GRILLED LAMB SIRLOIN WITH SALSA VERDE

How to Prepare GRILLED LAMB SIRLOIN WITH SALSA VERDE

               In South Africa, rump is used to describe the sirloin of a lamb, the tender strip of flesh connecting the leg to the loin. "While legs of lamb are more traditional at a braai," says Cape Town butcher Andy Fenner, "think of it like a large steak, with one lean side and one that's nice and fatty. The rump is more manageable, and just as tasty." Fenner scores the fatty side in a crosshatch pattern so the seasonings can penetrate deep into the meat. "Season it for 3 to 5 hours before cooking to draw the moisture out and get a good sear," he says. Then pair it with a fresh, acidic salsa verde.

For The Lamb: 

*Two 1-lb. boneless lamb rump (sirloin) roasts (do not trim) 

*Salt 

*Freshly ground black pepper

For the salsa verde: 

* ¾cup extra-virgin olive oil

*½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped 

*¼cup fresh mint, finely chopped 

*Finely grated zest of 2 medium lemons (2 Tbsp.) 

*Juice of 1 medium lemon (2 Tbsp.) 

*1 tbsp. capers, drained and finely chopped 

*1 tbsp. minced anchovy fillets (from about 12 fillets) 

*2 tsp. Dijon mustard 

*2 cloves garlic, minced (1 tsp.) 

*¼tsp. cayenne pepper (optional) 

*Salt 

Directions: 

1. Prepare the lamb: Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Use a sharp knife to score the fat caps every inch; rotate the lamb 90° and repeat to form a crosshatch pattern. Season the meat generously all over with salt and pepper.

2. Transfer the lamb fat side down to the grill; cook until the fat renders a bit and the meat is well browned, about 4 minutes. (If flares occur, shift the meat away from the flame until it dies down, then replace.) Using tongs, turn the roasts and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over and a meat thermometer inserted into the center reads 145° (medium-rare), 15–18 minutes more.

3. Remove the meat and let it rest for 15 minutes before thinly slicing and serving.

4. Meanwhile, make the salsa verde: In a small bowl, combine the oil, parsley, mint, lemon zest and juice, capers, anchovies, mustard, garlic, and cayenne (if using). Season with salt to taste and serve with the grilled lamb.

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BRAISED EGYPTIAN GREENS WITH CRISPY CHICKEN (EGYPTIAN MOLOKHIA)

How to prepare BRAISED EGYPTIAN GREENS WITH CRISPY CHICKEN (EGYPTIAN MOLOKHIA)

              The name of this stew—named after the leafy green that’s used to make it—is one of Egypt’s most popular dishes. Molokhia, the grassy-tasting, green vegetable also known as jute or Jew’s mallow, is occasionally available fresh at farmer’s markets, but the frozen leaves are far easier to find. Look for them at Middle Eastern and North African grocery stores.

     

        Ingredients: 

*1 whole chicken, meat cut into 6 bone-in pieces, neck and ribcage reserved 

*1 large yellow onion, quartered 

*5 pods green cardamom, cracked 

*2 bay leaves 

*2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste 

*2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened 

*Freshly ground black pepper 

*About 2 tbsp. Cloves from 1 medium head garlic, minced to a coarse paste 

*1 tsp. fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges, for serving 

*1 tbsp. ground coriander 

*1 packet (15 oz.) frozen molokhia leaves, thawed and chopped if needed 

*3-4 cups cooked white rice, for serving. 

Directions: 

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, add the chicken pieces and enough cold water to cover; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium-low and let simmer, skimming occasionally, 30 minutes. Add the onion, cardamom, bay leaves, and 2 teaspoons salt and continue to simmer until the chicken is fully cooked and tender, 20-30 minutes more. 

2. Meanwhile, preheat a broiler to high heat. Using tongs, remove the chicken pieces to a large baking sheet or oven-safe platter and set aside until cool enough to handle. Rub the pieces all over with 1 tablespoon butter, season with more salt and black pepper, and broil until the skin is browned, 4-6 minutes. Remove and set aside while you prepare the soup. 

3. Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl, and strain the stock (discard the solids). Measure out 5 ½ cups and set aside any remaining stock for another use.

4. In a medium pot, melt the remaining tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and the coriander. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very fragrant and the garlic is beginning to brown, 5-6 minutes. Quickly add the reserved 5 ½ cups stock and bring the mixture back up to a simmer. Add the molokhia, stirring to incorporate. Bring the mixture back up to a low boil, then simmer until the broth is smooth and slightly viscous and the garlic no longer tastes raw, about 5 minutes. (Take care not to overcook the soup, which will cause the leaves to fall to the bottom of the soup.)

6. Divide the rice among 6 individual bowls, then ladle in some of the hot stew. Top each with a piece of chicken and serve immediately with lemon wedges for squeezing.

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Grilled Quail With Miso

How to prepare Grilled Quail With Miso

          Grilled Quail With Miso might be just the main course you are searching for. This recipe serves 6. One serving contains 459 calories, 38g of protein, and 25g of fat . For $5.61 per serving, this recipe covers 25% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. 1 person has made this recipe and would make it again. It can be enjoyed any time, but it is especially good for The Fourth Of July . Head to the store and pick up semi-boneless quail, sake, sugar, and a few other things to make it today. It is a good option if you're following a

gluten free and dairy free diet. All things considered, we decided this recipe deserves a spoonacular score of 68% . This score is solid. 

Ingredients: 

*3/4 cup white miso (soybean paste)

*1/3 cup sake

*3 tablespoons sugar

*4 scallions, white and light green parts only, chopped

*1 tablespoon vegetable oil

*12 semi-boneless quail (about 2 1/4 pounds)

Directions: 

Combine the miso, sake, sugar and scallions in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thick, about 5 minutes. Let cool, then transfer to a large bowl and whisk in the vegetable oil.

Pat the quail dry. Add to the bowl with the miso mixture and toss; cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat the broiler. Line a shallow baking pan with foil. Arrange the quail in the pan in a single layer. Broil, rotating the pan as needed, until the quail are browned in spots and cooked through, about 8 minutes per side.

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Brunswick stew

How to prepare Brunswick stew

         Brunswick stew is a traditional dish, popular in the American South , generally involving a tomato base, local beans, vegetables, and originally small game meat, though today often chicken. The origin of the dish is uncertain, but it is believed to have been invented in the early 19th century. The states of Virginia and Georgia both make claims for originating the stew, in addition to claims of a German origin.

Ingredients: 

*4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

*3 cloves garlic, minced

*1 large Vidalia onion, finely chopped

*One 15-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes (with their juices)

*4 cups homemade chicken stock

*1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce

*2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

*1 tablespoon light brown sugar

*1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

*1 1/2 pounds smoked pulled pork

*Half 16-ounce bag frozen corn kernels

*Half 16-ounce bag frozen baby lima beans

*Pinch salt and ground pepper

*Pinch salt and ground pepper

*Hot sauce, for serving

*Cornbread or soda crackers, for serving. 

Directions: 

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once melted and foamy, add the garlic and onions and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken stock, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire, brown sugar, cayenne, smoked pork, lima beans, corn and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook over medium-low until thick and stewey, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring on occasion.

Serve with hot sauce, cornbread or soda crackers.

