Naija Cookbook

Semolina Cake and Bread

2015-04-04T10:31:00.001+01:00

So I have been struggling to make bread from scratch for over a week now. My first trial didn't work out - very dry. Second can only be termed as 'rock cake'. But this third time, I got it right!
You see, I'm a firm believer in using what you have available to achieve what you want, rather than going out to buy things every time I discover a new recipe.
I wanted to make bread at home, but didn't have yeast, so I dug out my Baking soda and Apple Cider Vinegar as yeast substitutes - turns out I can substitute half the measurements of lemon juice with ACV. I also was not sure there would be electricity to power my oven, so I researched alternative methods of baking bread, and found out you could use the pressure cooker, and even the rice cooker to 'bake' bread!

Anyway, my first try was the pressure cooker bread recipe here, but that didn't work out. The second one was the stove top bread here, and that came out as a rock. Then I realized that the bread flour I was using is over seven months old. Even as a flour, it tasted sort of funny. It made me feel less of a failure, I picked myself up and looked into my kitchen again. I had semolina flour! Maybe there was a recipe that used that instead? Turns out there are several! But I was limited to what I actually had in the kitchen. Then I found this recipe by chinmayie for Steamed Pineapple Semolina Cake via Yummly. Awesome!

By the way, if you have not signed up for Yummly, you are missing a lot - the site let's you search according to my style, using the ingredients you actually have. You can also remove the ones you do not actually have. By the time you are done, only the recipes that you can use are left!

So through Yummly, I found an eggless, dairy free cake, bread recipe to use. The recipe just fit my situation perfectly - I couldn't rely on the oven due to epileptic power supply and the recipe uses steaming; I had coconut milk, baking soda, and sugar. I did not have fresh ginger, or green pineapples though, but I decided to improvise. If I learnt anything from Dooney's Kitchen, is the fact that 'improvising' can lead you to brand new creations. Here is my version, without the pineapple and ginger:

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 Cup [for bread] OR 1 Cup [for cake] Semolina flour
3/4 Cup [for bread] OR 1 Cup [for cake] Coconut Milk
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 Cup or less [for bread] OR 1/2 Cup or less [for cake] Sugar (I used brown sugar but white is alright as well)

PROCEDURE

Step 1: Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.

Step 2: Pour into a greased pan.

Step 3: Steam it for about 20 - 30 minutes, until a toothpick will go through and come out clean. Make sure you wrap the pot lid in a kitchen towel, to catch the condensation during steaming, and prevent it from dropping into your pan. Let it cool completely before serving.

That's it! Feel free to make it your own - add ginger, cardamom, even basil [efinrin] to give it some spice and edge. Enjoy!

Happy Easter everyone!

Tiger nuts part three: How to make Tiger nut cookies

2014-12-31T06:00:00.000+01:00

Happy New Year Everyone!
After making nutritious Tiger nut milk several times using this method and this method for big batches, I looked at the pulp and thought, What do I do with these? I was definitely not going to throw it away! ZeroNever made candies with hers, but that meant adding sugar. Not an option for me. So I resorted to making this 2-ingredient cookies by The Burlap Bag, but substituting oats with the tigernut pulp.

INGREDIENTS

Tiger nut pulp, about 150g. If very wet, dry using an oven to make into a pulp or drier, according to your preference.
Ripe Bananas, 2 or 3 sticks.
Greased cookie sheet.
Oven.

PROCEDURE

STEP 1: Preheat oven to 180C for 40 minutes.

STEP 2: Mash up the bananas in a bowl. Add the Tiger nut pulp and mix away. You are aiming for a thick consistency like thick porridge, not too runny but not dry either.

STEP 3: Drop in chunks on the cookie sheet, leave adequate spacing between each chunk.

STEP 4: Place in the preheated oven and bake for at least 15 minutes, at 180C.

STEP 5: Wait until cool before eating. They should be solid enough to keep in a cookie jar for later consumption.

You can add other addins e.g. chocolate chips, and walnut bits or groundnut bits, but do not add too much so the consistency can be meshed enough to solidify into one chunk.

Happy munching! Once again, Happy New Year and a Prosperous Healthy 2015 to you all!

Tiger nuts part two: How to make Tiger nut milk

2014-12-25T06:00:00.000+01:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Here is my preferred method of making Tiger nut milk as a Christmas present to everyone!
After making Tiger nuts milk with this method, I began to think about how to make a big batch and reduce the stress every time I wanted the family to have some. Here are my discoveries:

I found out that the longer it soaked the better the milk quality.
I also found out that limiting the additions to just one every time, gave me variety, and also a better taste. So each time, I made the milk, I would use either cinnamon, or coconut or cardamom for flavor.
I used ginger every time because the family liked the twang it added to the flavour.
I also discovered that I could add it as milk to the baby's food. Awesome!

Did you know that the Tiger nut milk drink is what the Hausas call Kunnu Ayya? And every maker has her own secret recipe for making it awesome and different. I'm sharing mine for those mums at home that hardly go out, like me.

Tiger nuts = Ofio in Yoruba = Aya in Hausa = Aki Awusa in Igbo.

INGREDIENTS

Tiger nuts, three (3) cups. [I used tin cups made from Peak milk tins. You can use any measurement cup, as long as its not too large.]
A stick of cinnamon [optional]
Coconut flesh [optional]
2 or 3 Cardamom pods [optional]
Small clove of ginger, washed and cut into smaller pieces [optional]
Water for soaking, and water for blending. Some measurements use up to 2.5 litres of water.
Cheese cloth OR cloth-sieve OR Cut up pantyhose OR nut-milk bag, for sieving.

