Ewedu soup recipe - How to make ewedu soup

Eating ewedu soup (green) with buka stew and sharki "Tripe"

Ewedu soup is a tasty Nigerian soup popular in the western part of the country and indigenous to the yorubas, a popular ethnic group in Nigeria. It's a mucilaginous and very slimy draw soup made from jute leaves, also known as ayoyo or saluyot leaves (corchorus olitorius). In the average yoruba home, ewedu isn't served alone. It's often served with stew or gbegiri and accompanied by either Amala or Eba (Garri). Personally, i enjoy eating ewedu with peppered buka stew garnished with sharki, fuku, pomo and accompanied with soft amala....Yum!.

How to make Ewedu soup
• Prep time:  15 minutes
• Cook time: 15 minutes
• Total time: 30 minutes
• Region:      Western Nigeria

Things you'd need
• Ijabe (Traditional broom whisk) Or Blender

Ingredients:::

• 1 bunch Ewedu leaves

• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp. potash
• 1 tsp. locust beans
• Salt to taste

Directions:::
Step 1; Pluck the ewedu leaves from the stem. Rinse the plucked leaves in clean water - Set Aside.

Step 2: In a small pot, add the water and potash and leave to heat up. Once the water starts to boil, add the ewedu leaves and leave to cook for about 7 minutes. Turn off the burner and mash with the broom. Alternatively if you don't have the broom, leave the boiled ewedu to cool a little then pour it into a blender and blend.

Step 3: Pour the ewedu back into the pot and turn the burner to the lowest. Add the salt, crayfish and locust beans. leave it to simmer for 3-5 minutes.

Turn of the burner and serve alongside stew or gbegiri and amala

Eating ewedu soup (green) with buka stew and sharki "Tripe"

Health Benefits of Ewedu (ayoyo or saluyot) leaves
Ewedu leaves are packed the Vitamins A, C and E which fend off free radicals, thereby protecting from cancer and other degenerative diseases. The vitamins also helps in beautifying the body by increasing collagen production thereby keeping the skin firm and young-looking (Click here for the full list of Nigerian leafy vegetables and benefits)


Some of it's benefits in herbal medicine are;
~ It’s a good source of fiber, low in calories but high in vitamins which makes it good for        weight loss. Serving ewedu without meat or fish only has 97 calories.
~ it is used to control or prevent dysentery, worm infestation and constipation.

~ It is used for pain, piles, and tumors in Ayurveda (an ancient Hindu system of healing)

~ it is used in the treatment of treatment of painful urination known as dysuria associated with cystitis, fever & gonorrhea. The cold infusion is said to restore the appetite and strength.

Read More »

Ogbono Soup With Okra Recipe

How to cook Ogbono Soup with Okra

You can also call it Okra Soup with Ogbono. The Ogbono Soup recipe detailed on this page is the one where Okra is added to the soup.

Ingredients for Ogbono Soup cooked with Okra

You can vary the quantities of Ogbono and Okra below depending on which one you want to have more of. So if you want your soup to be mainly Okra soup, you can decrease the quantity of Ogbono and increase the quantity of okra and vice versa.

• 2 handfuls Ogbono Seeds
• 200g Okra
• Assorted Meat and Fish: Beef, Shaki (cow tripe), Dry Fish, Stockfish
• 3 cooking spoons red palm oil
• Vegetable: Frozen Spinach (you can also use Pumpkin leaves or even Bitterleaf)
• 1 handful crayfish Pepper and
• Salt (to taste)
• 1 medium onion
• 2 Stock cubes (Maggi/Knorr)

Important Tool Required: Spice grinder for grinding ogbono seeds

Before you cook Ogbono Soup with Okra

• Grind the Ogbono with a dry mill.
• Cut the okra fingers into tiny pieces. To achieve this, you need to make a few vertical cuts followed by horizontal cuts on the okra fingers.
• Cut the frozen spinach when it is not completely defrosted. It is easier that way. Then when completely defrosted, squeeze out the excess water.
• Cook the assorted meat with the stock cubes and onion.
• If you will use Shaki, remember to start cooking that first, then add beef when almost done.
• Grind crayfish and pepper.
• Boil some water and set aside.

Cooking Directions for Ogbono Soup with Okra

Pour the palm oil into a clean dry stainless steel or aluminium pot. Set on the stove and melt the oil at low heat.

• Remember, only melt the oil, do not allow it to heat up. Once melted, turn off the heat and add the ground Ogbono. Use your cooking spoon to dissolve the Ogbono in the oil.

• When all the Ogbono powder has completely mixed with the oil, add the meat/fish stock (water from cooking the assorted meat and fish). Set the heat of your cooker to low and start stirring. You will notice the Ogbono start to thicken and draw. Keep stirring till the Ogbono has completely absorbed the meat stock.

• Add a small quantity of the hot water and stir till the Ogbono has absorbed all the water. Repeat this process till you get a consistency that you are happy with.

• Making sure that your heat is set to low, cover the pot and start cooking. Once it starts to simmer, stir every 2-3 minutes for 20 minutes.

• So what you'll do is: every 3 minutes or so, open the pot, stir every well, scraping the Ogbono that sticks to the base of the pot, cover the pot and cook for another 3 minutes.

• After 20 minutes, the Ogbono should be well cooked and you will begin to perceive its nice flavour and aroma.

• Add the assorted meat and fish, ground crayfish, salt and pepper to taste. The Ogbono may have become thicker from the cooking. If so, add a little bit more water and stir very well. Cover and cook till the contents of the pot is well heated up.

• Stir very well. Add the okra and stir very well. Then add vegetables (e.g. spinach) if required.

• Cover and leave to heat up very well and it is ready.

Serve with Garri (Eba), Semolina Fufu, Amala, Cassava Fufu or Pounded Yam.

Read More »

Nsala Soup Recipe

How to cook Nigerian Nsala Soup (White Soup)

Nsala soup or White Soup is a tasty, fast and easy soup recipe that has its origins in the riverine areas of Nigeria.

Nsala Soup is perfect for a cold rainy day due to its spicy taste. Because it is so easy to prepare, you can count on it to save the day when you run out on soup a few days before the big soup day ;)

Ingredients Cat Fish:

• 4 one-inch thick pieces Fresh or dry Utazi Leaves (Gongronema latifolium)

• Thickener: Raw White Yam / Yam Powder /
• Potato Puree (to taste)
• Habanero peppers (to taste)
• Salt (to taste)
• 1 handful crayfish
• 1 stock cube (Maggi / Knorr)
• 1 Ogiri Okpei (Nigerian traditional seasoning)

Alternative Ingredients for Nsala Soup

* You can use Conger Eel (Congrio in Spanish) instead of Cat fish. Buy the part towards the tail because the pieces you'll get from there are smaller and do not have large holes in them.

* When using yam powder as thickener, mix the powder with hot water first to make a thick smooth paste (as if you are making pounded yam) before adding it to the soup. Adding the powder directly into the soup will make the soup mushy and you may end up with lumps.

* In the absence of habanero pepper, you can use dry chilli pepper.

* Utazi leaves do not have any good alternative. If you don't have it, no worries because it only adds a slightly bitter flavour to the soup.

Before you cook Nsala Soup

Cut the catfish into 1 inch thick cylindrical discs and remove the intestines. Place in bowl and pour very hot water on the fish. This process of pouring hot water on the fish toughens the skin of the fish so that the pieces do not disintegrate while cooking the soup. Leave for about 2 minutes and wash the fish with cold water. You should also wash off any slimy substance on the outer skin of the fish at this time.

Boil a few cubes of raw white yam. When soft, pound with a mortar and pestle till a smooth paste is formed, then set aside. You can substitute white yam with yam powder or potato puree for the thickening.

Wash and pound/blend the utazi leaves, the chilli pepper and the crayfish and set aside. Utazi is bitter in taste and only used for flavouring so one or two leaves should be enough especially when using the fresh leaves.

