I’m a dab hand at Jollof – she laughs in red and spice. Well, I’ve finally gotten things down to at least consistent, delicious results. That’s with long grain rice though, not basmati. Learning to make basmati Jollof has been a lifelong dream, from the days of Holland when @olayide_williams and I would order stunning basmati Jollof from...
Plantain is a starchy ‘fruit’ that’s used throughout its various stages of ripeness. Through its colour gradients, from green to black, the sweetness and texture change. It’s important to say that in Nigerian cooking, most traditional applications and preparation of plantain are savory from appetizer to mains and sides so even when sweet ripe plantains...
It’s true. Forget everything you thought you knew! Oranges can be green, yellow, orange and shades in between. I raised three children on ‘orange’ oranges, dutifully bought from our local Albert Heijn in Wassenaar. They learnt to eat them quartered mostly and loved them. And then we moved to Nigeria, to green and almost sunshine...
Do you remember these posts I wrote? Pepper Soup Spice Detective: Umilo/ Omilo But… and The Journey to Names and Provenance – Umilo & Gbafilo In both, I tried to find the botanical names for a specific peppersoup spice, umilo/ omilo. There were some conclusions but they were confusing. For instance, I found the supposed...
This is a guest post by my friend, Akwugo – an excellent, excellent writer who loves stories and connecting with people through them. Connect with her here xxx The one fruit that I am super sure was present in the splendid and perfect garden of Eden is the mango! Even ahead of the apple, which...
Some things make you realise others, like how Akwugo’s love and appreciation for her mother shone through in her piece on Lessons and oranges. As I read through it, it occurred to me that there were so many different ways of partaking in the orange goodness, and how it is different across the world. It...
Andddddddddddddddd, we’re back. Happy new year guys. I’m sorry it’s been so long – blame the new WordPress.org interface, and work, and life. I’ve missed you, missed sharing all the goodness of food. The first post is a guest one, from Akwugo of Ahshakasha.com, sharing everything about the common yet uncommonness of the orange, about...
Plantain has been bringing joy to homes in Nigeria since the amalgamation of the North and South poles. That’s how deep I believe it. This saying isn’t any truer as Nigerian artiste Timaya testified to in his 2011 hit single “Plantain Boy”. You should listen to it if you haven’t. [youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15gzJf8_P3Y”] The ease with...
Nma isn’t lazy when it comes to loving and eating plantain. Her favourite way? Fried and enjoyed with rice and stew. Most Nigerian parents would be proud, for in Nigeria when you’re out and you complain of hunger (aka lusting for junk food…), the parents might go – ‘Don’t worry, there’s rice at home’! Need...