Agidi or Eko is called cornmeal in English, it is also called eko or eko mimu in Yoruba Language while some african countries refer to it as kafa. It is made from white corn which had been processed and fermented into white corn pap.

In Nigeria, white pap is called akamu by the Ibos, the Yorubas call it Ogi while the Hausas call it koko and I will be using these names interchangeably in this recipe.

My childhood was filled with the believe that agidi is a meal for babies or the elderly. This was because eating eko alone could not satisfy the burst of flavours my taste buds were already used.

Honestly. when agidi is eaten alone many people would say it tastes bland. But as the years went by, I realised that with the right combinations eko tastes amazing.

Some of the popular Nigerian foods that combines really well with Eko are as follows;

• Agidi and Catfish Soup Recipe

• Agidi and Peppersoup

• Milk and sugar

• Agidi and Marugbo Soup Black Soup

• Agidi and Fish Stew

• Agidi and Moi Moi

• Agidi and Beans

As I embraced the healthy lifestyle of fitness and eating healthy, I realised the reason why elderly people love to eat Eko so much and the reason why it is always feed to babies and toddlers.

One of the major benefit of eating agidi or cornmeal is the fact that cornmeal contains dietary fibre which helps to keep your stomach full after a meal and also helps to prevent constipation by softening your stool.

As a result agidi is good for weight loss. You should consider adding agidi to your diet if you would also like a substitute for many Nigerian swallow foods like eba, amala, lafun, pounded yam, semovita and so on

Although Eko/Agidi wrapped in Moi Moi leaves is the most common one, it can also be made in pudding bowls or tied in nylons- which is largely considered unhealthy.

Personally, I like to make my agidi in pudding bowls because they are reuseable which save me the resources – such as time, effort, money – that I would use to get leaves everytime I want to make Agidi.

This recipe is on how to make agidi with pap, but you can also use this recipe to make agidi with corn flour. Making agidi is a fairly easy process and if you follow the process and measurements stated in this recipe your agidi will turn out nice.

Ingredients for Agidi or Eko

• 500g White Akamu or Ogi or Pap (Akamu Recipe | How To Make Akamu From scratch)
• 4 cups of Water

Yield : 3 pudding bowls of Agidi

Preparation

• Clean pudding bowls and set on the draining rack to remove excess water
• Put the akamu in a bowl big enough for mixing without spilling too much
• Add 1/2 cup of water and mix well till you get a smooth paste with a not too thick and not too watery consistency

You must ensure that the paste is smooth with NO LUMP. It is very important to get this part right as this is the foundation step that will determine how well the agidi will turn out

• Put your pot on fire and add 3 cups of water
• Cover and let the water boil on high heat
• Mix the akamu paste again to be sure there are no lumps
• Turn down the heat to low and slowly pour the akamu paste into the boiling water while simultaneously mixing it with a spatula, turning stick or omorogun – as the yorubas love to call it
• You will notice the akamu paste begin to thicken almost immediately you pour it into the hot boiling water
• Continue mixing for 2-5 minutes even after you have poured all the ogi paste in to the boiling water to ensure the pap is properly cooked through to avoid lumps forming
• After 5 minutes the akamu must have thickened properly
• Check the consistency to know if it is at your preferred thickness level
• If it is too thick, add more water in small quantities and continue mixing till the water combines well with the pap to form a creamy texture
• Let it cook for 2-3 minutes and then take it off the fire
• Scoop the pap into the already cleaned pudding bowls
• Cover the bowls and leaves to completely cool down for about 2-6 hours
• Put it in the fridge for 45 minutes if you are in a hurry and you can not wait that long for the pap to be completely cooled

Agidi/Eko is ready to be served.

If you would like to learn how fold moi moi leaves for your agidi Click Here