African breadfruit is in a food class of its own. I was not sure where to put it but finally settled for beans section because breadfruit seeds are most similar to beans. It is known as Ukwa in Igbo and the scientific name is Treculia africana. Ukwa is such a versatile food with a natural delicious flavour. It can be cooked plain without any ingredient, not even salt and it will taste great especially when prepared with fresh Ukwa. It can be roasted and eaten with coconut or palm kernel.

Ingredients 700g African Breadfruit 2 medium dry fish 2 small stock cubes 7g edible potash Palm oil (enough to colour) 5-6 fresh bitter leaves Pepper & Salt (to taste)

Preparation Put the thoroughly washed ukwa in a sizeable pot. Pour enough water to cover the ukwa. The level of water should be about 1 inch above the level of the ukwa. Add the edible potash. Add the dry fish or stock fish, cover the pot and cook till well done. The ukwa is done when the seeds melt when pressed. You may need to top up the water while cooking so watch it closely. If using a pressure pot, top ups will not be necessary. Add enough palm oil to the well done ukwa, add pepper, stock cubes and salt to taste. Stir. Cover and cook on medium heat till the palm oil changes colour from red to yellow. This should take about 5 minutes. Stir and add the bitter leaves. Cover and leave to simmer or till the leaves wilt but still green and the ukwa is ready to be served.

Moi Moi (also Moin Moin) is a great dish accessory in Nigeria. It is commonly seen accompanying Jollof Rice, Fried Rice, Fried Plantain, Custard, Akamu (Pap, Ogi) etc. It can even be eaten alone as a snack with a soft drink.

IngredientsI usually cook Moi Moi in a large quantity and store in my freezer so the following quantities of ingredients make 12 aluminium bags of Moi Moi. Each bag weighs 420g. 3 cigar cups or 750g Beans (Brown/Black eyed) 5 tablespoons ground crayfish 4 big stock cubes 1 habanero pepper 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg 3 tatashe peppers or 800g watery tomato puree (sold outside Nigeria) 2 big onions 20cl vegetable oil 2 litres of cool or warm water Salt (to taste)

Before you cook Moi Moi

About three hours before cooking the moi moi, soak and wash the beans to remove the coat. When the entire coat has been removed, place the beans in a bowl and pour enough water to cover it. Leave to soak for three hours. This is so that the best consistency will be achieved when you blend the beans. It is advisable to use one of eggs, bone marrow or corned beef, not the three at the same time. If you will use eggs, cook till hard boiled, cut into small pieces and set aside. If you prefer bone marrow, cook it with salt and Maggi / Knorr cubes and set aside the stock. If it is corned beef you will go for, open the can and separate the beef into small lumps. Now go ahead and prepare the moi moi containers. Next ... Wash the tatashe pepper (if using it). Ensure you remove the tatashe seeds as they have a tendency to give meals a bitter taste. Cut the onions into pieces, grind the crayfish with a dry mill. If using the heavy duty grinder in Nigerian markets, these won't be necessary. Crush the stock cubes and set aside. Wash the habanero/scotch bonnet peppers and set aside. Now that the beans is soaked (the bean seed is tender when you pinch it), it is time to blend it. It is very important that you use a very good blender for this purpose. The taste and feel of your Moi Moi depends so much on the consistency of the blend. If in doubt, put a small quantity of bean seeds in your home blender and grind to the best of its ability using as small quantity of water as possible. Feel the resulting paste with your fingers and if you notice any tiny pieces at all, then the blender is not good for Moi Moi. At this time, you may consider using the commercial heavy duty mills at your local market if you are in Nigeria. Yes, you have your health and hygiene concerns but most of the mill operators actually keep their mills clean. And they let you bring your own water and containers. So there you go!

Cooking Directions

Blend the beans, tatashe or tomato puree, onions, crayfish, habanero pepper and ground nutmeg together with some of the water and pour the mix into a big enough bowl. Add the vegetable oil and the bone marrow stock (if this is what you have chosen to add to your moi moi). Slowly add the remaining water and stir the mixture at the same time till you get a good mix of all the ingredients. Add salt to taste and stir very well. Note: Moi Moi is one of the Nigerian food recipes that is prepared cold. All the mixing and adding of ingredients is done off the stove. That is to say, once you start cooking, there is no going back! You cannot decide to add more salt or seasoning or a new ingredient later. So getting it right at the mixing stage is very important. Pad the base of a big pot, pour some water and set on the stove. The depth of the water should be at most 1 inch. Dish the Moi moi mix into containers of your choice, add egg/bone marrow/corned beef to each container, seal/cover and set them in the pot. Add as small quantity of water as possible at a time while cooking the Moi Moi as detailed in preparation and use of moi moi containers so that the moi moi will not become watery when done. This is the case especially when using aluminium foil or uma leaves. The length of time you will cook your Moi Moi depends on the quantity and the Moi Moi container you used. The Moi Moi that gets done quickest is the one wrapped in Uma or Banana leaves, followed by Moi Moi wrapped in aluminum foils then the one that takes the most time is Moi Moi cooked in aluminium or plastic plates. But whatever Moi Moi container you use, it is advisable to cook your Moi Moi for at least 1 hour, before checking it. Confirm that it is done by putting a knife through it, if the knife is stained with Moi Moi paste, then the Moi Moi is not done, but if the knife just has a slight smear of Moi Moi, then it's done. Also, when you cut through the Moi Moi, the insides will be set and not watery. If you are cooking a few wraps of Moi Moi in a small pot on high heat, then it will only take about 45 minutes to get done while when you are cooking a large pot of Moi Moi, it will definitely take more than one hour.

Gbegiri Soup:

Gbegiri soup is a Yoruba (Western Nigerian) soup prepared with beans. On its own, it looks like baby food but it comes alive when you add Ewedu Soup and meat from your Beef & Chicken Stew.

Ingredients for Gbegiri Soup

150g Black Eyed or Brown Beans 1 small smoked Mackerel/Titus 1 tablespoon ground crayfish 1 big stock cube 1 cooking spoon palm oil Pepper and salt (to taste)

Preparation:

Put the peeled and soaked beans into a sizeable pot. Pour water to cover the beans and start cooking at medium heat. While the beans is cooking, prepare the Ewedu Soup which is used to eat the Gbegiri Soup. Cook the beans till they become so soft that it practically melts when you mash it with your fingers. This takes about 1 hour. You will need to top up the water from time to time but make sure the water is always at the same level as the beans. This ensures that you have just the right amount of water in the soup when the beans is done. Mash the very soft beans with a potato masher. You can also blend it with your kitchen blender for a very smooth consistency. I do not like pouring the hot beans into my blender then pouring it back into the pot after blending. And it is not practical to wait for the beans to cool down, blend it and then continue cooking! When you are happy with the smoothness of the beans, add the smoked fish, salt, pepper, crayfish, stock cube and palm oil. Cover the pot and cook at medium heat for about 5 minutes or till the oil blends with the rest of the ingredients. This is when the oil changes from red to yellow. Stir from time to time so it does not burn.

Akara

Akara also known as Bean Cakes, Bean Balls, Bean Fritas or Acarajé in Portuguese is a Nigerian breakfast recipe made with beans.

Ingredients you need for Akara You only need 5 ingredients to make Akara: 1 cup of Beans (black-eyed or brown beans) 2 habanero chilli peppers 1 medium Onion Salt to taste Vegetable Oil for frying.

Making Akara

Grind the beans with your blender making sure you add as little water as possible. The water should be just enough to move the blades of your blender. The operators of the heavy duty grinders in Nigerian markets don't even add water when grinding beans for Akara. The less water you add at the grinding stage, the more the beans batter will stay together during frying thereby reducing spatter. Also, do not add any other ingredient when grinding the beans for Akara. It is believed that other ingredients, if added too early, reduce the ability of the ground beans particles to stick together. Set some vegetable oil on the cooker to heat up. The oil should be at least 3 inches deep. Put some of the ground beans into a mortar. This should be the quantity you can fry in one go. Stir the beans puree with the pestle in a continuous circular motion. You need to apply some pressure so that you can energize the particles of the beans puree. This stirring technique releases the gas that will act like a leavening agent to the beans particles, making them rise and somehow stick together. This will be like the yeast making the dough rise in Puff Puff or what folding does to cake batter. Keep stirring till the ground beans appears whiter and you can perceive its peculiar aroma. Add some water till you get the consistency shown in the video below. Check to make sure the oil is hot. The oil should be hot enough to sizzle but not too hot. If too hot, the Akara will spatter as soon as the beans batter hits the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and pepper to the beans puree in the mortar. Stir well. Add salt to your taste and stir again. Salt should always be added just before scooping the beans mixture into the oil. If salt stays in the mixture for extended periods of time, it will destroy the leavening property of the beans. This property is what makes the Akara float in the oil and prevent spatter during frying. To fry the Akara, scoop the mixture with a table spoon and slowly pour this into the oil. Dipping the spoon a little bit into the oil helps reduce spatter. Fry the underside till brown and flip to fry the top side too. When the Akara balls are brown all over, remove and place in a sieve lined with paper towels. Serve Akara with Custard/Ogi/Akamu, Agidi or Bread. The best bread to eat Akara with is oven-fresh, hot and stretchy bread like Agege Bread . lol! Making Akara may seem like rocket science but with practice, you will perfect this recipe. If you do not get it right the first time, try again. Everybody has the same first time experience with making Akara.

