Di economy situation for Nigeria don begin make pipo find replacement for food items wey dey too costly and dis na wetin start di cucumber stew trend.
Cucumber stew na meal wey dem prepare wit cucumber fruits afta dem blend am as replacement for tomatoes wey dem bin dey use make di traditional Nigerian stew.
Dis na afta one period wey high cost of tomatoes and pepper begin make citizens dey look for alternatives.
In di height of di tomatoes scarcity, and as at di time cucumber stew begin dey trend, e bin no dey possible for pipo to prepare di basic tomatoes stew without spending at least 5000 naira (about £2, $3) and above.
For market, dat time, about five pieces of tomato bin dey go as high as 1,000 naira, while a small basket of tomato bin go up reach 30,000 naira for small basket for di North while di big basket dey cost around 45,000 naira)
For Ghana, three small tomatoes bin dey cost $1.30 (GH ¢ 20) for market, for some places e dey cost more.
- Di health benefits of bitter kola
- Top 10 health benefits of eggs
- From small size to big health gains – di benefits of tiger nuts
One ogbonge cook Gaz Azah wey also be food content creator of Gaz kitchen follow BBC Pidgin tok. She open up say na sake of di need for anoda alternative for tomato make am begin use cucumber to make stew.
“Wetin inspire me to use cucumber make stew na di high cost of living for Nigeria, becos pipo dey complain say no alternative to tomato and even if pepper and vegetables dey, we need fruit wey we fit use make stew.”
Wen di cucumber stew begin dey trend for social media, pipo begin dey try am to see how e go be for mouth.
How to make cucumber stew
Ingredients wey you go need:
Fresh pepper, Seasonings/spice, Onions, Oil, Cucumber, Salt, Seasoning paste, fish/meat.
- Wash your cucumber very well and cut am into small sizes
- Put am for inside blender, blend am till e dey moderately smooth
- Afta dat, carry sieve to comot excess water wey dey inside di cucumber wey you blend becos too much water go spoil di stew
- Put your oil for fire (either palm oil or groundnut oil) make e fry small
- Cut your onions and put inside di hot oil to allow am fry small
- Afta frying small time, add your paste wit pepper and mix am well ontop fire
- Add salt and spices wey dey available to use for stew
- Come add di cucumber wey you blend wey too much water no dey inside
- Mix am well ontop fire to allow am mix wit di oda ingredients inside pot
- Add your fish, meat and assorted proteins wey you get
- Mix am small and cova di pot make e cook well
- Afta some minutes, comot am ontop fire and your stew don done to chop.
Di process na like di same way wey dem dey cook normal stew and na just di cucumber bin dey different for inside.
Health benefits of cucumber
Generally, cucumber supposed dey served raw so you go fit enjoy di taste, texture and how e be for mouth including di nutrient wey e go provide for di bodi.
You no need to peel or even cook cucumber bifor you chop am and plenti pipo dey even use am make different meals including salad.
Cucumber get about 96% water and e dey di family of fruit and vegetables.
- Cucumbers na good source of vitamin C
- Cucumber na good source of mineral molybdenum
- Cucumber na also good source of vitamin A
- Cucumber also contain nutrients like potassium, manganese, folate, dietary fibre and magnesium.
- Di body of cucumber contain phytosterols, wey fit reduce blood cholesterol. You no suppose dey peel di back
- Cucumber na good addition to weight-loss diets.
Health benefits of tomato
According to Nicola Shubrook wey be nutritional therapist, tomato get plenti benefits for di bodi.
- Tomato keep your heart healthy– Tomatoes dey provide daily potassium and to dey chop food wey dey rich in potassium fit reduce di rate of stroke and heart disease. Tomatoes also contain one compound called lycopene, wey dey make am get red colour. Dat lycopene get nutrient wey fit reduce di risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Protect the eyes-Tomatoes contain group of phytochemicals wey important to maintain eye health and fit protect di eyes against poor sight and eye diseases.
- Dey support healthy skin-Di carotenoids wey dey present for tomatoes fit help prevent your skin from damage.
- Tomato dey help heal wound– Tomatoes na good source of vitamin K wey dey necessary to stop blood and help wound to heal fast- and Vitamin K fit also benefit di bone.
- Tomato fit help reduce menopause symptoms– One 2015 study by di Nutrition Journal find say to dey drink tomato juice fit help solve some menopause symptoms like fear, resting, energy and heart rate.
Health implication of cooking fruits and vegetables
BBC Pidgin tok to one sabi food nutritionist Temiloluwa Omotosho wey explain how nutrients for inside cucumber fit no benefit di bodi becos e don go through fire.
“Fruits like cucumber dey best to chop raw so you go fit get all di essential nutrients wey go benefit your bodi. Becos e get vitamins wey be say if you heat am, di nutrient go wash away and di body no go fit get all the vitamins.”
Di nutritionist add say “If you dey pass cucumber through fire, all those vitamins wey your bodi need go don go wit di fire.
E get some kain fruits wey no suppose near fire sake of say e beta to chop dem raw as fruits wey dem be.”
Raw or cooked: Which one get nutrient pass?
To dey cook some kain fruits and vegetable fit beta di taste, texture and even di look wey go make am safe to chop but no be all of dem.
Pipo dey blend tomatoes wit dia pepper to make correct stew and na di common and recommended method for some place be dat.
But to dey cook cucumber wey you suppose chop raw, go reduce di nutrient, even make di look and taste different from how e suppose be for mouth.
Kerry Torrens wey be registered nutritionist explain for BBC Good Food why some foods dey beta wen e dey raw dan to cook dem.
Some vitamins dey very sensitive to heat and to cook dem go quickly reduce dia vitamins.
Some fruits wey get vitamins B go quickly lose dat nutrient if dem cook am inside hot water. Cucumber na one of dat fruits wey fit lose nutrient once e dey heated through fire.
According to nutritionist Torrens, fruits and vegetables like carrots, brocolli and even tomatoes, fit go through small cooking to make am easier for our bodies to benefit from some of di antioxidants wey fit protect us.
Wen you cook tomatoes – or make am into suace, e fit help to break down di plant cell walls wey go allow us to beta get di lycopene wey dey inside to benefit di bodi.
All dis nutrients go help save our cells from damage and go fit protect us from some cancers and health diseases.
To get beta nutrient from your fruits and vegetables depend on how you prepare am and di kain method wey you use chop am.
Na true say cooking fit make food safer as e go kill some pathogens but you need to know which kain fruits go need cooking.
As economy fit dey bite hard, e dey important to chop healthy food and vegetables. But no be only to chop, but to ensure say na balanced diets wey get enough nutrients you dey chop.
Sabi pipo recommend say balanced diets wey get di six classes of foods na di best for di bodi.
- Why stomach health dey important and how you fit improve your own
- Top 10 health benefits of eggs
- Di health benefits of yam
- Health benefit of cassava
- Wetin be ultra-processed food?