PROCEDURE: Method 2
STEP 1: Wash the tiger nuts to remove dust, sediment and the occasional stones in it. Soak the tiger nuts and the cinnamon stick, for a long period, preferably overnight. Some people soak for three days, but overnight is enough to soften the nuts.

STEP 2: Remove all the ingredients i.e. tiger nuts, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, coconut flesh, and ginger, from water. Grind them dry with your dry mill blender. Grind into as smooth a powder as possible, using a strong blender [at least 450W], or the local mill. If you are using the local mill, make sure its not the machine they use for pepper. Ask for the one they use for grinding corn and millet.

STEP 3: Pour the semi-dry powder into a container with a tight lid, and store in the fridge. Every time you want to make the drink you will need to prepare it hours earlier.

STEP 4: Scoop some into a container, add a small quantity of hot water and let it soak for at least one hour. Sieve out the milk. Pour the chaff into a bowl and pour a small amount of hot water over it. Let it soak for up to 45 minutes and sieve again. This is done to get the most milk out of the chaff.

STEP 4: Pour the extracted milk into a bottle and refrigerate. If you want to keep for longer, please put in the freezer, and bring out hours before you need to drink it, so it can thaw naturally.

STEP 5: Shake the bottle before serving. Serve chilled, preferably with ice.

Making a batch is now easier - all you have to do is scoop some of your already prepared semi-dry Tigernut mix into a bowl!

Now all the chaff was just sitting there looking at me, everytime I made a batch. I know there is still something to gain from them, so I went to my Research Assistant, Google, again, for help. Will soon share what I found, and tried.

Tiger nuts part one: How to make Tiger nut milk

2014-12-23T16:46:00.000+01:00

Yes yes, I know I 'went off' again. Apologies.
But I have sooo much to share!
I recently discovered Tiger nut. No its not a scientific discovery. Making soy milk is always sort of combersome for me, then Vicky came home from work with a small bottle of tigernut milk. Tasted absolutely heavenly! Google gave me several recipes and you will read what I have been able to come up with soon.
Firstly what is Tiger nut?
Its a teeny weeny tuber crop, that is generally considered as a vegetable. Each nut is full of fiber, healthy fats, proteins, carbohydrates, a little bit of naturally occuring sugars, and loads of prebiotics, which is the food for probiotics. According to Wikipedia:
Uses
Dried tiger nut has a smooth tender, sweet and nutty taste. It can be consumed raw, roasted, dried, baked or as tiger nut milk or oil.

Use as food
The tubers are edible, with a slightly sweet, nutty flavour, compared to the more bitter-tasting tuber of the related Cyperus rotundus (purple nutsedge). They are quite hard and are generally soaked in water before they can be eaten, thus making them much softer and giving them a better texture. They are a popular snack in West Africa...

They have various uses; in particular, they are used in Spain to make horchata. “Horchata” is a nonalcoholic beverage of milky appearance derived from the tubers of the tiger nut plant mixed with sugar and water. It has a great economic impact in the Valencian region of Spain.

Flour of roasted tiger nut is sometimes added to biscuits and other bakery products as well as in making oil, soap, and starch extracts. It is also used for the production of nougat, jam, beer, and as a flavoring agent in ice cream and in the preparation of kunnu (a local beverage in Nigeria). Kunnu is a nonalcoholic beverage prepared mainly from cereals (such as millet or sorghum) by heating and mixing with spices (dandelion, alligator pepper, ginger, licorice) and sugar. To make up for the poor nutritional value of kunnu prepared from cereals, tiger nut was found to be a good substitute for cereal grains. Tiger nut oil can be used naturally with salads or for deep frying. It is considered to be a high quality oil. Tiger nut “milk” has been tried as an alternative source of milk in fermented products, such as yogurt production, and other fermented products common in some African countries and can thus be useful replacing milk in the diet of people intolerant to lactose to a certain extent.

The Nigerian Tiger nut milk is sooo different from the Spanish Horchata. I was initially dismayed when I read the Horchata recipes online and saw sugar, because I am trying so hard to avoid any processed sugar in my diet. I saw recipies by a Nairaland author, a reknown food author, Nourished Kitchen, and finally when I saw this one by ZeroNever, I was happy. ZeroNever's recipe had no sugar in it.
Since I did not have all the ingredients she used, I made use of what I had on hand, and it turned out great.

Tiger nuts = Ofio in Yoruba = Aya in Hausa = Aki Awusa in Igbo.

INGREDIENTS

- Tiger nuts, three (3) cups. [I used tin cups made from Peak milk tins. You can use any measurement cup, as long as its not too large.]
- A stick of cinnamon [optional]
- A small clove of ginger [optional]
- Coconut flesh [optional]
- 2 or 3 Cardamom pods [optional]
- Small clove of ginger, washed and cut into smaller pieces [optional]
- Water for soaking, and water for blending. Some measurements use up to 2.5 litres of water.
- Cheese cloth OR cloth-sieve OR Cut up pantyhose OR nut-milk bag, for sieving.

