Coconut Greens

It's amazing how a bad food experience can taint an ingredient in your mind and make you unwilling to give it a try again. This used to be the case with my relationship with greens. When I was younger, greens were typically served in soups and if my mother did not make that dish, the vegetables would be soggy and just mushy. I have issues with mushy super smooth textures so this invariably made me dislike greens. Intensely. 

Now that I am older and more conscious of eating a balanced diet, and the fact that I grow a lot of greens in my garden, I have had to find ways to make greens more appealing to eat.

This super easy recipe is delicious and quick so the greens retain their form and crunch. The addition of coconut milk adds a whole different flavor profile that is really really out of this world.

To make enough for 2 side dishes or 1 very generous portion, you will need:

• Olive oil (any oil of your choice will work)
• 1 small chopped red onion
• 1 clove chopped garlic
• 1/2 chopped habanero or scotch bonnet pepper (more or less to taste)
• 1/2 seasoning cube
• 2 cups mixed greens - fluted pumpkin leaves (ugwu), kale, swiss chard, amaranth (tete), spinach etc
• 1 can coconut milk

In a large pot, add enough olive oil to cover the base of the pot. Add onions, garlic and chilies and fry for about 2 minutes. Add the seasoning cube and mix well. Add the greens and stir well to combine all the ingredients. Cook for about 3 minutes and add the coconut milk. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes and take off the heat.

Serve on its own or as an accompaniment to rice, potatoes, chicken, fish or steak.

Enjoy!!! 

Sticky Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Is every cook like me? Getting bored with chicken? Making the same old chicken dishes?

Seeing as chicken is a crowd pleaser and can be pocket friendly, I am constantly looking for ways to make chicken dishes that are tasty and interesting.

Enter this very very moreish, simple to put together dish that is perfect for feeding a crowd - its soccer season (viewing parties at your house? Serve this), the holiday season is almost here and schools are going to start sending memos with the kids for things to bring for class parties or just for Sunday lunch or to eat all by yourself. The chicken gets a sweet and spicy glaze and is cooked in the oven. The results are best eaten with your hands surrounded by lots of napkins.

The best part about this dish, is the ingredients are easy to find and can be started overnight in the fridge.

You will need:

• 12 pieces of chicken - I prefer dark meat and use drumsticks or wings. Especially if serving as party food
• All purpose spice or poultry seasoning - season to taste
• 1 large onion - rough chopped
• 1 cup dark honey
• 1 large piece of ginger - grated
• 4-6 yellow scotch bonnet peppers - finely diced
• Salt to taste

Directions:

• Season chicken pieces with all purpose or poultry season. Marinade for at least 4 hours or overnight in a covered container in the refrigerator
• Pre heat oven to gas mark 4. Line an oven proof dish with foil
• Place chicken pieces along with leftover marinade into the dish and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over and cook for another 10 minutes
• Place honey, ginger, chilies in a pot and heat. Stir constantly to ensure the glaze does not burn
• Pour the glaze over the chicken ensuring chicken pieces are evenly coated and return chicken to the oven and cook for another 10 minutes
• Serve as a side with rice or potatoes or pasta. Or on its own. Or with a salad

Enjoy!!!

 

Curried Lamb - Jamaican Style

Curried Lamb – Jamaican Style

I am a big fan of food from the Caribbean. I love how close the flavor profiles from that region are to those from Western Africa. It makes perfect sense considering a lot of the slaves that ended up working the sugar fields of the Caribbean came from this part of the world. Scotch bonnet peppers (ata rodo), rice and peas (we use black eyed beans), thyme, plantains… These are ingredients that are staples in our cooking.

No Caribbean menu in any restaurant in the world that offers such fare is complete without a curried goat dish. This dish can be served with any number of side dishes but the star is undoubtedly the goat meat. Juicy and succulent pieces of goat meat seasoned to perfection in a rich broth perfect for rice or even flat breads such as rotis and chapatis.

After a trip to my butcher, I could not resist buying some fresh lamb that I knew would be perfect to make Curried lamb – the same principle as curried goat, just using a different meat.

You will need:

• I kg lamb meat - cut in to cubes – bone in pieces work well.
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 3 diced onions
• 3 spring onions
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 scotch bonnet peppers
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 8 cloves of minced garlic
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 diced carrots
• 2 diced bell peppers

Directions:

• Combine the curry powder, onions, scallion, salt, pepper, chillies, ginger, thyme and half a cup of water in a blender. Add more water if necessary
• Rub the mixture in to the meat and let marinade in the fridge overnight
• In a saucepan, add the meat and butter to a frying pan and brown gently. Add the carrots, peppers and marinade and add enough water to cover the meat.
• Bring to a boil, then let simmer until the meat is tender. Add the ketchup and simmer for the last 15 minutes. Serve with rice and beans and fried plantain.

