Tag: Arewa Kitchen

Nigerian Cuisine

Mango, Tamarind & Mazarkwaila Sauce

Now that mangoes are in season properly, we’re enjoying them in all sorts of ways, one of which is in sauces. This version features fresh mango flesh, tamarind ‘water’, cilantro – my favourite ever herb and mazarkwaila, sugar cane sugar! Now sugar cane is one of my favourite things ever and I’d never come across it […]

Nigerian Cuisine

On Kilishi: With Tigernuts & With Peanuts

‘Kilishi’ is a northern Nigerian nut-seasoned sun-dried meat snack similar to beef jerky. It generally refers to beef, sheep or goat meat processed by dressing, slicing, sun drying, application of some slurry of spices and roasting over coals/ fire. Birthplace Kano city it seems but of course also found in other northern states and places.  History […]

Nigerian Cuisine

Balangu Jollof

What you do when you ferry leftovers across skies, from Abuja to Lagos – you make Jollof. You add some yaji and kulikuli to the mix. You also treat the Balangu three ways: You attempt to make a floss of it, dambu – attempt she says because laziness and smoke and we did have small chunks […]

Nigerian Cuisine, Techniques

How to Make Dambu

Making Dambu has been on my list of things to learn for ages. This weekend past, my Hausa teacher – yes, Hausa teacher (I’m learning to speak Hausa because I think it is delightful. It sounds incredibly beautiful – soft and melodic) taught me. In Hausa, Dambu literally translated is ‘mixture’. And this, is a mixture […]