I love travelling yet there are many aspects that I would gladly do without – the entire visa application process (I just emerged from a traumatic experience) which is tedious and can go awry, packing, traffic to the airport, checking in…almost everything up to the minute I sit in my (often economy) seat. All’s well till we fly high and hit turbulence and then my mouth gushes with prayer, my heart pounds with fear. One of the few things I enjoy is in-flight entertainment. It is often my chance to catch up on new series – Downtown Abbey a case...
Agbalumo at Border Control
I’m amazed when they both know what it is. They aren’t familiar with African Cherry but when I mention star apple they say yes. They can’t remember agbalumo but the White American gentleman says Udara as does the South American. The dried one has them stunned. ‘I know it …but I’ve never seen it dried’. I want to delve into my whole Kitchen Butterfly exploration with Udara this season but I’m not sure US customs is particularly interested in it. He breaks off a bit, goes to another desk to enquire. I want to say ‘it’s a new thing for us, preserving...
Did You Know? On Storing Bread
I can’t count the number of times I’ve begged family and friends not to keep bread in the fridge. I can tell you that the resistance I’ve faced is something else. I don’t know when I learnt about bread and the best storage mechanism. Did you know that bread is best stored at room temperature? Did you know that the next storage method for consideration after room temperature is the deep freezer? Yes, frozen bread restircts the growth of mold which lengthens the ‘shelf life’ – up to 3 months. Did you know that storing bread in a refrigerator encourages bread to...
The Art of The Sandwich
A good sandwich is a gift from God. Period. I like how a simple combination can be transformed with the addition of one ingredient which elevates it to ‘awesome’ heights. Sometimes, that’s a few leaves of basil strewn over cheese or chicken. At other times, it’s the hot, green tabasco sauce stirred into creamy, salted avocado. What is a Sandwich? A sandwich is a bread – commonly 2 slices, filled with fruit, vegetables, meats, cheeses and more. What are the essentials for a good sandwich? The end result of a sandwich should be a good-looking :), tasty, great-textured ‘eat’ that...
Ginger: Fresh, Dried, Pickled & Powdered
I love and use ginger in a variety of ways. Fresh I always have fresh ginger at home. It is perfect for both sweet and savoury preparations. For sweet, I’ve explored a number of recipes – Confit, Jam, Candy. For savoury, all you need is a bit grated in stirfries and sauces, some pounded whole and popped into syrups for poaching fruit and the like. Quite often, I make a huge batch of ginger and garlic paste and freeze. For use in fresh preparations, here are some tips: Use fresh young ginger – it will be easier to peel and...
Yam ‘Hashbrowns’
Because they aren’t quite matchsticks. If you’ve ever had and loved Potato matchsticks, this will be up your street. My original plan was to have this topping a beef suya salad with iru a few weeks ago. Courage failed me on adding iru to the salad but the yam was delicious. I started off with slices of yam which were peeled and washed. Then grated. The result is a sticky mass of yam shreds. This gets seasoned while the oil heats up. It is deep-fried for a few minutes, till golden on one side and then the shreds are flipped over for the other...
Water Snails & Seafood of the South
Itu Bridge. The famous Itu Bridge on the way to and from Calabar in the South of Nigeria and seafood – fresh, dried, bought, sold. Seafood of the south. Of Nigeria, where nsam, ngolo, crabs and ‘water snails’, crabs are everyday things. I’ve lived in Warri and Port-Harcourt where periwinkles stud everything from Egusi to Vegetable soups. When I moved to Port-Harcourt as an adult, I learnt the art of eating Ngolo. For a long time, I didn’t know the latin/ English name till my daughter, R worked on a school project and we learnt that these are Whelks, a...
Flavour Pairings with Agbalumo
Yes, flavour pairings are a personal thing…what people like to eat together, but also what ingredients go with what. They are also based on scientific studies – flavour families with which we’re familiar, like floral of Zobo and Meyer lemons; citrus of oranges and limes and lemons; and on and on and on. The truth is certain compounds and volatile oils and flavour notes work together, complementing each other and creating a symphony, a marriage that works. In the last few weeks, since Agbalumo has been in season, I’ve experimented with combinations and pairings. Here’s what I’ve found out: The flavour...
Happy Paddy’s Day: Scent Leaf Blinis with Flaked Fish
I had a good plan to pair this with a Guinness – Palm wine concoction but I spread shards of glass and malted black liquid on some cream tiles this evening instead. A bag delicately held, mindlessly dropped and dreams and thoughts are dashed. Oh well, one less thing to make 🙁 and on to these green beauties. I’m sure St Patrick would approve of these fragrant, coconutty ‘cakes, green in his tribute. And if he doesn’t, well too bad. My son, D ate a plateful of them and some more, with chicken and syrup. I had mine with baked...