Cooking Directions

• Place the catfish in a pot and pour enough water to cover the fish.
• Add the seasoning and cook till done.
• Feel free to add beef and dry fish to this soup recipe.
• When the catfish is almost done, add the crayfish, pepper and utazi leaves blend.
• Also add the yam paste in small lumps and salt to taste.

Note: Catfish is what makes Nsala soup what it is, giving it the unique taste that it has so it is essential to this recipe. The only other fish that I have found to be close to Cat fish as regards to this recipe is Conger Eel.

• Cover the pot and allow the contents to cook at high heat till all the yam paste have dissolved.
• While cooking, if you think that the yam paste will make the soup too thick, you can remove some that are yet to dissolve.

The Nigerian Nsala Soup is ready to be served with Eba (Garri), Semolina, Amala, Pounded Yam etc.

Read More »

Nigerian Coconut Rice Recipe

This Nigerian food is called the Jollof Rice with a twist! It feels good to see the looks on your guests' or friends' faces when they think you are serving them the good old Jollof Rice but bam, the moment the first spoon enters the mouth, you are sure to get the looks of pleasure! It makes you feel good, doesn't it?

White Coconut Rice

Yes, it looks the same as the Jollof Rice you know but the aroma and taste is different. Why don't you surprise your guests tonight by preparing this easy dinner recipe?

This recipe is for Jollof Coconut Rice, there's another version of coconut rice known as the White Coconut Rice.

Ingredients

• 3 cigar cups - 750g long grain parboiled rice
• 500mls Tomato Stew
• 600 mls Coconut Milk Chicken (whole chicken or drumsticks)
• Chilli pepper (to taste)
• Salt (to taste)
• 1 medium onions
• 3 stock cubes
• 1 tablespoon thyme

Before you cook Coconut Rice

Prepare the tomato stew if you don't have some in the freezer. Visit the Tomato Stew page for details on how to do that. It is advisable to prepare tomato stew before hand and keep in the freezer. This is so that whenever you want to cook any jollof rice related dish, it is just a matter of adding it to your cooking.

If you will use whole chicken, wash and cut the whole chicken into pieces. Place the pieces in a pot; add water till it just covers the pieces of chicken, add the chopped onions, stock cubes and thyme and start cooking. The cooking time depends on the type of chicken. The rooster or cockerel cooks much faster than the hen but the hen is tastier.

Cooking till done and add salt to taste. Put the pieces of chicken in a sieve to drain, then fry with vegetable oil. You can also grill it in an oven. This is to give it a golden look which is more presentable especially if you have guests for dinner. Read how to season and grill chicken for more one this.

Now is the time to extract the coconut milk. This is quite an easy task if you follow the procedure detailed in How to Extract Coconut Milk. Set the coconut milk aside.Parboil the rice using the method detailed in parboiling rice for cooking coconut rice. Wash the parboiled rice and put in a sieve to drain.

Cooking Directions

• Now we need a pot big enough to accommodate the rice till it is done. Bear in mind that the rice will normally rise by at least one quarter of its quantity from the parboiled state to the done state.

• Pour the chicken stock, coconut milk and the tomato stew into the selected pot. Set on the stove to boil.

• Add the drained parboiled rice, salt and pepper to taste. If necessary, top up with water to bring the water level to the same level as the rice. This is to ensure that all the water dries up by the time the rice is cooked.

• Cover the pot and leave to cook on medium heat. This way the rice does not burn before the water dries up.

If you parboiled the rice as described at parboiling rice for cooking coconut rice, the rice should be done by the time the water is dry. Confirm that the rice is done by tasting it. That's the way coconut rice is cooked.

Serve with Fried Plantain, Nigerian Moi Moi, Nigerian Salad or Coleslaw.

Read More »

Nigerian Buns (Puff Puff) Recipe

Nigerian Buns is the harder and less oily sibling to the Nigerian Puff Puff.

Some of them are so hard that they are referred to as Rock Buns.

Ingredients for Nigerian Buns

The following Ingredients will make 7 buns balls.

• 150g (5.3 oz) plain flour (all purpose flour)

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• 2 tablespoons evaporated milk or 1 tablespoon powdered milk

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (for the authentic taste)

• Warm water (for mixing)

• Vegetable Oil (for frying)

Read More »

Nigerian Egusi Soup Recipe

The Nigerian Egusi soup, prepared with melon seeds, is prepared by most tribes in Nigeria in many different ways. It is known as Miyan Gushi in Hausa, Ofe Egusi in Igbo and Efo Elegusi in Yoruba.

Egusi soup is also one of the most popular soups, if not the most popular for all Nigerians and non-Nigerians that like Nigerian fufu recipes.

The recipe detailed on this page is what I call the Caking Method of cooking Egusi Soup (the Egusi Before Oil method).

Other methods are:

• Fried Egusi Soup: where the Egusi is fried in palm oil before other ingredients are added. I also call this one the Oil Before Egusi Method.

• Akpuruakpu Egusi: where the ground egusi is molded into balls and cooked in the soup such that you will be eating the egusi balls like meat while enjoying the meal. The surrounding egusi in the soup is prepared using the caking method. Go check it out.

Ingredients

• 600g Egusi (Melon) seeds
• 2 cooking spoons red palm oil
• Beef: Best cut and Shaki (cow tripe)
• Fish: Dry Fish and Stock Fish 3 tablespoons ground crayfish Pepper and Salt (to taste)
• Vegetable: Nigerian pumpkin leaves, spinach or bitter leaves
• 3 small stock cubes
• 1 Ogiri Okpei (traditional locust bean seasoning: optional)

Important cooking equipment

Spice grinder for grinding egusi (melon) seeds: Krups Twin Blade Grinder

Before you cook Egusi Soup (Caking Method)

Before preparing the soup, soak the dry fish for about half an hour. If you are using the very tough stockfish, boil it for 20 minutes and leave in the pot with the hot water to soak for about an hour. If using the softer stockfish, you can just soak them in cool water till you can break them apart with your hands.

When the fish and stockfish are soft, debone and break them into sizeable chunks.

Much closer to your cooking time, grind the egusi with a dry mill. Grind the crayfish and the dry pepper separately and set aside. Wash the vegetable to be used. Cut into tiny pieces.

Boil the shaki, stock fish and dry fish in 1 litre of water with the stock cubes till they are well done. First sign of a done shaki is that the cuts will start curling on itself.

Wash the beef to be used for the soup, add it to the pot and cook on medium heat till done.

Cooking Directions:

Caking Method 

This method produces a healthier egusi soup as there is no frying involved. It requires less oil too.

In this method, as soon as the shaki, fish and meat are done, remove them from the stock (water used in cooking the meat and fish) and place in a different pot or plate.

Add the ground egusi to the stock and stir. If the stock from cooking your meat and fish is not enough to give you a medium consistency, add some water to get the consistency of evaporated milk or a bit thicker. It will not be as smooth as evaporated milk though.

Cover and cook till the egusi cakes. Stir and add a little bit more water. watch it closely so that it does not burn.

Repeat step 3, adding only a small quantity of water at a time. After about 25 minutes, you will notice the clear egusi oil coming to the surface of the soup.

Add the red palm oil and bitter leaves (if it is your choice of vegetable), pepper and salt to taste and cook for about 7 minutes. You know it is good to continue when the palm oil and egusi forms a good blend of light yellow colour.

Add the cooked meat and fish. If using pumpkin leaves or any other soft vegetable, add it at this time and stir the soup.

Add salt to your taste, stir and leave to simmer for 2 minutes maximum.Turn off the heat. Leave to stand for about 5 minutes before serving.

The egusi soup is ready to be served with Garri (Eba), Semolina Fufu, Amala, Cassava Fufu or Pounded Yam.

Read More »

Nigerian Moi Moi Recipe

Moi Moi (also Moin Moin) is a great dish accessory in Nigeria. It is commonly seen accompanying Jollof Rice, Fried Rice, Fried Plantain, Custard, Akamu (Pap, Ogi) etc. It can even be eaten alone as a snack with a chilled soft drink to wash it down.

