I’m a dab hand at Jollof – she laughs in red and spice. Well, I’ve finally gotten things down to at least consistent, delicious results. That’s with long grain rice though, not basmati. Learning to make basmati Jollof has been a lifelong dream, from the days of Holland when @olayide_williams and I would order stunning basmati Jollof from...
I wrote this a year ago in January 2020 days after we moved. I wanted to be intentional about documenting the journey, and observing myself – the things that I did for comfort and what helped. Pepper soup helped. A lot! Even before we arrive, I know I’ll have pepper soup in the first few...
And also with gram/ besan/ lentil flours or powders. Think of it this time as using flours of convenience, whatever they bean :). I first used these flours when I lived abroad, several moons ago and found it tricky sometimes to get black-eyed beans or didn’t want to expend the energy required to peel them....
I grew up eating plantains as an essential part of my Nigerian diet and I find it fascinating to experiment with them. I’ve tried chocolate-filled gnocchi and Plantano Frito tortillas for nouveau cuisine, and traditional Nigerian steamed pudding. And so when I read about bacon-wrapped plantains at Cynthia’s of Taste of Home, its fate was...
I know, I’m here telling you about this sauce that rocks my world, and at the same time I’m asking, telling ‘Don’t judge me’. Don’t judge me by the chilies I eat, or the spices I like, don’t judge me. Don’t judge me, don’t judge my food, don’t judge my heritage. We like what we...
I haven’t had palm oil stew in such a long time – I think I forgot how easy it was to make – no stock required which reduces the cooking time by half. The meats used are often smoked or dried so that too contributes to the ease of prep. This is my dad’s ‘recipe’...
This post is prompted by me seeing green tatashe in the market and remembering that they are the base for Green ofada sauce. Quite simply, Green Ofada sauce is a green pepper stew base fried in epo gbigba, palm oil which has been bleached. Red Ofada sauce is made with a red pepper stew base,...
A big thank you to My Diasporan Kitchen, whose blog post was the perfect guide for this experiment. Here’s how to bleach palm oil: First, read the recipe on ‘how to’ very well. Though most Nigerians are conversant and confident with oil cooking, frying etc, it’s good to read the recipe, become familiar with the...
Peppers are one of the most commonly preserved ingredients across Nigeria. Sun-dried, all sorts of peppers are available in super markets – whole, dried and also ground to what Nigerians call ‘dry pepper’. They go in spice blends, like yaji – a mix of defatted peanuts and spices, used in suya Here’s an attempt to...