Dek Ngor also known as (Dek Ngor Lapena, Dek-ngor, Dek Ngoo, Agira) is a traditional Ugandan sauce that is made from Lapena (pigeon peas) and it originates from Northern Uganda among the Acholi.[1][2] It is also eaten in Lango and West Nile regions of Uganda.[1]
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Ingredients
editMajor ingredients
edit- Lapena (Pigeon peas aka Yellow split peas)[3][4]
- Odi (Sim sim paste or Peanut butter)
- Table salt
Optional ingredients
edit- Moo Yaa (Shea Butter) aka (Moo Yao, moya).[5][3]
- Magadi (rock salt aka Sodium bicarbonate)
Preparation
editLapena (dry pigeon peas) are soaked in warm water for 20 minutes. The peas are removed from the water, and sun dried for about 10 minutes. The dried lapena are ground to split the seeds into two. After grinding, winnowing is carried out to remove the peas covers.[1] The already split yellow peas can also be used to skip the grinding and winnowing to boiling of the peas.
After winnowing, the split peas are boiled in water until they soften. During the boiling, Magadi is or can be added to speed up the boiling process of the peas. An Ogwec (a mingling stick) is used to stir and mash the peas until they turn to a thick creamy paste. The salt is added to the thick creamy paste. The creamy paste is mixed with simsim paste or peanut butter (to improve the taste, the aroma and also the thickness of the paste). Moo-yaa can be added but it is optional.[5] The resulting sauce is called Dek-ngor.[1]
Serving
editDek Ngor is served at traditional functions such as marriages, baptism, family reunions, naming of new born babies and also in restaurants. It has to be served to the in-laws from the wife's side when they visit the family into which their daughter married.[1][5][3]
Dek ngor can be eaten without any additional foods or it can be served with Kwon Kal (millet bread), Layata (sweet potatoes), Ugali, Cassava among other foods .[1][5][2]
See also
editExternal links
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Dek-ngor, traditional sauce that also works as food on its own". Monitor. 2020-09-14. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
- ^ a b Lamun, Irene (2023-03-01). "Uganda. Acholi Marriage. Not before Sunset". South World. Archived from the original on 2024-02-20. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
- ^ a b c Nkwonta, Chikere G.; Auma, Carolyn I.; Gong, Yunyun (2023). "Underutilised food crops for improving food security and nutrition health in Nigeria and Uganda—a review". Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. 7. doi:10.3389/fsufs.2023.1126020. ISSN 2571-581X.
- ^ "What to eat Uganda? culinary specialties and gastronomy". www.petitfute.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
- ^ a b c d Okema, David (2023-09-18). "The Green Gold of Acholi: Locals form cooperatives to conserve the "Wonder Shea Tree"". Daily Express. Retrieved 2024-02-20.