Plantain Moi Moi (Ukpo Ogede)

Plantain Moi Moi (Ukpo Ogede) is one of the Nigerian plantain recipes prepared with overripe and un ripe plantains. It is a very delicious local dish . . .

Photo: Plantain Moi Moi (Ukpo Ogede) inside the unwrapped Uma leaves (Thaumatococcus daniellii)

The Plantain Moi Moi (Ukpo Ogede) dish is usually cooked with both the overripe and un ripe plantain. Plantains are a starchy, unsweet variety of banana that are inedible raw and must be cooked before eating. Most are larger and slightly more angular in shape than ‘sweet’ bananas. They can be green, yellow, pink or very dark in color depending on their variety and ripeness.

Photo: The un ripe & ripe plantain

Photo: The overripe plantain which is mostly used in cooking the Plantain Moi Moi (Ukpo Ogede)

The ingredients of the Plantain Moi Moi (Ukpo Ogede) – after preparation – are usually wrapped in locally procured leaves and placed or dropped into the cooking pot to boil up to taste. The leaves mostly used is the Uma Leaves.

Uma leaves (Thaumatococcus daniellii)

The Uma leaves or Thaumatococcus daniellii is used as a wrapper or container for the Plantain Moi Moi (Ukpo Ogede) before and while cooking in the pot. It is a plant species from Africa and grows in Nigeria. Thaumatococcus daniellii grows three to four meters in height and has large papery leaves up to 46 centimeters long.

Photo: The Uma leaves (Thaumatococcus daniellii) already prepared and folded as food wrappers. The ingredients of the Plantain Moi Moi (Ukpo Ogede) are poured inside the folded leaves and closed – ready to be boiled in a cooking pot with the base filled with water to requirement.

As a result of its papery leaves, it is used in Nigeria as a wrapper, to wrap locally cooked foodstuffs, edibles, snacks and dishes like the Plantain Moi Moi (Ukpo Ogede).