Spicy Garden Egg Sauce with Cocoyam

Spicy garden egg sauce with Cocoyam

When I was learning how to drive last year, my driving instructor who is from Edo state was telling me about how much he missed his mothers cooking. Yes I just learnt how to drive lol I had a horrid experience when I was 16 learning to drive, I left the steering when a danfo bus approached me with aggression. After that, I never went behind the wheel. I decided to conquer my fears last year and take up driving again 10+ years later. Better late than never right? I digress!

So my driving instructor was telling about his favorite meal. He said he really loved garden egg sauce especially the ones made with green garden eggs instead of the purple ones because of their slight bitter taste. He said his preference was to eat it with Cocoyam. I found that a little interesting because all the times I have had garden egg sauce, I have never thought to have it with boiled Cocoyam. He also said it was called “Ehuwe” in his language but I never bothered to ask for the literal translation of the name.

He also slipped it in that his mom never cared if the garden eggs were almost going bad, she would wash and steam them down before cooking and that somehow it was sweeter. Now I was doubtful of the fact that it was sweeter because it was going bad but I thought that was interesting way to eliminate food waste from our food supply chain. I can say I didn’t notice a change in taste. It didn’t taste better than using garden eggs that were not bad nor did it taste bad so it just helps us not waste food that we have sitting in the fridge. What I did do to the garden egg? I just rinsed off the mold growing on it. Washed off the parts that seemed slightly damaged with warm water. I then put it in a pot to steam further before blending.

Recipe for Spicy Garden Egg Sauce with Cocoyam

Ingredients

8 Green Garden Eggs (Substitute Aubergine)

2 Red onions

7 Scotch Bonnet Peppers

1.5 cups of blended tomato

One smoked fish (broken into tiny pieces)

2 jumbo shrimps (deveined and chopped)

Seasoning cubes

1 cup of Crayfish pieces

2 cooking spoons of Palm Oil

1 tablespoon of chopped scent leaves

1 large Cocoyam

Method

In a bowl of warm water, rinse the garden eggs and steam in a pot on low to medium heat for about 20 minutes.

Rinse the steamed garden eggs and blend coarsely or pound. The idea is not to have it smooth.

In a pot, heat up your palm oil and stir fry your onions, tomato blended and coarsely blended pepper.

Season and add your crayfish pieces, chopped jumbo shrimp, smoked fish and allow to simmer for 5 minutes on medium heat.

Add your blended garden egg and stir in. Check for seasoning and correct. Finally add your chopped scent leaf.

In a separate pot, peel and boil your cocoyam and when cooked, serve with spicy garden egg sauce.