I always had this idea that Kenyan food didn’t use pepper or chilies. Let me say I underestimated both. True, chilies are common but peppercorns are, and that too is heat, ladies and gentlemen. One of the first things I ate in Nai was a Thai Chicken salad at Java House – it set my mouth on fire! It was so hot…and this was day one. I couldn’t believe it. Then I went to Ngara market and saw loads of gorgeous chilies. In Kenya? Wow. I didn’t know they had ’em. There were bird’s eye chilies and other kinds. Really vibrant – I...
Talking about The New Nigerian Kitchen on CNN’s African Voices
Dreams eh? Do. Come. True. Just do you, to the best of your ability. Do you. So thrilled to have been featured in the Kitchen Crafter’s episode on CNN African Voices, talking about The New Nigerian Kitchen, Culinary arts and heritage and having a blast I hope you enjoy it! I loved recording!! xxx
Nigerian ‘Concept’ Dish: Beans & Dodo
The Concept I said my next concept dish would be plantains, so here we are. When I was growing up, we ate beans on Wednesday and Fridays, afternoons only. We ate beans with fish – fresh, fried, smoked…mostly fried. Dodo, fried yam and garri were accompaniments sometimes. Though I loved the beans my mum cooked, I especially loved the one at my aunt’s house. I’m not sure what she did differently but her beans seemed smaller and sweeter, with a deep savouriness I can’t explain. Fast forward to 2016. We’ve gone past me not cooking beans, not on Wednesdays or...
Ideas in Puff Puff: Easy Twists
I love Puff Puff and trying out new versions is what I love to do – not to say how easy it is to actually do. Some ways Make a new base for the batter So instead of making your puff puff batter solely out of flour, you can add fruit or vegetable purees, like banana, plantain, etc or fruit juice – like passion fruit. The key is to maintain the consistency of the batter, keeping it as close to ‘normal’ as you would. I have made these a couple of times and I’m working on the ideal ratios. Coming...
In Season: Nigeria’s 1st Seasonal Produce Calendar V1.0
Yayyy to progress…. Oh my word, the journey, to catalogue, standardize, document Nigerian cuisine never stops! After four years of cataloguing what’s in season and when across Nigeria, I’ve finally put together the first version of the first ever seasonal produce calendar for Nigerian fruits and vegetables. This is one of the tenets of the New Nigerian Kitchen. Many thanks to Ramon of Observation in Progress for the numerous conversations and attempts. It is done! What’s the fuss? Nigerian cuisine is highly seasonal. Fruits and vegetables in season are at the peak of their nutritive value and often are much...
A Short History of Acarajé & Baianas, The Women Who Make Them
Because food is more than eating, and that which begins in pain can be transformed. Ever since I heard about Acarajé in 2009, I haven’t been the same. In ‘Women, Food and God‘, author Geneen Roth says that everything about life is on the plate. And it is true – joy, sorrow, remembrance, hope, worship, fellowship, pain, anger, friendship are reflected in how we eat and what we celebrate. I’d particularly like to celebrate Acarajé, how far it’s come. This is my understanding of its history: 19th century In the 19th century, slaves of Yoruba heritage were torn from homelands and taken across...
Eight (8) Nigerian Foods that are Double Double
Puff Puff. Chinchin. Garau Garau. Fio Fio. Moyin Moyin. ChukChuk. Kuli Kuli. Goody Goody. Double double. Or reduplication if you want to be proper and all linguistic. Because duplicated words, repeated words carry weight. There are things you aren’t conscious of, till somehow you become conscious of them and the patterns emerge. It all began with Deepa, my friend writing about Puff Puff and beignets ‘Dough demands its own vocabulary to bring it to life. And something about deep-fried dough seems to call for the sing-song language of repetition and emphasis that communicates experience and sensation, not merely fact. Things’re not just...
The Soup(s) Called Federal Character
Four soups, One bowl, Supreme mash up = Federal Character. The first time M said ‘Federal Character’ I was behind my desk at work and I went ‘What? Why? How?’ He proceeded to talk about how the major tribes were represented, in the bowl – a new dimension to Geneen Roth and her belief – mine too, that everything about life can be found on the plate. M’s descriptions made me laugh,made me want to see it. Don’t get me wrong, I had combined two soups before in the same bowl but it wasn’t a frequent occurrence and that was the upper...
![Garri-crusted [Chicken] Scotch Eggs](https://www.kitchenbutterfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/29832212555_18bfa6a9fd_c.jpg "Garri-crusted [Chicken] Scotch Eggs")
Garri-crusted [Chicken] Scotch Eggs
When your goals are soft, jellied yolks, you know you’ve hit a home run with this chicken mince scotch eggs, coated in a yaji/suya-spice, garri crust. Garri makes a delightful crust instead of breadcrumbs. Gluten-free too. These gladdened my eyes and heart. To make this, you’ll need to: 1. Boil your eggs to perfection. And perfection is whatever you like. I cooked my eggs in boiled, simmering water for ten minutes then dunked in cold water immediately after. They were perfectly medium-boiled. I try to pull them out a minute or two to the texture I like because I think they’ll...