Eaten on a Tuesday and Wednesday. And repeated again today, on a Sunday. And also a short discourse on how ideas are formed – one of the most intriguing things ever. How are synaptic connections made that generate so much possibility? I was on my way home a few days ago when I drove past a restaurant. ‘Traditional Kitchen’ it said. And for the weirdest reason I thought of snails. Peppered snails and my dad, the king of cooking and eating snails. I don’t know how many snails I’ve rid of shells in this short life of mine. Many, very...
Tropical Icepops/ Lollies
There’s heat that makes you want to breathe in the frozen air from a deep freezer and burn your tongue licking it’s walls. There’s heat that leaves you understanding the phrase ‘beads of sweat’. You form them like crystals, drop by drop and soak everything with out. There’s heat that let’s you know who the real heroes are and baby, it ain’t you or me. The most valuable players are the sellers on this Lagos streets, baby. And there’s cold that’s soothing and refreshing in the most colourful way. Three ways actually. With the orange of mangoes, watermelon red and...
A Collection of Vinegars
I didn’t realise I had a ‘collection’ till I brought back four bottles of vinegar from Dubai in January – Cane, Palm, Mango and Lime. It was the Mango that captivated me on the aisle at Carrefour. Set amongst the woody sheen of balsamic, the red and golden of wine vinegars and the milky white of palm and cane vinegars, I stopped to stare. Stare at the range of flavours from fruit and more. The mango vinegar was a beautiful, bright orange colour and you know how I love my mangoes. I imagined it in a lovely vinagrette with lime...
Cassava & Shaki Suya Hash
I love making hash – great for combining starches, meat, vegetables and sauce, all in one pan. I employed my cassava chunks in this recipes, along with suya of tripe – shaki to Nigerians. I got the ‘book’ shaki, known as Bible. Manifold. Onigbawe, in Yoruba. For the ‘pages’ it has. I love how expressive we are with food, from pet names to ‘this-kinda-makes-sense’ names. I also got some Tozo, probably from the belly as it is ‘fatty’. Sigh. I like it for how flavourful it can be. I wanted the hash to have soft, saucy vegetables so I gently...
An Ode To The ‘Real’ Chocolate Chip Cookie
You might think you know what a chocolate chip cookie is And that’s fine But just for the record Just for clarity’s sake…and peace too Let me tell you what it’s not A chocolate chip cookie is not Crunchy or crumbly all the way through Therefore it isn’t Maryland Or any other brand that does the same Whatever you may think Nor does it come in a pack Emblazoned in blue – ‘Famous Amos’ As Famous as that sounds And may very well be It isn’t a sorry excuse for a biscuit Hard. Evenly shaped In a sickening shade of...
The Anatomy of Cassava
I’ve eaten cassava products all my life but I’d never tasted the cooked/ boiled tuber till last weekend. It is an interesting combination of starchy and chewy and a taste that isn’t as distinctive as I expected. What it looks like Think long tubers, about 20 – 30cm with tough brown skins bearing some resemblance to yams but for the pointed carrot-like tips. How to select Select tubers that are brown all over, without many scaly patches. The photo above shows a fresh tuber. That below? Not-so-fresh tubers. See how the protective skin on the tubers has come off? Peeling...
How to Process Mangoes
You learn everyday. This technique uses a cup/ glass to separate mango cheek from flesh. You begin by slicing off the mango cheeks. I aim for as close to the stone/seed as possible so I leave very little behind. Once you’ve sliced off as many mango cheeks as you want, get a cup or glass to try out this is nifty technique. If using glass, a strong one works well – fragile wine glasses may break with ease – be advised :). Just-ripe and ripe mangoes are easy to work with using this technique. I need to try it with...
How To Get The Coconut Water Without Breaking The Coconut
Coconut and its water, the liquid sloshing around its belly. If you ever buy a coconut and hear no water when you shake, put it down my friend, that mother is no good. I remember when I was young and I wanted to get the water out of the brown, mature coconut. I would find an edge – the side of a door, the edge of the floor. I would have a bowl close by – a receptacle for the off-white water when the nut hit the floor and went ‘crack, crack, crack’. There was always a scramble to set...
Homemade: Tropical Fruit Liqueurs
I love making (more than drinking) liqueurs 🙂 for the tons of flavour they bring to cocktails – sweet cocktails for a sweet tooth. Since I first made vanilla extract, the idea of going further, not only with seeds has taken root. There are a few principles to this: Read before you make – the internet is full of knowledge. If you seek, you shall find. If you have an idea, best check to see if/what others have experienced Clean utensils. Make sure everything is clean Careful handling of the fruit/ nut. Yes, the alcohol will kill bacteria but no need to make it hard for it...