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Ogbono Soup (Draw Soup)

How to prepare Ogbono Soup (Draw Soup)

          Ogbono Soup also known as Draw Soup makes eating Fufu Recipes so easy because of its slimy nature which helps the lumps of fufu slide down. If your kids do not like Okra Soup because of the chunks of Okra, then try Ogbono Soup, they will surely love it. You may want to use the recipe for light Ogbono Soup when preparing theirs.

            Some people like their Ogbono soup plain, with no added vegetables, others would not touch it unless there is some kind of vegetable in it. A third group love their

Ogbono Soup with Okra. Some people even go fancy and add Egusi to it.

Be sure to check out the following link where you'll find more tips for preparing Ogbono Soup.

             Ingredients for Ogbono Soup

*Assorted Meat and Fish: Beef, Shaki (cow tripe) , Dry Fish , Stockfish

*2 handfuls Ogbono Seeds

*3 cooking spoons red palm oil

*Vegetable: Frozen Spinach (you can also use Pumpkin leaves or even Bitterleaf)

*2 tablespoons ground crayfish

*Pepper and Salt (To taste)

*1 onion

*2 stock/seasoning/boullion cubes

Before you cook Ogbono Soup: 

1. Grind the Ogbono with a dry mill.

2. Cut the frozen spinach when it is not completely defrosted. It is easier that way. Then when completely defrosted, squeeze out the excess water.

3. Cook the assorted meat with the stock cubes and onion. If you will use Shaki, remember to start cooking that first, then add beef when almost done.

4. Grind crayfish and pepper.

5. Boil some water and set aside.

Cooking Directions for Ogbono Soup: 

1. Pour the palm oil into a clean dry stainless steel or aluminium pot. Set on the stove and melt the oil at low heat. Remember, only melt the oil, do not allow it to heat up.

2. Once melted, turn off the heat and add the ground Ogbono.

3. Use your cooking spoon to dissolve the Ogbono in the oil.

4. When all the Ogbono powder has completely mixed with the oil, add the meat/fish stock (water from cooking the assorted meat and fish). Set the heat of your cooker to low and start stirring. You will notice the Ogbono start to thicken and draw.

5. Keep stirring till the Ogbono has completely absorbed the meat stock.

6. Add a small quantity of the hot water and stir till the Ogbono has absorbed all the water. Repeat this process till you get a consistency

7. Making sure that your heat is set to low, cover the pot and start cooking. Once it starts to simmer, stir every 2-3 minutes for 20 minutes.

So what you'll do is: every 3 minutes or so, open the pot, stir every well, scraping the Ogbono that sticks to the base of the pot, cover the pot and cook for another 3 minutes.

8. After 20 minutes, the Ogbono should be well cooked and you will begin to perceive its nice flavour and aroma.

9. Add the assorted meat and fish, ground crayfish, salt and pepper to taste. The Ogbono may have become thicker from the cooking. If so, add a little bit more water and stir very well. Cover and cook till the contents of the pot is well heated up.

10. If you prefer your Ogbono Soup without vegetables, turn off the heat and serve but if you like to add a vegetable then keep reading :)

11. When the contents of the pot have heated up, add the vegetable . Stir very well, cover the pot and turn off the heat. Leave to stand for about 5 minutes and serve with any

Fufu recipe .

Serve Ogbono Soup with any Nigerian Fufu meal .

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Nkwobi: Spicy Cow Foot

How to prepare Nkwobi: Spicy Cow Foot

         Nkwobi is a Nigerian delicacy that is usually ordered and enjoyed in exclusive restaurants.

         It is simply cooked cow foot mixed in spicy palm oil paste. Nkwobi is often mistaken for

Isi Ewu but they are not the same.

Ingredients for Nkwobi: 

*2kg (4.4 lbs) cow foot (cut into sizeable pieces)

*20cl (200ml) Palm Oil

*1 tablespoon powdered edible potash (Akanwu/Kaun/Keun)

*1 teaspoon ground Ehu seeds (Calabash Nutmeg)

*2 tablespoons ground crayfish

*2 habanero peppers (or to your taste)

*1 medium onion

*2 big stock cubes

*Salt (to taste)

To garnish: 

*1 medium onion

*10 Utazi leaves (Gongronema latifolium)

Notes on the ingredients: 

1. The 2kg of cow foot may sound like a lot but remember that cow foot is mostly bones so 2 people that love Nkwobi can finish that in no time.

2. Cow foot is quite tough so if you have a pressure cooker, do use it for cooking it to save time and gas/electricity. You may be able to buy calf foot which is softer and cooks in less time.

3. Ehu (Calabash Nutmeg) is a very traditional ingredient that is difficult to find outide Nigeria. If you can't buy it where you live, just prepare the Nkwobi without it. Ordinary nutmeg is not an alternative to this because they are not similar in any way. If you have friends or family in Nigeria, they will be able to buy ehu seeds and send to you, a small quantity goes a long way.

4. Potash is what makes the palm oil curdle as you will see in the video below. An alternative I know is what we call Ngu in Igbo. Ngu is even more traditional than potash so if you can't find potash, chances are that you won't be able to get Ngu either.

5. Utazi adds a nice bitter flavour to the Nkwobi. if you can't buy it where you live, use spinach (bold ones), it gives the same effect and actually tastes nice! 

Before you make the Nkwobi: 

1. Cut the cow foot into medium chunks. Where I live, the butchers cut it for me.

2. Put the powdered potash into a bowl. Add a small quantity of water (about 4 table spoons) and stir well.

3. Pass it through a fine sieve and set the liquid aside.

4. Cut 1 onion into 4 big chunks.

5. Pound the pepper with a mortar and pestle or blitz it.

6. Grind the crayfish.

7. Crack and remove the outer shell of the ehu then grind with a dry mill eg coffee grinder.

Directions for making Nkwobi: 

1. Wash and put the cow foot chunks in a pot.

2. Add the stock cubes (crushed) and the chunks of onion.

3. Add a small quantity of water and start cooking at medium heat till well cooked. Add just enough water to prevent burning as you cook. There should not be any stock (water) in the pot when the meat is done.

4. While the meat is cooking, pour the palm oil into a clean dry pot.

5. Pour in the potash mixture (sieved) into the oil.

6. Stir with a wooden spatula as you pour the potash. You'll notice the palm oil begin to curdle and turn yellow.

7. Keep stirring till all the oil has turned yellow.

8. Add the ground crayfish, pepper and ehu seeds. Stir very well till they are all incorporated.

9. When the meat is done, add salt, stir and cook till all the water has dried.

10. Add the well done cow foot to the palm oil paste and stir very well with the wooden spatula.

11. Put it back on the stove/cooker and heat till the Nkwobi is piping hot, stirring all the time to make sure it does not burn.

12. To prepare the garnish, cut the onions into rings and cut the utazi into long thin slices.

13. Serve the Nkwobi in a wooden mortar as shown in the image above.

14. Add the thin slices of utazi and onion rings on top for the full effects.

Best served with chilled drinks: palm wine, beer or stout and soft drinks.

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Nigerian Isi Ewu: Spicy Goat Head

How to prepare Nigerian Isi Ewu: Spicy Goat Head

          The process of preparing Isiewu is so similar to that of Nkwobi that lots of people find it hard to differentiate between the two of them. One major difference is that Nkwobi is prepared with cow foot while Isi Ewu which literally means goat head, is prepared with goat head!