Enjoy!!!

Thai Style Coconut Lemon Grass Chicken

Sooooo....

It is no secret that I love Thai food. I haven't been to Thailand before and while it is on the list of places to visit, I have had many a meal at Thai restaurants in a few countries and I have sampled a lot of the staples. Thai food has that delicate balance of sweet, sour and spicy elements that when combined in the right ratios is food nirvana. While I might not be an expert in this cuisine, there are a few staples in Thai cuisine that are pretty common in these parts and can be used with everyday ingredients to evoke tastes of street food in Bangkok. These include: lemon grass, fish sauce and coconut milk.

Which brings me to this baked chicken dish. The beauty of this dish is its almost a hands off dish. The chicken sits in the marinade overnight and is baked till done. This means you can spend your time making a side to go with it: rice, couscous, acha, salad, stir fry ---- whatever rocks your world.

To make 8 pieces of chicken, you will need:

• 8 pieces of chicken - I prefer bone in pieces like the thighs and drumsticks
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 medium red onion - rough chopped
• 1 small piece of ginger. Peeled and chopped into little pieces
• 2 lemon grass stalks- rough chopped
• 3 green chilies - rough chopped (use as many or as few as you prefer) 
• 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
• Salt to taste

Directions:

• Combine all the ingredients except the chicken and salt in a bowl with a secure lid
• Stir to combine and taste. Season with salt to taste. Fish sauce is salty so you need to add salt last to be sure you do not over season
• Add the chicken and ensure all pieces are covered with the marinade. Use a skewer to poke holes in the chicken to ensure even marinade.
• Cover and marinade in the fridge over night
• Preheat oven to 350F and line an oven proof dish with foil (this makes clean up a breeze)
• Arrange chicken in a single layer and spoon some of the marinade over the chicken and bake till done - 25-30 minutes
• Baste the chicken with the remaining marinade at least once during the cooking process
• Serve with a side of your choice

There will be some marinade left in the baking pan after the chicken is ready. That is a simple pan sauce that you can reduce in a sauce pan and serve by the side of your meal to be used over the side you serve this chicken with.

Enjoy!!!

 

Prawn Stir Fry - A handful of ingredients make a sexy Sunday lunch

I had the most intense week - Shoots, writing deadlines, recipe testing, the bakery, meetings, school run etc.

By the time the weekend came round, all I wanted to do was sleep, sleep and sleep.

Sunday came and I was still exhausted. I could have gotten away with take out. The mister wouldn't have minded. However, me being me (don't you see the super woman cape behind me), I decided I would rustle something up. The goal was to make some thing yummy that would not take any time but allow me to use up some of the vegetables I had in the fridge that I planned to do different things with but couldn't find the time to do.

I took inventory and I had: tiger prawns, yellow, red and green bell peppers, tomatoes, red and white onions and tomatoes.

First step - get the rice going. I emptied a 400ml can of coconut milk and half a sachet of coconut milk powder into a pot with some salt and brought to a boil. I added the washed rice and set on low heat to cook gently and absorb all the coconutty goodness.

A good way  to stretch expensive tiger prawns is to cut each prawn into about 3 pieces. That way, each person can get 6  or more pieces of prawns rather than a single one which might look and feel stingy on the plate. Psychological but it really works.  I chopped the prawns into pieces and rinsed thoroughly and placed in a bowl. A dash of seafood spice and a good rub was all the prawns needed.

I sliced 1 red onion, julienned the peppers and set aside. As I was working I remembered my spiralizer that I got last year that hasn't really done enough work. I decided to make a simple salad using this cool gadget. I made cucumber strands (you can just chop the cucumber into bite sized pieces if you don't have a spiralizer), finely sliced a white onion and chopped up 2 tomatoes. I placed the cucumber, onions and tomatoes in a bowl and set aside. A quick dressing for the salad - extra virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper and a little pure natural honey for a hint of sweetness. Whisk and add to the salad. Toss and keep in the fridge till ready to serve.

On to the prawns. A wok. A dash of olive oil. Add the onions and peppers and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add some light soy sauce, a few drops of sesame oil and some pepper if you like - I used a pinch of dried yellow pepper. Add the prawns and stir till the prawns are cooked through.

Serve stir fry with the coconut rice and salad.

Simple, delicious, colorful and an all round crowd pleaser. I had some sauce left over and no prawns - I added some leftover baked chicken pieces to the sauce - voila - lunch for the little man for school.