PROCEDURE: Method 1

STEP 1: Wash the tiger nuts to remove dust, sediment and the occasional stones in it. Soak the tiger nuts and the cinnamon stick, for a long period, preferably overnight. Some people soak for three days, but overnight is enough to soften the nuts.

STEP 2: Grind the tiger nuts and the other optional ingredients i.e. cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, coconut flesh, and ginger, into a smooth paste, using a strong blender [at least 450W], or the local mill. If you are using the local mill, make sure its not the machine they use for pepper. Ask for the one they use for grinding corn and millet.

STEP 3: Sieve out the milk. If you used a blender, pour the dry chaff back into the blender, add little water and blend again. Sieve a second time. If you used the local mill, pour the chaff into a bowl and pour a small amount of hot water over it. Let it soak for up to 45 minutes and sieve again. This is done to get the most milk out of the chaff.

STEP 4: Pour the extracted milk into a bottle and refrigerate. If you want to keep for longer, please put in the freezer, and bring out hours before you need to drink it, so it can thaw naturally.

STEP 5: Shake the bottle before serving. Serve chilled, preferably with ice.

Return of Daydah

2014-07-10T18:06:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone! I know its been ages since I updated this blog, and I apologize. I am back and better, with lots of tried and tested recipes to share!
First let me tell you what I made today.

I made pounded yam with my blender.

Yes, you read right. With my ordinary 350W Philips blender. Twice.
I experimented with the stump part of the yam tuber. Sent hubby the picture at work, and he ran home straight. So I had to make another batch for him.
It was absolutely heavenly - no difference in texture, smell, look, to the one made inside the mortar.

I got the how-to at Dooney's Kitchen - her food blog is sooo fabulous! Makes you want to cook forever!
All my Naija peeps, go check out her method of making pounded yam with blender or even food processor now now!
Have fun!
And get ready for Daydah's return - I will be posting other homemade recipes as well, not just food. Anything I can make in my kitchen is coming up on this blog!

Stay tuned!

Nigerian Cuisine Exposure

2011-01-20T10:26:00.000+01:00

Nigerian cuisine seems to be going into extinction - well its a gradual process, because we don't realize how rich our country's culture is in terms of food. There are soo many tribes with so many dishes with so many alternative ways to make them, its amazing! Every adult that got the chance to travel around during the '70s and the '80s enjoyed some of these varieties and I am sure will be lamenting this extinction.
This is one of the major reasons I took to sharing Nigerian recipes via this blog, to try to keep the memory alive!
I noticed some other people share this reality - On NigeriansTalk, the Blogger took the time to compile all the notable mentions of food in our Beloved Blogosphere. Our favourite, Alhaji's Groove, got a mention, as well as our African Weight Loss Favourite.

Please go over and read it all up!

Jib's Kebabs

2010-10-24T11:43:00.000+01:00

Recently it was my birthday and I wondered what I could possibly prepare that would be different from the traditional jollof rice and chicken, when I suddenly had an Eureka moment - why not make beef kebabs and Vicky's hybrid salad for the few guests coming? So I went to the market and came back loaded the day before.

The thing about it is that you can make it in such a way that even those abstaining from pepper [ulcer patients and the likes] can still eat it without fear. I had to come up with that formula because one of my guests, an Italian, did not eat anything pepperish at all - he always ran in the other direction every time he was offered Nigerian food because through experience he'd learnt that even when they assure him that there's no pepper, he always found out that his definition of 'no pepper' was different from theirs.

Anyway, this isn't the conventional method for making kebabs, but I find this the better way [for me] because
1. The beef is actually cooked - doesn't lessen the appeal, but makes it healthier to consume.
2. I found a substitute for that peppery taste I love without compromising. Everyone was happy!

Ingredients:
Green pepper, cubed strips
Red bell pepper [tatase], cubed strips
Onions , cubed strips, and some in slices for the frying
Tomatoes, hard ones, sliced
Beef, large cubes [boiled in thyme, curry and diced ginger]
Ginger, grated [plenty of it]
Kebab sticks [i used the disposable ones]
Spices [maggi, thyme, curry, salt]
Tomato paste
Vegetable Oil

Procedure:
Step 1: Drain the boiled beef of its stock and refrigerate. Sprinkle all the sauces you want to add [please do not put pepper unless you are sure all your guests wont mind] at the bottom of a large bowl. Place the beef, green pepper, grated ginger and red pepper in the bowl, tossing it all around every now and then to get the sauce around each piece. Refrigerate the mixture for at least two hours - this will help ensure the spices are absorbed into the mixture.

Step 2: Place a large frying pan on medium heat. Add oil, then salt after the oil has heated up. Add the onion slices and stir. Add the tomato paste just before the onion slices get too brown [this allows the onion flavor to be absorbed by the oil]. Remember that the paste is supposed to be just enough to coat the mixture and make it reddish - not a stew, just a coating. Add the beef stock [from the boiled beef] until the paste is less thick and allow to cook.

Step 3: Soak the kebab sticks in water. It is preferable to cut up the tomatoes and the remaining onions while the rest of the cooking is going on to ensure their freshness. After cutting them up, set aside in a bowl.

Step 4: Bring out the bowl mixture. Toss the contents again and again. Put the mixture into the hot cooking tomato paste, reduce to low heat and start stirring. cook this way for about 5 to 8 minutes [make sure the peppers are not wilted looking], set down. Wait for the mixture to cool down - it should look colorful already.