Ingredients: 

*1 Goat Head

*15 cl (150ml) Red Palm Oil

*2 teaspoons ground Ehu seeds (Calabash Nutmeg)

*1 tablespoon powdered edible potash (Akanwu/Kaun/Keun)

*2 big beef flavoured stock cubes

*2 medium onions

*About 10 Utazi leaves (Gongronema latifolium)

*2 habanero peppers (or to your taste)

*Salt (to taste)

To garnish the Isi Ewu: 

*1 onion

*About 10 Utazi leaves (Gongronema latifolium)

Notes on the ingredients: 

1. In Nigerian restaurants, the goat heads are cooked whole (without cutting them up) because they have a big pot where they can pile several goat heads and cook them at the same time. When preparing one goat head, it is not practical to cook it whole because you will need lots of water to get the goat head well cooked. And since we do not want lots of water in the meat when done, it is better to cut the isi ewu up before cooking it.

2. Goat meat is quite tough so if you have a pressure cooker, do use it for cooking it to save time and gas/electricity.

3. Ehu (Calabash Nutmeg) is a very traditional ingredient that is difficult to find outide Nigeria. If you can't buy it where you live, just prepare the Isi ewu without it. Ordinary nutmeg is not an alternative to this because they are not similar in any way. If you have friends or family in Nigeria, they will be able to buy ehu seeds and send to you, a small quantity goes a long way.

4. Potash is what makes the palm oil curdle as you will see in the video below. A healthier alternative is what we call Ngu in Igbo. Ngu is even more traditional than potash so potash is much more available. If you can't find potash, use baking soda, follow the instructions on Edible Potash Alternative for how to use it to make palm oil cuddle.

5. Utazi adds a nice bitter flavour to the Isi ewu. if you can't buy it where you live, use leafy spinach (bold ones), it gives similar effect and actually tastes nice! :))

Before you make the Isi Ewu: 

1. Cut the goat head into pieces making sure that the essential parts: ears, tongue etc are whole cuts that is, they are not cut into pieces.

2. Remove the brain and put in an aluminium foil bag then fold the bag to close just like with Nigerian Moi Moi. 

3. Wash the meat very well with foam and iron sponges where necessary, using a knife to scrape off the tough top skin especially on the tongue. There will also be traces of sooth from burning the fur off the goat, ensure that these are all cleaned.

4. Put the powdered potash into a bowl. Add a small quantity of water (about 4 table spoons) and stir well. Pass it through a fine sieve and set the liquid aside.

5. Cut the 2 onions into 4 big chunks.

6. Crack and remove the outer shell of the ehu then grind with a dry mill eg coffee grinder.

7. Pound the pepper with a mortar and set aside.

Directions for making Isi Ewu: 

1. Cook the goat head with the chunks of onion, the stock cubes and as little water as possible. Top up the water as necessary but make sure there is as little water as possible in the pot. This is because we do not want any stock in the pot when the meat is done. Remember to cook the brain too.

2. While the meat is cooking, slice the onion for garnishing into thin rings.

3. Cut half of the utazi into thin slices. Cut the other half into tiny pieces. The first will be used for garnishing while the latter will be added into the palm oil paste.

4. When the meat is done, remove the chunks of onion, take out the brain and mash it up till smooth.

5. Add salt, stir and cook till all the water has dried.

6. Set the meat aside to cool down.

7. Now, pour the palm oil into a clean dry pot.

8. Pour in the potash mixture (sieved) into the oil.

9. Stir with a wooden spatula as you pour the potash. You'll notice the palm oil begin to curdle and turn yellow. Keep stiring till all the oil has turned yellow. Use as little potash as possible because too much of it can upset your stomach.

10. Add the pepper, mashed brain, ehu seeds and the utazi that has been cut to tiny pieces. Stir very well till they are all incorporated.

11. Add the goat head to the palm oil paste and stir very well with a wooden spatula.

12. Put it back on the stove/cooker and heat till the Isi Ewu is piping hot.

13. Serve the Isi Ewu in a wooden mortar as shown in the image above.

14. Garnish with the thin slices of utazi and onion rings for the full effects.

Best served with chilled drinks: palm wine, beer or stout and soft drinks.

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CHICKEN SHAWARMA

How to Make Chicken Shawarma

 

Shawarma was imported into Nigeria by the Lebanese but today, more Nigerians eat Shawarma than the Lebanese. 

Shawarma Ingredients

To make 4 wraps of Shawarma you will need:

The main ingredients for Shawarma:

*2 pita breads

*2 chicken laps

*2 chicken franks

Pita bread or shawarma bread or Lebanese bread is available at SPAR supermarkets in Nigeria. You get 2 Shawarma wrappers from 1 pita bread.

For the Chicken marinade:

These are what you will need to season the chicken which forms part of the shawarma filling.

*A small piece of red onion

*2 cloves of garlic

*1 teaspoon thyme

*1 teaspoon cumin

*1 teaspoon parsley

*½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

*½ teaspoon black pepper

*½ teaspoon salt

*2 Knorr cubes (chicken flavour)

For Shawarma Sauce:

For that creamy Shawarma Sauce that makes every bite memorable, you will need:

*Mayonnaise

*Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce OR any Sweet Chilli Sauce

*Ketchup

*Salad Cream

*Parsley

Shawarma Vegetables:

The following also go into the shawarma wrap:

*A small piece of Cabbage

*½ Red Pepper

*½ Green pepper

*1 carrot

*½ Tomato

Serve with a chilled drink especially Chapman.

         

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Mashed Potato with Sauce

How to prepare Mashed Potato with Sauce

           

            If you think you will never love potatoes, you have another think coming! This moist mashed potatoes dish will get you asking for more. The mashed potatoes on it's own is so moist and creamy that I eat it on its own without any sauce.

                          Ingredients

You can use any of your favourite sauces for this Mashed Potato.

*250g beef

*Red wine

*½ onion

*1 big red bell pepper

*1 mushroom

*Black pepper

*2 seasoning cubes

*Vegetable oil

*Ginger powder

*Onion powder

*Salt

*Parsley

For the Mashed Potato:

*4 Irish potatoes (spuds)

*⅓ tin of Peak Milk

*50g (½ stick) Butter

*1 tablespoon soft cheese

*Parsley

Notes on the ingredients: 

1. Most of these ingredients can be added to your liking hence why most do not have a quantity associated with it. This meal is so easy to prepare, you can free-style it without getting into trouble.

2. The combination of Peak Milk, butter and cheese give you the best tasting mashed potatoes ever!

3. For the soft cheese, I used Philadelphia cheese.

Before you prepare Mashed Potato: 

1. Peel, wash and cut the potato into small pieces. 

2. Slice the onion and the mushroom and cut up the red bell pepper into tiny pieces. I cut some into heart shapes for love effect.

3. Cut the beef into thin strip. 

  

                        Cooking Directions

1. Season the strips of beef with some onion powder, ginger powder, black pepper, stock cubes and thyme. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 20 minutes.

2. Place the potatoes in a pot, pour water to cover them add some salt and start cooking on medium heat.

3. After 20 minutes, fry the strips with the onions on low heat till tender.

4. Add the mushrooms and the red bell pepper and fry for a bit.

5. Add some salt and the red wine and it's done!

6. Cook the potatoes for about 20 minutes or till you can easily drive a knife into it.

7. Add the cheese, butter and Peak Milk.

8. Mash with a potato masher till very smooth.

Serve with the sauce or enjoy the mashed potatoes on its own.