Ogbono & Okro Soup - With Some Other Stuff Thrown In - Emergency Eats

 

My favorite Nigerian soup in the world is Okro. Plain Okro and fiery hot stew. Followed by íla asepo'. Which is the kind of okro that's mixed with palm oil and all sorts of yumminess and with some pumpkin leaves (ugwu) added. Comfort food at its finest for me.

 

A close second is Ogbonno soup. With Okro.

 

Do you see the trend here?

 

I find that I usually plan to make soups so its a pretty elaborate process for me. Making sure everything is just right. A few weeks ago though, I had a craving for okro and ogbonno soup. The kind of craving that had to be satisfied immediately. I opened my freezer. I had no dried fish. No yellow pepper. 6 okro, or is it okros? Or is it pieces of okro? (hmm). I was not going to be deterred. I forged ahead with my mish mash of ingredients.

 

I started with some 8 pieces of lamb I had languishing in a Ziploc bag that I had planned to grill. Threw the pieces into a pot. Seasoned with salt, a stock cube, my condiment blend (blended onions, garlic and ginger) , added some water and let the meat boil. I know some people will clutch their pearls in horror seeing the garlic and ginger added here - especially as I will not be straining the stock  - clutch said pearls and hold on to your hearts....LOL. The base of any good soup (no matter what kind of cuisine it is from) is stock that should be full of flavor and able to hold up to the ingredients that will be added to it.

 

Once the lamb was almost cooked through, I added some ground Cameroonian pepper, some locust beans and ground crayfish. Added a dash of palm oil. Some salt after tasting and the ground ogbonno. By this time, the reality of my soup hit me. This would be pretty uninteresting. I grated my okro and set aside and opened the freezer. I found some uziza leaves that I had cut and had leftover from a yam porridge recipe. And some seafood mix - which had shrimps, mussels and octopus. Dare I add to my soup?

 

Without thinking too hard, I threw the okro, uziza leaves and seafood mix into the pot. Stirred everything well and crossed my fingers.

 

Oh yumminess. First of all, adding uziza leaves to anything elevates it from ordinary to pretty freaking spectacular. The seafood mix while unexpected just made the soup sexier. I have never had ogbonno mussels or octopus but it worked just fine adding that óbstruction' to the soup that we Nigerians like and wonderful texture too.

 

The moral of this post: food made in a hurry can be a lot tastier than planned out labored pots. Try introducing the unexpected to regular fare - it might just work.....

 

Enjoy!!!

 



 



Braised Garlic Chicken - With a Touch of Cream

Vampires beware! You will be incinerated just by reading this post :-)

 

Anyone that doesn't love garlic will not like this dish. Which is a shame.. Cos the whole world needs to love garlic.

 

Garlic adds flavor, makes proteins get tender quick and it has health benefits. What's not to love? The smell on the knife and cutting board? Use lemon wedges and some salt afterwards on the utensils used to kill the smell. The smell on your breath? Brush your teeth, chew some minty gum, suck on some breath mints after. My lover won't kiss me after a garlicky meal? There is love in sharing including garlicky breath.

'

Now that all excuses are handled, on to this meal.

 

I stumbled on a recipe for 40 clove of garlic chicken a few years ago and I have seen variations of it since then. This is 20 clove version to ease people in gently. Here is something a lot of people don't know. When garlic is cooked in a particular way, the flavor becomes mild and it becomes sweet. One of these methods is to get whole bulbs of garlic, cut the tops off, smear with some oil and put in the oven in a dish and bake it till the garlic gets soft, gooey and brown. Squeeze out the garlic mush and use in marinades or tomato sauces. Amazing stuff happens. I will do a post on that some time.

 

Another way to get garlic mild and sweet is by using it whole like in this recipe.

 

I added a dash of cream at the end of cooking this sauce and I love how it ended up. Feel free to do without the cream. This sauce can be served with potatoes, plain rice or plain pasta.

 

To make enough for 4, you will need:

• 8 pieces of chicken
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• 20 cloves of peeled garlic
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons chicken stock or water
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables

 



 

 

I like to use bone-in chicken pieces for most of my recipes because the results are almost always moist. Feel free to use the breast but watch cooking times because they can dry out very quickly

 

You can find Shaoxing cooking wine and light soy sauce at most well stocked stores

 



 Directions:

• Place the dry chicken pieces in a bowl. Sprinkle with the pepper, salt and flour and toss. Make sure all the chicken pieces are evenly coated.
• Get a large pan very hot over high heat and add the oil.
• When the oil gets very very hot, turn the heat down to low and add the chicken pieces. Brown both sides - about 15 minutes total cooking time
• Remove the chicken pieces and drain the pan completely of all the oil
• Return chicken to the pan and add the garlic

 

• Stir fry for about 3 minutes. Stir constantly so nothing burns
• Add the cooking wine, soy sauce and stock/water
• Cover and braise the chicken till it is tender. 20-30 minutes should do it depending on the size of your chicken pieces. Remember that the heat should be turned as low as possible

 

 

• Once the chicken is tender, turn the heat up and add the frozen vegetables. Stir and cover and cook for another 5 minutes
• Add the cream and stir and cook for another 5 minutes - just enough for the vegetables to be cooked through

 

 

Enjoy!!!!!



