precious Nkeih, the recipe developer and writer right here on my blog, Precious Core. My goal is to show you insanely delicious recipes you can replicate in your kitchen. And I love to tell stories too. Hope you find recipes here that will make cooking easier for you! Check me out on YouTube at YouTube.com/PreciousKitchen.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Joy2Endure says

      October 06, 2015 at 4:18 pm

      Tempting post!!!! You are right if you love some one make them some ekwang!.
      I am with you about the burnt part being the best. I discovered something useful. When I plan to make ekwang especially if it is a whole big pot, I grate and wrap it overnight infront of my favourite TV prog. While my eyes watch, my hands are busy. I keep the pot in the fridge and in the morning I start cooking. By mid day, my pot is ready and everyone wonders when and how I did everything. It is time consuming but the end results is well worth it.
      That ya one cup oyel so ern I no sure oh. One of the few dishes I really love with oil. I also avoid country onion in mine. Over all, whatever way it is prepared so far as I see oil, I eat :).

      Reply
      • La Marj says

        September 17, 2021 at 4:00 am

        Thi is what I will definitely do this evening lol

        Reply
    2. Precious Nkeih says

      October 06, 2015 at 5:43 pm

      That ya style na de eye! I'll do that next time oo so I don't spend my entire day in the kitchen. Hahaha I don increase the oyel to 2 cups. Thanks for drawing attention to that. A little contry onions gives it an unbeatable flavour but you can definitely do without it. I love this dish any day, any time!

      Reply
    3. Chic Therapy says

      January 16, 2017 at 6:09 pm

      I am literally salivating. The meal looks so scrumptious!

      Reply
      • Precious says

        January 17, 2017 at 11:38 am

        Thanks darling.

        Reply
    4. Kelsey says

      March 07, 2017 at 12:38 pm

      Where I live they don't sell Macabo cocoyams. Is it possible to use the small ones use for achu or the very large taro? Please help!

      Reply
      • Precious says

        March 16, 2017 at 2:40 pm

        Hi Kelsey,
        Sorry for the late response. The small ones used for Achu won't hold together well like macabo cocoyams.

        Reply
    5. Estela says

      May 22, 2017 at 5:41 am

      Thanks very much Precious. I did the ekwang thing last saturday and it was muahhh. I could hear my children shouting "mama it's nice". You keep our marriages booming. Thanks once more.

      Reply
    6. Precious says

      May 23, 2017 at 4:31 pm

      Aww Estela! So happy to hear that.
      Thanks so much for coming back to let me know.

      Reply
    7. claudine efenge says

      August 03, 2017 at 6:36 am

      OH OH Pre....i've been doing Joy's format for years. i watch TV late at night and wrap up my ekwang...generally Saturday night, store in the fridge, fix my dry fish and store in the fridge, boil my smoked meat. All of this while watching TV. Come back after mass on Sunday and cook ekwang like a super woman.

      Reply
      • Precious says

        August 04, 2017 at 11:07 am

        Hahahaha I like your style! I will definitely try this format, I tell you. It sounds much easier and fun. Thank you for sharing!

        Reply
    8. Prudence says

      September 02, 2018 at 1:11 am

      Been following your page but not commenting. just to say this is great keep on showing the world our delicious meals

      Reply
      • Precious says

        September 02, 2018 at 9:45 pm

        Thank you, dear.

        Reply
    9. etah derick polite says

      February 05, 2019 at 12:05 pm

      you fit kill man with sweet saliva dey me mop

      Reply
      • Precious says

        February 05, 2019 at 6:19 pm

        Hahaha no be so?

        Reply
    10. Carl says

      January 25, 2022 at 6:42 am

      Please can I have the name of the spices used to prepare the ekwang?

      Reply
      • Precious says

        January 25, 2022 at 10:39 pm

        Hi Carl, check the post above for the full recipe including every ingredient used.

        Reply

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