Itu Bridge. The famous Itu Bridge on the way to and from Calabar in the South of Nigeria and seafood – fresh, dried, bought, sold. Seafood of the south. Of Nigeria, where nsam, ngolo, crabs and ‘water snails’, crabs are everyday things. I’ve lived in Warri and Port-Harcourt where periwinkles stud everything from Egusi to Vegetable soups. When I moved to Port-Harcourt as an adult, I learnt the art of eating Ngolo. For a long time, I didn’t know the latin/ English name till my daughter, R worked on a school project and we learnt that these are Whelks, a...
Flavour Pairings with Agbalumo
Yes, flavour pairings are a personal thing…what people like to eat together, but also what ingredients go with what. They are also based on scientific studies – flavour families with which we’re familiar, like floral of Zobo and Meyer lemons; citrus of oranges and limes and lemons; and on and on and on. The truth is certain compounds and volatile oils and flavour notes work together, complementing each other and creating a symphony, a marriage that works. In the last few weeks, since Agbalumo has been in season, I’ve experimented with combinations and pairings. Here’s what I’ve found out: The flavour...
Happy Paddy’s Day: Scent Leaf Blinis with Flaked Fish
I had a good plan to pair this with a Guinness – Palm wine concoction but I spread shards of glass and malted black liquid on some cream tiles this evening instead. A bag delicately held, mindlessly dropped and dreams and thoughts are dashed. Oh well, one less thing to make 🙁 and on to these green beauties. I’m sure St Patrick would approve of these fragrant, coconutty ‘cakes, green in his tribute. And if he doesn’t, well too bad. My son, D ate a plateful of them and some more, with chicken and syrup. I had mine with baked...
Preserved: Six (6) Ways with Agbalumo
I know Agbalumo will be out of season soon…and so I’m extracting it’s essence in a variety of ways to enjoy long after. Though Preservation isn’t a common practice in Nigeria, I think it should be for various reasons. For one, we need to test the boundaries of our fruits and vegetables and one way to do that is to try various methods for processing. Most of the methods I use, I’ve chosen because of the minimal processing time – very little to do once the Agbalumo is peeled. To take advantage of the ideas, read my post on The Anatomy of Agbalumo...
Three (3) Interesting Discoveries with Agbalumo
One. Its acidity. Someday, we might be able to find the best way to make more than scattered cheese curds with the flesh and its liquid. The experiment below involved Agbalumo flesh in a jar, filled with milk and left refrigerated for a couple of days. Two, the liquid extracted from macerating Agbalumo flesh in sugar tastes like lemonade but with the peculiar Agbalumo flavor. And like lemons and limes, it’s juices sting the cuts and scratches on the fingers of a Kitchen Butterfly. Three. Much pectin. The first time I tried to make an Agbalumo sugar syrup I ended up...
Agbalu’lade, The New Lemonade
My picky second daughter, R insists this should be the name, and so it is. Agbalu’lade. I had Agbalumo’ade pencilled but…*shrugs*. As this is her new favourite drink, I have no complaints. Believe me, this is like Lemonade but not exactly. If you macerate Agbalumo – add sugar and leave to stand for a few hours, you’ll end up with the very liquid extract of Agbalumo. Unbelievable. See I’ve tried to make a syrup of Agbalumo – it turned to jam; I’ve had it soak in syrup overnight hoping lots of flavour would be drawn in but ‘No, sir’. The most successful drink...
Tuwon Shinkafa with Pepper Soup
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 to lunch and ordered for me. When my food arrived it was a plate of white rice and a bowl of fresh fish pepper soup. I watched him eat and then followed suit. Soup was spooned onto the rice, and then eaten…with bits of fish,...
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 thirteen. I fainted because I’d been working all morning and had simply not eaten. I was hungry. Amala – a cooked meal of yam or plantain flour always reminds me of that day. Amala, especially the sort made from dried and milled unripe plantains always remind...
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 remember who recommended Glover Court but I adjusted my journey plans that evening to stop by. I’ve been back three or four times since. Friday evenings are perfect for suya. Perfect. There’s the knowledge that suya could be dinner if purchased in the right quantity,...