Due to its popularity, Moi Moi is often served at parties, dinners and other special occasions.

Ingredients

I usually cook Moi Moi in a large quantity and store in my freezer so the following quantities of ingredients make 12 aluminium bags of Moi Moi. Each bag weighs 420g.

• 3 cigar cups or 750g Beans (Brown/Black eyed)
• 5 tablespoons ground crayfish
• 4 big stock cubes
• 1 habanero pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 3 tatashe peppers or 800g watery tomato puree (sold outside Nigeria)
• 2 big onions 20cl vegetable oil
• 2 litres of cool or warm water Salt (to taste)
• Moi Moi Accessories

Add any of the following to the Moi Moi

Hard boiled eggs: Cut the eggs into small pieces.
Bone Marrow: Cook the bone marrow with spices and herbs till done then add to the Moi Moi at the mixing stage.

Corned beef: separate into small chunks and add to the moi moi during mixing. You can also add to the moi moi after dishing then into cooking bowls or foil bags.

Moi Moi Containers

Aluminium foil or
Plastic Bowls or
Uma Leaves (Thaumatococcus Daniellii)
Jacket Moi Moi

Tools I used

Cooker
Deep Pot
Spatula
Chopping board
Blender
Knives

Notes about the ingredients

The tomato puree gives the Moi Moi its classic peachy colour. If you are in Nigeria, the best ingredient to use is tatashe pepper. I do not like the taste of red bell peppers in my Moi Moi hence I do not recommend it but you can try it and see if you like it.

Nutmeg gives the Moi Moi its classic taste. If you've ever eaten Nigerian Moi Moi at a party and wondered why it tastes better than the ones you make, it is probably because you do not add nutmeg to your Moi Moi.

2 litres of water is the exact quantity of water that gives me the perfect texture of Moi Moi that I and my family love. Please note that this qauntity includes the water used in blending the beans. If using bone marrow, the quantity of stock should be part of the 2 litres of liquid you will use in mixing the Moi Moi. If after using this quantity and you are not happy with the texture, adjust the quantity of water accordingly. It is best to use cool or warm water when mixing Moi Moi. You do not want to use hot water for this purpose as it may cause the mix to be lumpy.

Using the right amount of oil in your Moi Moi ensures that it has a good texture and rolls off the tongue when you eat it but feel free to use any amount of oil you want. And it is advisable to use tastless and odourless oils in your Moi Moi so that rules out olive oil.

Before you cook Moi Moi

About three hours before cooking the moi moi, soak and wash the beans to remove the coat. When the entire coat has been removed, place the beans in a bowl and pour enough water to cover it. Leave to soak for three hours. This is so that the best consistency will be achieved when you blend the beans.

It is advisable to use one of eggs, bone marrow or corned beef, not the three at the same time. If you will use eggs, cook till hard boiled, cut into small pieces and set aside. If you prefer bone marrow, cook it with salt and Maggi / Knorr cubes and set aside the stock. If it is corned beef you will go for, open the can and separate the beef into small lumps. Now go ahead and prepare the moi moi containers.

Next ...Wash the tatashe pepper (if using it). Ensure you remove the tatashe seeds as they have a tendency to give meals a bitter taste.Cut the onions into pieces, grind the crayfish with a dry mill. If using the heavy duty grinder in Nigerian markets, these won't be necessary.

Crush the stock cubes and set aside. Wash the habanero/scotch bonnet peppers and set aside.

Now that the beans is soaked (the bean seed is tender when you pinch it), it is time to blend it. It is very important that you use a very good blender for this purpose. The taste and feel of your Moi Moi depends so much on the consistency of the blend. If in doubt, put a small quantity of bean seeds in your home blender and grind to the best of its ability using as small quantity of water as possible. Feel the resulting paste with your fingers and if you notice any tiny pieces at all, then the blender is not good for Moi Moi. At this time, you may consider using the commercial heavy duty mills at your local market if you are in Nigeria. Yes, you have your health and hygiene concerns but most of the mill operators actually keep their mills clean. And they let you bring your own water and containers. So there you go!

Cooking Directions

Blend the beans, tatashe or tomato puree, onions, crayfish, habanero pepper and ground nutmeg together with some of the water and pour the mix into a big enough bowl. Add the vegetable oil and the bone marrow stock (if this is what you have chosen to add to your moi moi). Slowly add the remaining water and stir the mixture at the same time till you get a good mix of all the ingredients. Add salt to taste and stir very well.

Note: Moi Moi is one of the Nigerian food recipes that is prepared cold. All the mixing and adding of ingredients is done off the stove. That is to say, once you start cooking, there is no going back! You cannot decide to add more salt or seasoning or a new ingredient later. So getting it right at the mixing stage is very important.

Pad the base of a big pot, pour some water and set on the stove. The depth of the water should be at most 1 inch. Dish the Moi moi mix into containers of your choice, add egg/bone marrow/corned beef to each container, seal/cover and set them in the pot. Add as small quantity of water as possible at a time while cooking the Moi Moi as detailed in preparation and use of moi moi containers so that the moi moi will not become watery when done. This is the case especially when using aluminium foil or uma leaves. The length of time you will cook your Moi Moi depends on the quantity and the Moi Moi container you used.

The Moi Moi that gets done quickest is the one wrapped in Uma or Banana leaves, followed by Moi Moi wrapped in aluminum foils then the one that takes the most time is Moi Moi cooked in aluminium or plastic plates.

But whatever Moi Moi container you use, it is advisable to cook your Moi Moi for at least 1 hour, before checking it. Confirm that it is done by putting a knife through it, if the knife is stained with Moi Moi paste, then the Moi Moi is not done, but if the knife just has a slight smear of Moi Moi, then it's done. Also, when you cut through the Moi Moi, the insides will be set and not watery.

If you are cooking a few wraps of Moi Moi in a small pot on high heat, then it will only take about 45 minutes to get done while when you are cooking a large pot of Moi Moi, it will definitely take more than one hour. Serve with chilled fruit juice or coconut juice. Serve as a side dish to Jollof Rice, Fried Rice or Fried Plantains. For breakfast, serve with Custard or Akamu (Pap, Ogi).

Read More »

Nigerian Breadfruit Porridge (Ukwa) Recipe

Nigerian breadfruit is in a food class of its own. I was not sure where to put it but finally settled for beans section because breadfruit seeds are most similar to beans. It is known as Ukwa in Igbo and the scientific name is Treculia africana.

Ukwa is such a versatile food with a natural delicious flavour. It can be cooked plain without any ingredient, not even salt and it will taste great especially when prepared with fresh Ukwa. It can be roasted and eaten with coconut or palm kernel. It can also be prepared as a porridge which is what this page is about.

Ingredients

• 700g Nigerian/African Breadfruit
• 2 medium dry fish
• 2 small stock cubes
• 7g edible potash Palm oil (enough to colour)
• 5-6 fresh bitter leaves Pepper & Salt (to taste)

Common additions to Breadfruit Porridge:

White Puna yam Corn/Maize, you can also use sweet corn

Notes about the ingredients

Freshly peeled ukwa or dried ukwa can be used for this recipe.

You can use stock fish instead of dry fish or both.

By fresh bitter leaves I mean bitter leaves that have NOT been washed and squeezed.

Always add enough palm oil to make your Nigerian meals look appetizing.

Edible potash acts as food tenderizer. Only a very small quantity should be used. If you are lucky to buy freshly dehusked ukwa seeds from the same tree, you will not need to use the food tenderiser. I do not know any alternative to edible potash.

Before you cook the Ukwa

If using dry ukwa, soak it overnight in plenty of cold water. If using fresh ukwa, skip this step.

The next day, soak, debone and wash the dry fish or stock fish and break into pieces.Wash the ukwa thoroughly in cold water. Stones and sand usually settle at the bottom so watch out for those.