Step 5: Start putting the items on the kebab stick - alternate, using the beef as dividers. I used this sequence - onion cube, beef, green pepper cube, red pepper cube, tomato slice, onion cube beef...and so on.

Step 6: Place the kebabs on a tray and they are ready to eat! Serve them with Salad or Rice!

Vicky's hybrid salad

2010-10-24T11:39:00.000+01:00

Well, I have recently been entertaining guests almost every weekend since after the wedding, and apart from fried rice, I serve goat meat peppersoup, but recently my husband came up with a fantastic salad he calls 'Vicky's hybrid salad'. Its so easy to make - you need about five ingredients only!

The fruit in it adds another flavor, and the nutrients packed into the fresh veggies are amazing! Some folks even add grated ginger, giving it the peppery effect!

Ingredients
Carrots
Lettuce
Cabbage
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Onions [optional]
Banana, like half a bunch
Salad tray

Procedure
Step 1: Rinse the Carrots, Lettuce and Cucumber. Soak all in salty water to kill any germs.

Step 2: Grate the carrots. Put into a bowl. Peel the bananas. Sliced thinly. Put into another bowl.

Step 3: Slice the cucumber with the skin on preferably [the nutritionists say there's a lot of nutrients we throw away when we skin them]. Put in another bowl.

Step 4: Shred the lettuce by hand into small pieces. Put into yet another bowl.

Step 5: If you want the tomatoes very visible in the salad, then slice them, otherwise dice them. Put into another bowl. If you included onions, follow the same pattern as for the tomatoes and put in another bowl.

Step 6: Cut the cabbage lengthwise - hold the whole ball of cabbage, and, using a sharp knife, cut it lengthwise into thin strips. the cutting direction will go through all the layers in the cabbage ball and give you a thin slice each time.

Step 7: By now you should have at least five different bowls. Get your tray and arrange the ingredients layer by layer. cover and chill.

This salad is best served with Dolly Ketchup - I know I may be promoting a particular brand, but believe me, Heinz does NOT make the cut for this salad. We have tried it and even our guests leave with the ketchup name each time because its different - one guest left with our remaining ketchup!
If you can't find that, the key is to look for a ketchup that has more stuff in it than ordinary Heinz [sorry Heinz!]. We have not tried it with mayonnaise or salad cream [because in my opinion those will remove the focus from the salad itself in terms of taste], but vignagrette is also an option that's healthy and safe.

Feel free to add other fruits in your area, or that you prefer.

Goatmeat Peppersoup

2010-10-24T11:36:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone! I know its been a long while and I apologize for the break in transmission. I promised myself that I would add to this food blog more often this year, so here I am!

The recipe today is goatmeat peppersoup. Actually this is the quick version, for those of you, like me, that have had to deal with lots of hungry guests with little or no time! And they want FOOD, not snacks, so here goes.

Ingredients
Goat meat [of course]
Ginger, shredded/grated
Spices - thyme, curry, salt, maggi, powder pepper/chilli
Onions, diced
Red pepper [tatase], diced
Yam, cut into long strips, like large-size pot

Procedure

Step 1: Rinse the meat, carefully washing off any 'attachments' [e.g. wood chips from the butcher's board]. Put in a large pot, add all your spices, and the yam strips. Add plenty of water.

Step 2: Place on medium heat and allow to boil. When the meat is almost tender, add the onions and the pepper, stir and allow to soften.

Step 3: By the time the meat is tender and edible, the yam should be very soft. Open the pot to allow some of the water to evaporate. Stir, and break some of the yam strips into smaller pieces.

Step 4: Serve in soup bowls. Its a fantastic prequel to Jollof or fried rice!

Soy Milk Drink

2009-08-05T19:52:00.000+01:00

Recently a friend of mine asked me for my Soy milk recipe, and I spent quite a while trying to conpress it into 3 text messages and still remain clear, then I thought - I could have sent her a link to the recipe right here on Naija Cook Book! Then I realized its not here yet! So here goes:

Soy Milk is an extract from Soy beans [or soyabeans]. It is rich in lots of vitamins and is a veritable source for protein. There are several other uses, for the bean - you can cook it, extract the milk, or even mash it and use as egusi [which is used in soups in Nigeria].

Taking the milk regularly guarantees fresh youthful skin, a healthier diet among other things. My younger brother was born when the currency was changed from shilling to naira, so my parents had money in the bank but no cash to spend so we had to make do with what we had in the farm. I was fed imported milk as a baby - due to the circumstances my brother was fed soymilk. Two decades later he's over 6ft 3ins tall and seldom falls ill while I'm weak most of the month.

No one needs to tell me to feed my babies with soymilk when they come along!

To make the milk is soooo easy!

Ingredients:
Soy beans
Hot water
A sieve - tiny mesh, almost as small as the one for sieving flour
A blender
A ladle
Sugar

Procedure:

Step 1: Pour the beans into a bowl after picking. Pour boiling hot water over it. [Some prefer to soak the beans overnight because of its hard skin, but hot water is just as effective]

Step 2: Leave the beans to soak in the hot water for an hour and a half. While soaking, wash the sieve selected to ensure clean hygiene. Get the blender ready.

Step 3: Check the beans periodically, until the skin becomes extremely soft and removable. When it reaches this condition, remove the skin from the beans by rubbing between your hands in cool water.

Step 4: Fill the bowl periodically with water, until the peeled skin rises above the beans, and sieve the skins out. To conserve water (we have to be green, right?), sieve the skins but pour water into another bowl while sieving. Pour the water back into the bowl with the beans.

Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 until 99.99% of the skins have been peeled and sieved out.

Step 6: Pour the beans into the blender with little water. Blend in batches, depending on the quantity of beans you have peeled. The result should be a thick paste with little or no lumps in it.

Step 7: Dilute the paste with water but make sure the result is not too watery. Mix until it is an even mixture then sieve into another bowl. [Do not through away the pulp because you can use it in your vegetable soups to add a unique taste, instead of Egusi].

Step 8: Pour the sieved liquid into a pot. Put on the burner, on low heat and stir rigorously. Leave on low heat and watch periodically. When a brown layer begins to form on top of the extract, skim it off with a spoon.

Step 9: Let the extract reach a mild boil, then set aside. Let the pot cool for a while. Add sugar to taste [don't let the sugar overcome the soy taste in the extract].

Step 10: Let it cool until you can pour into bottles. Pour into bottles and arrange in the fridge. Serve chilled.

Soy milk can be drank anytime of the day. Personally I make soymilk, and bake little potato - filled rolls that I used to serve to my guests.

Sandwichy Yummy

2009-05-21T16:42:00.000+01:00

A Tweperson recently asked what she could do to get fat, and I decided to share my Sandwichy recipe with her - its very fast, and satisfying. Then I realized that my golden sandwichy recipe is not on my blog! Impossicant! I had to remedy that right away! So here it is...
Ingredients:
Sliced Bread, like six or seven depending on your mix
Seasoning, preferably Knou
salt
vegetable oil, or olive oil
eggs
onions, grated into tiny bits
cheese, cut it into tiny pieces so it will mix with other ingredients
minced meat, or any other additions u want to add

Procedure:
Step 1: place frying pan on low heat. Add oil

Step 2: break eggs into a mixing bowl. Add the salt seasoning and other ingredients. Mix until almost smooth.

Step 3: dip bread into the mix for a few seconds or until totally coated by mix, and place each one in frying pan. Dip two at a time or how many that can enter the frying pan at the same time.

Step 4: flip periodically. Ensure it does not stick or burn. After the egg's done all round, place in a plate.

Step 5: Cut slices into triangles.

Step 6: Serve the triangles with tomatoe sauce or stew.

Step 7: Try not to bite your tongue while eating.

EDIKAIKONG SOUP

2009-02-22T09:31:00.001+01:00

My friend, IjayBaby contributed this recipe for our use some time ago - pls try it out!

Ingredients:

1. Pumpkin leaves

2. Lean Meat

3. Dry Fish n Stockfish

4. Crayfish

5. Waterleaf

6. Okazi Leaves

7. Maggi, Salt

8. Fresh Pepper

9. Onion

10. Red Oil

11. Water

Procedure:

Step 1: Wash the Pumpkin Leaves and Water Leaves properly in salt water to remove dirts.
Step 2: Slice the Ugu and Water leaf
Step 3: Season and Boil the meat,dry fish and stockfish with onion, salt and Maggi till tender
Step 4: Add ur pounded fresh pepper,crayfish and stir.
Step 5: Add the sliced Water Leave and Pumpkin leaves and Stir.
Step 6: Add red Oil( 3 Cooking Spoon).
Step 7: Allow to boil for 3 mins.
Step 8: Slice the Onion and pound together with the sliced okazi leaves.
Step 9: Add to the already boiling soup.
Step 10: Add Salt, Maggi to taste.
Step 11: Allow to cook for like 1min
Step 12: Your soup is ready.

Note: You don't need to add too much water cos the leaves will bring out water when it boils.

Serve your edikaikong(Vegetable Soup) with Semovita, Pounded Yam, Fufu,or Eba.
The soup is high in all the necessary buiding blocks of good health.

Valentine Cakes!!!!

2009-02-04T14:32:00.000+01:00

Valentine Cakes for Sale!!!
Pre-order now!
We have all types that will blow your mind!

We have coconut cakes, sponge cakes, chocolate cakes, fruit cakes and more!

We have oval-shaped cakes, love - shaped cakes, rose-shaped cakes and more!

We have cakes with icing designs done with coconut, springles, butter fondant, royal and more!

We have cakes with surfaces done with sweets, chocolates, lettering, candy, flowers and more!

We also can have special effects like football pitch, barbie dolls, fruit basket, love box and many more done for you on request!

In all regular sizes!
Order yours now!!! Call the following numbers:
Lagos - 08034863438, 08067903362
Abuja - 08035638515

Ofada Soup

2008-12-29T15:46:00.000+01:00

Basically the latest craze is Ofada rice and stew here in Nigeria. It might seem like its dying down now, but there is just no substitute for it yet. The attraction for the meal does not end in the large grain rice that is known as Ofada, but also extends to the stew. On first glance, the stew seems, full of seeds, and very rich in assorted little pieces of goodies (what my nephew calls 'orishirishi') and oil. It looks harmless and judging by the reddish hue, it seems harmless, but a well-prepared, no-holds-barred ofada stew will heat up your palate in a few seconds!

Here is the recipe we use at home!