Ewa Agoyin

Ewa Agoyin simply means plain boiled beans eaten with a pepper sauce.

Ingredients Beans (Brown/Black eyed)

: 2 cigar cups | approx. 500g Red Palm Oil: about 5 cooking spoons Plum Tomatoes: 5 big ones Crayfish (a handful) Onions – 1 big bulb Pepper & Salt to taste Seasoning – 2 Maggi/Knorr cubes

Before you cook Ewa Agoyin Soak the beans in cold water for 5 hours. Boil the beans for 5 minutes and discard the water. Rinse the beans in cold water and set aside. This soaking and pre-cooking process will help reduce the gas inducing elements. For more on that visit: How to Reduce Beans Bloating. Chop the onions, grind the crayfish and pound the pepper. Blend the tomatoes and boil the tomato puree till all the water has dried from it. Pre-cook the diced onions without any added water. The aim is to get it to caramelize a bit so that it will take less time to fully caramelize during frying.

Preparation:

Cook the beans till done. For Ewa Agoyin, the beans needs to be very soft. Note: If you have a pressure cooker, beans is one of the staple foods you will want to use it for. It considerably reduces the cooking time. When the beans is done, add salt, leave to dry up all the water and set aside. To cook the Agoyin, pour the palm oil into a separate dry pot. Allow to heat up till the oil starts smoking and the red colour changes to clear. It is better to do this at medium heat so that the oil does not get too hot too quickly. Remember to turn off your smoke alarm before doing this. :) To keep the smoke to a minimum and still have the traditional taste of Ewa Agoyin, I use vegetable oil and when it is very hot, I add a small amount of palm oil. Watch the video below to see how I do that. Now add the precooked onions and stir continuously till the onions is fully caramelized. It should be very dark in colour. Add the parboiled tomato puree and stir continuously till you cannot tell the difference between the tomatoes and onions. Add the pepper, crayfish, stock cubes and salt to taste. You can also add a little water at this point if your want. Stir very well and bring to the boil. The Ewa Agoyin is ready! Serve by dishing the beans into a plate and scooping some Agoyin stew on it. Ewa Agoyin can be eaten on its own, with soft and stretchy bread (known as Ewa ati Bread) or with fried plantains.

Ekpang Nkwukwo

Ekpang Nkwukwo is one of the Nigerian cocoyam recipes made with grated cocoyam, water yam, cocoyam leaves and periwinkle. It is a Nigerian food recipe native to the South South Eastern Nigeria – the Cross River and Akwa Ibom States of Nigeria. Ekpang Nkwukwo is so special that it is reserved for special occasions.

Ingredients for Ekpang Nkwukwo

Cocoyam – 500g Water Yam – 250g (Optional) Vegetable – A big bunch of tender Cocoyam leaves | Pumpkin leaves & Scent leaves (Nchanwu) Palm oil – a generous quantity Crayfish – a handful 3 medium bulb Onions Periwinkles – 2 milk cups | 300g if shelled or 500g of unshelled periwinkle Assorted Beef & Offal Dried fish Snail (Optional) Pepper & Salt to taste Seasoning – 2 Maggi / Knorr cubes

Before you cook Ekpang Nkwukwo Wash and cook the beef, offals and dry fish with the seasoning till done. Peel, wash and grate the cocoyam and water yam (if you will be using this). Mix the two together and set aside. Prepare the pot by rubbing a generous amount of red palm oil on the insides of the pot. Wash the tender cocoyam leaves and tear into medium pieces. If using pumpkin leaves, wash these and set aside. Blend the pepper and crayfish and set aside. Wash the shelled or unshelled periwinkles. Wash and slice the scent leaves into tiny pieces.

Preparation:

If you will be using unshelled periwinkles, place these at the base of the well-oiled pot. Scoop a small quantity of the grated cocoyam into a piece of the torn cocoyam leaf or one pumpkin leaf. Wrap the cocoyam with the leaf and place in the pot. Repeat this procedure till all the grated cocoyam (and water yam) is exhausted. Add the pepper, crayfish, onions, shelled periwinkles and assorted beef. Add hot water to the level of the pot contents and set to cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Now, add the scent leaves, a generous amount of palm oil and salt to taste. Cook for more 5 minutes and the Ekpang Nkwukwo is done. Leave to stand for 5 minutes and stir.

Bitterleaf soup is one of the most traditional soups in Nigeria. It is native to the Igbos of Eastern Nigeria.

Ingredients:

Washed and squeezed bitterleaf - A handful Cocoyam – 10 small corms Red Palm Oil – 2 cooking spoons (You may need a bit more) Assorted Beef – Includes best cut, shaki (cow tripe) Assorted Fish – Dry Fish and Stock Fish Pepper, Salt and Ground Crayfish (to taste) Seasoning – 3 Maggi or Knorr cubes Traditional Seasoning: Iru or Ogiri - 1 teaspoon

Before you cook Bitterleaf Soup Make sure that the bitter leaves are well washed, such that there is no trace of bitterness left. If not, wash and squeeze it more. If the bitterness cannot be completely washed off (which is usually the case with most washed bitter leaves sold in the market), boil it for about 15 minutes and wash in cold water. how to pound cocoyam Wash and cook the cocoyam till soft. Remove the peels and use a mortar and pestle to pound the corms to a smooth paste.

Preparation:

Boil the shaki (cow tripe), stock fish and dry fish in 1 litre of water till they are well done. First sign of a done shaki is that the cuts will start curling on itself. Wash the beef and add to the pot of shaki etc. and continue cooking. When the meat is done, add 3 cubes of Maggi/Knorr and cook for 5 minutes. how to add cocoyam to the soup Add pepper, ground crayfish, bitter leaves (if they have not been parboiled) and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the cocoyam paste (in small lumps) and the palm oil then go to step 5. Note: If the bitter leaves were parboiled to remove the bitterness, then for step 3; add pepper, ground crayfish, the cocoyam paste (in small lumps), the bitter leaves and the palm oil. In other words, add all the ingredients at this stage. Cover the pot and leave to cook on high heat till all the cocoyam lumps have dissolved. You can add more water if you feel that the soup is too thick. Add salt to taste and the soup is ready.

Tuwo Shinkafa

is a northern Nigerian fufu recipe that is prepared with the soft rice variety. It is usually served with Northern Nigerian soups: Miyan Kuka, Miyan Taushe etc.

Ingredients:

Short/Medium grain soft rice Water (enough quantity to cook the rice till very soft and sticky) Before you make the Tuwo Shinkafa Rinse the rice in cold water and put in a sizeable pot.

Preparation:

Pour just enough water to cover the rice and start cooking at medium heat. When the first dose of water dries up, check the rice by mashing it between your fingers. If the rice grains have even a tiny resistance when you press them, then it needs to be cooked some more. Reduce the heat to low, add a little bit more water and continue cooking till the water dries. Repeat the process till the rice is so soft that it melts when you press on it. Once you're happy, mash the rice with a wooden spatula by moving the rice in small quantities from the far end of the pot to your side of the pot. Fold the mound of tuwo and repeat till all the rice grains have turned into a mass of tuwo. Cover and leave it to steam for about 2 minutes. Mix thoroughly and dish serving quantities onto a thin plastic film and wrap them up. This wrapping prevents the tuwo from drying up. You can also serve them in smaller balls.

Garri

is a major fufu recipe in Nigeria. It is processed from cassava

There are 3 ways to enjoy Garri: You can chew the Garri grains. Yes it is Ok to chew the grains straight out of the pack because Garri is roasted processed cassava. Chew it with groundnuts (peanuts), coconut or palm nuts. You can add cold water, sugar, milk, groundnuts (peanuts) and drink it like cereal. Make small lumps of it, dip in any Nigerian soup and swallow.

Nigerian Agidi or Eko is Nigeria's Jello sort of. It is made with corn flour.

What you will need to make Agidi or Eko Corn Flour: 1 cup Cold water: 700mls (approx. 25 fl. oz. )

Preparation

If you are in Nigeria you should be able to buy the wet corn starch known as Ogi or Akamu. If you are outside Nigerian then you should be using corn flour. Ensure that the corn flour you buy is very fine. In Europe I can buy the corn flour known as Maizena. I love it because it is very fine and has the sour taste of Ogi or Akamu. This makes it taste as good as the Agidi that is made in Nigeria. Mix the corn starch/flour with the 700 mls of cold water in a pot. Please add water bit by bit because that's the best way to get a good mixture without lumps. If you are using Akamu or Ogi, add water till you get the consistency shown in the video below. Place the pot on the stove and set the heating to medium low. Stir continuously with a wooden spatula. You don't have to stir in one direction. Just make sure you are constantly stirring the mixture. After some time, you will notice the corn starch mixture begin to thicken. Continue stirring because if you stop, lumps will form and you do not want that. If you are stirring continously and lumps are still forming, it means the heat is too much so reduce the heat. When it has completely thickened like Custard, pour some water to the sides of the Agidi, cover the pot and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes on medium heat. Stir well to mix the Agidi with the water. To check that the Agidi is done, put a small quantity into some cold water. If it sets after cooling down then the Agidi is done. Transfer to containers and leave to cool down completely at room temperature. You can also wrap them in Uma leaves to get the classic Agidi shape.

