How to make eshabwe

Jan 25, 2008

GHEE sauce, commonly known as eshabwe, is a traditional dish prepared in Ankole. The dish is also prepared for special ceremonies or occasions. However, for those who enjoy eshabwe, you do not have to wait to attend Kinyankole ceremonies or go to restaurants to enjoy the dish; you can prepare it at

By Agnes Kyotalengerire

GHEE sauce, commonly known as eshabwe, is a traditional dish prepared in Ankole. The dish is also prepared for special ceremonies or occasions. However, for those who enjoy eshabwe, you do not have to wait to attend Kinyankole ceremonies or go to restaurants to enjoy the dish; you can prepare it at home.

According to a the market survey done recently, a kilogramme of ghee costs between sh6,000 to sh7,000 from traders dealing in ghee around town.

Phillip Besigye, a nutritionist working with Dama Medicinal Herbs, says: “Eshabwe is very nutritious and a good source of fats, vitamin A, vitamin B and B12 that cannot be found in vegetables”.

Enid Rwabungundu, an expert in preparing eshabwe at Upstairs Club and Restaurant, Kiyembe Lane, took me through the procedure of how you can convert ghee into eshabwe.

Rwabungundu explains that to make eshabwe that is enough for a family of about 10 people, you need the following:

Ingredients
-One kilo of ghee (unprocessed or ghee in its ordinary form)
- A pinch of rock salt
- Boiled cold water
- Salt

Procedure
-Wash the ghee in cold water to remove the dirt and impurities
- Mix a pinch of rock salt in water to dissolve
- Add the salty water to the ghee and stir until the ghee changes colour from yellow to white.

- Add water as you continue to stir, until the content turns white
- Dissolve the salt in cold, boiled water and pour into the already formed eshabwe. Stir until you get the desired thickness.
- Sieve the eshabwe to remove particles or impurities that could have remained.

- Serve as sauce with any food of preference like millet bread, matooke, sweet potatoes or posho.
Rwabungundu explains that eshabwe should not be warmed; it is eaten cold. She adds that when you have it in plenty, you can keep it in a deep freezer for about two months.

Frida Baguma, a director of Divine Restaurant on Kampala Road and specialist in preparing eshabwe, says to make the eshabwe more delicious, you can spice it up by adding in small pieces of smoked meat. She, however, advises that the meat should be roughly smoked since it is eaten instantly.

Besigye explains that rock salt is used to break down the fats so that the eshabwe remains absorbable.

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