Ingredients:
Tomatoes, enough to make a small pot of stew
Tomatoe puree, one small tin
Red pepper (what we Yoruba's calll 'rodo')
Maggi, or any seasoning of your choice
Salt
Garlic cloves, two small ones
Onions, two medium-sized bulbs
Red oil
Green pepper, (the type you buy for fried rice, what oyinbo calls 'dummbell' [or is it drumbells?])
Garden egg, 3 large bulbs
locust beans, (what we call 'iru')
The 'Extras' - diced beef, shredded stock fish, 'roundabout', ponmo, shaki, etc

Procedure:

Step 1: Chop the onions into tiny bits. Some people prefer to blend it after chopping, so it is not visible for those who do not like to see it in the meal. Do the same to the garlic cloves. Blend the tomatoes to a fine paste. Dice the red and green pepper into tiny pieces, keep the seeds.

Step 2: Boil the garden egg until a bit tender. Skin the bulbs and mash up until soft and pasty. Blend the locust beans to a fine paste. Boil the meat pieces to be used as 'Extras'.

Step 3: Put the pot on the burner. Make sure that you make the stew out in the open or when no one is around that might choke from the heat. Heat up the selected pot until there is a lot of heat emanating from inside. Add the oil (enough to make an 'Ijesha' stew - which means at the end of the cooking, there should still be oil enough to drain on top of the stew), and wait for it to heat up as well. When there is more vapour coming out of the pot, add salt.

Step 4: Add the onion, locust beans and garlic paste. Stir, and add the tomato puree. Stir

Step 5: Add the diced pepper and stir, then add the garden egg paste. The garden egg will absorb most of the oil. Add your seasoning. Stir.

Step 5: Taste the stew. By now it should be full of the customary seeds, and at the same time peppery and delicious.

Step 6: Add the pieces of stock fish, ponmo, diced beef, shaki, 'roundabout' and other stuff you want the eaters to crunch their teeth on. Stir

Serve with rice, on beans, and enjoy!

Jollof Rice, v1.0

2008-06-30T05:51:00.002+01:00

Since there are many different versions of Jollof Rice, I named it version 1.0!

Ingredients:
Rice - four or five cups (for a serving of 3 adults)
Vegetable Oil - about 4l, which is two tablespoonfuls
Salt
Sliced Onions.
Sliced Tomatoes.
Shredded pepper.
Tomato puree, three tablespoon scoops.
A tablespoon scoop of butter/margarine.
Two Knou cubes (you can use any seasoning of your choice).

Procedure:
Step 1: Pour the oil into the selected pot. Add the butter. When the combination is hot, sprinkle a little salt and add some sliced onions.

Step 2: Add the shredded pepper and stir for a few seconds. Add the tomato puree. Stir.

Step 3: Add the seasoning and stir until fried. Add the jug of hot water and stir to ensure that the combination evens out smoothly. Wait a few minutes for the combination to heat up, stirring constantly.

Step 4: Wash the starch out of the rice (simple effective procedure to eliminate the perboiling step. Add salt to the dry unwashed rice, and add three tablespoonfuls of water.Rub the salt into the rice for three minutes. Rinse away the starch.

Step 5: Add the rice to the combination. Cover the pot and wait for the rice to get soft. Always check constantly - remember you used hot water to speed up the cooking time. If the rice isn't soft and all the water is gone (which is preferable to having too much water, as you cannot sieve it out), add little quantity of water.

Step 6: When the rice is almost done, add the sliced tomatoes, and remaining slice onions to steam and cover the pot.

Step 7: After three minutes (or less, depending on how crunchy and fresh you want the tomatoes and onions to be), stir the rice to ensure that no part is lacking in the condiment.

Serve with Chicken or Fish...Enjoy!

Rice

2008-06-19T03:22:00.000+01:00

Right now i am wondering how this happened - how I could forget about rice, a staple food in my country for this long! Rice is a daily item on everyone's menu in Nigeria, and we have so many recipes, and even so many different ways of cooking the same dish, you'll be amazed- i was once told that there are seven different ways of cooking jollof rice! Seven! I know only two!
There are some dishes that are common - jollof rice, fried rice, rice and stew, etc, while there are some that are unique - coconut rice, green rice, etc. There is also our very own native rice - ofada rice, which is the first choice at parties these days.
Let's begin the rice journey!

Soups

2008-06-18T21:48:00.000+01:00

Nigeria is known for the strong aroma from our cooking, and every child that grew up in the country can actually tell which soup is cooking just from the smell. Its not that there is any strong spice like garlic that has a distinctive smell anyone can name, its more like a scent composition - the combination of several ingredients produces a distinctive smell.
All parts of the country have their special soup. The Calabar people and some Ibos will even tell you that there is a difference between a 'soup' and a 'stew'. And the method of cooking differs with every community that you meet.
I shall keep saying it, we are really rich!
This is a call out to everyone - send your soup recipes NOW! Eery soup that is truly Nigerian will do!

Name: Yamarita

2008-03-29T15:54:00.000+01:00

I am currently working on a project with a bank, and like all banks, they love to do things with style. We are given tea and coffee in the morning, then our orders are collected for lunch. It was after the second day that I discovered Yamarita.

Yamarita is a variation of yam that is very simple to prepare, and can be eaten with any sauce. Here is a quick recipe that I was able to procure from a chef:

Ingredients:
African Yam - 0.5kg (for a serving of 3 adults)
Palm oil - about 2ml, which is one tablespoonful
Salt to taste
Three medium sized eggs
Chopped onions
Fresh, tomatoes, chopped.
Fresh pepper, chopped.
tomato puree, small quantity.