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TUMERIC RICE

    How to Prepare TURMERIC RICE

      Turmeric Rice is one of the most basic yet delicious rice recipes to prepare in your kitchen. There's no tomato stew to make in this recipe so what can stop you from preparing this rice dish?. 

      

INGREDIENTS: 

*Long grain parboiled rice

*If you are in the USA/UK, use 2 cups.

*If you are in Nigeria, use ½ De Rica cup.

*If you have a weighing scale, use 350g or 0.8lbs.

*2 teaspoons turmeric powder

*1 teaspoon Nigerian curry powder

*1 teaspoon black pepper powder

*1 small red onion

*2-3 cups chicken stock

*A small quantity of red pepper

*A handful green peas

*Salt (to taste)

Notes on the ingredients: 

1. Use enough turmeric powder to colour the rice. Please note that the rice may not look so yellow when you add the parboiled rice to the turmeric mix in the pot but when the rice is done, it will become very yellow.

2. Turmeric is known as yellow ginger in Nigeria. It is known as ajo or ata ile pupa in Yoruba and kurkum in Hausa. You can buy turmeric powder in big supermarkets eg Shoprite in Nigeria. 

3. I used chicken stock for this recipe because I served the rice with Onion Baked Chicken . I used soft chicken which I baked from raw so no boiling of the chicken done to get some chicken stock. This means that for taste, I added chicken stock which I always have in my freezer. I get this chicken stock when I prepare side dishes like Peppered Chicken.

If you want to prepare this with Fried Chicken or Grilled Chicken , cook the chicken with thyme, onions, stock cubes and whatever else you use to season your chicken. Then add the water from cooking that chicken (chicken stock) to the rice during Step 1 in the cooking directions.

4. If you are in Nigeria, red bell peppers are available in big foreign supermarkets. Use tatashe as alternative to the red pepper. The quantity of red pepper you need is so small. 

Before you cook Turmeric Rice or Yellow Rice

1. Rinse and cut the red onions into small pieces.

2. Rinse, remove the seeds and cut the red pepper into small pieces.

3. Prepare the chicken you will serve it with. You can serve with Peppered Chicken or

Onion Baked Chicken .

4. Parboil the long grain parboiled rice. For the quantity of rice stated above, add to boiling water, stir, cover the pot and once it boils again, leave to boil for 10 minutes or till you can easily cut the grain of rice with your finger nails.

Cooking Directions: 

1. Pour the chicken stock into a sizeable pot.

2. Add the turmeric powder, Nigerian curry powder and black pepper.

3. Cover and cook till it boils.

4. Add the parboiled rice, stir and make sure that the liquid in the pot is at the same level as the rice . If not, top it up.

5. Taste for salt and add some if necessary. Stir, cover again and start cooking on medium heat.

6. If you parboiled the rice correctly as described above, the rice should be done by the time the water dries up. Taste to confirm. If not, you will need to add more water and reduce the heat to prevent burning. Continue cooking.

7. When you can no longer see the water in the rice, add the diced red pepper, onions and green peas. Stir only the top of the rice, cover and continue cooking.

8. The rice is done when all the water dries up.

9. Stir with a spatula till the vegetables and the rice are well combined.

10. That's it!

For meat, serve with Peppered Chicken or

Onion Baked Chicken . For side dishes, serve with Fried Plantain , Nigerian Moi Moi, Nigerian Salad or Coleslaw .

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Chicken Suya Salad

How to Prepare Chicken Suya Salad

         Chicken Suya Salad is simply the yummy

medemede of Chicken Suya with all the vegetables that go well with suya, in one plate.

It is a nice way to serve your guests Chicken Suya .

You can do the same with Beef Suya .

Ingredients you need for Chicken Suya Salad

For one serving, I used:

*5 long pieces of Chicken Suya

*1 teaspoon Suya Pepper (Suya Spice)

*1 medium red onion

*¼ small cabbage

*½ a medium cucumber

*1 plum tomato (Tomato Jos)

Notes on the ingredients: 

1. I am not going to restrict you with quantities of the ingredients. Feel free to vary the quantities of the vegetables.

2. See how to make the suya spice at the following link: How to make Nigerian Suya Spice.

3. These vegetables are the vegetables that we eat Nigerian suya with. Feel free to remove the ones you do not like.

4. Long pieces of Chicken Suya is advised for this salad so they can bend well in the arrangement. :)

Before you make the Chicken Suya Salad

1. Rinse all the vegetables thoroughly.

2. Cut the pieces of chicken suya into thin stripes with a width of about half an inch (about 1.5cm). Click the image on the right to see how I cut the ingredients.

3. Cut thin strips of the cucumber along the fruit

4. Cut the tomatoes and cabbage as shown in the image.

Arrange the Chicken Suya Salad: 

1. Now that you have sut all the ingredients, the only thing left of to arrange the vgetables like petals as shown the in images above. Start from the edge of the plate and work your way to the centre of the plate.

2. When done, sprinkle the suya spice on the salad.

3. Refrigerate to chill before serving. You can also enjoy it warm. The way I love it is to chill the vegetables in the fridge before making the salad then use hot chicken suya. By the time you are done, the vegetables will still be cool while the suya will be hot. The combo of warm chicken suya and the cold/cool vegetables is great for my tastebuds! :)

4. That's it!

Serve with a chilled drink or as a side dish to

Jollof Rice , Coconut Rice , Fried Rice and other Nigerian rice dishes. Yummy!

It also goes well with Nigerian Moi Moi.

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Classic Creamy Coleslaw

How to Prepare Classic Creamy Coleslaw 

            There is coleslaw and then there is the Classic Creamy Coleslaw! On this page, you will see how to make this special salad sibling. Coleslaw is so versertile, you can eat it on its own because it is quite filling or you can serve it with Fried Meat , Nigerian Moi Moi, Fried Plantains, Grilled Chicken, Jollof Rice and many more Nigerian rice dishes. 

Coleslaw is usually served chilled to allow the dressing settle into the vegetables.

Ingredients: 

*1½ cups shredded red/purple cabbage

*1½ cups shredded green cabbage

*1 cup grated carrots

*1 teaspoon granulated sugar

*½ teaspoon black pepper

*1 teaspoon lemon juice

*¼ cup Salad Cream

*¼ cup Mayonnaise

*1 tablespoon Ketchup. 

Notes on the ingredients:

1. If you do not have red cabbage, you can skip it and add more shredded carrots.

2. I used the standard cup to measure the ingredients.

3. The creamier you want the coleslaw the more salad cream, mayonnaise and ketchup you should add.

4. My favorite brands are Heinz Salad Cream, Hellmann's Mayonnaise and Heinz Ketchup.

Preparation: 

All the vegetables need to be washed.

1. Use a knife to cut the red cabbage and green cabbage into thin strips.

2. Scrape the carrots then grate with a grater.

3. Add the ingredients into a large bowl and stir till everything is well combined. For a better mix, you will need to add the vegetables, stir, add the dry ingredients, stir, add the wet ingredients and stir. See the video below to see how I did it.