Pound the pepper.

Rinse the bitter leaves and set aside.

Cooking Directions

1. Put the thoroughly washed ukwa in a sizeable pot. I used a pressure pot in the video below because it cooks the ukwa much faster.

2. Pour enough water to cover the ukwa. The level of water should be about 1 inch above the level of the ukwa.

3. Add the edible potash.

4. Add the dry fish or stock fish, cover the pot and cook till well done.

5. The ukwa is done when the seeds melt when pressed. You may need to top up the water while cooking so watch it closely. If using a pressure pot, top ups will not be necessary.

6. Add enough palm oil to the well done ukwa, add pepper, stock cubes and salt to taste.

7. Stir. Cover and cook on medium heat till the palm oil changes colour from red to yellow. This should take about 5 minutes.

8. Stir and add the bitter leaves. Cover and leave to simmer or till the leaves wilt but still green and the ukwa is ready to be served.

Cooking Ukwa with a Pressure Pot

If you have a pressure pot, ukwa is one of the Nigerian recipes that you should use it for because it cuts the cooking time by a lot.

For pressure pots, follow the directions above up till Step 2.Then for step 3, add edible potash, dry fish or stock fish, pepper, salt to taste, stock cubes and palm oil.

Cover, pressurize and cook for 30 minutes. I set the pressure on my pot to 1 and my cooker to heat 7 (my burner's heat settings range from 1-9).

After 30 minutes with the above settings, the ukwa should be well done. Depressurize the pot under running water and add the bitter leaves.

Cover and cook till the vegetables wilt but are still green. There is no need to pressurize the pot during this step.

Stir and it's done!

Note: Breadfruit Porridge gets thicker as it cools down so ensure you have enough porridge in the meal when done.

Serve with chilled palm wine, palmy. Awww! Or any other chilled drink.

Read More »

Nigerian Chin Chin Recipe

Chin Chin is a crunchy deep-fried snack that originated from Nigeria. It is an ideal light refreshment for you and your guests. The Nigerian Chin Chin can last for weeks if stored in an airtight container.

With no baking involved in this recipe, Chin Chin is one of the easiest Nigerian snacks to make.

To make some Nigerian Chin Chin, you will need the following ingredients.

Ingredients for Soft Chin Chin

• 1kg plain flour (all purpose flour)
• 150ml evaporated milk / 150g powdered milk
• 275g granulated sugar
• 250g margarine
• 2 medium nutmegs | 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• Tasteless and odourless vegetable oil (for frying)

If you want the Chin Chin really crunchy, use the following quantities of ingredients

• 1kg plain flour (all purpose flour)
• 75ml evaporated milk / 75g powdered milk
• 200g granulated sugar
• 125g margarine
• 2 medium nutmegs | 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• Vegetable Oil (tasteless and odourless)

Directions

Mix the milk and sugar in a bowl and leave to soak.

Note: If you are using powdered milk, mix the milk and sugar.

Then add 150 ml of water for soft chin chin (75 ml of water for crunchy chin chin), mix and leave to soak.

One way to get the sugar to dissolve fast is to grind it in a dry mill before mixing it with other ingredients.

In a separate bowl, mix the ground nutmeg and flour, then rub the margarine into the flour till it has mixed well with the flour, leaving no lumps.

Add the sugar/milk mixture to the margarine/flour mixture and mix by hand till a smooth dough is achieved.

Place the dough on a flat surface and start kneading gently with a dough roller.

When the dough is flat, cut into desired sizes.

Deep-fry in hot vegetable oil.

While frying, continuously stir the chin chin till you get a golden brown color.

Scoop the fried pieces onto a flat tray to dry and cool down quickly.

When the chin chin had cooled down completely, store in a dry, airtight container. Serve with a chilled drink.

Read More »

Nigerian Coconut Candy Recipe

There are many snacks/desserts referred to as coconut candy but the sweet chewy Coconut Candy discussed here is the one we make in Nigeria. Though some work goes to grating the fresh coconut meat into tiny pieces, the snack itself is very simple to make.

Ingredients

• 1 head fresh coconut with the juice

• 200g icing sugar (powdered sugar) Water

Before you make the Nigerian Coconut Candy

• Break the coconut, making sure to collect the coconut juice from it.

• Remove the meat from the shells and grate the meat into small pieces. I use the smaller openings on this grater for this task.

• Make sure to grate along the meat of the coconut rather than across it. This is so that you'll have long thin coconut pieces rather than a mass of grated coconut.

Directions

• Pour the coconut juice into the pot.
• Add the icing sugar (powdered sugar). Stir.
• Add the tiny coconut pieces and stir.
• Add water to the same level as the coconut pieces.
• Cover the pot and set to boil at high heat.
• Once the contents start boiling, stir continuously till all the water is just about evaporated.
• Reduce to low heat and continue stirring.
• At a time, you will notice that the contents have started sticking together. That is the sugar caramelising.
• Keep stirring till the coconut pieces start turning slightly brown.
• Turn off the heat and scoop the very hot coconut candy onto a flat plate and leave to cool down.

Notes:

The coconut candy should be sticky when cold. It should not be dry.

You can store it in the freezer for up to a month.

This is supposed to be a very sweet snack that is why all that sugar is used in the preparation but feel free to reduce the quantity of sugar.

The caramel from the sugar can be tough to wash off the pot when it has cooled down. The best way to wash this off very hot water as soon as you are done with making the snack.

Once cold, you can serve as dessert or eat it as a snack.

Read More »

Yam and Vegetable Sauce Recipe (Ji Abubo)

Ji Abubo is one of the most traditional Igbo delicacies. I look forward to a visit to grandma's place because I am sure to eat either Ji Abubo or Abacha when I get there. Prepare this for the traditional Igbo man in your life and he will fall in love with you all over again!

Ingredients

• 1kg (2.2 lbs) white puna yam
• 200g Nigerian pumpkin leaves
• Palm oil 200g
• ukpaka (shredded oil bean seeds)
• Ogiri Igbo (castor bean paste)
• 1 Habanero/Scotch
• Bonnet pepper or to taste Salt (to taste)

Notes about the ingredients

Puna yam is sweet and starchy and is the yam we use for most Nigerian yam recipes.

The pumpkin leaves stated above are not halloween pumpkin leaves. They are Nigerian pumpkin leaves: Telfairia occidentalis. If you do not have those, use spinach. That's what I used in the video below with great results.

Add palm oil till you get the consistency you like. For the authentic taste palm oil is very important to this recipe, vegetable oil or any other oil cannot be used as alternative.

Ogiri Igbo gives the sauce the very traditional taste. If you do not have it, use stock cubes.

Before you prepare the Ji AbuboWash the yam thoroughly with plenty of water and a sponge. Do not peel the yam.

Slice into desired shapes and sizes for example the half-moon slices.

Rinse the ukpaka and place in a foil bag or plastic bag. My grandma uses leaves to wrap the ukpaka.

Wash the vegetables and tie them up with strings.

Cooking Directions

• Boil the yam, vegetable and ukpaka

• Put the yam pieces in a pot and pour water to cover the yams.

• Place the tied vegetables and wrapped ukpaka on top and cook till the ukpaka and vegetables are soft.Continue cooking the yam if not done.

• Make the vegetable sauce

• Pound the habanero pepper in a mortar till smooth.

• When the ukpaka and pumpkin leaves are soft (from step 2 above), pound them in the same mortar one after the other till they are as smooth as possible.

• Add palm oil to the blend till you get a consistency you like and mix very well.

• Add salt and ogiri Igbo to your taste and mix with the pestle till everything is well incorporated.

• Dish in a serving bowl and set aside.

• Check the yam

• Once the yam is well done, decant the water and place the yams in a serving plate or tray.

Ji Abubo should be served piping hot to complement the cold vegetable sauce.

