The mind wanders, not in defiance of boundaries but in search of meaning and truth. An exploration, not confined to history and culture and societal constructs. After all, the mind isn’t community, it is per person, per head, per brain to think and create and share. I’ve had Banga with ‘starches’ – pounded yam, garri, ‘starch’...
Soursop is in season and I’ve finally made the frozen dessert I’ve longed to since forever. These days, for creamy fruit, I tend to go with condensed milk as the ‘dairy’ of choice. Why? Well, condensed milk is rich and thick and the tiniest amount seems to work wonders. In Mangoes, With Mangoes & Passion Fruit and...
I’ve been serving up lots of devilled eggs lately. While halving them for stuffing, many casualties result. And so it was that I resolved to make an egg salad – the perfect one. I wanted to bring some texture into the creamy, chewy mix and since I like the crunch of Asala, black walnuts when...
Eid Mubarak, with my first-ever Crepe cake, perfect for crowd-feasting. Talk about resounding successes. Twenty (20) (in my case imperfect but delicious) layers of crepes with alternate layers of rich chocolate mousse and a salted caramel one, finished with a semi-sweet ganache and crushed candied pecans. What a mouthful. A delicious mouthful. Also known as...
Here, fresh dates edify the palate in a chicken stew. Thankfully. So one evening, I was making a stew in my best cast iron pot from South Africa – my Bush Baby. As I often do, I looked through the fridge to see what could go in, in a kitchen-sink kind of way…and saw the...
Kuka, the green powder ground from dried baobab leaves reminds me of Japanese Matcha. Bright and earthy, it commonly features as an ingredient in Dan Wake where it is combined with bean flour and shaped into dumplings. Served with a pepper sauce, I can imagine the texture of chewy cut by the spice, so monotony...
Three things – Rice, stew, toppings. Easy for even the most fearful of cooks to accomplish. One needs a wide dish ’cause this feeds a crowd. Could feed a crowd. Make enough rice. Make sure it’s steaming hot. Make a pot of Groundnut stew. Don’t fight with anyone, so keep it to yourself. Hide it...
These don’t need no introduction or explanation. Take fresh groundnuts, in season – add sugar and spice (fresh ginger, cardamom, 5-spice) and boil away. I promise, you’ll want to bathe, sleep and wrap yourself in the fragrance of the liquid and the taste. We enjoyed this on a Saturday night, with tall glasses of Coca-cola...
Yes, a soup made from the African walnut, known as Asala in Yoruba. Because the beautiful crunch and divine nuttiness must be experienced in one lifetime. The first time I used Asala in a recipe, it was a dip I made – a variation of my scent leaf one. It was beautiful. The characteristic bitterness...