Preparing eshabwe recipe

By Beatrice Nakibuuka

Ghee sauce, commonly known as ‘eshabwe’ has its origin from Ankole.

The white tasty sauce was generally prepared for special occasions like traditional marriage, but over the years, some restaurants have adopted it on their daily menu.

While it was only enjoyed by the Westerners, other regions in Uganda have also embraced the dish and on a typical day, you may find a ‘non- munyakole’ enjoying the sauce.

Christinnah Murungi of Eshabwe Planet takes expounds on the process of making eshabwe.

Ingredients

1. Clean pan (sepiki / sefuriya)
2. Mingling stick (akaiko/akalawo).
3. Sisal wrap (kagoogwa / kamba).
4. Sieve (akagyegyena/akasengejja).
5. White table salt / multipurpose salt.
6. Boiled water (room temperature).
7. Raw ghee (omuzigo)
8. Rock salt (mahonde/ rwabareire/ ekisula).

Process

1. Grate/ pound / crash rock salt to powder, and mix maximum half a small tea spoon of it in a cup of boiled water at room temperature.
2. Stir until all the particles dissolve in the water. Taste to make sure it is not too much.
3. Put the raw ghee (any amount) in a pan with the sisal wrap. Stir together. Some opt to add a pinch of crashed rock salt to help soften and dissolve the ghee easily.
4. Pour in the water (with rock salt) in small quantities as u stir until the ghee starts to dilute and whiten.
5. Keep stirring as you add the water mixture until the ghee becomes white in color. By now the eshabwe aroma has started hitting your nose.
6. Add a small amount of salt, depending on the quantity of eshabwe. Keep stirring until it dissolves completely.
7. Keep stirring until the eshabwe thickens enough and develops small bubbles.
   Salt helps thicken the eshabwe and also improves the taste.
   By now it looks like thick plain white yoghurt and one can easily tell the aroma if they have ever tasted eshabwe before.
8. Squeeze and remove the sisal wrap, sieve / drain in another clean container (that can be covered).
9. Serve chilled or at room temperature with other sauce, like beef, chicken (boiled or fried) peas, beans and greens, among others.
   Eshabwe can be served with matooke, kalo, rice and any other food of your choice.
10. Refrigerated eshabwe lasts for a week or even a month as long as the temperature does not change.
    For those without a refrigerator, cover your eshabwe container and put it in a pan or basin with cold water, and make sure the water does not warm up.
    This can go for 2-3 days, depending on the region one is in.