Braised Chicken 'Suya"

 



 

 

When I was invited to Calabar to shoot episodes of the themed Friday Cookout shows on The Spot (on EbonyLifeTv Channel 165 on DSTV) last month, the producer asked me to come ready to cook on air and make tasty Nigerian dishes that could be ready within the 1 hour shooting time, be healthy and still pack a taste punch.

 

 

The first meal I chose to prepare is one that is a staple in my home because its really versatile, is ready in no time and is so yummy. Its my braised chicken suya dish that I make as a sauce sometimes to go with sides of rice or plantain or yam or I make dry to be eaten on its own like traditional suya.

 

 

I don't know many people that don't like suya in one variant of the other. These spicy, aromatic skewers of protein street food (anything from beef to chicken to offals) cooked over open coals with a wire grill placed over the coals is such a part of Nigerian culture, I really think it should be named THE Nigerian national dish. It is enjoyed by everyone regardless of tribe or religion. I honestly don't know anything that unifying except for The Super Eagles.(National soccer team)

 

I came up with this dish one evening. I really planned to make chicken suya the traditional way as one of the sides to entertain friends that were supposed to come over. I had doused the chicken with suya spices that I got from my favorite suya spot and kept the chicken in the fridge with the intention of grilling once people started arriving. The it rained. Tropical storm. People started calling to cancel. I had to figure out what to do with all this marinated chicken since grilling outdoors was also a no go. There was the additional problem of excruciating hunger for hubby and i since we planned to eat with the guests. Grilling in the oven would take too long. I decided to put the chicken pieces in a pot with a little bit of water and voila....This staple was born.

 

The beauty of this dish is that you can do everything to taste since people like their suya served in different ways and in different quantities.

 

To make my version that feeds 4, you will need the following ingredients:

• 8 chicken pieces - Cut into sizes you prefer. This assumes 2 pieces per person. I recommend making more than you need
• Suya spices (yaaji) - from your favorite suya spot. I don't recommend using the bottled stuff that's now available at grocery stores
• 1 chicken stock cube
• Salt to taste
• One red onion - sliced
• 3 large tomatoes - diced
• 4-6 efinrin/scent leaves

Directions:

 

Wash the chicken pieces and place in a pot with a little bit of water. You can add water as you go along but the key to this dish is to have a very thick sauce at the end of the cooking process or to have it completely dry.

 

Add the stock cube, suya spices to taste and some salt



 

 

 

 

 

Cook chicken until it is cooked through and liquid left in pot is enough for sauce. If cooking chicken to eat dry, cook until all the liquid is absorbed, stirring constantly. The chicken will begin to brown and stick to the bottom of the pot, so stirring constantly is imperative.

 

Slice the onions, dice the tomatoes and chop up the efinrin/scent leaf and add to the chicken.

 

You want the vegetables to still be "alive" - to still have crunch to them so its important to add at the end of the cooking process

 

Stir through and turn the heat of. The steam left from the cooking process will cook the vegetables just enough to still have the freshness factor.

 

Serve and enjoy! This version is served with white rice and diced fried plantain.

Buttery Rice Pilaf

 

                  

 

 

I eat a lot of rice. A lot of people I know eat a lot of rice. Most of Nigeria eats a lot of rice. LOL. Okay so that sounds so dramatic but its true. We eat a lot of white rice with stews and soups, jollof rice, fried rice and 'concoction rice ' (where we just throw whatever is available into a pot and serve).

I know a lot of people that go to restaurants and order extra portions of rice especially if the fancy plated up rice portion is less than adequate.

 

The challenge now becomes how to make rice interesting time and time again. Rice pilafs are such an easy way to do that with less effort and ingredients than jollof or fried rice. They can be as subtle or pack huge flavor punches depending on what you plan to serve the rice with.

 

 My go-to pilaf is one that goes perfectly with spicy or mild sauces and stews and can even be eaten on its own and can be thrown together with ingredients that most people already have in their kitchens.

