I think it is a terrific idea to plan your meals during Ramadan – not only does it help with stocking your pantry, it ensures you have healthy, nourishing meals planned. If I hadn’t spoken with Hauwa of Casa Kuluwaz though, I wouldn’t have understood the need to plan. Of the two ‘meals’,Iftar is much ‘celebrated’. Most people go all out to ‘feast’. I like the idea of Suhoor, the start of the day’s fast – fortification for the hours ahead. Think of it as ‘breakfast’ – the most important meal of the day, setting you up for success, considering Iftar...
Coming Soon: Your Guide to Eating During Ramadan
I’ve ‘enjoyed’ the fruits of Ramadan for most of my life, from ‘Sallah‘ meat – the copious amounts of grilled and barbecued ram and beef that accompany the feast at the end of the thirty days and the national holidays, Eid al-Fitr. It’s only in the last couple of years though that I’ve understood what happens to those taking the month-long journey – what they eat and when they break their fast. Two things stick with me, Suhoor – the early morning, pre-dawn meal before the fast begins and Iftar, the evening meal, signalling the end of the ‘fast’ for the day. Since...
Friday Cocktails: Zobo – Red Wine Cooler
This, like sangria and mulled wine. At once festive, Christmassy, of celebration. And all the consequence of a leftover bottle of red, and some leftover cinnamon sugar. I cooked both together for a syrup and topped up with zobo and ice. Recipes {Zobo} {Sugar Syrups – for lemon/ orange, use strips of skin} Red wine. Ha ha, buy that which you fancy or use that which you’ve been gifted. Soooooooooooo good. Future versions now involve bottles of red, left red, unsweetened. And sugar syrups (scent leaf would be soooooo dope) – mostly of lemon. Though orange would be awesome too....
‘Local Strawberry’ Liqueur
Because once you’ve slain vanilla extract, the world is your essence. Or extract. Because you can pop any old thing in vodka and in its colourless, tasteless way, it’ll absorb colours and flavours and scents. Because, when in doubt, pickle it. Or liqueur it. And because it’s worked so well with coconut, mango and dare I say agbalumo…you know this will be awesome. We’re still in search of the name of this fruit. The sellers in Port Harcourt call this Local Strawberries and so today, that’s what I’m sticking with. At first, I thought it was Jabuticaba, of Brazil, but...
Gbena yei – Kpokpogari with Fresh Fish Pepper Soup
All I can think of in this weather is my bed. Sleeping in it. Morning, noon and night. Waking up to cuddles and soup. Forget pots of tea and freshly-baked cookies. Love and soup are errthang. Err single thang. Sigh. There’s something about rainy season that brings out the romantic in me. But I’m going to stop right here, right now lest I drizzle tears of despair upon the page. Instead, I shall talk about a kind of cookie, albeit a ‘hard’ one – Kpokpogari. Think flattened clumps of grated, dried cassava enjoyed salted, with groundnuts, coconut, fish and even...
The Croissantwaf’fly
The Croissantwaf’fly. Or the Croffle as my daughter likes to call it. Waffled croissant in the divine shape of a butterfly. From store-bought, kinda old, out-of-the-freezer croissants. I am partial to butterflies. Love ‘em. The transformation from egg to chrysalis to beautiful. The fluttering and strength in delicate wings, the ability to soar high, to be beauty, to dare. I love accidents of beauty too. Like these Croissantwaf’fly, made one morning at past 7 am. I wanted to make a quick brekkie for the son. The croissants were old yet I wanted them warm, refreshed. I squashed the thought of the...
Grilled Mangoes
Because I had one ‘apple’ mango left. Not my favourite but nice to try. These mangoes remind me of the light apple flavour with a hint of pineapple. It was still firm – a requirement I think for mmaintaining integrity and not turning to mush during cooking. It starts off simply – salt and pepper to taste, except this time, one isn’t dunking strips in a chili salt, one is rubbing mango slices and setting them upon a lightly oiled hot grill pan. Each side cooks undisturbed for a minute or two, so the grill lines form. I served mine...
Santifood Co: Yogurt & Granola
Nothing floors me more than a thoughtful gift. I get emotional. Last week, I got a private message on Instagram. From an ‘instafriend’ – @santifoodco, whose yogurt and granola I’d been longing. She’d sent me a goody bag from Abuja through a friend. I was touched. A bit emotional. It feels so awesome to be in someone’s thoughts and not even know it. To be the receiver of love and gifts. What good there is in this life. Still. In spite of all the madness. I got two tubs of greek yogurt and some delicious honey granola. A tub of...
Easy Weeknight Dinners – Vegetable Medley
If you want a nice side for dinner or alternatives to ‘starches’ and carbs, medleys are an excellent option. They can be steamed, sauteed or baked. To be honest, you can’t really go wrong – all it requires is knowing which combos you like/ work well and going for it. I prefer baked/ sauteed medleys for the simple reason that roasting draws out the sweetness of vegetables, not to mention it frees up my stovetop for the other accompaniments. Some of my favourite combinations involve potatoes, carrots and onions. I like the balance of sweet and starchy. One key thing...