Ingredients

4 pcs of over-ripe plantain (Even if the skin is now black, so long as the inside is not decomposed) Unripe plantain flour (1 Cigar cup) | 200g Palm Oil (in the absence of this, vegetable oil) Crayfish – A handful Onions (1 medium bulb) Pepper and Salt to taste Seasoning – 2 Maggi / Knorr cubes

Before you cook Plantain Moi Moi Put the unripe plantain flour in a bowl, add a small quantity of warm water and mix till a smooth paste is achieved. Wash, peel and cut the over-ripe plantain into small pieces. Blend to a smooth paste and mix with the unripe plantain flour. Blend the crayfish, onions and pepper.

Preparation:

Mix all the blended ingredients in a big bowl. Add 3 cooking spoons of palm oil. Add the seasoning and salt to taste. Add more warm water to get a medium consistency if necessary. Scoop the mix into small bowls, aluminium foil bags or uma leaves, just as you would with the beans Moi Moi. Set in a pot with minimal quantity of boiling water and cook till done. Add water along the way if necessary.

This is the easiest plantain recipe to prepare. If you are just home from work and you have either ripe or unripe plantain in your pantry and some palm oil, then in about 15 mins (depending on your stove's heating capacity), you have a quick meal on your table. This dish is usually eaten with pepper sauce.

Ingredients:

Ripe / Unripe Plantain – as many pieces as you can eat! Palm Oil Onions Hot Chilli Pepper Salt (Optional)

Preparation:

Wash the plantain and cut each fruit into two or three pieces depending on how big the fruits are. Put in a pot, add some water and set to cook. Meanwhile chop the onions and chilli pepper. Heat some oil (just enough heat to melt it). Pour in a plate and add the chopped onions and chilli pepper. Add salt to taste. Cook the plantain till done, add some salt to your taste and allow to simmer for a few more minutes. If using ripe plantains, be sure to watch the cooking closely because it will get done quicker than unripe plantains. The boiled plantain is ready to be served. Remember to remove the peels before eating!

Ingredients

for Roasted Plantain and Pepper Sauce Ripe / Unripe Plantain – as much as you can eat! Fish – Preferably Mackerel Palm Oil Onions Habanero Pepper or any fresh chilli pepper Salt (to taste)

Before you prepare Roasted Plantain Prepare the pepper sauce to go with the roasted plantain and set aside. Wash and peel the unripe / ripe plantains to be roasted. Wash and cut the fish, remove the insides and spinkle salt on them. Set up your barbecue on medium heat as the plantain needs to be roasted slowly. If using an oven, set to grill and a temperature of 150°C.

Preparation:

When the barbecue is heated, place the peeled plantains and fish on the barbecue grids to start roasting. Remember to turn the sides from time to time for an even roast. Note: When using an oven, place the peeled plantains on the grill rack and place the rack as close to the grill as possible. The heat should be between 150°C and 200°C as the plantains need to be roasted slowly. For ripe plantains, you can start off with 170°C and when you see the plantains browning, you can increase to 200°C. For unripe plantains which need to be roasted at even lower temperatures, start with about 150°C. Check from time to time and turn the plantains on all sides to ensure an even roast. When the plantain is perfectly roasted, place the pepper sauce on the grid to heat it up. Dip the roasted plantains in the pepper sauce to eat.

Ingredients

Unripe Plantain: 3 pieces Pumpkin Leaves: a big bunch (or Frozen Spinach: 10 cubes) Fish (Titus): 1 medium size Ground Crayfish: 1-2 teaspoons Onions: 2 medium sized bulbs Red palm Oil: enough to colour the meal Pepper and Salt: to taste Seasoning: 2 big stock cubes

Before you cook Unripe Plantain Porridge how to cut unripe plantain Wash, peel and cut up the plantain as shown. Wash and cut the pumpkin leaves into small pieces. If you will be using frozen spinach, allow to thaw just enough to let you cut them into tiny pieces. Leave to thaw completely and squeeze out the extra water using a sieve. Wash, cut and remove the fish intestines. Cut up the onions into tiny pieces. Grind the crayfish and pepper. Now you are ready to cook the unripe plantain porridge.

Preparation:

Put the cut plantain in a pot. Add the chopped onions, stock cubes, fish, ground crayfish and pepper. Add water to the same level as the contents of the pot. Cook till the contents start to boil. Add the red palm oil and salt to taste. Cover the pot and keep cooking till done. This is when the plantain is tender to touch. Add the vegetables, cover the pot and leave to simmer. Once it has heated up, stir, turn off the heat and leave to stand for at least five minutes before serving.

Ingredients 2 cigar cups | 500g (1.1 lbs) long grain white rice Tomato Stew 500 mls Chicken (whole chicken, drumsticks or chicken breast) Pepper and salt (to taste) 2 medium onions Seasoning – 3 Maggi/Knorr cubes & Thyme (2 teaspoon)

Before you cook Jollof Rice Prepare the tomato stew. Visit the Tomato Stew page for details on how to do that. It is advisable to prepare tomato stew before hand and keep in the freezer. This is so that whenever you want to cook any jollof rice related dish, it is just a matter of adding it to your cooking. If you will use whole chicken then wash and cut it into pieces. Cook with the seasoning and 2 bulbs of onions (chopped). The cooking time depends on the type of chicken. The rooster or cockerel cooks much faster than the hen but the hen is definitely tastier. When done, grill it in an oven. You may also fry it. This is to give it a golden look which is more presentable especially if you have guests for dinner. Parboil the rice using the method detailed in parboiling rice for cooking jollof rice. Wash the parboiled rice and put in a sieve to drain.

Preparation:

Pour the chicken stock and the tomato stew into a sizeable pot and leave to boil. Add the drained parboiled rice, salt and pepper to taste. The water level should be the same level of the rice. This is to ensure that all the water dries up by the time the rice is cooked. Cover the pot and leave to cook on low to medium heat. This way the rice does not burn before the water dries up. If you parboiled the rice as described at parboiling rice for cooking jollof rice, the rice should be done by the time the water is dry. Taste to confirm. If not, you will need to add more water and reduce the heat to prevent burning. Keep cooking till done. Serve with fried plantain, Moi Moi, Nigerian salad or coleslaw.

Ingredients for Ofada Stew:

40 pcs unripe habanero peppers 2 green tatashe peppers or green bell peppers 1 locust bean seasoning (Iru, ogiri okpei or dawadawa) 20cl red palm oil (at least) 1 big onion 1 handful crayfish 850g assorted meat and fish. I used: Beef Shaki (cow tripe) Dry fish Stock fish

Before you cook Ofada Stew Wash and blend the peppers and the onion. Remember to remove the seeds from the green tatashe or the green bell peppers. Grind the crayfish and the locust bean seasoning with a dry mill.

Preparation:

Cook all the meat and fish with the stock cube till well done. Pour the pepper blend into a separate pot and cook on high heat till all the water dries up. Pour the red palm oil into a clean dry pot and bleach till it turns clear. It should look like vegetable oil when done. It took me 12 minutes on low to medium heat to bleach the one in the video below. Your own time may vary depending on the type of heater you have and the quantity of oil. Leave the oil to cool down a bit then add the boiled pepper puree. Fry till all the water has dried from the pepper. Add the crayfish and locust bean seasoning, the orisirisi meat and fish and stir well. Add salt to taste, leave to simmer and it is ready to be served. Serve with Ofada Rice. To get the full effects, line the plate with uma leaves. You can also use banana leaves.

Tips for bleaching red palm oil Bleach the palm oil with a clean dry stainless steel pot. Aluminium pots work well too. Never use non-stick pots or enamel pots when bleaching red palm oil. If possible, use a free flowing pure red palm oil. The congealed almost yellow ones contain some water. Use low heat when bleaching the oil. This ensures that the oil is not very dark when done. Do so in a well ventilated area. Turn on your kitchen extractor to remove the smoke as much as possible. Turn off your smoke alarm if any, you don't want everyone to know that you are cooking Ofada Stew. ;-) Do not leave the pot unattended because the oil will catch fire if overheated. Check it constantly and turn off the heat once the bleaching is complete. Do allow the oil to cool down a bit before adding the ingredients. This will prevent hot splashes of oil and will keep your food from burning due to the high temperatures.

Ingredients Rice

- 2 cigar cups | 500g Beans - 1 cigar cup | 250g Tomato Stew 500 mls Chicken or Fish Pepper and salt - to taste Onions - 2 medium sized bulbs Seasoning – 2 Maggi/Knorr cubes & Thyme (1 teaspoon)

Before you cook Rice and Beans Wash and soak the beans for about 5 hours. Discard the water and rinse the beans. Put the beans in a pot, pour some water and set to boil. Once the beans starts boiling, turn off the heat, throw away the water and wash again. These steps will help minimize the indigestion associated with beans for most people. Prepare the tomato stew. Visit the Tomato Stew page for details on how to do that. Parboil the rice using the method detailed in Parboiling Rice for Cooking Rice and Beans. Meanwhile, cook the chicken till tender with the chopped onions, thyme and stock cubes. If you will rather use fish, boil the fish for 5 minutes using the same amount of seasoning. Fry or grill the chicken or the fish and set aside.