Read More »

Nigerian Edikang Ikong Soup Recipe

The Nigerian Edikang Ikong soup or simply Vegetable Soup is native to the Efiks, people from Akwa Ibom and Cross River states of Nigeria. It is a general notion that the Edikang Ikong soup is very nutritious and this is very much so. Prepared with a generous quantity of pumpkin leaves and water leaves, this Nigerian soup recipe is nourishing in every sense of the word.

It is common for Nigerians to request this soup recipe after a bout of illness as we trust it to replenish whatever was lost during the sickness. But you don't not need to be in a state of convalescence to enjoy this wholesome Nigerian food recipe.

Ingredients for Edikang Ikong Soup

• 1kg Pumpkin leaves
• 500g Water leaves (Talinum Triangulare)
• 600g Beef, Kanda, shaki and Dry fish
• Pepper, Salt and ground crayfish: to taste
• 200ml Palm oil
• 1 cup Periwinkle
• 2 medium onions
• 2-3 stock cubes

Alternative vegetables for those who cannot buy water leaves and pumpkin leaves:

Use the following to replace the classic Nigerian vegetables for this soup:

1kg normal frozen spinach 200g ground frozen spinach 250g lamb's lettuce (canonigos in Spanish)

Defrost the frozen spinach, cut the normal frozen one into tiny pieces and mix with the ground frozen spinach.

Wring out the water from these and add them when the written recipe requires you to add the pumpkin leaves.

Wash, pick and cut the Lamb's Lettuce into tiny pieces. Add them when the written recipe requires you to add water leaves.

You may used alternative vegetables to prepare Edikang Ikong soup.

Before you cook the Edikaikong Soup

Wash and cut the pumpkin and water leaves into tiny pieces. Put them in separate sieves to drain out all the water as much as possible.

Cut the Kanda into small pieces. Cook the beef, kanda and the dry fish with the 2 bulbs of diced onions and the stock cubes with as little quantity of water as possible.

Cooking Directions

When the meat is done, add a generous amount of palm oil, the crayfish and pepper and leave to boil for about 10 minutes. The palm oil serves as the liquid in the Edikang Ikong soup. You should try as much as possible to make it the only liquid in the soup.

Add the periwinkle and water leaves and leave to cook for another 5 minutes. You may have to cook for less time at this stage so that the water leaves are not over-cooked.Now add the pumpkin leaves and salt to taste. Stir the contents of the pot very well and turn off the heat. Cover the pot and leave to stand for about 5 minutes.

Thats it!

Serve with Garri (Eba), Semolina Fufu, Amala, Cassava Fufu or Pounded Yam.

Read More »

Unripe Plantain Porridge Recipe

This fast and easy recipe is cooked with unripe plantains which are known to be rich in iron.

Ingredients

• 3 unripe plantains
• A big bunch of Nigerian pumpkin leaves (or Frozen Spinach: 10 cubes)
• 1 medium fish (Mackerel)
• 1-2 teaspoons ground crayfish
• 2 medium onions Red palm Oil: enough to colour the meal Pepper and Salt (to taste) 2 big stock cubes

Before you cook Unripe Plantain Porridge

Wash, peel and cut up the plantain as shown.

How to cut unripe plantain

Rinse and cut the pumpkin leaves into small pieces. If you will be using frozen spinach, allow to thaw just enough to let you cut them into tiny pieces. Leave to thaw completely and squeeze out the extra water using a sieve.

Wash, cut and remove the fish intestines. Grind the crayfish and pepper.

Cooking Directions

• Put the cut plantain in a pot.
• Add the chopped onions, stock cubes, fish, ground crayfish and pepper.
• Add water to the same level as the contents of the pot.
• Cook till the contents start to boil.
• Add the red palm oil and salt to taste.
• Cover the pot and keep cooking till done.
• This is when the plantain is tender to touch.
• Add the vegetables, cover the pot and leave to simmer.

Once it has heated up, stir, turn off the heat and leave to stand for at least five minutes before serving.

Serve with chilled soft drink or fruit juice.

Read More »

Bitterleaf Soup Recipe

Bitterleaf soup is one of the most traditional soups in Nigeria. It is native to the Igbos of Eastern Nigeria.

The name is quite misleading in that a well prepared Bitterleaf Soup should not have even the slightest bitterness. This is achieved by washing and squeezing the bitter leaves (and changing the water at intervals) till all traces of bitterness has been washed off.

One will be deemed a bad cook if his/her Bitterleaf soup tastes bitter!

Ingredients

Washed and squeezed bitterleaf
A handful 10 small corms Cocoyam
3 cooking spoons Red Palm Oil

Assorted Beef: Includes best cut, shaki (cow tripe)

Assorted Fish: Dry Fish and Stock Fish Pepper
Salt and ground crayfish (to taste)
3 stock cubes 1 teaspoon Ogiri Igbo (traditional seasoning)

Notes about the ingredients:

If you are outside Nigeria, you can use dried, washed and squeezed bitter leaves but you need to first of all make the bitter leaves soft and fresh again before adding them to the soup.

If you cannot buy cocoyam corms where you live, you can use cocoyam flour. An alternative to cocoyam flour is potato flour. See how to prepare the cocoyam flour or potato flour before adding it to your soup at: How to Cook Nigerian Soups with Flour as Thickener.

Ogiri Igbo is optional, it gives Bitterleaf Soup a traditional taste.

Before you cook Bitterleaf Soup

Make sure that the bitter leaves are well washed, such that there is no trace of bitterness left. If not, wash and squeeze it more. If the bitterness cannot be completely washed off (which is usually the case with most washed bitter leaves sold in the market), boil it for about 15 minutes and wash in cold water.

How to pound cocoyam

Wash and cook the cocoyam till soft. Remove the peels and use a mortar and pestle to pound the corms to a smooth paste (as shown).

Cooking Directions

Boil the shaki (cow tripe), stock fish and dry fish in 1 litre of water till they are well done. First sign of a done shaki is that the cuts will start curling on itself.

Wash the beef and add to the pot of shaki etc. and continue cooking. When the meat is done, add 3 cubes of Maggi/Knorr and cook for 5 minutes.

How to add cocoyam to the soup

Add pepper, ground crayfish, bitter leaves (if they have not been parboiled) and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the cocoyam paste (in small lumps) and the palm oil then go to step 5.

Note: If the bitter leaves were parboiled to remove the bitterness, then for step 3; add pepper, ground crayfish, the cocoyam paste (in small lumps), the bitter leaves and the palm oil. In other words, add all the ingredients at this stage.

Cover the pot and leave to cook on high heat till all the cocoyam lumps have dissolved. You can add more water if you feel that the soup is too thick. Add salt to taste and the soup is ready Serve with Garri (Eba), Semolina Fufu, Amala, Cassava Fufu or Pounded Yam.

Read More »

Nigerian Yam Porridge

Yam Porridge can also be referred to as yam soup. It is mainly yam cooked with ingredients and the resulting dish contains some soupy liquid. It is usually not cooked with added vegetables but I always add a little to add some green colour to the meal.

Ingredients

• 1 kg (2.2 lbs) white puna yam
• Red palm Oil (to colour)
• 1 smoked fish (mackerel)
• 1 tablespoon ground crayfish
• 1 medium onion
• Fresh green vegetable (eg pumpkin, parsley, scent leaf or green amaranth)
• Habanero or Chilli Pepper & Salt (to taste)
• 2 big stock cubes

Notes about the ingredients

• Add enough red palm oil to make the meal colourful.
• You can use dry fish instead of smoked fish.

Before you cook Yam Porridge

• Peel and cut the yam tuber into medium sizes.
• Wash the yam cubes and place in a sizeable pot.
• Wash and cut the onions into tiny pieces.
• Grind or blend the chilli pepper.
• Set these aside.

If using dry fish, soak and pick the bones.

