Harmattan – the season of dry and dusty, of conjunctivitis and freshly pressed mosquitoes (is this just at my end?) Of orange fruit and vegetables – carrots, agbalumo, oranges and tangerines. This season past, I noticed a few things – the regular fruits on display, but a little bit more as well…Read on. In Season:...
This has to be one of my greatest discoveries of 2014 – that frying boiled yam, cut up in little chunks is an adventure in textures. A couple of months ago, my children wanted fried yam but what we had was boiled. So I lightly greased a pan, seasoned the yam and fried away. The results? Golden...
I’m a yam fan – fried, pounded, roasted – all and every way. I’m a fan of waffles. Plain, with squash and pumpkin, many ways. And then…why not Yam waffles. 1. one/ a good way to use leftover boiled yam (another is in a hash…awesome) 2. an exploration
This is a simple salad with a bit of sweet and spice. Follow the ‘guidelines’ in ‘The Art of The Savoury Salad‘, I went about building.
Many years ago, I ‘met’ Dambu Nama and was fascinated. A cross between looking like steel wool shreds and candy floss, this ‘meat snack’ looked wispy but gained ground and flesh as you chewed. After wondering for ages, I learnt the mystery behind its texture. Typically, the meat is cooked in a mixture of spices...
Two years ago, I discovered Oven-baked Jollof rice. I’d made rice a few times in a clay pot in the oven but it never occured to me that Jollof could be made in the same way. It was at my sister-in-laws in Mount Vernon, New York where I saw her cook up the most amazing...
…or Twelve (12) Shades of Jollof Rice. Jollof rice in the simplest terms is a beacon for West African cuisine. Texturally, it’s half way between the separate, not mushy grains of a pilaf and the ‘sauced’ creaminess of a risotto. Here are twelve (12) takes from classic to not. 1. Classic: Nigeria & Along the coast of West Africa...
Updated in August 2024 with additional links and photos —– Jollof rice: rice perfection that’s half way between the dryness of pilaf and the creaminess of risotto. ‘Traditionally’, Jollof rice is made with specific ingredients which define the perfect pot – from long-grain rice to scotch bonnet peppers and Maggi cubes for seasoning. I present – the Jollof essentials. Truth too is,...
Three (3) months ago, I got a call from Donald, the organiser of TEDxPortHarcourt. He invited me to speak at the upcoming TEDx event. Halfway between moving away from Port Harcourt and calling Lagos home, I accepted. Terrified. Excited. Not even sure of how my ‘story’ would go with the ‘Where We Are’ theme, but...