Preparation:

Cook the beans till tender and set aside. Pour the chicken/fish stock into a pot big enough to accommodate the rice and beans, bearing in mind that the rice will rise some more. Add the tomato stew, the parboiled rice and the cooked beans. Check that the water level is just less than the level of the rice and beans. Add pepper and salt to taste. Stir, cover the pot and cook at low to medium heat till the water is dry.

Ingredients for Abacha:

Minimum ingredients for making Abacha (African Salad) Abacha | 3 handfuls Ugba | 2 cups Palm Oil | 30 cl Powdered Potash (food tenderizer) | 2 tablespoons Fish | Mackerel/Dry Fish/Stockfish 1 large Onion Salt and dry pepper (to taste) Crayfish | 2 handfuls 2 Stock cubes (Maggi/Knorr) 1 teaspoon ground Ehu seeds (Calabash Nutmeg) Other seasoning you can add to the Abacha 1 teaspoon Ogiri / Iru (traditional Nigerian seasoning that smells like you-know-what lol) Other meat and vegetables for the Abacha 3 Fresh Utazi leaves (Gongronema latifolium) Pomo / Kanda (cow skin) Garden Eggs | As much as you can eat Garden Egg leaves | 1 medium bunch 1 medium Onion (for serving)

Before to Make Your African Salad Prepare the ehu seeds by roasting, dehauling and grinding them with a dry mill. If you will use kanda (cow skin), cook till done and cut into small pieces. Depending on your choice of fish (you can also use all of them), fry or roast the mackerel, soak the stockfish in water and debone the dry fish. Wash and cut the vegetables into tiny pieces. Cut the big bulb of onion into tiny pieces and cut the medium one in circles. Wash the garden egges and set aside, no need to cut these. Grind the crayfish and pepper Soak the Abacha in cold water and rinse the Ugba with lukewarm water. Once the Abacha has softened, put in a sieve to drain. Put the powdered potash in a cup or bowl and pour about 1 cup of cold water. Stir well and you are ready to start making the African Salad.

Making the African Salad The key to making a good African Salad is to make sure that all the ingredients are well incorporated. As you will see below, there's a lot of add this, stir, add that, stir. You may wonder why you can't just add everything and stir but if you do that, it will be very difficult for you to get a good blend of all the ingredients. Pour the palm oil into a sizeable pot. Yes you need all that oil so that your Abacha will not have a dry feel in the mouth when done. Pour the water from the potash mixture, making sure not to pour the sediments. Stir very well and you'll see the oil turn into a yellow paste. Add the ground pepper, ground ehu, crushed stock cubes, crayfish, diced onions and ugba (ukpaka), then stir very well. Please not that we are doing everything off the stove. Add the iru/ogiri and make sure it is mixed very well. Add the diced kanda/pomo and stir very well. Now add the soaked and drained Abacha and stir till it is well-incorporated in the palm oil paste. Add the sliced Utazi and salt to taste and stir well. You can also use dry Utazi if the fresh one is not available where you live. It is important that you add salt last because after adding all that seasoning, your Abacha may not even need salt anymore. To keep the Abacha warm,transfer to a stove at this point and heat it up to your desired temperature at medium heat. When done, turn off the heat and add the sliced garden egg leaves, stir very well and serve. If you like your Abacha cold, after step 6, add the sliced garden egg leaves, stir and serve with garden eggs, fish and onions.

Ingredients for Samosa:

The following ingredients make 8 samosas: The dough: 60g (2 oz) plain flour (all purpose flour) 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil A pinch of salt Warm water Vegetable oil for deep-frying The filling: 2 medium Irish potatoes 2 handfuls of green peas 100g minced beef 2 cooking spoons of vegetable oil 1 big stock cube 1 stalk of spring onion (cut into thin circles) 1 teaspoon of curry powder (for colour, no chilli) Salt and ground cayenne pepper (to taste) Feel free to customize the filling to your taste but the classic Indian Samosa must contain Irish potatoes and green peas.

Ingredients for Asun

1.2kg (2.6 lbs) goat meat (cut with the skin) 2 habanero peppers (or to your taste) 1 medium onion 3 big stock cubes 1 teaspoon thyme Salt (to taste) 1 cooking spoon vegetable oil Black pepper (optional) To garnish 1 medium onion 1 small green bell pepper 1 small red bell pepper

Before you make Asun Cut the goat meat into big chunks. Make sure you cut the chunks with the goat skin. If the skin is not there, it won't be the real deal Asun. Wash and put the goat meat chunks in a bowl. Add the thyme and black pepper; crush and add the stock cubes. Feel free to add other spices and ingredients that you use to marinate meat. Mix the spices and the goat meat by gently rubbing with your hands. Cover the bowl with a thin film. Put in the fridge and leave to marinate for about 1 hour In my opinion, marinating beef and other kinds of meat is completely optional so you can skip the marinating process and go straight to cooking the goat meat. Pound or blitz the habanero (scotch bonnet) peppers and set aside. Cut 1 onion into 4 big chunks.

Making the Asun After about 1 hour or the number of hours you chose to marinate the goat meat, put the meat in a pot. Use a pressure cooker if you have one because goat meat is quite tough and you will save lots of gas and electricity. Pour water to just half of the level of the goat meat, add the big chunks of onion and start cooking at medium heat. You do not want a lot of water because you want the water to dry up by the time the goat meat is well done. When the goat meat is well done, remove the big chunks of onions and add salt to taste. Increase the heat to high and stir constantly till all the remaining liquid in the pot is absorbed. You don't want to lose any flavour by pouring away the goat meat stock. Lay the goat meat flat on your oven rack. Grill/Broil in the oven at 180°C or 350°F till the meat is brown all over. You will need to turn them from time to time. The meat should not be dry. This takes a maximum of 15 minutes with my oven. While you are grilling the meat, wash, cut and thread the green bell pepper, red bell pepper and the remaining onion on toothpicks. When the meat it well grilled/broiled, heat the vegetable oil in a dry clean pot. Add the pepper and the thick stock from cooking the meat (if any) and fry for a bit. Add the grilled goat meat. Stir very well till the pepper is evenly distributed on the goat meat. The vegetable oil ensures that this happens and gives the Asun a nice glow.

Ingredients for Nigerian Peppered Gizzards:

500g (1.1 lbs) chicken gizzards 3 habanero peppers (or to your taste) 2 medium onions 1 big stock cube 1 teaspoon thyme Salt (to taste) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Tool you'll need: toothpicks for serving. Notes about the ingredients 500g gave me about 20 gizzards. The gizzards I see where I live are quite small compared to the gizzards in Nigerian chickens lol. Be careful about the quantity of seasoning you add to gizzards. They can easily get overseasoned and taste salty because the meat does not absorb much of the ingredients.

Before you make Your Peppered Gizzards Ensure that the inside skins of the gizzards are peeled off, then wash and place them in a pot. Cut the onions into big chunks. Pound or blitz the peppers (no water). Marinate the gizzards with the seasonings if you want. I do not marinate gizzards because it does not make any difference. Gizzards have a rubbery texture so the marinade does not really penetrate the meat. For me, it is just like trying to marinate shaki or kidney.

Ingredients:

The best cut with as little fat as possible. suya spice Suya Spice: This can be bought in African food stores, you can also make yours. Groundnut or Peanut Oil (if not, then Vegetable Oil) Salt Tools you'll need: Skewers or sticks

Before you make your Nigerian Suya I usually soak the Suya sticks in cold water for at least 5 hours. This ensures that the sticks do not burn during the roasting of the Suya. thin beef fillets for nigerian suya Cut the beef into very thin fillets. Where I live, the butchers have the perfect appliance for this. All I have to do is tell them how thin I want the fillets and it is done for me in no time. If you don't have butchers that will do this for you, just do your best, ok? Usually, if you freeze the beef a little bit, it makes the cutting easier but Suya Mallams say that if you want to make the best Suya, do not refrigerate or freeze the beef. If the fillets are long and large, cut them into small pieces such that when you thread them on the sticks, they will not flap too much. Now thread the fillets of beef on the Suya sticks as shown in the video below. Putting the beef on sticks is optional but it's not Nigerian Suya dear if it's not on a stick. lol! Put some groundnut (peanut) oil in a bowl, add a small quantity of salt and stir. Using a cooking brush, rub the groundnut (peanut) oil on the threaded fillets of beef. This is what helps the Suya spice stick to the meat so make sure you do not leave out any part of the meat. dab nigerian suya in spice In a wide dish, spread the Suya spice and dab the threaded fillets of beef in the spice so that the beef takes up as much of the spice as possible. All the beef will be covered with the Suya spice when you are done. Place all the now spiced beef in a flat plate, cover with a thin plastic film and leave to marinate for 1 hour. We usually put beef in the fridge to marinate but the Suya Gurus, the Mai Suyas, say beef to be used for Suya should not be put in the fridge so ...

