Ukom Isip – cocoyam and seafood plantain pottage

Ha, Plantain Pottage. Ripened, Unripened, mixture of both, it is a bonafide pottage dish with us Nigerians. I have a recipe for Yellow Plantain Pottage HERE. Funny thing is, I don’t like it on its own that much. In Yam Pottage or cooked with Beans, I would be queuing outside the door. That was until I decided to try something one day, in a bid not to throw away my over ripened plantains and I thought oh wow, soooooooo that is the secret. Ever since then, I make my plantain pottage the same way now. Just the right amount of squish, to the right amount of chunks, and it will be perfect. The over ripe plantains add two things to this dish. Sweetness, and creaminess. The sugar component in them made them break down easily in the post, giving you the creaminess you need from pottage without having to mash it up. A few stirs, and it was fine.

I really wanted to plate this all pretty, but my friend was around, and short notice dinners, get slapped on the plate. Stay tuned though for the 2.0

Now, this isn’t just any kind of Plantain Pottage, like the Ekpang Nkukwo I posted, this is a very luxurious dish. A few days ago, I put up a post on Instagram. The ughly truth about Canola oil. If you haven’t seen it and you cook with Canola oil, drop what you are doing now and go have a look.

Anyways, coconut oil is one of the best oil for cooking, one just has to be very careful with how much you used because it has a high content of saturated fat, but research has said it is the good kind of fat. I will say, everything in moderation. Nigerians get coconut milk in our diet through the regular options of coconut rice, coconut jollof rice, coconut fried rice, and sometimes even curry. Well, add this gorgeous Ukom Isip to the list. Coconut and seafood is already a marriage made in heaven, now add Plantains to the mix and you will be on a high for hours after you have finished eating. I added another Dunni’s secet weapon into it, that will make this the best pottage dish you have ever made. Another happy accident i tried out 2 days ago, in a bid not waste an ingredient.

Try it out this weekend and watch empty plates stare right back at you. Let’s Cook

Ukom Isip - cocoyam and seafood plantain pottage

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A delicious pottage dish made with coconut milk, seafood and sweet plantains

Author: Dunni Obata

Recipe Category: Pottage Dishes

Culture: Efik

You will Need

3 ripe yellow plantains
2 over ripe blackened skin plantains
1 can of coconut milk
½ a can of Banga (palm nut) extract
Chunks of fresh cod - you can use any choice of fish that you like
Fresh King Prawns
Fresh Ata Lilo - nigerian pepper mix
Salt
Stock cube
Smoked fish
1 cooking spoon of ground crayfish
Chopped Uziza - optional

How To

Add the banga extract to the pot and add a little water to dissolve it. Just a little water, remember, that coconut milk is on its way. Add the smoked fish to the extract and let it cook till it softens. . The taste of this banga extract to the finished product, in fact, it is better tasted, than imagined. Trust me.
Holding the peeled plantain directly over the pot, cut circles and chunks into the pot. Do the same for the over ripened plantains. When you are done, add about a cooking spoon or two of Ata Lilo
Empty the entire can of the coconut milk into the pot
Give it a good stir, then season and let it cook
Ass the coconut stock starts to reduce, add the ground crayfish, so it can infuse its flavour early enough.
Once the pottage starts to really thicken, stir, taste and be sure you like it, before adding the seafood and fish last.
Unlike with yam pottage, you won't have to mash this at all. That's a DK secret right there. The over ripe plantains would have disintegrated due to the heat, giving you the squishy part that you need. In fact, I probably only stirred this 3 or 4 times max, which you would do waaaay more with yam or plantain pottage, if you don't use over ripe. That right there is what clinches it, plus, this pottage dish will taste so sweet, like you added sugar or something. Over ripe plantain, that is the secret.