Cooking Directions

• Pour enough water to cover the yam cubes and start cooking at medium to high heat. If you are using dry fish, add it now.
• When the yams have got a good boil, add the onions, ground crayfish, pepper, stock cubes, palm oil and the smoked fish.
• Cover the pot and continue cooking till the yam is done.
• Add salt to taste and stir very well.
• Cook at high heat for about 5 minutes.
• Add the green vegetable, stir and leave to stand for about 5 minutes then serve.
• Yam porridge is usually eaten alone but you can serve it with Fried Plantain.

Read More »

Nigerian Egg Stew Recipe

Egg stew is often mistaken for Tomato Omelette. Both are not quite the same. Yes, they are both prepared with the same ingredients, just not in the same quantities. While Tomato Omelette consists mainly of eggs, Egg Stew has more of tomatoes. Also, Egg stew is not "set" like Tomato Omelette.

Egg Stew is very easy to prepare and it spices up some Nigerian staple foods.

Ingredients

• 2 Eggs
• 4 medium plum tomatoes (Tomato Jos)
• 1 medium onion
• Salt & Dry Pepper (to taste)
• 1 stock cube
• 2 cooking spoons of vegetable oil

Before you Cook the Egg Stew

• Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and cut into big slices.
• Also cut the onion into big slices (see video).
• Beat the two eggs, add a pinch of salt and set aside.

Cooking the Nigerian Egg Stew

Heat the vegetable oil in a pot, when hot, lower the heat to medium.

• Add the onions and stir for about 2 minutes.

• Add the tomatoes, stir for a bit and cover the pot. This is so that the tomatoes and onions do not dry up too quickly. Stir from time to time though.

• After about 5 minutes, add the ground pepper, salt and seasoning.

• Keep stirring till the tomato is completely soft and separated from the oil.

• Slowing pour the egg in a circular motion. Do NOT stir. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low to allow the egg to "cake". You want the egg to form lumps in the stew rather than look mushy.

• Egg stew is the best thing that ever happened to Boiled Yam and Boiled Potatoes. You can also serve it with White Rice, Fried Yam, Fried Plantain or Potatoes. And it does many things to plain sliced bread. :)

Read More »

Nigerian Tomato Stew Recipe

By Tomato Stew, I mean stew used to prepare the Nigerian Jollof Rice recipes: Jollof Rice, Coconut Rice, Rice & Beans, etc. This tomato stew also forms the base for the Nigerian Beef & Chicken Stew. I always prepare a large quantity of this tomato stew and store in my freezer. This makes cooking my Nigerian Jollof Rice, Spaghetti Surprise and other meals where I use Tomato Stew so easy.

Please note that this tomato stew does not have any seasoning and other ingredients because it is just a base. If you watch my Nigerian Jollof Rice, Nigerian Coconut Rice and my Nigerian Spaghetti Surprise videos, this is the tomato stew that I added while cooking those meals.

I get a good number of questions about what I mean by tomato stew and how I make it, that's why I made this page and the video below.

Add beef/chicken or both, thyme, curry, Knorr, salt and pepper to Tomato Stew to get the Beef & Chicken Stew used to eat boiled white rice.

Ingredients for Nigerian Tomato Stew

• 3.2kg (7lbs) fresh Plum Tomatoes (referred to as Jos Tomatoes in Nigeria, tomate pera in Spanish and pomodoro pera in Italian)
• 400g (14oz) tinned tomato paste: (or watery tinned Tomato Puree: 800g)
• Vegetable Oil: a generous quantity
• 2 onions

Important notes on the ingredients

Tomatoes: Plum tomatoes are the best for the Nigerian Tomato Stew (and other Nigerian recipes) because all the other types of tomatoes either have a very strong taste, have lots of seeds or contain lots of water. You can also use Roma Tomatoes because it is very similar to plum tomatoes.
Vegetable Oil: There's always a debate about this one. But I will insist that you need more than enough oil when frying the tomatoes. This is so that the tomatoes will not burn till all the sour taste is gone and the water has dried from the tomatoes. You will pour out the excess oil when the tomatoes are well fried. Just think about this as "sort of" deep frying the tomatoes. Not that you'll need that much oil but you get the gist.

If you don't use enough oil, your stew will have a sour taste and it will burn even if you stand there stirring frantically :( Cooking should be fun, not tedious. And why worry when you'll pour out the excess oil when you are done? In my opinion, anybody worried about his/her health should stay away from this stew because it is fried.

This oil you pour out is red hence it is perfect for cooking Egusi Soup, Okra Soup and Ogbono Soup for those who cannot buy or do not want to use palm oil.

Once it has cooled down, put it in the fridge or freezer because it will go bad if left on the kitchen counter.

Tinned tomato paste/puree: The tinned tomato paste sold in Nigeria is usually very thick and concentrated. If you try to fry this tomato paste as is, it will burn straight away. What I normally do is to add some water to it to bring it to the softer consistency.

There are other types of tomato purees sold in Europe and the rest of the world and these are usually watery. If that is the only type you can buy, then you need to cook it with the fresh tomato puree (as explained below) to get it to dry up a bit and get rid of the sour taste before frying.

One more thing; the tinned tomato paste/puree is optional. Its job is to improve the redness of the tomato stew, making it look richer and more appetizing. If you don't want to use it, replace with fresh plum tomatoes. In Nigeria, it is common to use tatashe (Nigerian big red peppers) to improve the redness of the tomato stew.

Please note that tatashe is not the same as bell peppers.

Feel free to vary the ratio of fresh plum tomatoes to conc. tomato paste. If you want the stew very red and conc. especially if you want to use it too cook Jollof Rice for a large crowd, increase the quantity of tomato paste you will use for a specific quantity of plum tomatoes.

Before you cook Tomato StewWash and blend the fresh plum tomatoes. Remember to remove the seeds unless you are sure your blender can grind them very well.If using the thick tinned tomato paste that is common in Nigeria, mix it with cold water to get a softer consistency.

If you are using the watery tinned tomato puree that is common in Europe and other parts of the world, open the tins or packets and set these aside, you'll need them soon.Cut the onions into small pieces.

Cooking Directions

• Pour the fresh tomato blend into a pot and cook at high heat till almost all the water has dried. If you have the watery tinned/boxed tomato puree, add these to the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook till the water in the tomato puree have dried as much as possible.

• Add the vegetable oil, the chopped onions and the thick tomato puree that you mixed in step 2 above (if it's the puree you are using). Stir very well.

• Fry at very low heat and stir at short intervals till the oil has completely separated from the tomato puree. A well fried tomato puree will also have streaks of oil, unlike when you first added the oil and it was a smooth mix of the tomato puree and oil.

• Taste the fried tomato puree to make sure that the raw tomato taste is gone. With time and experience, you can even tell that the tomato puree is well fried from the aroma alone.

If you are happy with the taste and you are sure that all the water has dried as much as possible, pour out the excess vegetable oil, then add the well fried tomato stew to your cooking.

• If you are not using it immediately, leave to cool down, dish in containers and store in the freezer.

• To use, bring out from the freezer and allow to defrost at room temperature and use in your Nigerian Jollof Rice, Nigerian Coconut Rice, Nigerian Rice & Beans, Spaghetti Surprise.

• Add pepper, seasoning, chicken, beef, fish, turkey etc to get the Nigerian Beef & Chicken Stew used for eating Nigerian Boiled White Rice and other Nigerian staple food.

Read More »

Nigerian Jollof Rice Recipe

The Nigerian rice recipe discussed here is the classic Nigerian Jollof Rice prepared at parties. This is the most popular Nigerian rice recipe. This is why you will always see it in parties. It is quite easy to prepare if you follow the simple steps.

Ingredients

• 3 cigar cups | 750g long grain parboiled rice
• Tomato Stew 500 mls
• Chicken (whole chicken, drumsticks or chicken breast)
• Pepper and salt (to taste)
• 2 medium onions
• 3 Knorr cubes
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 2 teaspoons curry powder (Nigerian curry powder)

Before you cook Jollof Rice, Prepare the tomato stew.
Visit the Tomato Stew page for details on how to do that.