The Making of Nigerian Suya Once the beef has marinated for 1 hour, set your oven to preheat for 10 minutes. The settings should be Grill at 150°C or about 300°F Place the beef flat on the oven rack and put in the oven to roast. After 15 - 20 minutes, flip the beef to roast the underside as well. The length of time you'll roast each side depends on how thick the fillets are. So total roasting time for both sides of the beef is 30 - 40 minutes. Rub some of the remaining groundnut oil on both sides of the beef. Increase the oven temperature a bit and roast either side of the beef for 5 minutes each.

Ingredients for Suya

Spice All these ingredients with their respective proportions are important for the overall taste, flavour and texture of your suya spice. I got 190g of Suya Spice with the following quantities of ingredients: 5 tablespoons crushed Kuli Kuli (110g) 5 tablespoons ginger powder (75g) 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper flakes (6g) 10 strands of African Negro Pepper known as Uda in Igbo 1 small stock cube (4g) ½ teaspoon salt

Ingredients:

2 ways in preparing this; The first one (shown on the right in the image above) requires baking while the second does not. For the baked method you will need: 120g coconut chaff (or coconut flakes) 3 egg yolks 30g icing sugar (powdered sugar) Bread crumbs For the no-bake method you will need: 120g coconut chaff (or coconut flakes) Evaporated milk ( you can use condensed milk too) 30g icing sugar (powdered sugar) Bread crumbs Notes on the ingredients: I prefer coconut chaff for Shuku Shuku because coconut flakes are too light and dry. You only need enough quantity of evaporated milk that will make the coconut chaff stick together. So just keep adding bit by bit till the chaff is sticky enough to make balls, it should not be soaking wet. You can also use condensed milk. I do not use it because it is too sweet for me and it is kind of sticky.

Preparation:

Baked Shuku Shuku Put the coconut chaff in a deep bowl and add the egg yolks and the icing (powdered) sugar. Mix very well with a spatula till everything is well incorporated. Use fingertips to make small balls of Shuku Shuku, about the size of table tennis balls. Gently roll each ball on some bread crumbs till it is completely covered with bread crumbs. Place in the oven tray and bake in a preheated oven at 170°C (335°F) for 15-20 minutes. Or till you see them turn a slight yellow all over. That's it! No-bake Shuku Shuku Put the coconut chaff in a deep bowl and add the icing (powdered) sugar. Add the evaporated milk (or condensed milk) bit by bit and mix with a fork at the same time. Do this till you have enough quantity of milk in the coconut chaff to enable you make shuku shuku balls with the chaff. The mix should not be soaking wet with the milk. :) Mix very well with the fork till everything is well incorporated. Use your finger tips to make small balls of Shuku Shuku, about the size of table tennis balls. Gently roll them on some bread crumbs till they are completely covered. They are ready to eat!

Ingredients:

for Soft Chin Chin 1kg of Plain Flour 150ml of milk / 150g of powdered milk 275g of granulated sugar 250g of margarine 2 medium sized nutmegs | 2 teaspoonfuls of ground nutmeg Vegetable Oil (for frying) If you want the Chin Chin really crunchy, use the following quantities of ingredients 1kg of Plain Flour 75ml of milk / 75g of powdered milk 200g of granulated sugar 125g of margarine 2 medium sized nutmegs | 2 teaspoonfuls of ground nutmeg Vegetable Oil.

Preparation:

Mix the milk and sugar in a bowl and leave to soak. Note: If you are using powdered milk, mix the milk and sugar. Then add 150ml of water for soft chin chin (75ml of water for crunchy chin chin), mix and leave to soak. One way to get the sugar to dissolve fast is to grind it in a dry mill before mixing it with other ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the ground nutmeg and flour, then rub the margarine into the flour till it has mixed well with the flour, leaving no lumps. Add the sugar/milk mixture to the margarine/flour mixture and mix by hand till a smooth dough is achieved. Place the dough on a flat surface and start kneading gently with a dough roller. When the dough is flat, cut into desired sizes. Deep-fry in hot vegetable oil. While frying, continuously stir the chin chin till you get a golden brown color. Scoop the fried pieces onto a flat tray to dry and cool down quickly. When the chin chin had cooled down completely, store in a dry, airtight container.

Ingredients:

for Goat Meat Pepper Soup 700g Goat Meat (with skin) 4 seeds Ehu or Ariwo or Calabash Nutmeg Habanero Pepper (to taste) A few scent leaves or 2 table spoons dry uziza 2 medium onions Salt (to taste) 2 big stock cubes For the Agidi: 120g corn flour. You can also use Akamu/Ogi/Pap

Before you cook the Nigerian Pepper Soup If you will eat the Goat meat peppersoup with Agidi, prepare some and set aside to cool down and set. roast ehu for pepper soup Peel and grind the 'secret' ingredient (ehu seeds) with a dry mill. You can also roast it with an old frying pan before grinding them. Roasting is known to improve the flavour. grind ehu for pepper soup Cut the onions into big chunks. If you want pieces of onions in yours, cut into tny pieces. Pick and wash the scent leaves. If using dry uziza, rub with your fingers to break them into tiny pieces.

Preparation:

Wash the goat meat and put in a sizeable pot. Pour water to cover the meat and then some. I love lots of water in my pepper soups. Goat meat is tough so use a pressure cooker to cook it if you have one. Add the stock cubes, ground ehu seeds and the chunks of onion and start cooking. When the meat is done, remove the chunks of onion. Add pepper, scent leaves or uziza leaves. Cover the pot and leave to simmer for 5 minutes and the pepper soup is ready. Serve piping hot with the agidi.

Ingredients for Groundnut Soup

500g raw peeled groundnuts (peanuts) Assorted meat and fish. I use: Beef Shaki (cow tripe) Dry fish Stock fish Palm Oil A small bunch of Nigerian Pumpkin leaves or 6 cubes Frozen Spinach or Bitterleaf 2 tablespoons ground crayfish 2 big stock cubes Salt & ground dry cayenne pepper. Notes about the ingredients Palm oil mainly adds colour and sometimes taste to Nigerian soups so add enough quantity to colour the soup to your liking. Bitter leaves help tone down the sweetness of this soup so if you do NOT have a sweet tooth, then you should use bitterleaves in preparing this soup. Let's put it this way: if you prefer bitter leaves for your Egusi Soup, then you should use them for Groundnut Soup too. You can also use fresh habanero peppers in place of dry cayenne peppers.

Before you cook Groundnut Soup Soak the stockfish and dry fish for a few hours. The length of time depends on how hard the stock fish is. Some even need to be boiled a bit. Mine soaks in under 1 hour. When soft, clean the fish, remove the bones and separate them into small pieces. Roast the raw groundnuts in a pan, stirring constantly till they look like this. Set aside to cool down completely then grind into powder with a dry mill. Wash and cut the Nigerian pumpkin leaves into tiny pieces. If using frozen spinach, cut into small pieces and wring out the excess water when fully defrosted. Prepare other ingredients: grind the pepper and grind the crayfish.

Preparation:

Start cooking the shaki first as it is the toughest meat in the bunch. Always keep water to the same level as the contents of the pot and top it up as you cook. When the shaki starts to curl, add the dry fish and stockfish. When the shaki is almost done, add beef and stock cubes and cook till all the meat and fish are well done. Add the crayfish, salt and pepper, cover and cook till it boils. Transfer the meat and fish to another pot/container leaving the stock in the pot. Add the ground groundnuts and stir very well till there are no lumps. Reduce the heat to very low and start cooking. Stir every 5 minutes and top up the water if necessary. This mixture burns easily so watch it closely and stir as often as necessay. Cook till a thin film of clear oil appears on the surface. This should take about 15 minutes. Add palm oil and stir very well. Add the beef and fish, stir and cook on low heat till it boils. For those who prefer their groundnut soup without vegetables, the soup is ready at this time. If you prefer it with vegetables then go to step 10. Add the vegetables, stir and leave to simmer. Stir again and it is done.

Ingredients for Gbegiri Soup

150g Black Eyed or Brown Beans 1 small smoked Mackerel/Titus 1 tablespoon ground crayfish 1 big stock cube 1 cooking spoon palm oil Pepper and salt (to taste).

Before you cook Gbegiri Soup Ensure you have some Beef & Chicken Stew because the beef for the Gbegiri Soup comes from this stew. Remove the beans coat and soak the beans for about 3 hours. This soaking makes the beans soft so that it cooks in less time. This way there will be no need to use potash to cook the beans. If you are using peeled and dried beans, you will need to soak it overnight. Prepare other ingredients: pound/blitz the pepper and grind the crayfish.

Preparation:

Put the peeled and soaked beans into a sizeable pot. Pour water to cover the beans and start cooking at medium heat. While the beans is cooking, prepare the Ewedu Soup which is used to eat the Gbegiri Soup. Cook the beans till they become so soft that it practically melts when you mash it with your fingers. This takes about 1 hour. You will need to top up the water from time to time but make sure the water is always at the same level as the beans. This ensures that you have just the right amount of water in the soup when the beans is done. Mash the very soft beans with a potato masher. You can also blend it with your kitchen blender for a very smooth consistency. I do not like pouring the hot beans into my blender then pouring it back into the pot after blending. And it is not practical to wait for the beans to cool down, blend it and then continue cooking! When you are happy with the smoothness of the beans, add the smoked fish, salt, pepper, crayfish, stock cube and palm oil. Cover the pot and cook at medium heat for about 5 minutes or till the oil blends with the rest of the ingredients. This is when the oil changes from red to yellow. Stir from time to time so it does not burn.

