Amala joint business is a hot cake business that is now trending. It is a business you can easily set up because it requires less capital provided you have a shop or place to set it up. You might be tempted to ask if amala joint business is lucrative? The answer is yes, amala is a food business and just like restaurant business is very lucrative. Amala is a nutritious delicacy of the Yorubas in Western Nigeria, it is popularly called Abula.
Owners of bukas add it to their menu and many go there to taste the meal. Some folks have chosen to carve a niche by venturing into only amala as a delicacy. Its popularity is growing fast, amala joint can be found in almost every state in Nigeria and in foreign countries too. Amala is eaten with Gbegiri and ewedu soup, on top stew.
Businesses of any kind are highly competitive these days. The more advanced your packaging, the more people it will attract. Have you seen amala place before, their posters is always very attractive and inviting.
Amala Joints in Lagos and Abuja
People refer to amala joint, according to location that is why you will hear Olaiya canteen surulere, White House Ibadan, Belgium canteen those are some of the amala joints in Lagos. In London you will see amala joint in Peckham, Tower Bridge etc. Abuja amala joints are Amala place Mabushi, Iya Oyo Amaka, Wuye, Amala Oyo place, Wuse
It is not compulsory you have to come from yoruba before you can set up amala restaurant business. Neither is it mandatory for you to know how to cook it before you start. If you see the opportunity of starting it then open one. In my location I never saw any amala joint and was wondering why people are not thinking that way. Just few weeks ago a guy opened one employ a Yoruba woman to be cooking amala.
The shop is well positioned and he seems not to be having any competitor for now. You need to see the number of people that goes there daily to eat amala.
You can sell drinks especially if you can make cold local zobo, kunu etc. Sell other soft drinks too. Snacks can also bring additional income.
Things Needed for Amala Joint Business
- Space
- Utensils ( pots,kettles, frying pan etc)
- Cutlery (spoons, forks, knife etc)
- Tables
- Chairs
- Table mats
- Hand towel
- Toothpick
- Containers for spices; ground pepper etc.
- Soap
- Stove or gas cooker
- Fridge
- Freezer
- Buckets
- Bowls
- Scapula
- Fan/Air conditioner
- Television or radio
Ingredients:
- Yam Flour (Elubo)
- 1 Cup Ewedu leaves
- 2 cups of Beans
- 10 fresh tomatoes
- 20g Locust beans
- 8 Scotch bonnets (ata rodo)
- 450g Beef/fish, assorted meat
- 2 Bell Peppers (optional)
- Onions
- 8-10 small Chili Peppers
- 1 bottle of palm oil
- Ground Crayfish
- Seasoning cubes
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Gbegiri preparation
STEP 1Â Â
Select stones and dirt out from the beans.
Soak the beans in water for 30 minutes, remove the back by rubbing between your hands or use mortar to rub the back off, wash thoroughly to remove all the chaff.
STEP 2 Â
Pour the beans into a cooking pan, add adequate water and a tiny bit of Potassium salt ( Kanhu). leave to cook until the beans are very soft or watery and add  1 ½ cooking spoon of palm oil.
STEP 3 Â Â
Add chilli pepper, salt, Seasoning, and then mash the beans together into a paste until it becomes creamy. Â Add water if it is too thick, gbegiri is ready.
Ewedu preparation
STEP 4 Â
Slice and blend the Ewedu, add it to a small pot of boiling water add Potassium salt (Kanhu) a little to make it soft, locust beans, crayfish and salt to taste. Cook the Ewedu until it is slippery or draws.
STEP 5 Â Â
Blend all the peppers, tomatoes and onions to make stew.
How to Make the Stew
- Pour some of the palm oil into a pan and slice few onions into it allow to fry for 2-3minutes, then
- add the blended pepper, tomatoes, and onions add some seasoning (curry, thyme, salt, Maggi, meat.)
- Allow to cook for 10-12 minutes, taste it, if tasting raw pepper, allow it to continue cooking for another 10 minutes.
STEP 6Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Add all the assorted meat and fish
Amala is always taken with soup that is garnished with assorted meat such as Kpomo, shaki, round about, snails, goat meat etc.
How To Prepare Amala
Bring water to boil in a pot. Sprinkle the yam flour into the boiling water and turn with a wooden spatula until it becomes smooth in texture and solid. To ensure it’s well cooked, add a little bit of water, cover to steam on low heat for about 3-5 minutes. Stir again properly with the wooden spatula until it becomes soft. Make a dough from the prepared amala. The Amala you molded into doughs should be wrapped with transparent nylon and put inside a cooler for warmth. It is best enjoyed hot.
Serve with Gbegiri, ewedu and some stew.
Nutritional Value of Gbegiri
Gbegiri is a very tasty soup made from beans. And beans as we know are low in fat, great in antioxidants. Ewedu soup is a leafy vegetable soup made from jute and saluyot leaves. The leaves contain high percentage of micro-nutrients and vitamins A, C, E. It is an alkaline diet that has several health benefits, such as; treating of high blood pressure, prevents cancer and diabetes, improves health teeth and bones, fresh skin, fighting immunity and good eyesight.
How much is needed to Start Amala Joint Business
If you have space and utensils you can start with #100,000
But with space and every other thing #500,000 and above will start the business.
Profits in Amala Joint Business
A plate of Amala goes for as high as #1,500 depending on the location and the assorted meats inside. Average price can be #400. Imagine selling up to a 100 plate for a pot of ewedu,gbegiri and stew soup and just a big pot of Amala. That’s good money, you know!
To make good profit buy your alubo in bag. The more customers you have or the higher your sales the more money you make.
On a good day you should make more than 5k as profit in a day.
Marketing
Amala joint business always announces itself. Check out how others design their banners and do same or something better. Advertise your business on social media such as Facebook, Instagram etc. Print flyers and distribute them around your location. Give your complimentary cards to people.
Conclusion
Amala joint business is one you can start today and make money. Locate a place nobody is doing such business and start especially in a place where Yoruba people are highly populated. Note, these days people from different tribes eat other food so cook and have other people in mind.
Add zobo and other drinks to it, plus snacks and thank me later.
