When I first discovered Epapa – Monkey Kola/ Cola, I was intrigued by its crisp crunch – part water chestnut, part carrot and its vegetal flavour, a cross between fresh green peas and young carrots. And then one night, with a wealth of it, I decided to make a relish of it. I blitzed pieces of Epapa...
Because you can do more with Nigerian land snails than eat them and make Jollof. Because the peculiar chewy, crunchy texture lends itself to moreTo being sautéed in sweet butter and garlic and young scent leaves. Like strewn atop a bed of greens and herbs. Simple to assemble. And delicious. Think fresh and crunchy, chewy and...
When life gives you too much Kilishi; make Dambu. Kilishi is a sun-dried product of, by early Fulani, Hausa tribesmen, created as a means of preserving meat in the absence of refrigeration. All because once upon a day, I craved Dambu Nama but had only Kilishi. And my food processor. And my A game, obviously....
Ever since I made the most delicious thing…do I say that about everything? No, I don’t. You think I do? Well, I don’t. For the record, I only say it about things that are absolutely mind-blowing, like the scent leaf dip and curry which continues to turn heads and blow minds and titillate palates. And...
Lunchtime Capers is a series chronicling my hour-long lunch break and the places I venture to – a store, markets, a roadside restaurant. Home. —–00000—– This lunchtime caper is from months ago, when my friend, Osemhen and I visited a market close to our office. She wanted to learn to make a soup I had heard...
Kitchen Alert – Puff-Puff on the brain. Current obsessions. Testing the bounds of Fried Dough. Like we’ve done for Agbalumo and Meyer lemons, Mangoes and more. But I was thinking about language and Puff-Puff and it occurred to me that I haven’t ever heard someone ask ‘Can I have a puff-puff?’ Sounds wrong. To my...
Updated 3rd June 2022 Yes, mango fever is here, stalls decorated with baskets of green and orange, red-blushed, and almost tan fruit in varieties from Cotonou to Ogbomosho. For a long time, I paid no heed to the varieties of mangoes in fruit stalls and on the streets for I’ve only ever liked one variety...
There’s a new drink in town – Orijin and I’m a fan. Orijin…a diminutive of Orijinal, a riff on the word Original. The first time I tried it, there was a steaming bowl of catfish peppersoup set before me at an open-air bush bar type o’ place. We sat on wooden chairs, the moon high...
Eaten on a Tuesday and Wednesday. And repeated again today, on a Sunday. And also a short discourse on how ideas are formed – one of the most intriguing things ever. How are synaptic connections made that generate so much possibility? I was on my way home a few days ago when I drove past...