Ingredients for Ogbono Soup

Assorted Meat and Fish: Beef, Shaki, DryFish, Stock Fish Ogbono Seeds: 2 handfuls Palm Oil: 3 Cooking spoons Vegetable: Frozen Spinach (you can also use Pumpkin leaves or even Bitterleaf) Crayfish: 1 handful Pepper and Salt - To taste 1 medium size Onion 2 Stock cubes (Maggi/Knorr.

Before you cook Ogbono Soup Grind the Ogbono with a dry mill. Cut the frozen spinach when it is not completely defrosted. It is easier that way. Then when completely defrosted, squeeze out the excess water. 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. Grind crayfish and pepper. Boil some water and set aside.

Preparation

for Ogbono Soup 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. Once melted, turn off the heat and add the ground Ogbono. Use your cooking spoon to dissolve the Ogbono in the oil. 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. Keep stirring till the Ogbono has completely absorbed the meat stock. 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 that is shown in the video below. 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. After 20 minutes, the Ogbono should be well cooked and you will begin to perceive its nice flavour and aroma. 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. 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.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ogbono Soup

My Ogbono Soup does not draw. Why? There are 3 main reasons why your Ogbono Soup does not draw. You bought the wrong seeds. There is another seed that looks so much like Ogbono and is sold as Ogbono seeds in Nigerian markets. First sign that you are buying the wrong seeds is if they are too cheap to be true. To confirm that the seeds are really Ogbono seeds: break the seed and rub the broken sides together, if they make a sap that draws, then you've got the real Ogbono seeds. In Nigeria, every open market seller should let you do this "drawing test", if not, please leave their shop and go somewhere else. For those living outside Nigeria, I guess you just have to pray that the Ogbono seeds in the pack you buy are the real thing :) Another reason why your Ogbono Soup does not draw may be because you used packaged ground Ogbono, ground being the keyword here. This is especially the case for those who live outside Nigeria who do not have any choice than to buy the ground packaged Ogbono sold in African shops. Once you grind Ogbono, it starts losing its potency to draw and with time, it won't draw anymore. The exact time at which it completely loses its potency to draw will depend on: how dry the Ogbono was before the grinding took place and how well it is packaged amongst other things. The third reason why your Ogbono Soup does not draw is that you fried it before adding the meat/fish stock. The ground Ogbono should only be dissolved in the palm oil NOT fried. The more you fry it, the more it loses its drawing ability till you've got no potency left. This happens even if it is the authentic Ogbono seed. How can I cook Ogbono Soup so that it does not burn? First, turn down the heat. Whatever you are cooking, turn down the heat to prevent burning. This is especially the case with Ogbono Soup which is very sticky. Always cook your Ogbono Soup at very low heat. If your cooker's heating ranges from 1 to 9, set the heat to 4. Secondly, do not add crayfish or any other ingredients when cooking the Ogbono at first. Crayfish especially speeds up the burning. When you grind your Ogbono in Nigerian markets, they will tell you to use crayfish to make sure all the Ogbono comes out of the mill. If you decide to do that, make sure that they put the crayfish and that last bit of Ogbono in a different plastic bag for you and add the crayfish bit when you add the rest of the ingredients. Also, use stainless steel or aluminium pots in cooking your Ogbono Soup. Non-stick pots are not the best for cooking Ogbono Soup even though it says non-stick lol! My Ogbono Soup tastes bland in spite of all the ingredients I usually add to it. Why is this? One reason Ogbono Soup will taste bland even after adding enough ingredients is that you did not cook it long enough. I have seen a lot of people cook Ogbono for only 5 minutes. That's not enough. Ogbono, once added, should be cooked for at least 20 minutes on low heat. This is the time at which the taste begins to come out and blend with the ingredients. Another reason is maybe because the Ogbono seeds have gone mouldy in which case, it will have a slightly bitter taste too.

Ingredients

Okra: 250g Red Palm Oil: 3 cooking spoons Beef: Best cut Shaki - Cow Tripe (Optional) Fish: Iced Fish (Mackerel/Titus), Dry Fish, Stock Fish Crayfish Pepper and Salt to taste Onions - Optional Vegetable – Pumpkin leaves or Spinach (Washed & Frozen) Seasoning – 3 Maggi/Knorr cubes

Before you cook Okra Soup About two hours before preparing the soup, boil the stockfish for 20 minutes and leave in the pot with the hot water to soak. There's a type of stockfish that I buy in Nigeria that does not need all that soaking. Cut the okra fingers into tiny pieces. The tinier you cut the okra, the more it will draw. To achieve this, you need to make a few vertical cuts followed by horizontal cuts on the okra fingers. Grind the crayfish and the dry pepper. Wash the pumpkin leaves, if it is your choice of vegetable, and cut into tiny pieces. If you will use frozen spinach, defrost and cut into tiny pieces.

Preparation:

If you will use shaki (cow tripe) for the soup, wash and boil till it is done. Add water sparingly because this soup needs to be thick. Add the soaked stockfish and dry fish to the cooked shaki. The length of time it will take to cook shaki depends on the cooking appliance utilized. You can take a bite to confirm this. When you are happy that the shaki and stock fish are well-done, add the beef, onions and stock cubes and cook till done. Then add the iced fish and cook till done. Pour red palm oil in another pot and heat the pot to dissolve the oil if it is congealed. Add the diced okra and start frying to kick-start the drawing process, add some meat stock from time to time till you notice the okra start to draw. This process should take a maximum of 5 mins to avoid over-cooking the okra. Now add the vegetable and stir well. Add all the meat and fish, crayfish, pepper and salt to taste. Then stir well. Cover the cooking pot and leave to simmer and it is ready to be served. Notes: Shaki, Meat, Dry Fish, Iced Fish (Mackerel/Titus) and Stock Fish must not all be used at the same time in preparing the okra soup recipe. If you can, by all means use all as they will add to the flavour. But if not, an okra soup prepared with only iced fish ((Mackerel/Titus) can equally taste good. So don't go and break the bank because of a pot of soup! Onions is optional because while some people cannot bear the smell/taste of onions in okra soup, others are like "Okra soup without onions? No Way!" So feel free to add and subtract ingredients but the minimum ingredients that make an okra soup are: Okra (of course) Palm Oil Beef, Iced or Dry Fish Crayfish Pepper and Salt (to taste) Vegetable Seasoning

Ingredients Cat Fish:

4 one-inch thick pieces Fresh or dry Utazi Leaves (Gongronema latifolium) Thickener: Raw White Yam / Yam Powder / Potato Puree Habanero peppers: to taste Salt (to taste) Crayfish (a handful for 4 cuts of fish) Seasoning – 1 stock cube (Maggi / Knorr) and Ogiri Okpei / Iru (Nigerian traditional seasoning).

Alternative Ingredients for Nsala Soup You can use Conger Eel (Congrio in Spanish) instead of Cat fish. Buy the part towards the tail because the pieces you'll get from there are smaller and do not have large holes in them. When using yam powder as thickener, mix the powder with hot water first to make a thick smooth paste (as if you are making pounded yam) before adding it to the soup. Adding the powder directly into the soup will make the soup mushy and you may end up with lumps. In the absence of habanero pepper, you can use dry chilli pepper. Utazi leaves do not have any good alternative. If you don't have it, no worries because it only adds a slightly bitter flavour to the soup.

Before you cook Nsala Soup Cut the catfish into 1 inch thick cylindrical discs and remove the intestines. Place in bowl and pour very hot water on the fish. This process of pouring hot water on the fish toughens the skin of the fish so that the pieces do not disintegrate while cooking the soup. Leave for about 2 minutes and wash the fish with cold water. You should also wash off any slimy substance on the outer skin of the fish at this time. Boil a few cubes of raw white yam. When soft, pound with a mortar and pestle till a smooth paste is formed, then set aside. You can substitute white yam with yam powder or potato puree for the thickening. Wash and pound/blend the utazi leaves, the chilli pepper and the crayfish and set aside. Utazi is bitter in taste and only used for flavouring so one or two leaves should be enough especially when using the fresh leaves.

Preparation:

Place the catfish in a pot and pour enough water to cover the fish. Add the seasoning and cook till done. Feel free to add beef and dry fish to this soup recipe. When the catfish is almost done, add the crayfish, pepper and utazi leaves blend. Also add the yam paste in small lumps and salt to taste. Note: Catfish is what makes Nsala soup what it is, giving it the unique taste that it has so it is essential to this recipe. The only other fish that I have found to be close to Cat fish as regards to this recipe is Conger Eel. Cover the pot and allow the contents to cook at high heat till all the yam paste have dissolved. While cooking, if you think that the yam paste will make the soup too thick, you can remove some that are yet to dissolve.

