Truth Be Told

Yes I can bet my money on this fried rice recipe! Long long ago in a far away land, I didn't like fried rice. I later realized it was because of the unseasoned veggies. The first time I cooked fried rice and seasoned the veggies, I've not looked back on this recipe. So yes people, stock and seasoned veggies are the major keys to a perfect and delicious fried rice!

I know most people don't like using beans flour for anything but for me, I have no choice because I don't like the beans they sell here. I've used this recipe for a long time and it's amazeballs. It might not be like the original made with beans from scratch but it's equally delicious. The only new change here is I used a mixer to whisk in air so it can be fluffy. Don't worry, if you don't have an electric mixer, you just have to do some hand work and whisk in air for longer time. Say 10mins? Lol sorry ehn.

I was missing my mum yesterday and craved this Peppersoup so bad. I thought yay today is recipe day so why not share this delicious Peppersoup recipe. I used ripe plantains because I just don't like the taste of unripe plantain. It's easy and not technical at all. Because of the potatoes, it thickens as it cools and you can eat it with rice then or heat it up with more water if you want to drink it as a soup. I ate mine with rice for the first time because that's how my River's friends like having their Peppersoup. It was a good combo though. You should try that too. Enjoy:)

Most people run away from using beans flour for MoinMoin but when good quality beans is out of reach, you use the alternative. I've used beans flour for years now and I have no complaints. I usually bake mine but for this recipe, I used the boiling method and sometimes what I miss is the taste that comes with using the traditional leaf method. Other than that, you will achieve a nice MoinMoin with this recipe. Let's get to it.

No Nigerian versus Ghana Jollof wars here people just an easy to follow recipe the way I've watched caterers cook it and how my mum cooks it. The beauty of party Jollof is the smoky taste on your buds and how rich in color it is, served with the biggest stewed beef and a chilled bottle of Malt. Even your belly rumbles in synchrony with the sound of Halleluya! To achieve that smoky flavor you need a pot that's not non stick because non-stick pots are bad belle when it comes to smoky Jollof rice. I can't even explain the result it will give you but yeah, ditch non stick pot because the big pots caterers use are made of strong iron and definitely not non-stick. Don't forget to add me on snap chat (SHEAINTU) so you don't miss any recipe I post.

Ingredients

NB: This list is for 2 kg of rice. Adjust accordingly.

2 Bell Peppers
3 Tomatoes and 2 extra, sliced
2 Scotch Bonnets
3 Onions
5 Cups(1.3L) Meat Stock
2 Maggi Cubes (If needed)
1 tsp Salt (If needed)
Hot water (As needed)
1 Tbsp Oil
2 kg Rice
1 Tsp Curry
1 Tsp Thyme
3 Bay Leaves
250g Tomato Paste

Video

• Blend the bell peppers with 3 tomatoes, the scotch bonnets and 1 onion. Doesn't have to be smooth.

• Boil to remove excess water and give the pepper a rich taste

• In a pot, heat the oil and fry 1 chopped onion with the spices (Curry, Thyme and Bay leaves). I love frying my spices because it brings out the aroma and adds more flavor. 

• Add the boiled pepper and the tomato paste. Let it fry.

• Add the stock and taste. If necessary, add the maggi and salt as your taste bud pleases. Bring to a boil.

• If needed, Add more water and gauge to know if it's enough for the amount of rice you plan to cook. Don't over dilute because you can end up with mushy rice. Taste to be sure you didn't put too much water.

• Chop the last onion and the extra tomatoes. Add them to the pepper mix and bring to a boil for 5 mins. 

• Rinse the rice and add to the boiled mixture. Cover the pot and cook on the lowest heat for approximately 30 mins or till it done.

• For the smoky part, Cover the cooked rice with foil and also with the pot cover, turn up the heat to medium and let it burn for 5 mins (yea, burn!!). The foil helps to keep the smoke in.

• Stir the rice so the color is evenly distributed. It's ready to be served even though I prefer eating mine the next day. It just tastes better :)   

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Send me your snaps when you cook it this way and if something isn't clear to you. xox

TGIF!! It's friday and it's definitely the day to go grocery shopping, stock up and cook for the coming week. Well, except you are the type that likes to cook as you go. I'm not, I prefer to cook, freeze and only boil rice or make a staple. Sharp sharp food.  Anyway, I hope this recipe gets you to kick start the cooking marathon or at least have stew ready to go in the fridge. I mean, you can have it with anything you like from bread to rice, pasta etc, it's a life saver and all rounder. Dedicating this recipe to someone that orders stew from me almost every week, Mr O.


Ingredients

4 Bell Peppers
4-5 Tomatoes
2 Onions (I love onions)
6 Scotch Bonnets (Extra Spicy is my second name. Adjust accordingly )
4 Tbsp Cooking Oil (I prefer palm oil)
3 Seasoning cubes or 1 and half knorr cubes
3/4 - 1tp salt
Prepared Chicken or Meat of choice
1 extra Onion (sliced/chopped)

Egusi soup is one of those Nigerian soups that doesn't belong to just one tribe. However, I've noticed that it can be cooked in a lot of ways and this can differ based on the person cooking it or how a tribe cooks it. The choice of protein to accompany it with is endless, from seafood egusi to goat meat  egusi (best one) to plain ol' chicken (I'm sorry chicken). Also, the choice of green vegetable is based on preference and also optional especially for Egusi Ijebu (Hello my Ijebu family). Due to my current location, I can only get spinach and but I prefer to use Ugwu. Today I will be pairing mine with chicken and gizzard, let's get cooking.

Ingredients

Meat of choice (boiled,fried or grilled)
180g Egusi (grounded)
2 Onions
2 Bell Peppers
2 Tomatoes
3 Scotch Bonnets (you can adjust this according to your taste bud)
4Tbsp Palm Oil
3Tbsp Cray Fish (grounded)
350g (frozen) Spinach
450ml Stock and extra 3tbsp
1 Bullion Cube (Maggi)
1/4 tsp Salt


(NB: My recipes are measured so you can achieve a tasty dish because knowing how to cook depends on how you season/spice your dish alongside the steps. For this recipe, I didn't need the maggi
and salt because my stock was well seasoned)