4. Chill and serve.

This Classic Creamy Coleslaw can be eaten on its own or as a side dish to Nigerian Moi Moi, Fried Plantains, Grilled Chicken, Jollof Rice , Coconut Rice , Fried Rice and other

Nigerian rice dishes .

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ABACHA

        How to Prepare ABACHA

         Abacha the meal, is one of those meals that are prepared with lots of ingredients. Here is a full option Abacha that contains all the possible ingredients.

         If you do not have Abacha or you are on a low carb diet, prepare Cucumber Abacha.

Abacha (the ingredient) is made from cassava. The cassava tubers are cooked till done then sliced with a special grater. The sliced cassava is then soaked in cold water overnight, washed thoroughly and dried under the sun.

     

                       INGREDIENTS

With Abacha, the more ingredients you use, the tastier and more "complete" it will be. So use as many as you can lay your hands on.

*3 handfuls abacha

*2 cups ugba (ukpaka)

*30 cl red palm oil

*2 tablespoons Powdered Potash (food tenderizer)

*Fish | Mackerel/Dry Fish/Stockfish

*2 onions

*Salt and habanero pepper (to taste)

*4 tablespoons ground crayfish

*2 stock cubes (Knorr)

*2 teaspoons ground Ehu seeds (Calabash Nutmeg)

*Garden Eggs.

*Garden Egg leaves

*Ogiri Igbo (castor seed paste)

             Other meat and vegetables for the Abacha

    *3 Fresh Utazi leaves (Gongronema latifolium)

*Ponmo / Kanda (cow skin)

Notes on the ingredients:

1. Abacha is the main ingredient. Abacha is made by boiling and grating/shredding cassava tubers. Click here to see how to make abacha.

2. Ukpaka or Ugba is shredded oil bean seeds. It is compulsory for me but if you do not have it, you can skip it.

3. Red Palm Oil must be used when preparing abacha. Other oils are not acceptable.

4. You must add a green leafy vegetable. Garden Egg leaves are used for abacha. If you do not have it, use leafy spinach especially the baby ones. Very good alternative.

5. At least one type of fish must be used. For abacha you can use stockfish (dry cod), dry fish (dry cat fish, mangala), fried mackerel (fried titus) and smoked fish .

6. Crayfish much be used, click here to see how to prepare crayfish (for those outside Nigeria).

7. Pepper must be used and you can either add habanero pepper (recommended) or dry cayenne pepper. Habanero pepper is atarodo, atarugu or ose oyibo. Black pepper is not a good fit for abacha.

8. Add ogiri Igbo for the classic traditional taste but if you do not have it, add stock cubes. One of these must be used unless you are really really allergic to both.

9. Add garden egg. It is great in abacha but not compulsory.

10. For me, red onions are a must. My grandma will tell me that adding onions is "umu township" version. LOL

11. Edible potash: akanwu, kaun, keun is what makes palm oil curdle and it is a must. If you do not have it or you do not want to eat edible potash, baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) has similar properties. Click here for more information.

12. Ehu: for me ehu (calabash nutmeg or African nutmeg) is a must. Again if you do not have it, you can skip it. But the day you will eat Abacha prepared with ehu, you will understand the difference between capital B and cow footprint. LOL

13. Be careful when adding salt to abacha. This meal contains lots of ingredients that already have salt: stockfish, stock cubes, crayfish etc. Most often I do not need more salt.

Before you Make Abacha

All the work of making Abacha goes to preparing the ingredients.

1. Soak the dry fish in cool water and set aside to soften.

2. Soak the abacha for 2 minutes in cool water and put in a sieve to drain.

3. Rinse the stockfish and cook till soft. I use a pressure pot for this. Debone when it is soft.

4. Mix the edible potash with some water, stir and set aside.

5. When the dry fish is soft, clean and debone. Then break into small pieces.

6. Cut one of the onions into tiny pieces and cut the other into rings. See the video for what I mean.

7. Rinse the leafy vegetable, cut some into tiny pieces, some into thin stripes and leave some leaves whole.

8. Rinse the ukpaka and put in a sieve to drain.

9. Cut some garden egg into tiny pieces and some into thin discs.

10. Crack open the ehu seeds and grind with a spice grinder.

11. Grind/blend/pound the habanero pepper.

12. Melt the palm oil in a sizeable pot over low heat. Note that this is melting not bleaching. The oil should not even be hot. If your palm oil is in liquid form, no need to use heat. Just pour it into a pot.

All the ingredients are ready!

                    PREPARATION

When mixing the Abacha ingredients, it is important that all the ingredients are well incorporated. Add similar ingredients, stir and add another batch. It is not recommended to add everything all at once and stir because it will be very difficult for you to get a good mix of all the ingredients.

1. Slowly decant the liquid from the edible potash into the palm oil and stir at the same time and you will see the palm oil thicken and turn yellow. Make sure that the edible potash sediments do not go into the pot.

2. Add the stock cubes (crushed), ground ehu, ground crayfish, diced onions, blended habanero pepper, tiny vegetables and mix well.

3. Add the abacha, ukpaka, pieces of dry fish, diced garden eggs and mix well.

4. Taste and only add salt if necessary.

5. You can warm it up a little bit before serving. It can also be served at room temperature.

6. That's it!

Serve with the onion rings, discs of garden eggs, stripes of garden egg leaves and the whole garden egg leaves. Throw in a chilled drink. Palm wine is the best for Abacha.

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GROUNDNUT MILK (PEANUT MILK)

How to make Groundnut Milk (Peanut Milk)

            Anybody else bored with the flat taste of fresh cow milk? I only like cow milk for chocolate drinks, cereals and oatmeals and of course for baking. But drinking only fresh cow milk? Not me. I am not allergic to cow milk but I find it tasteless so I always look to Soy Milk, Rice Milk and Groundnut (Peanut Milk) when I want to drink just milk. All these have a special nutty or grain flavour that I love. Not so boring like plain cow milk. If you are vegetarian or lactose intolerant then Groundnut Milk will be great news for you too.

             Groundnuts (Peanuts) are rich in protein and should be a great feature in our daily diet. For me, Groundnut Milk is the best way to get the nutritional benefits of groundnuts without chewing. I usually go for foods that I can drink or swallow much more that the foods I have to chew.

                         INGREDIENTS

*Raw Peanuts (Groundnuts)

*Cool water

Optional flavours:

*Vanilla extract

*Sugar

Notes on the ingredients

1. I only keep this milk for 48 hours maximum in the fridge so I usually make the quantity I can finish within that period. If I do not boil it, I just make the quantity I can finish in one day. I get 600mls of Groundnut Milk with 300g of raw groundnuts.

2. I always buy peeled raw groundnuts (peanuts) but if you can only buy unpeeled ones, see step 1 in the directions for how to remove the skin.

3. When blending the soaked peanuts (see step 2 in the directions below), just add enough water to help the blades of your blender move. You will add more water later when rinsing the chaff.

4. If you will use the flavours, add them when blending the groundnuts. I prefer the unadulterated natural delicious taste of Groundnut Milk.

5. Raw groundnuts, corn, cassava and many other food items may contain aflatoxins which are said to be produced if the food item is contaminated with a certain kind of mould. To eliminate the risk of these aflatoxins which can affect human health, boil the Groundnut Milk before drinking. It is OK to drink it raw because the amount of aflatoxins in food is said to be negligible.