Ingredients

for Pepper Soup Chicken | Cow Foot | Assorted Beef - 1 kg Ehu or Ariwo or Calabash Nutmeg - 4 seeds Chilli Pepper (to taste) Dry Uziza - 2 teaspoons (optional) Onions - 2 medium bulbs Salt - to taste Seasoning - 3 Maggi / Knorr cubes & 1 teaspoon of Thyme (for chicken pepper soup)

Before you cook the Nigerian Pepper Soup If preparing Chicken pepper Soup, it is preferable to use whole chicken instead of drumsticks. The different parts of the chicken will bring variety to the pepper soup. So wash and cut up the whole chicken and set aside. If you want to prepare Assorted Beef Pepper Soup then you should buy different parts of beef - best cut, offal (shaki, round-about, liver and kidney). Wash the offal thoroughly especially the round-about which should be turned inside out during the washing. Cut these into medium pieces, just big enough to be chewed in one go. For Cow Foot Pepper Soup, just wash and cut the cow foot into medium pieces. In this case also, make the pieces just big enough that it can be chewed in one go. roast ehu for pepper soup Now it is time to prepare the 'secret' ingredient. Using an old frying pan, roast the Ehu seeds (stirring constantly) till you can smell it. Don't worry you will know when it is OK to take it off because it has a distinctive aroma. Another way to know that it is OK is to take one of the seeds and try to remove the outer membrane. If the membrane comes off easily, then the Ehu is done. grind ehu for pepper soup Peel off the membrane from all the Ehu seeds and grind with a dry mill. Cut the onions into tiny pieces. Rub the dry uziza with your fingers to break them into tiny pieces.

Preparation:

This cooking direction describes Chicken Pepper Soup. To prepare Goat Meat Pepper Soup, Cow Foot Pepper Soup or Assorted Beef Pepper Soup just substitute chicken with cow foot or beef and offal respectively. Place the pieces of chicken in a pot and pour enough water to cover the contents of the pot. Add the stock cubes, thyme and onions and cook till done. Note: When cooking Assorted Beef Pepper Soup, you should cook the shaki for sometime before adding the other beef parts. Shaki is tough and will take longer to cook than the other beef parts. Cow foot is a tough part of meat so when cooking Cow Foot Pepper Soup, you should use a pressure cooker if you have one. This will save you some gas or electricity. By now, you will notice that some of the water has dried. Add more water to bring it to the level of the contents of the pot. Add the ground Ehu, dry uziza, chilli pepper and salt to taste. Ehu has some spicy taste so you should add chilli pepper with care. Even though it is called pepper soup, you still want to be able to taste and enjoy the recipe itself. Too much chilli pepper will ruin it for you. Cover the pot and leave to boil for 5 minutes and the pepper soup is ready.

Ingredients

Egusi (Melon) seeds - 3 cigar cups | 600g Red Palm Oil – 2 cooking spoons Beef – Best cut and Shaki (cow tripe) Fish – Dry Fish and Stock Fish Crayfish Pepper and Salt to taste Vegetable – Pumpkin leaves or Bitter leaf Seasoning – 3 Maggi or Knorr cubes Traditional Seasoning – 1 Okpei (optional)

Before you cook Egusi Soup Before preparing the soup, soak the dry fish for about half an hour. Boil the stockfish for 20 minutes and leave in the pot with the hot water to soak for about an hour. Much closer to your cooking time, grind the Egusi with a dry mill. Grind the crayfish and the dry pepper separately and set aside. Wash the vegetable to be used. Cut into tiny pieces. Boil the shaki, stock fish and dry fish in 1 litre of water till they are well done. First sign of a done shaki is that the cuts will start curling on itself. Wash the beef to be used for the soup and place in a pot and start steaming at medium heat. There is no need to add water at this stage. When the meat is done, add 3 cubes of Maggi/Knorr. This method makes the meat cook faster while retaining all the taste. Also meat contains lots of water and you will notice that the water content increases as the meat starts to boil.

Preparation:

There are two main methods of cooking egusi soup. These we will call oil before egusi and egusi before oil. Confusing? Not. Oil Before Egusi Put 2 cooking spoons of red palm oil into a dry pot and set on the stove to heat. As soon as the oil is clearer, add the ground egusi and start frying. This should be done at low heat to avoid burning. Keep frying till you see the egusi getting drier. One sign of this is that it will start sticking to the bottom of the pot. Now, start adding the shaki/fish stock little by little while still turning the egusi. When the stock is exhausted and you feel that the soup is still too thick, you can add more water. If your choice of vegetable is bitterleaf, it should be added now as well. Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes. The egusi is done when you notice that the oil has risen to the surface of the mix and separated from the mix. If this is the case, add the fish, shaki and meat. Also add pepper and salt to taste. If pumpkin leaves (or any other soft vegetable) is your choice, please add it now. Cover the pot and leave everything to steam together for 5 minutes. The egusi soup is ready to be served with amala, Eba (garri), pounded yam or cassava fufu. Egusi Before Oil This method produces a healthier egusi soup. This is because there is no frying involved. In this method, as soon as the shaki, fish and meat are done, remove them from the stock (water used in cooking the meat and fish) and place in a different pot or plate. Add the ground egusi to the stock and stir. If the stock from cooking your meat and fish is small, add some water to the same level as the egusi. Cover and cook till the egusi cakes. Stir and add a little bit more water. watch it closely so that it does not burn. Repeat step 3, adding only a small quantity of water at a time. After about 25 minutes, you will notice the clear egusi oil coming to the surface of the soup. Add 2 cooking spoons of red palm oil and bitter leaves (if it is your choice of vegetable), pepper and salt to taste and cook for about 7 minutes. Add the the meat and fish. If using pumpkin leaves or any other soft vegetable, add it at this time, stir the soup and leave to simmer for 2 minutes maximum. Turn off the heat. Leave to stand for 2 minutes before serving.

Ingredients for Edikang Ikong Soup

1kg Pumpkin leaves 500g Water leaves 600g Beef, Kanda, shaki and Dry fish Pepper, Salt and ground Crayfish: to taste 200ml Palm oil Periwinkle - 1 cup 2 medium bulbs onions 2-3 Stock cubes Alternative vegetables for those who cannot buy water leaves and pumpkin leaves: Use the following to replace the classic Nigerian vegetables for this soup: 1kg Normal Frozen Spinach 200g Ground Frozen Spinach 250g Lamb's Lettuce (Canonigos in Spanish) Defrost the frozen spinach, cut the normal frozen one into tiny pieces and mix with the ground frozen spinach. Wring out the water from these and add them when I add the pumpkin leaves. Wash pick and cut the Lamb's Lettuce into tiny pieces. Add them when I add the water leaves.

Before you cook the Edikaikong Soup Wash and cut the pumpkin and water leaves into tiny pieces. Put them in separate sieves to drain out all the water as much as possible. Cut the Kanda into small pieces. Cook the beef, kanda and the dry fish with the 2 bulbs of diced onions and the 3 Maggi / Knorr cubes with as little quantity of water as possible.

Preparation:

When the meat is done, add a generous amount of palm oil, the crayfish and pepper and leave to boil for about 10 minutes. The palm oil serves as water in the Edikaikong soup. You should try as much as possible to make it the only liquid in the soup. Add the periwinkle and water leaves and leave to cook for another 5 minutes. You may have to cook for less time at this stage so that the water leaves are not over-cooked. Now add the pumpkin leaves and salt to taste. Stir the contents of the pot very well and turn off the heat. Cover the pot and leave to stand for about 5 minutes. The Edikang Ikong soup is ready to be served with Garri (Eba), Semolina, Amala or Pounded Yam.

Ingredients for Efo Riro Assorted meat and fish

. For my Efo Riro, I used: Beef Shaki (cow tripe) Smoked fish Dry fish Stock fish Palm Oil: 20 cl Frozen Spinach: 1 kg Crayfish: a handful Onions: 1 medium bulb 3 big stock cubes (spinach needs more seasoning) Salt & Habanero / Scotch Bonnet peppers: to taste Other meats you can add to Efo Riro: The more the variety of meats and fish you can add to Efo Riro, the better so feel free to add: snails and other offals, kanda etc.

Before you cook Efo Riro Soak the stockfish and dry fish for a few hours. The length of time depends on how hard the stock fish is. Mine soaks in under 1 hour. When soft, clean the fish, remove the bones and separate them into small pieces. Cut the frozen spinach and wring out the excess water when fully defrosted. Prepare other ingredients: pound/blitz the pepper, cut the onions and grind the crayfish.

Preparation:

Start cooking the shaki first with as little water as possible (see video below) as it is the toughest meat in the bunch. This soup should have as little water as possible so add small amounts of water at a time and top it up as you cook. When the shaki starts to curl, add the dry fish and stockfish. When the shaki is almost done, add beef, stock cubes and onions and cook till all the meat and fish are well done. Top up the water to about half the contents of the pot. Add the crayfish, smoked fish, pepper and palm oil. Cover the pot and cook at high heat till the oil has changed from red to yellow. Add the spinach or any other soft vegetable: pumpkin, water leaves etc. Cover and cook still it gets a good boil, taking care not to overcook the vegetables. Add salt to taste and leave to simmer for 2 more minutes. Serve Efo Riro with Semolina, Amala, Pounded Yam, Eba or any other fufu meal.

