I love chia seeds in bakes and in the famed chia seed pudding. Chia seed pudding plays on the unique gelling quality of the seeds when soaked in liquid – they form a thick, tapioca-like mix that makes a paplike nutty pudding. This combination works a treat – mango puree with a delightful homemade coconut milk chia seed pudding. What you need? Mango puree. Tick Coconut milk. Tick. Homemade or store-bought. Time. Tick. All of 20 minutes. Wow factor? 100%. [wpurp-searchable-recipe]Mango & Chia Seed Pudding – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]
How to Peel a Mango
The best way? Depends. On what? How ripe the mango is. Unripe and just-ripe mangoes are easy to strip of the skin with a vegetable peeler. This minimises the amount of flesh/ pulp discarded with green skin. Ripe ones are a whole other story. They give when you peel. I find some varieties yield to the vegetable peeler and others to the knife. If opting for the knife, ensure yours is small and sharp. I prefer the smoothness of flat blades to serrated. Either way, this is how to peel a mango. Wash it and grip firmly in hand for mangoes...
New Discoveries: Amazon Kitchen Shorts
As part of Amazon’s Video Shorts. And please, don’t get it twisted – this isn’t about cooking lingerie and the like :). Yes, it’s nine months since Amazon, my favourite online store launched it’s Video Shorts program – think of it as YouTube for Amazon. Yes, that’s the same amount of time it takes to conceive and deliver babies – if they’re single births and full term PS: Twins typically don’t stay the full nine months). And no, I’m not a doctor yet. Or ever. I stumbled on the video shorts late one night in March. I wanted to get a spiralizer and...
Mango Puree For The Win
This is something you want, need, must have in your freezer this season when mangoes are on every street corner and fruit stand. Mango puree for the win, because this is quick and easy and can be used in a myriad of ways – drinks, desserts, sauces and on and on. And all in 4 steps. For this, I suggest just-ripe or ripe mangoes – I prefer the Enugu/ Ogbomosho mangoes even though they are fibrous. I find the flavour of the Sheri mango too strong, even though it isn’t as fibrous. Step 1: Remove the flesh from the mangoes,...
Food Photo Love: Chocolate Fondant
A photo I love with a short story and a recipe. There’s something about photographing food that melts my heart. Invisible things become seen. How tightly we hold on to some things – slippery by nature. How delicately we hold on to others, careful not to break the golden egg and have its contents spewed over all. A few days ago, in a New York hotel room, I watched my seven year old son, D eat a chocolate fondant from Beard Papa’s through my camera lens. Do you know anything about seven year old boys? Most are ‘energetic’, curious, hard-to-sit still for...
Rosa Mexicano – Journey Through A Mexican Kitchen
My children’s reaction when lunch was served made me realise that what most of us know as Mexican cuisine is actually Tex-Mex. “Tex-Mex” (portmanteau of Texan and Mexican) is a term describing a cultural fusion cuisine of American cuisine and Mexican cuisine, deriving from the culinary creations of Tejanos. It has spread from border states such as Texas and those in the Southwestern United States to the rest of the country as well as Canada. Tex-Mex is most popular in the state of Texas; Wikipedia Crispy taco shells? Nope, not traditional Mexican cooking from your abuelita (grandmother). See, they were so...
Agbado ati Agbon – Corn with Coconut
It’s three weeks into the start of corn season, at least in the south/west of Nigeria. Corn stands are popping up all around, decorated with the brown hard shells and white flesh of coconut. I see Asala, African Black walnut too, hawked on red-rimmed enamel trays but still no Ube, purple butter pear. Last year I explored making guacamole with Ube – interesting too. Like regular avocado but with a more intense flavour. This recipe was inspired by a trip to Le Marche last August. There I saw a lady hawk Agbado ati Agbon, (Yoruba for corn with coconut) in a glass box on her head. The corn...
Mangoes: Facts & Figures
It’s the season again people, the season of and for Mangoes. The History of Mangoes The mango has been the most popular tropical fruit since 2000 BC or earlier. Of the genus Mangifera and flowering plant family, Anacardiaceae this flesh stone fruit is native to the Indian subcontinent from where it spread round the world. There are over 400 varieties of mango around the world. Wow. How Mangoes Came to Nigeria Apparently, Persians took mangoes to East Africa in the 10th Century and then the Portuguese brought it to West Africa in the 16th century. When exactly did it come to Nigeria? Not sure but the internet says...
Pawpaw-Chili Sauté
This simple sauté of diced, just-ripe pawpaw and the scent leaf chili sauce is a match made in my pan. The sweet flavours of pawpaw are drawn out with the herby, edgy heat on this sauce. Did I mention it only took minutes to make? Essentially, find your pawpaw. Wash it. Peel it. Slice it. Dice it. Yes, pawpaw is one of my favourite ingredients. In a sauté pan, add a touch of coconut oil. Add the diced pawpaw, season lightly with salt and let cook for a minute or so. Add the chili sauce – I generally use 1/2...