I’ve been exploring making jellies with Nigerian fruits, flowers and nuts. My first attempt – a tiger nut pudding was beautiful, if soft set. It triggered a desire to make a panna cotta of tiger nuts, helped along by gelatine. Then came the agbalumo jelly which while great had a funny texture thanks to agar-agar....
Desserts & Presentation – two ways in which we should progress Nigerian cuisine :). This week, I will focus on Nigerian desserts. And yes, I dare say we have a class of them, if budding. Truth is, dessert for a long time was fruit salad (with milk), ice cream and cake. Enter The New Nigerian...
I loved learning how to make Fura and couldn’t wait to combine it with white chocolate and bananas. Nono is made from fresh milk soured with a bit of curdled milk, similar to using yogurt as a starter in a fresh batch. Fermentation happens over a day or two; Fura is made from millet, cooked...
Yep, I think I have a vegan winner with this one. Yep. This jelly is made with sweetened Agbalumo juice and set at room temperature in no time. I couldn’t find gelatine sheets in Lagos – and no, I did not look in every single shop. So agar agar it was. Anyhoo, the texture takes...
One thing always leads to another. Small chops from 12 Baskets at a party leads to this – chewy pancakes, the texture of mochi filled with sweet coconut and served with a mix of fruit and sauces. This plate is all about the elements: Pancakes made with Kuka, a mucilaginous powder which is green and...
Some recipes are keepers from the minute you read them. These rotis? Another way to re-purpose plantains, especially ripe, sweet ones is everything. Thank you for an awesome book, guys. Not to mention easy to craft. I like the fact that what I’ve always known as Nigerian ingredients can undergo a transformation that retains the...
I’m trying to eat more than carrot cake, delicious as my version of it is – adapted from food52 and topped with the same lemony cream cheese frosting as goes on my red velvet cake. The last time I made some Carrot cake, on Boxing Day. If you didn’t know the origins of Boxing day...
Every time he came for more Dodo – fried plantains, which was more than once…three times I think even, the son said ‘Can I have some sage, please?’ The Sage is one herb I have only ever paired with turkey and with brown butter pasta. I love the way it crisps up in fat and yet retains its...
It’s the season of old yam, yam that’s sweeter, less watery, more tasty than new yam. It’s the season of celebration, of fond remembrance, of Thanksgiving. It is the season of rebirth, of hope, of possibility and this, right here – this cake is everything and more. It comes from the stunning The Groundnut cookbook,...