Ose-Oji (Nigerian Peanut butter)

Dobby

12 years ago

Recently, I had to make this traditional peanut butter dip for my Grand Aunt who was returning to the states. She loves her locally made peanut butter dip with garden eggs so much that she didn’t mind it spilling over to the “Excess luggage Zone”. The combination of Calabash Nutmeg, Ashanti and Dry pepper makes this dip really Hot and spicy. It’s usually eaten with kola nut, Garden Egg (Solanum melongena) or Coconut. In Igbo land, most gatherings, meetings & traditional weddings aren’t complete without Ose-oji (okwu ose) with Kola nut or Garden egg. It’s in fact an extremely rich cultural practice which signifies Unity, Peace, Sincerity & respect.

•Yield: 1 Jar
•Prep time: 20 minutes
•Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

•7 Ehuru seeds “Monodora myristica”(Calabash Nutmeg)

•12 medium sized Dry prawns (Oporo)

•½ cup Small Dry Cayenne pepper “Ose Nkiri”

•Mpuru uziza seeds “piper guineese” (Ashanti pepper)

•4 Cups Groundnuts (roasted and skinned)

•4 tbsps. Neutral oil; Olive oil, Vegetable oil

•Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Pre-roast the dry ingredients (Ehuru, Crayfish, Dry pepper, Ashanti pepper) in a frying pan making sure you toss once in a while for about 3mins.

2. In a food processor, Mill the Ehuru seeds, Dry Prawns, Dry pepper, Ashanti pepper, groundnuts (Peanuts) together till it forms a semi-solid paste. In this form, it’d still be kinda stiff but don’t worry, the oil comes in next.

3. Add the oil intermittently and Mix thoroughly till it forms a smooth spreadable creamy paste. The oil loosens it thereby making it less stiff. Once you get your desired consistency, add the salt to taste and mix some more.

4. Transfer into a Canister or Jar and store in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Ose-Oji can be served with Garden eggs (Anara in the east & Igbá in the west), kola nut or Coconut