This would be Nigerian pesto if there ever was such a thing. Take scent leaves and coconut and aromatics, season and combine with crushed, toasted egusi seeds. Have it with abacha. Think of that as the pasta of our nation :). Add some fish. And you’re good to go. I’ve been thinking of ingredients which could...
Yep, scent leaves again. And again, and again. This time, they walk the sweet route in a beautiful dessert. I took inspiration from basil-poached nectarines which were delicious a few years ago – this is no exception. The essence? Fruit poached in a spiced, herby sugar syrup. I’ve been fascinated by pawpaw – the wholesomeness of...
On an eternal quest for Nigerian desserts and a love for all things French, this was birthed. I have always wanted to bake with Agbalumo, and I’ve succeeded – I’ve made pancake puffs and leather, and now this. This isn’t the first Tarte Tatin, I’ve made – I’ve done a few with pears and ginger, both...
Down with a cold? The sort that most people get on the cusp of changing seasons, from harmattan to rainy? Don’t just reach for oranges, grab some agbalumo. Agbalumo? Yes, agbalumo. Rich in ascorbic acid – hence the tartness (thanks Tipu), more so than oranges – this is your rainy season fruit. The value of ascorbic...
I imagined it would be nice. And it was. Is. And mostly from Agbalumo puree. Agbalumo puree cooked with egg yolks and butter to make a sweet, breakfast/ bread spread. It takes on the colour of caramel and the lushness of recipes with cooked egg yolks – rich and smooth on the tongue. So yes,...
I have a dream, that one day, Nigerian cuisine will be spoken about, for its richness and diversity. That one day, the world will know that there’s more to our food than ‘pepper’ and ‘swallow’. I intend to play a small role in making that happen, so help me Lord. For a while now, my...
With the remains from the vinegar episode, I decided to make an ‘infusion’. This drink is a classic case of using up leftovers and doing something I’ve wanted to do for ages – make a drink of Agbalumo. The seeds and skin were tossed into pot. I tried to think of what spices would go well...
Over the holidays, I got so many vinegars to add to my growing collection. I now have bottles of Mango, Lime, Palm, Cane Sugar, Champagne, Sherry and others…so much so I’m beginning to think of setting up a rack. The mango vinegar inspired me to try a version with Agbalumo. My thinking is that some...
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...