Tools

*To blend it, you'll need a kitchen blender. My blender has 600W power and it did a great job of blending the soaked groundnuts.

*To strain it you'll need a bowl and a chiffon cloth or ladies stocking/tights (pantyhose without the panty).

*To boil it you'll need a pot, a stove and a spatula.

                       DIRECTIONS

1. Rinse and soak the groundnuts in a generous quantity of cool water for 3 hours.

If you are using unpeeled groundnuts:

Pour warm to hot water on the peanuts and leave for a few minutes or till you notice the skin become baggy.

            *Pour out the hot water and replace with cool water.

           *Rub the groundnuts between your palms and watch the skin come off.

           *Once they have all come off, decant the skin in the same manner of

decanting beans peels when peeling beans.

           *Pour cool water into the bowl of peeled groundnuts and leave to soak for 3 hours.

2. After 3 hours, blend with as little water as possible till smooth.

3. Sieve with a cheese cloth or any chiffon material that does not allow the chaff to pass through.

4. Pour the milk into a pot and cook over medium heat till it boils. Stir often so that lumps do not form.

5. Once it boils, leave to cool down completely, remove the milk skin and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Serve Groundnut Milk with Akara , Puff Puff or any other Nigerian Snack . I store the boiled one for up to 48 hours in the fridge and the raw one, I drink up immediately. Enjoy!

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NIGERIAN CHAPMAN DRINK

How to Make Nigerian Chapman Drink

            Nigerian Chapman is an easy cocktail drink with a nice blend of fruity flavours. Sometime ago, on my Facebook fan page, a fan asked me for the Nigerian Chapman drink recipe. That question took me down memory lane, to the first time I had a chapman at a Chinese restaurant in the Coal City of Enugu. I remember I loved it so much. So I thought, hang on my lovely, we are going to make that chapman together!

Ingredients for Nigerian Chapman drink

          The following are what I used for 2 classic dimpled mugs of chapman: one for me, one for hubby ;-)

*½ cup Grenadine Syrup

*A few dashes of Angostura Aromatic Bitters™

*35 cl Fanta Orange

*35 cl Sprite

*½ an Orange

*½ a lemon

*Ice cubes

Optional Ingredient:

*Ribena™ Blackcurrant

To garnish:

Feel free to add any citrus and other fruits of your choice: cucumber, strawberry, orange, lemon, lime, even bananas. I used the following:

*½ an orange

*½ a lemon

*½ a cucumber

Notes on the Ingredients and alternatives

1. Grenadine Syrup gives the drink its classic red colour. You can buy this at your local supermarket or on Amazon websites as listed below. If you can't find Grenadine Syrup, you can use red currant (extract the juice) or pomegranate but these don't give the drink the same taste.

2. Ribena concentrated blackcurrant adds to the red colour and gives the drink a sweetened taste but it is optional. Concentrated Ribena blackcurrant is easily available in Nigeria and your local supermarkets anywhere in the world.

3. You can make your ice cubes with a mixture of the Fanta and the Sprite. This is so that your drink does not go flat as is the case when the ice cubes are made with water.

4. Even though the Nigerian chapman contains a very small quantity of alcohol, I know there are those who will like to make a version that does not contain any trace of alcohol. If you want to make that, you can skip the Angostura Bitters but I warn you, the Nigerian Chapman will not be the same without Angostura Bitters. :)

5. Wondering other recipes you can use the remaining Angostura Bitters for? You can use it in cookies, cakes, ice cream, salads and other cocktail drinks. Or you can just keep it and use for Chapman, it does not expire in a hurry.

6. You can buy Angostura Bitters from all big food and beverages shops in Nigeria, in your local super markets and on Amazon websites.

Where to buy the "special" ingredients and the mug:

*Angostura Bitters: Buy it in USA | in UK

*Grenadine Syrup: Buy it in USA | in UK

*Classic Dimple Mugs Buy it in USA | in UK

Before you make the Chapman

1. Make the ice cubes either with water or a mixture of the fanta and the sprite.

2. Make sure the Grenadine Syrup, Fanta and Sprite are chilling in the fridge.

3. Cut the orange and the lemon into two equal parts each then cut one half of each into thin quarters. Reserve the other halves for squeezing into the drink.

Directions for making the Chapman

1. Put a few ice cubes in the mugs.

2. Add half a cup of the Grenadine Syrup, this should be about one third of the dimpled mug.

3. Add a few dashes of Angostura Bitters (to your taste).

4. Add a squeeze of orange and lemon each.

5. Share the Fanta equally between the two mugs, do the same for the Sprite. Remember to leave some space because the garnishings will take up their own volume.

6. Add your sliced garnishings: cucumber, orange and lemons. This list goes on and on, some people even add bananas to theirs :)

7. Top off with Ribena blackcurrant if you have it.

8. Stir with the straws and it is ready for drinking!

Enjoy it on a warm sunny day or on any special occassion with any Nigerian snack.

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STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE

How to Make STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE

         A milkshake is a heavy creamy drink that is often used as a dessert. Once you blend any fruit or vegetable with whole milk, it becomes a milkshake. Milkshakes are the perfect drink for a hot day.

Ingredients for making Strawberry Milkshake

You can blend the following in any proportions and come up with a delicious strawberry milkshake.

*Strawberries (very ripe ones)

*Whole milk

*Vanilla ice cream (optional)

*Greek-style yoghurt (optional)

 

Notes on the ingredients

1. I listed vanilla ice cream and Greek-style yoghurt as optional because all you need to make a strawberry milkshake are the strawberries and the whole milk. But these other 2 ingredients make the milkshake thicker and more delicious. I either use vanilla ice cream or the Greek yoghurt, I never add the 2 at the same time. But you can if you wish.

2. Please note that the milk used here is whole milk and not evaporated milk. You can buy whole milk from any big supermarket anywhere in the world. Some poeple use skimmed and semi skimmed milk but those do not make creamy milkshakes.

3. Strawberries when in season, are available in Nigeria (in Shoprite, SPAR) and supermarkets all over the world.

4. Greek-style yoghurt is also available in major supermarkets all over the world.

Important kitchen equipment you need:

*To blend it, you'll need a kitchen blender. Any blender with a minimum of 500W can do a good job of this.

Directions for making Strawberry Milkshake

1. Wash, trim and cut the strawberries into small pieces and place in your blender.

2. Scoop some vanilla ice cream or Greek-style yoghurt (if you are using any of these) into the blender.

3. Turn on the blender and start pouring the whole milk through the peep hole of the blender cover till you are happy with the thickness of your milkshake.

Serve on its own, with cookies or with whole strawberries.

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SOYA MILK

           How to make SOYA MILK
           Soya Milk is a refreshing rich drink. Drink a glass every morning to start your day on a good note. Use it to wash down your meals, when eating snacks: cookies, Nigerian Puff Puff and many more.
           It is plant protein (milk from a plant) hence a great alternative to cow milk for those have lactose intolerance.

                    INGREDIENTS

To make soya milk, you need just 4 ingredients:

*1 De Rica cup soya beans (650g or 1.4 lbs)

*4 litres (1 gallon) cold water

*15 dates (dabino, dátil, datte)

*1 vanilla pod or 1 cap vanilla flavour. 

Notes on the ingredients: 

1. Soya beans are sold in Nigerian markets by those who sell other staple food like rice, beans etc. Vanilla pod or vanilla flavour is sold in bakery ingredients shops.