 

To serve 4, you will need:

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup long grain rice
• 2 cups chicken stock - you can substitute 4 stock cubes dissolved in hot water
• 1 small diced onion - yellow or red
• 2 crushed cloves of garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• Unsalted butter to taste
• Fresh parsley to garnish - optional
• Salt to taste

 

 

 

 



•  Add a few pats of butter in to a pot and add the onions and garlic immediately and sauté until translucent
• Add the washed rice to the pot and stir constantly. You should ensure that the rice is coated with the butter, onion and garlic mix and the rice begins to toast.
• Stir constantly to ensure no sticking to the bottom of the pan and the rice doesn't burn - about 10 mins
• Pour the stock over the rice and add the bay leaves
• Cover  and cook on low heat till rice is cooked through
• Garnish with the fresh parsley and serve with a side of your choice

 

This rice pilaf is so easy to put together but gives same old rice a facelift and 'tastelift' that everyone will love.

 

 

Enjoy!!!

Yam wearing Underskirt - Dundun Oniyeri with Smoked Fish Sauce -

 

 

A few years ago, a popular Lagos quick service restaurant burst unto the scene with a menu item called 'Yamarita". This dish had 3 main elements - Yam pieces in a batter and fried, a chunky tomato and pepper sauce and battered fried whole fish which you could swap for peppered fish or peppered chicken for a little more money. It remains one of their best sellers and I honestly had never seen it anywhere else.

 

I have to confess to not exactly being a fan of yam but my mother is from Ondo state and people from that state are huge yam eaters. They can start the day off with hot mounds of pounded yam. So I have been told. My grandmother (God rest her soul) had designated yam pounders and pounded yam everyday was just a part of life. Then I got married. To a man from Ondo state. His family has designated yam pounders too and he likes his yam as well. So I have had to introduce yam into our culinary repertoire and be inventive so I can enjoy the meals as well.

 

It never occurred to me to try this dish at home until my mom in a conversation ages ago suggested I try yam wearing underskirt. I was like 'huh'. She said yamarita or dundun oniyeri translates as yam wearing underskirt. I had a good laugh. I actually still giggle thinking about it.

 

It can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be - all depends on what you choose to accompany the dundun with. Dundun Oniyeri is simply yam pieces dipped in seasoned egg wash and fried. Some people add flour or cornstarch for a bulkier batter.

 

I usually serve my dundun with this smoked fish sauce which is so easy to make but tongue bitingly yummy. The whole meal takes less than an hour to put together from start to finish but its one of those meals that is so delicious and packs such a visual punch that novices will think you spent longer slaving over the hot stove.

 

To serve 4, you will need:

 

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of yam - cut into wedges or "chips"
• 2 eggs
• Salt and dried cayenne pepper to taste
• Flavorless oil for frying - vegetable, canola or sunflower will work
• 1 large dried smoked catfish or any fish of your choice
• 200g whole red crayfish
• 1 cooking spoon palm-oil
• 1 large red onion
• 1 stock cube
• 2 cups blended tomato/pepper mix
• 1 tablespoon of ground crayfish
•  Efinrin/nchawun/scent leaf to taste - optional

 



 

 

 

Start with slices of yam cut into wedges or 'chips'. Wash and drain and pat dry and set aside

 

 

In a separate bowl, crack your eggs and season with salt and some dried cayenne pepper if you wish. Whisk well and dunk your yam pieces in the egg wash. Ensure each piece is completely coated and drop the yam pieces into a pan of hot vegetable or canola oil and fry till golden brown.



 

 

The core ingredients for the accompanying sauce are dried smoked catfish and red crayfish. You can use any kind of smoked fish that you prefer really. I use this catfish because I have a source that calls me as soon as she finishes smoking the fish so its not hanging around for ages in the market.

 

Soak the dried smoked catfish and red crayfish to soften. Using your hands, skin and debone the catfish and flake into chunks and set aside. Take the heads and tails off the red crayfish and set aside. Save a little bit of the water used to soak the seafood for the sauce.



 

 

In a pot, add palm-oil and heat till it begins to smoke. You are not trying to bleach the oil. Just make it very hot. Add finely chopped onion and a stock cube and fry till onions begin to brown. Add blended tomato and pepper mix and fry sauce. Add blended crayfish and salt to taste.

 

 

Once sauce is seasoned to taste, add the dried smoked fish and red crayfish and cook on low heat for another 10 minutes. At this point, you can add some efinrin/nchawun/scent leaf which adds a whole different dimension of flavor to the sauce.

 

And that's it. That simple. Serve and enjoy!

 



Food Porn

Plain white rice, Ofada sauce with assorted meat and fried diced plantains for sunday lunch.