Ingredient: ashes of palm fruit stalk
 
Net weight: 2 oz 
 
Ngu is the ashes of the palm fruit stalk - that big head/ shell of the palm bunch that is left after the fruits have been taken out. It is an alkaline substance just like baking soda and akanwu (cooking potash). It is used just like akanwu. It is the water that is used, not the ashes itself, just as the water from akanwu is used to quicken the cooking time of ukwa (African breadfruit), beans and other pulses. Ngu can also be used to curdle palm oil for traditional Igbo dishes such as abacha (made from dehydrated shredded cassava), ugba (made from African oil bean seed), and nkwobi (a beloved Nigerian spicy cow foot delicacy).