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 […]
Nigerian Cuisine
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 […]
From Ugep With Love: Yedem’blong or Okana w. Kola Nut
Have you ever eaten kola nut with a pepper sauce? No? Me neither…till now. And I have to thank Carol of Bread & Baskets for this introduction. A few weeks ago, I toasted some Nigerian calabash nutmeg, Ehuru and shared a photo on instagram. Wofai sent me a message saying that where she was from – Ugep […]
Protected: In the Beginning: The Making of Agbalumo Wine
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Nigerian ‘Concept’ Dish: Dry Fish Skin & Yam Cannelloni with Peppersoup Consomme
The Concept This concept is all about reinventing peppersoup – taking it from warm and comforting to refined and clean. It’s about combining the popular sides of yam in this spicy broth with flaked fish and using the skin of the dried fish as a vehicle for flavour and texture in a cannelloni. How to make […]