Procedure:
Step 1: Peel the yam tuber. Cut it up into giant chip sizes (like potato chips for a giant).

Step 2: Rinse the pieces twice and put in a pot. Pour water and boil until tender.

Step 3: When tender, drain in a cullender, and blot away any drops from the pieces.

Step 4: Get a bowl and break the eggs into it, and whip them up untl frothy.

Step 5: Add a bit of salt to the whipped egg, and place in a wider bowl. Now dip each chip of the yam in the egg mixture and roll it until it is covered completely by the egg mixture.

Step 6: Place a frying pan on low heat and add vegetable oil. Fry the yam chips, turning them when the egg is fried solid, and ensuring that it does not burn.

Step 7: Remove the fried yam pieces from the oil.

Step 8: Mix the tomato puree, chopped onions, chopped pepper, chopped tomatoes in a bowl.

Step 9: Use a spoon to gather any wayward bits of fried egg that might remain in the hot oil. Add the tomato mixture to the oil, and stir fry until tender.

Step 10: Add salt to taste. Add powder pepper to taste as well.

Serving: Place the fried yam chips in a platter. Place the tomato sauce in a bowl.

Eat!

Name: Yam Delicacy

2007-09-17T15:27:00.000+01:00

I find that I admire LYDIA .E. EKE lot when it comes to food. She goes out of her way to get these recipes that are so precise, you would think they were Chocolate pudding recipes from Scotland. Here is another one from her and she calls it Yam Delicacy, stating that it tastes best if you use the new yam.

Ingredients:
African Yam - 0.5kg (for a serving of 3 adults)
Palm oil - about 2ml, which is one tablespoonful
Smoked Fish - 20g, which could be either one big one, or 2 small ones
Cray fish - grinded (on ground?), 3/4 cups
Dried cod fish - (or, as we call it here, stockfish), 400g
One Onion bulb
Fresh/dry hot peppers, Jamaican/African, 2g
2 teaspoonfuls of Black pepper
Five fresh leaves of Uziza leaves
4g of ginger or 2 teaspoonfuls of ginger powder
Salt to taste

Procedure
Step 1 - Slice the yam tuber, and peel the slices. Make sure the slices are not more than two inces thick. Wash the peeled slices. Peel and slice the onion as well. Set both aside.

Step 2 - Pound the crayfish and the hot peppers in a mortar, or blend them together, until pasty.

Step 3 - Cut the dry cod fish into several pieces (usually done by the seller as it is hard and a saw is needed). Split the smoked fish into large chunks and wah in hot water to remove sand and dirt.

Step 4 - Cook the chunks of dry cod in a large pot with two cups of water and half a teaspoonful of salt, two teaspoonfuls of black pepper. Cook until the dry cod is soft (It is usually very hard and might take a few minutes).

Step 5 - Add the crayfish paste, and two cups of water. Stir. Add the onion slices and the smoked fish chunks, then the ginger, and the uziza leaves. Stir.

Step 6 - Add the yam slices, the palm oil, and two more cups of water. Cook until the yam is done (as in cooked).

Step 7 - Use a ladle or seive to remove the cooked yam slices and the cod fish.

Serving: Serve the yam slice (3 per person) and cod fish (2 per person) seperately from the soup.

Eat!

Name: Pan cakes

2007-09-14T13:42:00.000+01:00

I remember when I was young, about six or seven, and we had just moved to Lagos. My Mum
would make pan cakes for us to take to school in our little covered plates, and by the time I was dressed in my little white socks (all stretched out), and school uniform, I would have missed out on the whole preparation process.
Well, Mum stopped making them when my little brother complained that his teacher ate out of
everyone's food except his and it made him unhappy. You can imagine the teacher - she actually made him feel bad because he always brought pan cakes to school!
Anyway, some days ago, I was going through some magazines and I came across the recipe for making them. You can imagine how happy I was - I have tried everything I can think of to 'help' my Mum remember how to make pancakes, cos she said she has forgotten, but nothing has worked. I even bought her suya (her favourite)several times to help her but to no avail.
Well, this recipe, culled from Life magazine, a free magazine from The Guardian, and written by ADU OLUBUNMI MORENIKE, should be it!

Ingredients:
250g of Flour
50g of Sugar (add more to your taste if need be)
One satchet of milk (optional)
One Egg
Ground pepper (optional as well)
One and a half of a bottle of groundnut oil
Nutmeg (little quantity, grated)
Water
A slice of Onions (for added flavour)

Procedure:
Step 1 - Sieve the flour into a bowl. Add the measured sugar and a little quantity of grounded pepper, and the nutmeg.

Step 2 - Beat the egg and milk together. our the egg and milk mixture into the dry ingredients in Step 1 and Mix together.

Step 3 - Add a little water. Keep adding in little quantities until the flowing consistency of the mixture is achieved.

Step 4 - Put the groundnut oil in the frying pan, add the onion slice to it after the oil has heated for a few minutes.

Step 5 - Scoop the mixture into the hot oil, using a ladle or stew spoon (as many as the frying pan can take in terms of the circumference)

Step 6 - Fry until golden brown

Step 7 - Remove from the burner when done.

Serving: Serve with any drink of your choice.

