…in the manner of the Tortilla Espanol or Spanish Omelette – an egg-based dish made with potatoes. To be honest, I almost always do a like for like, swapping yam for potatoes. Sometimes, it works well – like in waffles, and hashes and what nots and sometimes we have to think about it a bit more. Regroup. Pretty (I dare say), good as this looks, it was ‘just okay’. The base is a mixture of eggs and vegetables into which sliced boiled yam went in. Perhaps, thinner slices might have worked well. Maybe richer seasoning. Who knows? A pan went...
Friday Cocktails: Scent Leaf & Sugarcane Mojito
..because it’s cocktail hour in Alice Springs, Australia. —–00000—– My first Mojito was drunk in a dimly lit room with walls I imagine red and a carpet thick. I think. To be honest, I have no idea what the colours were. I only imagine that being an Indian restaurant, thick with the scents of tempered spices – mustard and cardamom, hot ginger and garlic – those colours were it. With gold and green. We sat on low stools – a square table set before us as we ordered small plates – chicken in a golden sauce, courgettes – maybe battered and...
How to Cook with Angostura Bitters & Other Sentiments
I reach for her when a sweet and spicy combination requires a little something something, you know what I mean? Sometimes you need that additional flavor undernote when what you’re working with seems a little one-dimensional. Something to round it off nicely, sort of like orange zest would. Sort of… but not quite. I refer to Angostura Bitters as a ‘her’. Does this worry you? Enter exotic-sounding Angostura, she even looks a little exotic too wouldn’t you say? With her rich dark liquid and that bottle with the over-sized label and yellow cap. You do see it, right? She’s that...
Sugarcane: Juiced versus Blended
And juiced wins hands down. I’m still here, Take 3 of 3 of the trial and error. Though my last experience with juicing sugarcane presented mixed results, I went ahead and tried again. I did two things differently. First – when the cloud of juice of sugarcane in my glass had settled, froth and flotsam rose to the top. This, unlike Take 2 was scooped off and discarded rather than mixed in. Secondly, I took Folake’s advice and strained it – more carefully might I add, through several layers of cheesecloth. The result was a yellow-green glass of sheer delight – free from grit...
How to Make Soursop Cream
Once you have your peeled & prepped soursop, you can make a quick ‘cream’. All that’s required? Blitzing in the blender or food processor to ‘unify’ the texture. I tend to blend with a bit of water but any liquid would do. I store the blended mixture and use it in a wealth of ways As an addition to a fruit bowl; In the mix – Yogurt, Soursop cream, Passionfruit and Bananas – so filling and oh so fragrant. In a smoothie with almond milk and chia seeds. Thick and creamy and nutty. Say yum. I make puddings too and soursop cream...
The Anatomy of Soursop
Annona muricata, also known as Soursop. Apparently, it is in the same genus as the chirimoya and the same family as the pawpaw. Growing up, this was one of my older sister’s favourite fruits. I’d watch her eat it and suck creamy pulp from black seeds. Occassionally, I would tuck in and enjoy but it was her thing. Mostly. Last August, I discovered the wonder that is Soursop cream, free from sugar and milk and every other thing – incredibly creamy and rich. I would buy the thorned fruit and seek the best way to rid it of its green skin...
Baked: Agbalumo Pancake Puffs
Made with Agbalumo leather and pancake mix. There’s no doubt about whether or not the orange-plum coloured fruit is Agbalumo. You taste it, its very essence and you see it. I tore off bits of Agbalumo leather. In it went into some pancake mix, along with the fine zest of an orange. This got spooned into mini muffin holes. And then a few more bits went to top a few. 15 minutes in the centre of a pre-heated oven at 220 degrees centigrade, and they were ready. Isn’t that cute? And spongy, and delicious too. I had them fresh from...
Preserved: Agbalumo Leather
I’d never made fruit leather before. Never really thought about it till Chi of Oya Come Chop suggested making some leather when I made some Agbalumo Puree. And then flicking through Traditional Foods, I happened upon a recipe for Fruit leathers. Joy untold. Fruit leathers are homemade fruit rolls. They are a tasty chewy, dried fruit product. Fruit leathers are made by pouring pureéd fruit onto a flat surface for drying. When dried, the fruit is pulled from the surface and rolled. It gets the name “leather” from the fact that when pureéd fruit is dried, it is shiny and has...
The Anatomy of Scent Leaf
It never ceases to amaze me just how connected we are, from Lagos to Laos. Scent leaves, Perilla, Shiso, of the family Lamiaceae. These herbaceous, perennial shrubs are cousins in the mint family I thought I knew everything about this plant. Growing up, it featured prominently in pepper soup, added at the last minute to bring clean citrus flavours and a distinctive scent. In Port Harcourt, I learnt to enjoy it in Kekefia – unripe pottage. It made the mandatory unripe plantains more than edible. What changed things for me was having the plant in my garden. As is wont to happen...