Category: Nigerian Cuisine

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Mango, Tamarind & Mazarkwaila Sauce

Now that mangoes are in season properly, we’re enjoying them in all sorts of ways, one of which is in sauces. This version features fresh mango flesh, tamarind ‘water’, cilantro – my favourite ever herb and mazarkwaila, sugar cane sugar! Now sugar cane is one of my favourite things ever and I’d never come across it...

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2017 in Nigerian Food: Emerging Themes

Nigerian cuisine is always on the cusp of something new. Now it’s local exploration and global discovery. Cooks, writers, bakers, baristas, mixologists and more are cooking up ‘New Nigerian Kitchen‘ fare. It is wonderful to see and I’m thrilled to be part of it. The ‘New Nigerian Kitchen’ is a term I coined in 2013 and...

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On Kilishi: With Tigernuts & With Peanuts

‘Kilishi’ is a northern Nigerian nut-seasoned sun-dried meat snack similar to beef jerky. It generally refers to beef, sheep or goat meat processed by dressing, slicing, sun drying, application of some slurry of spices and roasting over coals/ fire. Birthplace Kano city it seems but of course also found in other northern states and places.  History...

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Nigerian Seasonal Produce: Udara [Agbalumo, African Star Apple], #2

‘Nigerian Seasonal Produce’ is a monthly column which will be published on the last Saturday of every month. In this column, a writer explores a specific seasonal fruit, vegetable or leafy green assigned by the editors of Kitchen Butterfly and based on the Nigerian Seasonal Produce Calendar. Our author this month is Keside Anosike – writer extraordinary who teases me...

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Balangu Jollof

What you do when you ferry leftovers across skies, from Abuja to Lagos – you make Jollof. You add some yaji and kulikuli to the mix. You also treat the Balangu three ways: You attempt to make a floss of it, dambu – attempt she says because laziness and smoke and we did have small chunks...

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The Arewa Kitchen: Specialty Meats (or Suya Plus)

The North of Nigeria has a long tradition of excellence in meat preparation and handling from Tsire to Dambu, Kilishi to Balangu, these specialty meats delight palates the world over particularly in Nigeria. My reading and research suggests that Suya is the umbrella name for many meat products from the north of Nigeria though in...