Eat the rainbow, soft and sweet. And all it involves is a simple wash, cut, slice and dice. Sauteed peppers are amazing. Cooked low and slow, they transform into soft and juicy nuggets of flavour, simply cooked in olive oil and salt. After making this 3 times in one week, I know we’re hooked and it’ll become one of our staples. Like pancakes. To prepare, I wash the peppers and make a clean slice off the head Top Tip: An easy way to remove the cluster of seeds in bell peppers is to slice the head off, remove the seeds and rinse the...
Re-imagining Nigerian Cuisine: Cassava Chips
The truth is when I happen upon a new ingredient, I like to explore as much as I can. So I’ve done the soup and the salad and this time, it’s the deep-fried chips. I figured that would work better than roasted but that’ll be explored as well. Here, I deep-fried the chips for a few minutes till golden. And seasoned with salt, chili and black pepper. And simply served with scent leaf sauce which is so dopeeeeeeeeeee. That recipe is coming soon. And? Hmmm, not the best turn out. Edible but… not crispy, crunchy. The thing is, the cassava...
Re-imagining Nigerian Cuisine: Cassava Chips & Coconut Soup
With my huge batch of cooked cassava chips, I wondered what else I could do. I considered making Aipim, a traditional Brazilian cake – dense, moist and apparently delicious. We, after all share histories of food and more with them. However, I wasn’t sure my cassava was of the right texture, as it was in chunky chips as opposed to grated and so I decided to venture down a different path. That of a quick broth, flavoured with coconut and herbs, in which the chips got poached and then finished with a squirt of lime juice and crushed, roasted groundnuts. Yum....
Re-imagining Nigerian Cuisine: Cassava & Coconut Salad
My obsession with re-imagining Nigerian cuisine often begins with street food. The end? Dishes with de- and re-constructed ingredients, new techniques applied to familiar flavours and more. Last August, I discovered cooked cassava shreds/ chips, also called Bobozi, Mbrakasi in the east and south of Nigeria. This popular street snack is sold with chunks of fresh coconut. This version sold on the street consists of thin, long strips, created using a peculiar shredder/ grater. When my sister shared some of hers with me, I was fascinated by the taste – bland to be honest, and the texture – somewhat soft yet chewy with a hint of...
Stove-top Smoked Fish
I love the fact that I can smoke fish anything at home, with tea, or coals or with an incense mix my sister brought back from Dubai for me yonks ago and long before my trip. It’s a fairly simple process with no special equipment required. All you need are: Smoking mix – homemade or store-bought Foil paper Preferred – a rack Pot/ Pan with a lid which fits snugly Before you begin, ensure you do this in a well-ventilated area Step 1: Prep the ‘meat’ – fish, chicken, tofu are all game I used fresh fish in this recipe –...
A Primer on Saffron
Saffron. Zaafran is the first thing I see – the first thing that lets me know where I am – the Deira Spice Souk in the heart of old Dubai. We’ve gone in the evening, about 6pm. We couldn’t meet the morning opening at 10am. We are after all on holiday. As the souks are closed for ‘siesta’ between 1 and 4 pm, we save our adventures for dusk. Tip 1: Try to visit the souks in the evening – the vibe is different. Note that the souks are closed between 1 and 4 pm, and on Friday mornings. I’m surprised to...
Harmattan: Seasonal Foods, Interesting Facts & Tips
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: Agbalumo It’s late December and we’re driving round Lagos on a Sunday. The children and a friend of theirs, Alex have spent the afternoon painting at The Social Place. It’s only a little cold, and I haven’t fully welcomed the Sahara and its dunes into...
Regular Programming Resumes…
Hi and welcome to the new look ‘Kitchen Butterfly’ site! First of all, apologies for being away for so long. We’ve been cooking something exciting for you…and now it’s done – hope you like it. After five + years, it was time for a re-organisation. So, whats new? The new look KB site is powered by a new, improved engine. It is faster and responds ‘nicer’, regardless of the device you’re visiting on and it designed to be more interactive. This engine, framework will power a few new features – coming soon. In the meantime, here are a few highlights for you The New Layout: displays stuff we’ve...
Discovering New Dishes On Holiday
Part of the appeal of going to a new place, any new place for me is the food :). Dubai was really interesting because I didn’t try any hardcore Emirati dishes. I had lots of Lebanese and Turkish and others though. Putting that to one side, I got the chance to try a variety of things, most of them at the hotel. They were an interesting variety from egg dishes to bean ones. 1. Foul Medames Don’t let the name fool you into thinking this is a nasty dish, ’cause it isn’t – it might just take some getting used to. Pronounced...