2. The quantity of water listed above is what gives me the consistency of soya milk that I like. You can add more or less water if you wish.

3. Dates (known as dabino in Hausa, dátil in Spanish and datte in French) is a natural sweetener for the soy milk. If you do not have it, add sugar to your taste. You can buy dates from any supermarket in the world. In Nigeria, Mallams that see coconut and tiger nuts (aki awusa, ofio, aya) sell dates. Just ask them for dabino.

4. Vanilla give the soya milk its unique flavour. If you want your soya milk to taste like the one sold in 30cl glass bottles in Nigeria, vanilla flavour is essential. If you do not have natural vanilla pods like I used in the video below, use 1 cap of vanilla flavour for the quantity of soya beans stated above.

5. There are other flavours and ingredients you can add when making soya milk: milk flavour, powdered milk etc but I prefer mine basic and tasting like pure soya milk.

Tools: 

*To blend it, you'll need a kitchen blender. My blender has 600W power and it does a great job of blending soaked soya beans.

*To strain it you'll need a sieve and a chiffon cloth or ladies stocking/tights (pantyhose without the panty).

*You'll also need bowls and pots.

                      DIRECTIONS

1. Rinse and soak the soya beans overnight or for at least 10 hours. Use a generous amount of water. Do not soak it for longer that this time because it will start having a fermented smell and taste.

2. After almost 10 hours, rinse and remove the seeds from the dates. Then cut into pieces.

3. Cut the vanilla along the pod and set aside. Cutting the pod exposes the vanilla beans where all the flavour is.

4. After 10 hours, you will notice that the soya beans are swollen, softer and the skin comes off easily.

5. Rub the soaked soya beans between your palms to separate the skin from the beans.

6. Pour more water and watch the skin come to the surface.

7. Decant the skin using the method of decanting the skin when peeling beans for Nigerian Moi Moi .

8. When there is no more skin, blend the soya beans and dates in a blender till smooth. To do this, put some beans in the blender, add some dates and pour water to cover the beans then blend.

9. Strain the blend using a sieve.

10. Pour the resulting soya milk into a big pot and start cooking on medium heat. Stir it often so it does not stick to the bottom of the pot.

11. When it is about to boil, scoop out the foam so it does not over-flow.

12. Add the vanilla pods. Keep stirring and keep cooking for another 5 minutes, stirring all the time.

13. Turn off the heat and leave to cool down completely.

14. Then strain again using a chiffon cloth, cheese cloth or lady's stocking to remove the finest particles.

15. Pour into a bottle, cover and keep in your fridge. Drink within 2 or 3 days. If you want to keep it for much longer, keep it in the freezer.

Enjoy soya milk with cookies, Nigerian Puff Puff or any other pastry .

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PLANTAIN OMELETTE

  How to prepare PLANTAIN OMELETTE
         Plantain Omelette gives you the chance to enjoy an exotic breakfast of omelette with fried plantains in one dish.
       

                       INGREDIENTS

*1 ripe plantain

*2 eggs

*1 frankfurter (Satis)

*½ a tomato

*½ an onion

*½ teaspoon salt

*2 tablespoons green peas

*A few leaves leafy vegetables

*Vegetable oil

*Habanero pepper (optional)

         

  Notes on the ingredients: 

1. For best results, use ripe but firm plantains.

2. These leafy vegetables work well with this recipe: Ugu, Spinach and Scent leaves.

BEFORE PREPARATION: 

1. Peel and slice the plantain into thin discs.Fry till golden and set aside.

2. Slice the onions, habanero pepper (if using it) and the leafy vegetables. Cut the frankfurter and tomato into small pieces. 

3. Break the eggs, beat, add the salt and mix very well.

PREPARATION: 

1. Fry the onions in a small quantity of vegetable oil for 1 minute.

2. Add the tomato, frankfurters and green peas and fry for 2 minutes.

3. Pour the result into the egg, add the sliced leaf vegetables and stir.

4. Heat a small quantity of vegetable oil and pour the egg mix from step 3 into the pan such that the mix is well spread out to cover the pan.

5. Reduce the heat to very low and once the edge of the omelette cakes, lay the fried plantains flat on the omelette to cover it.

6. Shake your frying pan from time to time and once the plantain omelette cakes all over, gently transfer it to a flat plate. 

Slice up like pizza and enjoy with other breakfast dishes.

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CAULIFLOWER WRAP

       How to make CAULIFLOWER WRAP
       Cauliflower Wrap is tailored to those on a low carb, high fat diet, gluten-free diet but you too can enjoy it. Take a look at the ingredients and see if it is something that you can eat.
You may need to replace just one or two ingredients with your favourite ones and it instantly becomes a wrap for you. I call it the low carb Shawarma.

                     INGREDIENTS

*3 cauliflower florets

*1 egg

*½ red onion (sliced)

*Red bell pepper (chopped)

*Green bell pepper (chopped)

*Yellow bell pepper (chopped)

*1 button mushroom (sliced)

*Salt (to taste)

*3 strips bacon

*Mayonnaise (for serving)

*Carrot Oil (for frying)

   

NOTES ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS:  

1. I enjoy preparing this with carrot oil because the beta carotene in it helps keep me young. ;) You can fry the ingredients with any keto-friendly oil (coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil) if you are on a strict keto-diet.

2. Cauliflower is a vegetable, you can buy it in very big supermarkets in Nigeria.

3. The red, green and yellow bell peppers are very small quantities, too small to put a number on it. Watch the video below to see the quantity I used.

4. You can replace the bacon with turkey or chicken fillets.

5. You can replace the mayonnaise with another dressing of your choice.

6. Wash all the vegetables before you start.

                    PREPARATION

1. Grate the cauliflower florets till they are like rice grains.

2. Beat the egg and add the grains of cauliflower, chopped peppers and salt. Mix well.

3. Sautee the bacon, mushrooms and onions till brown and set them aside. 

4. Pour a little carrot oil in the frying pan and when hot, pour the eg and caulifliwer mix. Spread it out till as thin as an omelette.

5. Fry on low heat till the top cakes and the under is golden.

6. Place in a flat plate, fill with the bacon, onions and mushrooms.

7. Add mayonnaise and enjoy!

You can have Cauliflower Wrap as a meal with a chilled drink or hot tea/chocolate. 

You can eat it as a snack or have it for breakfast.

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VANILLA ICE CREAM

How to make VANILLA ICE CREAM

           Vanilla Ice Cream or any flavour of ice cream is quite easy and straight forward to make. The one challenge is how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker. On this page, I will give details of how you can successfully make some Vanilla Ice Cream in the comfort of your home.

            This is just one method. I will be sharing other methods and flavours soon so stay tuned.

                      INGREDIENTS

For 5 big scoops of vanilla ice cream, you will need:

*500mls fresh milk (not evaporated milk)

*250mls whipping cream

*6 egg yolks

*60g sugar

*2 tablespoons vanilla extract or 1 vanilla pod

All these ingredients can be purchased from supermarkets all over the world. If you are in Nigeria, look for them in big department stores like Shoprite.

   FOR DECORATING THE ICE CREAM

*Honey

*Caramel

*Fruits

         UTENSILS AND EQUIPMENTS

*Freezer

*2 Bowls: 1 should be big enough to accommodate the ice cream mixture, the other should be big enough to accommodate the first bowl.