It is advisable to prepare tomato stew before hand and keep in the freezer. This is so that whenever you want to cook any jollof rice related dish, it is just a matter of adding it to your cooking.

If you will use whole chicken then wash and cut it into pieces. Cook with the thyme, Knorr cubes and 2 bulbs of onions (chopped). The cooking time depends on the type of chicken. The rooster or cockerel cooks much faster than the hen but the hen is definitely tastier. When done, grill it in an oven. You may also fry it. This is to give it a golden look which is more presentable especially if you have guests for dinner.

Parboil the rice using the method detailed in parboiling rice for cooking jollof rice. Rinse the parboiled rice and put in a sieve to drain.

Cooking Directions

• Pour the chicken stock and the tomato stew into a sizeable pot and leave to boil.
• Add the drained parboiled rice, curry powder, salt and pepper to taste. The water level should be the same level of the rice. This is to ensure that all the water dries up by the time the rice is cooked.
• Cover the pot and leave to cook on low to medium heat. This way the rice does not burn before the water dries up.

If you parboiled the rice as described

• At parboiling rice for cooking jollof rice, the rice should be done by the time the water is dry. Taste to confirm.
• If not, you will need to add more water and reduce the heat to prevent burning.
• Keep cooking till done.

Serve with Fried Plantain, Nigerian Moi Moi, Nigerian Salad or Coleslaw.
You can spice up this recipe by adding 2 well known vegetables to arrive at what we refer to as Mixed Vegetables Jollof Rice.

Read More »

Boiled Yam Recipes

Boiled Yam is an easy and fast yam recipe. If you can boil egg, then preparing this recipe is no big deal. It is prepared without any added ingredients thereby leaving you with a wide range of sauces and stews to eat it with.

Boiled yam can be eaten with Garden Egg Stew (the best combo), Beef and Chicken Stew, Corned Beef Stew, Pepper Sauce, Egg Stew, Fried Egg or Tomato Omelette.

Ingredients

• White puna yam: as much as you can eat.
• Salt to taste (Optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Cut the yam tuber into 1 inch slices.
2. Peel and cut the slices into half moons. You can leave it circular if you want. This does not make a difference to the recipe at all.
3. Wash the slices, place in a pot and pour water to cover the contents.
4. Boil till the yam is soft. This is when you can easily drive a fork into the slices without resistance.
5. Add salt and leave to cook for about 2 minutes. This is so that the salt will seep into the yam slices.
6. Turn off the heat and drain the water.

Serve with Garden Egg Stew (the best combo), Beef and Chicken Stew, Corned Beef Stew, Pepper Sauce, Egg Stew, Fried Egg or Tomato Omelette.

Read More »

Nigerian Banga Soup Recipe, Ofe Akwu

Nigerian Banga Soup or Ofe Akwu is native to the Niger Delta and the South Eastern parts of Nigeria. In the Niger Delta areas, Banga soup is commonly eaten with various fufu recipes: Starch, Pounded Yam, Semolina, Garri and Cassava Fufu. In the South Eastern parts of Nigeria, Banga Soup is referred to as Ofe Akwu where Ofe means Soup / Stew and Akwu means palm fruit and is used mainly as stew for Boiled White Rice.

The palm fruit oil extract used in cooking Banga Soup / Stew is quite different from the red palm oil used in cooking Nigerian food recipes. Palm Oil is pure oil extracted from the palm fruit pulp at high temperatures while the palm fruit oil extract used for the Banga Soup is extracted at a very low temperature and is a mixture of oil and water. Palm fruit oil extracted for Banga Soup contains less saturated fat than palm oils.

Ingredients For Banga Soup

• 1 kg Palm Fruits or 800g tinned Palm Fruit Concentrate
• Beef
• Dry Fish
• Vegetable: Scent Leaves for Ofe Akwu or dried and crushed bitterleaves for Delta-style Banga Soup
• 2 medium onions
• 2 tablespoons ground crayfish
• Salt and Chilli Pepper (to taste)
• Ogiri Okpei (Iru)
• 1-2 big stock cubes

Preparations Before You Start Cooking Nigerian Banga Soup

• Extract the palm fruit concentrate from the palm fruits. If using the tinned palm fruit concentrate, open the tin and set aside.
• Cook the beef and the dry fish with 1 bulb of diced onion and the stock cubes till done.

• Wash and cut the scent leaves into tiny pieces. The scent leaves give the Banga Stew (Ofe Akwu) its unique aroma and taste.
• If you are outside Nigeria, this may be hard to find, so you can use pumpkin leaves or any other vegetable in place of scent leaves.
• If cooking Delta-style Banga Soup for starch, you should either cook this soup without vegetables or use dried and crushed bitter leaves.
• Cut the remaining bulb of onion.
• Pound the crayfish, ogiri okpei and pepper in a mortar and set aside.
• You can also grind them with a dry mill.

Cooking Directions

• Set the pot of palm fruit extract on the stove and start cooking at high heat.
• Leave to boil till you notice come red oil at the surface of the Banga Stew.
• If you think that the Banga Soup is watery, cook till the soup has thickened to the consistency you like for your stews.
• Now, add the beef, dry fish and stock, the onions, crayfish and pepper and leave to boil very well.
• Add the scent leaves or other vegetable and salt to taste.
• Leave to simmer for about 2 mins.
• The Banga Soup is done.

Serve with White Rice or use the Delta-style Banga Soup to eat Starch, Garri, Semolina, Amala or Pounded Yam.

Cooking Directions for those using tinned palm fruit concentrate When the beef and fish are well done, add the palm fruit concentrate and add water to get the consistency you like for your stews. Leave to boil very well.

• Add the onions, crayfish, pepper and ogiri blend and let it boil very well.
• Add the scent leaves or other vegetable and salt to taste. Leave to simmer for about 2 mins.
• The Banga Soup is done.
• If you used bitter leaves to prepare it, serve with Nigerian fufu meals especially Starch.
• If you used scent leaves to prepare it, serve with boiled white rice.

Read More »

Nigerian Afang Soup Recipe

The Nigerian Afang Soup, like the Edikang Ikong soup, is native to the Efiks, people of Akwa Ibom and Cross River states of Nigeria but enjoyed by all Nigerians. It is also very nutritious as the soup consists mainly of vegetables. Afang Soup is prepared with a generous quantity of Water leaves and the wild herbal Okazi leaves.

The Nigerian Afang Soup should not be confused with the Okazi Soup native to the people of Imo and Abia States of Nigeria. While Afang soup is prepared with basically vegetables, Okazi Soup is simply the Nigerian Egusi Soup cooked with thinly sliced Okazi leaves.

Ingredients for Afang Soup

• 400g sliced Okazi/Afang leaves - about 4 handfuls
• 250g Water leaves
• 20 to 25 cl red palm oil (about 1 drink glass)
• Beef
• Kanda and Dry fish
• 2 tablespoons ground crayfish
• Pepper and salt (to taste)
• 2 stock cubes

The Ingredients

• Great alternative to water leaves is Lamb's Lettuce, known as Canonigos in Spanish.
• Yes, you need that much palm oil. :)
• Before you cook the Nigerian Afang SoupWash, drain and slice the water leaves into tiny pieces.
• Grind or pound the sliced Okazi leaves. In Nigerian markets, the sellers of these sliced Okazi leaves have a machine for grinding it. You • can also grind it with your blender with a small quantity of water.
• Grind your pepper and crayfish and cut the onions into tiny pieces.

Cooking Directions

• Boil the beef and Kanda with the diced onions and stock cubes in a very small quantity of water.
• When done, add the dry fish and cook for about 5 more minutes.
• Now add the palm oil, crayfish and pepper. Once it starts boiling, add the afang (okazi) leaves, water leaves and periwinkle.
• When the okazi leaves have softened and the water has dried up a bit, add salt to taste and leave to simmer for about 5 minutes.
• The Afang soup is ready!

