I grew up eating yam and pepper soup, or plantain and pepper soup. That was and is one of my mom’s favourite meals ever. Well, that and my peanut butter chicken sauce with Chinese fried rice or noodles. Then in 2001, I went to Youth Service camp in Bayelsa. One afternoon, my friend took me […]
Month: March 2015
Sunday Best: Amala & Edikan-Ikong Soup
The first time I fainted, I was thirteen and I passed out halfway between the kitchen and living room of 4 Ihuo Street, Port Harcourt. It was a Sunday and Daddy had just come back from Igarra. The second time I fainted, I was thirty-seven and at a dental surgery in Port Harcourt. Back to […]
The Suya of Glover Court
It was one day last June, July when I discovered Glover Court suya in Ikoyi – Lagos, Nigeria. I missed suya. I missed the flame-grilled, peanut-spiced sticks of meat that are perfect for 5pm on a Friday. I wish I could say 4pm but that’s one hour when I’m still at my desk. I can’t […]
Friday Cocktails: Making ‘Nigerian’ Simple Syrups
Simple syrups – fundamental sweetness to cocktails and mocktails. And easy to make. What is a simple syrup? The foundation for everything from lemonade to iced tea, your standard simple syrup is a combination of 1 part sugar to 1 part water. For example – 1 cup sugar to 1 cup water, cooked till the […]
Fail: Agbalumo Toffee
Today, I have three stories & recipes to share on and with Agbalumo – Success with a delicious chutney, A’yt with nice enough cake and outright Fail. Here. With this. Sigh. I’m comfortable with the fact that not all my ideas will succeed, not everything will go as planned. I was so hopeful about this […]
Success: Savoury Agbalumo Chutney
Today, I have three stories & recipes to share on and with Agbalumo – Success, A’yt with cake and outright ‘Fail’. Here’s to good things second 😉 This was a hit. Hit. Big hit. I wondered if you could go savoury with Agbalumo. A lot of the experimentation I’ve done has been geared towards sweet. This […]
Baked: Agbalumo-Carrot Cake
Today, I have three stories & recipes to share on and with Agbalumo – Success with an awesome chutney, A’yt and outright ‘Fail’. Here’s to delicious cake first. Long dreamt of and easily made was this cake. See that orange nugget – top right hand of the wedge of cake below? That’s a piece of […]
How to Tenderize Chicken
Sure you could use pawpaw skin or pineapple juice to tenderise your humble chicken breast but if you aren’t looking for a flavour bias, this method will help. And it’s easy peasy too. The principle is to ‘denature’ the proteins – in the normally tough, dry chicken breast or other body parts of Le chicken. […]
Baked: Pawpaw & Lime Scones
I love Pawpaw. Love. I may not have it often but I’ll often go on a spree, not shopping mind you but cooking with it. Whether Salsa, or Chutney or Sauteed, I’ve come to love it. See the crunchy golden bottoms; the soft, craggy tops, the aroma of vanilla, lime and warmth…Thank you, Jesus. This […]