*Spatula

*Pot

*Ice cream spoon (optional)

BEFORE MAKING VANILLA ICE CREAM

1. Make a large quantity of ice cubes. This will be used in cooling down the ice cream mixture in Step 8 below. I usually make at least 30 ice cubes for this.

2. If you will be using a vanilla pod, cut it open by slicing along it to expose the seeds.

3. Break the eggs and separate the yolk from the egg whites. For ice cream, we need only the egg yolks.

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING VANILLA ICE CREAM

1. Pour the fresh milk and the whipping cream into a sizeable pot.

2. Add the vanilla extract. If you are using a vanilla pod, add everything (seeds and fibre) to the milk and whipping cream in the pot.

3. Start cooking on medium heat.

4. While waiting for that to boil, whisk the egg yolks very well. Add the sugar and mix well.

5. Once the contents of the pot start to boil, reduce the heat to very low. If you added vanilla pods, remove the fibre from the milk at this time.

6. Once you see that the milk is no longer foaming so much (due to the reduced heat), slowly add the egg yolks to the milk, whipping cream and vanilla mixture. Stir till well incorporated.

7. Increase the heat to medium and stir continuously till you notice the solution thickening. This should take about 10 minutes.

8. Once you are happy, place the ice cubes into the big bowl and add some water to them. Pour the ice cream mixture into the smaller bowl and place this bowl into the ice water bath. Stir the ice cream mixture continuously (with a spatula) till it cools down completely. You may need to watch the video below to see how I did this.

9. Place the bowl containing the ice cream mixture in the freezer. After 30 minutes, bring it out, stir very well with a spatula and place it back for another half an hour. Then bring it out and stir again. Repeat the process till a creamy solid is formed. It is important to stir very often because this prevents ice from forming in the ice cream. Depending on your freezer, this process takes between 3 and 5 hours.

10. Once you are happy with the texture of the ice cream, serve and decorate with honey, caramel and/or fruits.

11. If you have any left overs, put in a container, cover and place in your freezer till whenever. When you take it out of the freezer, it may appear rock solid unlike the ice cream purchased in the shops. All you have to do is leave it on your kitchen counter for 5 to 7 minutes or till it softens to ice cream texture before serving.

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PANCAKE

              How to make PANCAKES

          This is a simple recipe for the thin, delicious Nigerian-style pancakes. It is made with those ingredients that we always have in our kitchen. So you do not have any excuse for not making this recipe right away or latest this weekend.
           Most Nigerians think of pancake as just a snack. Yes, pancakes go well with a chilled drink. But have you ever thought of another way to enjoy pancake? Now listen to this! Pancake is the most balanced meal you can have at breakfast as it is a blend of protein (from the eggs), carbohydrates (from the flour) and fats and oil (from the butter and vegetable oil). And we are not even talking about the micro nutrients. Maybe that's why the pancake is commonly referred to as Diet in Nigeria.

You can eat pancakes with Custard , Akamu (Ogi) or Oat Meal.

So put more effort into your weekend breakfast by preparing this recipe for you and your family. Yes, mostly during weekends, so you can relax and enjoy the pancake because you are in no hurry to leave the house.
Learn how to make the Nigerian pancake and re-live your teenage years when you used to buy Diet during recess or after school. Ring a bell?
                        INGREDIENTS
*1 cup | (150g) of plain flour
*2 medium eggs
*½ cup (125 mls) of evaporated milk ( Peak Milk)
*2 tablespoons of margarine
*1 cup (250 mls) of water
*¼ teaspoon of salt
*6 teaspoons of sugar (or to taste)
*Ground Chilli Pepper (to taste)
*Vegetable oil

Before you fry the pancake:

1. Put the margarine is a small bowl and melt in the microwave. You can also place the bowl in a bigger bowl of hot water to melt the margarine.

2. Break the two eggs into the melted margarine and beat till smooth. Then add ½ cup of water.

3. Add the flour and mix well till there are minimal lumps.

4. Add the milk, salt, sugar, ground pepper and the remaining ½ cup of water, stir well.

5. Blend the mix using a liquid blender. This will give the pancake batter the smoothest consistency. If you don't want to blend it, no problem, just mix the ingredients very well so that the lumps are minimal.

Note: You can also add onions to the pancake but make sure that your blender can liquefy the onions. If not, the pieces of onions will not let you achieve very thin pancakes.

                        PREPARATION
*1. Set a frying pan over medium heat. Add a few drops of vegetable oil. Just enough to lubricate the frying pan.

*2. When hot, pour some pancake batter into the frying pan. Tilt the pan so that the batter coats the surface of the pan evenly. This should be a very thin coat.

*3. Fry the underside of the pancake for approximately 1 minute, shaking the pan from time to time till the pancake comes loose. You can also loosen it with the spatula. Check the underside to be sure it has browned to your liking, preferably light brown.

*4. Flip the pancake so you can fry the top side as well.

*5. The pancake is done when both sides are light brown.

For breakfast, serve with Custard , Akamu (Ogi) or Oat Meal. If you just want to snack on the pancake, make sure you have a drink chilling in the freezer before you even start mixing the batter.

Enjoy!

 

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BANANA BREAD

        How to prepare BANANA BREAD
   
        This Banana Bread is so decadent that once you start you can't stop!.
       
                         INGREDIENTS

          The quantities of ingredients listed below are what I used for medium loaf of banana bread.

*1 cup (150g) plain (all purpose) flour
*2 over ripe bananas
*125g (1 stick) butter
*4 eggs
*¼ cup sugar
*1 teaspoon baking soda
*½ teaspoon yeast
*½ teaspoon salt
*1 tin Peak Filled Evaporated Milk
*¼ cup roasted groundnuts and cashew nuts.

Notes on the Banana Bread ingredients:
1. Use very ripe but firm bananas.

2. Peak Milk works well with this recipe because it is uper creamy.

3. The eggs should be at room temperature. Which means that before you make the banana bread, bring the eggs out of the fridge long before you will make the cake. If it is winter where you live, bring them out the night before.

4. Peak Filled Evaporated milk had a unique rich creamy flavour that works well with the vanilla and butterscotch flavours.

                     INGREDIENTS
1. Pour the Peak Milk in a cup and warm it up a little bit, about 30 seconds in the microwave oven.

2. Add the yeast to the milk, stir and set the mixture aside.

3. In a dry bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda.

4. Crush the groundnuts and cashew nuts with a rolling pin.

5. Melt the butter.

6. Mash the banana either with a fork or a potato masher till as smooth as possible.

7. Whisk the eggs.

8. Add the mashed bananas, the butter and the milk and yeast mixture. Stir.

9. Add the dry ingredients and stir till everything is well combined.

10. Add some of the crushed groundnuts and cashew nuts.

11. Pour into a bread pan and sprinkle the remaining groundnuts and cashew nuts on top.

12. Bake in a preheated oven at 170 deg Celsius (350F) for 1 hour.

13. The banana bread is done when a wooden skewer inserted into the bread comes out clean. The bread also springs back when you press it down.

14. Place it on a rack for about 5 minutes then bring it out of the pan.

15. Then lay on the rack till it has cooled down to a comfortable temperature.

16. Then slice and enjoy!

Enjoy it with a chocolate drink or any chilled soft drink.

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