Serve with Garri (Eba), Semolina Fufu, Amala, Cassava Fufu or Pounded Yam.

Read More »

Nigerian Beans Porridge Recipe

Beans known as Ewa to the Yorubas are unpopular staple foods because it is associated with bloating, flatulence and indigestion. Most people have one reason or the other why they do not eat beans. Yet, it is advisable to to have beans in the family menu especially when you have young children in the family.

The cooking method detailed here will help eliminate the problems associated with beans. You can learn more about how you can prevent the problems associated with eating beans at: How to Reduce Beans Bloating.

Ingredients

3 cigar cups (approx. 750g) brown/black eyed beans
Red palm oil (enough to colour)
1 medium onion Pepper & Salt (to taste)
1 big stock cube 500g
Yam/Plantain/Sweet Potatoes/Baby Corn (Optional)
You can also add crayfish if you want but I prefer not to add it because it makes the beans have an over-seasoned taste.

Before you cook Beans Porridge Soak the beans in cold water for 5 hours. Boil the beans for 5 minutes and discard the water. Wash the beans in cold water and set aside. This soaking and pre-cooking process will help reduce the gas inducing elements. Chop the onions, grind the crayfish (if you are using it) and pepper. If you will use yam/plantain/sweet potatoes, wash, peel and cut them into 1 inch cubes and set aside. If you will use baby corn, drain the preservation liquid, rinse and set aside.

Cooking Directions

Put the beans in a pot and pour water up to the level of the beans and start cooking.

Note: If you have a pressure cooker, beans is one of the staple foods you will want to use it for. It reduces the cooking time considerably.

Cook till tender, adding more water from time to time, if necessary. Always keep the water at the same level as the beans so that when the beans is done, you will not have too much water in the porridge. When the beans porridge is soft, add the onions, crayfish (if using it), pepper and seasoning. Add the red palm oil, salt to taste and cook for more 5 minutes on medium heat.

Note:To get the most out of beans, it is best to cook it with one of the following: sweet yam, ripe/unripe plantain, sweet potatoes or baby corn. If you will add any of these, this is when to do so. Then instead of cooking for 5 minutes, cook till the added yam / plantain / potatoes is done. The baby corn should be added when you turn off the heat in step 5.

Turn off the heat, add the baby corn (if you have chosen to use it), leave to stand for 5 minutes and turn the porridge with a wooden spoon.The beans porridge is ready. If you cooked the beans porridge without any of the additions, serve with Fried Plantain, Fried Yam or fried sweet potatoes.

Read More »

Nigerian Fried Rice Recipe

Nigerian Fried Rice must be the best thing that happened to birthday parties, weddings, street parties, picnics, special events and occasions.
It is so easy to prepare that you can even cook it every weekend in your own home. Eat the Nigerian Fried Rice recipe with Moi Moi, Nigerian Salad or Coleslaw and you will feel like you are in paradise island. Are you ready to go on the Nigerian fried rice cooking spree?

Ingredients

• 3 cigar cups / 750g long grain parboiled rice
• Vegetable Oil
• Chicken (whole chicken or chicken drumsticks)
• 100g cow liver
• 1 tablespoon plain yellow curry powder (NOT Indian Curry)
• 1 handful green beans 5 medium carrots Salt (to taste)
• 3 medium onions 3 stock cubes 1 tablespoon thyme

Note: I do not use woks because it is a lot of work taking care of them. If the carbon steel is not rusting, the bamboo handles are coming apart so I prefer my frying pans for fried rice. :)

Before you cook the Fried Rice

• Cut the vegetables.
• Wash all the vegetables to be used in cooking the fried rice.
• Scrape and cut the carrots into tiny cubes.
• Cut the green beans into small pieces of about 0.7cm long.
• Soak these 2 vegetables separately in hot water for about 5 minutes and drain.
• Cut 1 bulb of onion.
• Set all these aside.

Prepare the liver and chicken

• Cook the cow liver till done and cut into tiny pieces. To save time and energy, you can cook the liver with the chicken as I did in the video below.
• Cut the whole chicken into pieces and cook with the Knorr cubes, thyme and 2 bulbs of onions (chopped).
• When done, grill in an oven or deepfry with vegetable oil. This gives it a golden look which is more presentable especially when you are entertaining guests.

Cooking Directions 

Parboil the rice using the method detailed in parboiling rice for cooking fried rice. A well parboiled rice ensures that the grains of the rice will not stick together when the rice is done. Rinse the parboiled rice with cold water and put in a sieve so all the water drains out.

Pour the chicken stock into a sieve to remove all traces of onions, thyme etc used in cooking the chicken. Pour the stock into a pot and set to boil. Once the water boils, add the parboiled rice. Also, add 1 tablespoon of plain yellow curry powder, then add salt to taste. The plain yellow curry powder is merely for colouring so should not contain chilli. The water level should be slightly less than the level of the rice; at most it should be at the same level as the rice. This is to ensure that all the water dries up by the time the rice is cooked and that the rice is not over cooked. This is the quantity of water that will cook the rice and the grains will not stick together. Stir the contents; cover the pot and leave to cook on medium heat. This way the rice does not burn before the water dries up.

Once the water has dried up, the rice should be cooked perfectly. Perfect fried rice is one that the grains are separated from one another, resistant to the bite but not hard.

Now, transfer the rice to a casserole dish or another pot to help cool it down quickly. Again, this is essential to keep the grains from sticking to each other. If left in the original hot pot, the rice will continue to cook and eventually stick together.

At this point, it is advisable to divide the vegetables into say 4, 5 or even 6 equal parts. The rice will be fried in batches so this number depends on the quantity of rice you can comfortably fry in the pan or pot. Also, divide the cooked rice and the diced cow liver into the same number of equal parts. Now pour a small amount of vegetable oil into a frying pan. This quantity of oil should be such that it would be absorbed by 1 part of the cooked rice and 1 part each of the vegetables. When the oil is hot, add 1 part of diced onions and stir for 10 seconds, followed by 1 part of diced cow liver, one part each of the diced vegetables, then 1 part of cooked rice.

Add more salt if necessary. More curry powder may also be added at this stage if you need to touch up on the colour. Stir till all the ingredients have mixed well and transfer to a dry pot. Repeat this for the remaining batches of the ingredients.

The fried rice is ready. Serve with fried chicken. You can add coleslaw, Moi Moi or Nigerian salad.

Important: 

Nigerian Fried Rice can go bad very quickly. You can avoid this by spreading it to cool it then refrigerate immediately. Otherwise, eat it once you finish preparing it. If you want to serve it at a party, please cook it very close to the serving time, if not, it will go bad! If refrigerated, it can last for 48 hours without loosing its taste.

Read More »

Fried Yam Recipe

Ingredients

• White puna yam: as much as you can eat.
• Vegetable Oil
• Salt to taste 

Directions

1. Peel and cut the yam tuber into 1 inch cylindrical discs. Make several cuts across the discs to get large chips. Wash the yam chips and place in a bowl.

2. Add a little salt and toss the contents to distribute the salt.

3. If you are using a deep fryer, pour enough vegetable oil into the fryer as per the instructions manual and preheat the oil to 170°C. You can also use a pot to fry the yam chips. It is preferable to use a pot rather than a frying pan for this fried yam recipe because pots provide more depth for the frying process.

4. When the oil is heated, add a few yam chips, leaving enough room for flipping the chips.

5. Stir the chips till they have turned golden.

6. Remove the chips and place in paper towels to absorb the oil.

7. Fry the rest of the chips following steps 4 through 6.

Ways to serve Fried Yam

For breakfast, serve with:

1. Akamu, Pap or Ogi Meal
2. Custard Meal
3. Tomato Omelette

For brunch or as a light meal, serve with:

1. Beef & Chicken Stew (Nigerian Red Stew)
2. Egg Stew
3. Corned Beef Stew
4. Garden Egg Stew
5. Chilled soft drink

Read More »