A big thank you to My Diasporan Kitchen, whose blog post was the perfect guide for this experiment. Here’s how to bleach palm oil: First, read the recipe on ‘how to’ very well. Though most Nigerians are conversant and confident with oil cooking, frying etc, it’s good to read the recipe, become familiar with the...
Yes. Pepper fruit cured. I knew I wanted to use it for the way I thought the spicy seeds would cut the chewy fish and add aroma. My desire would be to cure white, local fish but this is a good place to begin. And I’m glad to say it worked. Take some processed pepper...
A collection of links to help because ‘No better cook did dreaming alone make :)’ Thank me later Becoming a good cook is a cross between the creative and practical, with health & safety as the overarching theme. I’ve found a few resources which you might find useful: Culinary Arts Basics Everything you need to know,...
Because sometimes, in spite of your best intentions, things will fail spectacularly. All that’s important then is what you learn and what you decide to do with it. The idea for a goat confit came after a discussion with a friend, B. I don’t remember the exacts but I know I was at a store...
Stock – the bedrock of Jollof Rice, of Fried Rice, Stews and more is easy to make. Nigerian stock differs from ‘Western’ style stocks because of the ingredients used. Your average Nigerian stock has red onions, fresh ginger and garlic, curry powder and dried thyme and more. In Europe, America and some other parts of...
I like to make my meat stock from scratch. I personally find it easy. The really win for me having a deep freeze stash to use when the need arises. Sometimes, I make my stock from flesh, other times bones and sometimes both. A few things I do when making stock with meat/ bones I cook on...
Making Dambu has been on my list of things to learn for ages. This weekend past, my Hausa teacher – yes, Hausa teacher (I’m learning to speak Hausa because I think it is delightful. It sounds incredibly beautiful – soft and melodic) taught me. In Hausa, Dambu literally translated is ‘mixture’. And this, is a mixture...
I treasure my chopping boards, especially my Aga Concept ones – yes, I’m playing favourites here. A key thing to remember is how to care for them – from cleaning to storing, so yes, here is Part 1 of a 2-Part series. Here’s my regimen: Daily/ each time I use: I wash my boards...
In 5 easy steps. You’ll need whole husks to hold the mixture/ and strips to secure both ends of your parcel. I’ve used them here for a steamed corn pudding…but…you can make tamales, and anything else your heart desires. Step 1 – Lay down a husk or two (if they are thin) Step 2 – Put...