Name: Egusi Balls

2007-09-14T13:33:00.000+01:00

Well, My Yoruba family out there will recall (if faintly for some) that, to make Egusi soup with Egusi balls, all we had to do instead of pouring the Egusi powder straight, was add small spoonfuls of blended pepper (raw omatoes and ata rodo, sometimes with Tatase)to the powder in a small flat plate, and begin mixing until the whole thing was sticky and gumming together (not an apt description but it will have to do!). Imagine my surprise when I was going through old editions of Life ( a free publication from the Guardian, August 26 - September 1, 2007
edition), when I saw that there was more to it according to our sisters from the South Eastern Nigeria!

According to Lydia E. Eke, in South Eastern Nigeria, the Egusi is prepared thus:

Ingredients:
3 cups of Egusi (ground)
Meat and Ponmo
5 small blls of usu (ground) [we'll get to this later, don't worry]
Maggi and Salt.

Procedure:
Step 1: Blend the Egusi dry until very smooth.Transfer it to a mortar and pound it with the usu [the usu is a whitish stone - like thickener - that's what she said anyway, so be sure its edible].

Step 2: Now put the pounded Egusi into a plate/tray, and start to mould it into small balls. To make the balls tasty, add salt, dry ground pepper and water.

Step 3: Either cook the balls directly in the pot of soup, or dry it in the heating sun (not to be tried in Europe, UK or the US so you don't get arrested it your neighbor's cat decides to taste it from your windowsill and chokes on the pepper)

Step 4: Cook the soup as you would the normal Egusi soup (Check older posts for this recipe). Add the balls when the soup is ready, and let the balls in turn, cook for a while in the soup.

Step 5: The Egusi soup is ready!

Note that the sun - dried ones can be eaten as snacks later (that is a new one!), so you might consider it if you live in Sunny Carlifornia and your fence is high.

Serving: Can be eaten with Eba/Garri, Amala, Fufu, Pounded yam, Semo, Lafun.

Asaro (Yam Porridge)

2007-09-13T12:24:00.000+01:00

Name: Asaro (Yam Porridge)
ingredients:
1. Red or Groundnut Oil
2. Salt
3. Peppermint leaves (shredded to tiny bits)
4. Two tubers of Yam (for a serving of four)
5. Ponmo (Softened cowhide, abi?), diced into small chunks
6. A jug of hot water
7. A medium-sized onion bulb, chopped
8. Seasoning - (preferably Knou Chicken cubes), and other spices like thyme, curry
9. Blended pepper (Rodo, tomatoes blended together)

Procedure
Step 1 - Slice the yam in uneven chunks. Peel the pieces and cut the peeled pieces into smaller bits, small enough to enter e

three year old's mouth without looking greedy (lol). Rinse the pieces twice and drain.

Step 2 - Put the pot on the burner. Wait until its dry, before adding two spoonfuls of oil. When that is hot (test by

sprinkling salt, if it sizzles, its hot enough), add the chopped onions.

Step 3 - Stir for a few seconds, before adding the blended pepper. Cover for about 30 minutes, enough time for the pepper to

simmer and cook. Check it continually.

Step 4 - When the oil appears above the pepper, add the seasoning, and salt and other spices you might want to add, and stir.

Step 5 - By now the soup should be bubbling and thick. Taste it. Add salt to taste (if its not enough).

Step 6 - When you are sure the soup is cooked, add the jug of hot water, making it extremely watery. Add the yam pieces, and

cover. Wait another 30 minutes, checking continually to ascertain that the yam is cooked soft (extremely soft).

Step 7 - When the yam pieces are extremely soft get your omorogun (amala stirrer, or what can I call it now?). In its

absence, you can use a flat pancake flipper (Abeg no crucify me for my choice of words o!). Begin to mash up pieces of yam in the pot.

Step 8 - Mash up the yam pieces until the porridge is thick and bubbly. Add the shredded peppermint leaves and the ponmo pieces. Taste it. Add

seasoning or salt to taste.

That's it!
Food is ready!
Serving: For a table of four.

Local food: Yam

2007-09-13T11:11:00.000+01:00

Yam is a root tuber eaten in Africa and some parts of Asia. There are several types of Yam (Yellow yam, Water Yam, Small Yam etc) and each one is consumable.
There are various ways that this tuber can be eaten, pounded, boiled, roasted, Fried, Mashed, just name it. Every tribe in Nigeria has access to Yam and cooks it in various ways.
Got a better recipe for Yam? Know more than two ways to cook this tuber? BRING IT ON! Post it here!
NOW!
We are all waiting!

Egusi

2007-08-16T15:02:00.001+01:00

The first product I would like to propose is egusi. Its the seeds of a pod plant closely related to the pumpkin. The seeds are shelled and spread to dry, then grinded to powder form. They are used in a variety of stews and soups. The Yorubas are the most common users (you are welcome to disprove this fact!).
So rush in the recipes! Now!

Dishes galore

2007-08-16T14:46:00.000+01:00

Nigeria is a very diverse country, with its people so different, and the tribes so unique from each other, that its a wonder we are all together under one flag!
Our different foods are as diverse as our different cultures. What is sauce for the goose is NOT sauce for the gander in most parts of Nigeria.
So this blog is a way to merge our foods in one place - Igbo, Yoruba, Efik, Ibibio, Hausa, Edo - every tribe! Bring your recipes and post them here.
It will be sorted out, by product, that is, if its garri, please submit recipes that are derived from garri, or if its palm kernel oil, then do the same BY REPLYING each post.
Thanks, fellow Nigerians!
Let's begin!