Cookbook:Dek Ngoo (Pigeon Peas with Peanut Butter)

Dek ngoo consists of pigeon peas with peanut butter, a delicacy from Gulu. It is best served with posho (ugali), millet bread (kalo), or sweet potatoes (layata). It can be eaten as a dip or a soup. Shear nut oil (moo yaa) can be used to improve its taste.

Ingredients

 * 1 cup of split pigeon peas
 * Peanut butter
 * Salt
 * Magadi (rock salt)

Procedure

 * 1) Soak split pigeon peas in 1.5 L of warm water for 1 hour. The peas should be plumped up and soft, and the skins that were on some of them should be coming off.
 * 2) Sieve the water into a saucepan (all the flavor is in there), and put the water on the stove to start boiling.
 * 3) Wash the peas, and remove all the skins—they will float easily because of the earlier soaking.
 * 4) Put the peas in to the water you placed on the stove, then add salt and rock salt. Let it boil until the peas are mushy. There will be a froth foaming at the top while it boils—remove it with a ladle.
 * 5) When the peas are mushy, add peanut butter and mix. There is a special contraption called ugwech that you can use, but you can also use a hand blender as it is easier on the muscles and quicker. The peanut butter will make the soup thick, so please add it according to taste and your desired texture.
 * 6) If it becomes too thick you can add hot water to loosen the mixture.
 * 7) Serve.