Ingredients for Catfish Pepper Soup Cat Fish:

about 500g Ehu or Ariwo or Calabash Nutmeg - 4 seeds Habanero Pepper or chilli pepper (to taste) Scent Leaves: a few leaves Onions - 2 medium bulbs Salt - to taste Seasoning - 2 big stock cubes Alternative Ingredients for Catfish Pepper Soup Conger Eel (Congrio in Spanish) is a good alternative to catfish. When buying the Conger Eel, ensure you buy the part towards the tail so that the fish cuts will not have big holes in them. Parsley is a good alternative to scent leaves.

Before you cook the Nigerian Catfish Pepper Soup To prepare Cat Fish Pepper Soup, wash and cut the cat fish into 1-inch thick slices. Boil some hot water and pour on the pieces of fish, stir and remove immediately. This toughens the skin of the fish so that it does not fall apart during cooking. roast ehu for pepper soup Now it is time to prepare the 'secret' ingredient. Using an old frying pan, roast the Ehu seeds (stirring constantly) till you can smell it. Don't worry you will know when it is OK to take it off because it has a distinctive aroma. Another way to know that it is OK is to take one of the seeds and try to remove the outer membrane. If the membrane comes off easily, then the Ehu is done. grind ehu for pepper soup Peel off the membrane from all the Ehu seeds and grind with a dry mill. Cut the onions into tiny pieces. Wash and pick the scent leaves and tear them up with your fingers into small pieces.

Preparation:

Place the pieces of fish in a pot and pour water to just cover the fish, add the stock cubes and bring to the boil. Once it starts to boil add the ground ehu, onions and scent leaves and continue cooking. Once the catfish is done, add salt to taste and leave to simmer for about 5 minutes and it's ready!

Ingredients for Afang Soup

400g sliced Okazi/Afang leaves | about 4 handfuls 250g Water leaves 20 - 25 cl Palm oil (about 1 drinking glass) Beef, Kanda and Dry fish 2 tablespoons Crayfish Pepper, Salt and Crayfish - to taste 2 Knorr cubes

Notes about the ingredients Great alternative to water leaves is Lamb's Lettuce, known as Canonigos in Spanish. Yes, you need that much palm oil.

Before you cook the Nigerian Afang Soup Wash, drain and slice the water leaves into tiny pieces. Grind or pound the sliced Okazi leaves. In Nigerian markets, the sellers of these sliced Okazi leaves have a machine for grinding it. You can also grind it with your blender with a small quantity of water. Take a look at the ground Okazi leaves. Grind your pepper and crayfish and cut the onions into tiny pieces.

Preparation

Boil the beef and Kanda with the diced onions and stock cubes in a very small quantity of water. When done, add the dry fish and cook for about 5 more minutes. Now add the palm oil, crayfish and pepper. Once it starts boiling, add the afang (okazi) leaves, water leaves and periwinkle. When the okazi leaves have softened and the water has dried up a bit, add salt to taste and leave to simmer for about 5 minutes. The Afang soup is ready! Serve with Garri (Eba), Semolina, Amala or Pounded Yam.

Ingredients for Banga Soup 1 kg Palm Fruits or 800g tinned Palm Fruit Concentrate Beef Dry Fish Vegetable: Scent Leaves for Ofe Akwu or dried and crushed bitterleaves for Delta-style Banga Soup 2 medium onions A handful crayfish or 2 tablespoons of ground Crayfish Salt and Chilli Pepper (to taste) Ogiri Okpei (Iru) 1-2 big stock cubes

Before you cook the Nigerian Banga Soup Extract the palm fruit concentrate from the palm fruits. If using the tinned palm fruit concentrate, open the tin and set aside. Cook the beef and the dry fish with 1 bulb of diced onion and the stock cubes till done. Wash and cut the scent leaves into tiny pieces. The scent leaves give the Banga Stew (Ofe Akwu) its unique aroma and taste. If you are outside Nigeria, this may be hard to find, so you can use pumpkin leaves or any other vegetable in place of scent leaves. If cooking Delta-style Banga Soup for starch, you should either cook this soup without vegetables or use dried and crushed bitter leaves. Cut the remaining bulb of onion. Pound the crayfish, ogiri okpei and pepper in a mortar and set aside. You can also grind them with a dry mill.

Preparation

Set the pot of palm fruit extract on the stove and start cooking at high heat. Leave to boil till you notice come red oil at the surface of the Banga Stew. If you think that the Banga Soup is watery, cook till the soup has thickened to the consistency you like for your stews. Now, add the beef, dry fish and stock, the onions, crayfish and pepper and leave to boil very well. Add the scent leaves or other vegetable and salt to taste. Leave to simmer for about 2 mins. The Banga Soup is done. Serve with White Rice or use the Delta-style Banga Soup to eat Starch, Garri, Semolina, Amala or Pounded Yam.

Preparation

for those using tinned palm fruit concentrate When the beef and fish are well done, add the palm fruit concentrate and add water to get the consistency you like for your stews. Leave to boil very well. Add the onions, crayfish, pepper and ogiri blend and let it boil very well. Add the scent leaves or other vegetable and salt to taste. Leave to simmer for about 2 mins. The Banga Soup is done.

Ingredients

700g White Yam 1 medium onion A handful Ukpaka (Sliced oil bean seeds) 10cl palm oil 1 habanero pepper or to taste Salt (to taste)

Before you prepare the Roasted Yam Peel and cut the yams into 1 inch thick pieces. Wash and soak the yam pieces in salted water overnight. Put it in the fridge so they do not ferment. This soaking helps keep the inside of the yam moist during roasting. If you want to roast the yams in the evening, you can soak them in the morning. Just before you roast the yams, cut the onions into tiny pieces.

Preparation:

Pour out the water used in soaking the yam pieces. Add some salt and toss to distribute evenly. Place the yam pieces flat on the oven rack, set the oven to grill (broil) and roast at 150°C (300F) till the top side of the yams are light brown. Turn the yam pieces to roast the underside too till they are light brown all over. When the yams are almost done, you can increase the temperature to 180°C (350F) so that the outside of the yam pieces will be very crunchy. There are many ways to go about it. You can roast one side for 10 minutes, turn and roast the other side for 10 minutes etc. I roasted mine for a total of 30 minutes, increasing the temperature when the yams are almost done. Your own time may vary depending on the type and heating capacity of your oven. They are done when the inside of the yams are moist and well done and the outside is light brown and crunchy.

Make the Pepper Sauce While the yams are roasting in the oven, pound the pepper, diced onions and ukpaka in a mortar till a smooth blend is achieved. You can also use any food processor that will allow you blend ingredients without adding water. When smooth, transfer to a bowl and add salt and palm oil. Stir well and the pepper sauce is ready. Your roasted yam is ready! To eat, dip the pieces of roasted yam in the pepper sauce and chew.

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 about the ingredients 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 Cut the cow foot into medium chunks. Where I live, the butchers cut it for me. 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. Cut 1 onion into 4 big chunks. Pound the pepper with a mortar and pestle or blitz it. Grind the crayfish. Crack and remove the outer shell of the ehu then grind with a dry mill eg coffee grinder.

Preparation:

for making Nkwobi Wash and put the cow foot chunks in a pot. Add the stock cubes (crushed) and the chunks of onion. 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. While the meat is cooking, pour the palm oil into a clean dry pot. Pour in the potash mixture (sieved) into the oil. 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. Add the ground crayfish, pepper and ehu seeds. Stir very well till they are all incorporated. When the meat is done, add salt, stir and cook till all the water has dried. Add the well done cow foot to the palm oil paste and stir very well with the wooden spatula. 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. To prepare the garnish, cut the onions into rings and cut the utazi into long thin slices. Serve the Nkwobi in a wooden mortar as shown in the image above. Add the thin slices of utazi and onion rings on top for the full effects.

Ingredients for Isi Ewu:

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 about the ingredients 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 be 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. Goat meat is quite tough so if you have a pressure cooker, do use it for cooking it to save time and gas/electricity. 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. 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. Utazi adds a nice bitter flavour to the Isi ewu.

Before you make the Isi Ewu 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. Remove the brain and put in an aluminium foil bag then fold the bag to close just like with Nigerian Moi Moi. 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. 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. Cut the 2 onions into 4 big chunks. Crack and remove the outer shell of the ehu then grind with a dry mill eg coffee grinder. Pound the pepper with a mortar and set aside.

Preparation for making Isi Ewu

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. While the meat is cooking, slice the onion for garnishing into thin rings. 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. When the meat is done, remove the chunks of onion, take out the brain and mash it up till smooth. Add salt, stir and cook till all the water has dried. Set the meat aside to cool down. Now, pour the palm oil into a clean dry pot. Pour in the potash mixture (sieved) into the oil. 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. 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. Add the goat head to the palm oil paste and stir very well with a wooden spatula. Put it back on the stove/cooker and heat till the Isi Ewu is piping hot. Serve the Isi Ewu in a wooden mortar as shown in the image above. Garnish with the thin slices of utazi and onion rings for the full effects.

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Special thanks to ALL NIGERIAN RECIPES http://www.allnigerianrecipes.com/ for using details from their website.

Created by Olaseni Odebiyi