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How to Make Dry Bitter Leaves Fresh

This procedure details how to make washed and dried bitter leaves soft so it will be like freshly washed leaves suitable for preparing Bitterleaf Soup. Sometimes you can't help but miss motherland where you had access to freshly washed bitter leaves. The dry leaves make your Bitterleaf Soup taste like cardboard, right? Your nightmare is over when you learn these easy steps.

You will need:

• Dry Bitter Leaves
• Food Tenderiser (Akanwu)
• Water
• Plastic Bags
• Sieve
• Big Pot
• Stove/Cooker
• Pressure Cooker (Optional)

Procedure

If you have a pressure cooker, you can put the dry bitter leaves directly into the pot. Putting them is in a plastic bag will not be necessary as its function is to create pressure around the dry bitter leaves during the cooking process.

1. Wash the dry bitter leaves and place in a plastic bag. Use several bags if you are tenderising a large quantity as this enables the leaves to soften faster.
A titanium plastic bag without holes works best for this purpose. Titanium so that it can withstand the heat and having no holes will make it airtight. The more airtight it is, the faster the dry bitter leaves will soften.

2. Spread powdered food tenderiser (akanwu) on the bitter leaves and ruffle the bag to distribute well.



3. Tie the handles of the bag(s) in such a way that the bag(s) are air-tight.


4. Place in a big pot, pour some water and start cooking. Leave to boil for about 1 hour, turn off the heat and allow to cool.

5. Transfer the bitter leaves into a bowl, pour cold water and start washing, rubbing the leaves together just as when handwashing a cloth. This is to remove all traces of bitterness and the tenderiser as much as possible.


6. At first the water will be as dark as Guinness Stout® so change the water often till you have clean leaves with as little foam as possible.


7. When you feel that the bitter leaves have been thoroughly washed, squeeze the leaves to remove as much water as possible.


8. Place in plastic bags or containers and store in the freezer for future use.


It is good practice to boil considerable quantities at a time so that it will last you a while. This saves the cooking time whenever you want to prepare Bitterleaf Soup.

How to Extract Coconut Milk

These steps will show you how to extract the rich coconut milk from the fruit. The coconut milk is the extract used in preparing the Nigerian Coconut Rice.

You will need:

• 1 coconut
• Hammer or any breaking tool
• Blender/Grater
• Knife
• Warm water
• Sieve with a fine mesh
• Plastic bowls

Procedure

1. Break the coconut into pieces with a hammer and pry out the coconut meat from the shell.




2. Wash and cut the coconut meat into tiny pieces.



3. Place in a blender, add a small quantity of warm water (just enough to allow the blender blades to rotate freely) and grind into a smooth paste. You can also use a grater for this purpose. But a blender is more efficient.





4. Pour the mixture of coconut milk and chaff into a sieve with tiny holes so that none of the chaff gets through.





5. Use hands to squeeze out as much milk from the chaff as possible.



6. If you feel that there is more milk in the chaff, place the chaff in a bowl and add a small quantity of warm water.


Repeat steps 4 and 5 till the milk that comes out becomes too pale. Remember that the coconut milk will later be used in cooking the rice so if the water becomes too much, the rice will be overcooked. This is not what we want so add water sparingly.

Preparation and Use of Moi Moi Containers.

Moi Moi, a beans derivative, is a Nigerian food recipe that cannot be cooked directly in a pot or frying pan. The moi moi mix is usually put into containers or holders. These containers are then placed in a pot containing water and cooked indirectly. There are 3 well known moi moi containers. These are plastic/aluminium bowls, aluminium foil and Uma leaves (Thaumatococcus Daniellii).

Preparation

Small Plastic/Aluminium Bowls

There used to be a time when there were Moi Moi Saturdays. If you and your family still enjoy this treat and you prefer using plastic bowls for Moi Moi, then you must have a set of these specially for this purpose. These days, there are also single-use aluminium bowls in the market.
All you need to do is bring them out, wash, dry and oil the inside of the bowls. And you are good to go.

Aluminium foil

You may want to use aluminium foils if you want your Moi Moi to cook in less time. The meal is also more presentable if wrapped in foils. This is important if you will have guests for dinner or will be hosting a party.
The catch is that there is a bit of work to be done in making the foils. You need to cut the foil in pieces depending on the desired size. Fold the open edges to make a flat bag, leaving one end open. It is always advisable to double the pieces of aluminium foil when making the bags. This ensures the bags do not burst during cooking due to intense heat.
The following is a video on how to make aluminum foil bags for cooking Nigerian Moi Moi

Uma (Thaumatococcus Daniellii) Leaves

This is the Moi Moi wrapper you should be going for at all times. If you want your Moi Moi to cook even faster, this is the wrapper for you! It even adds some natural flavour to the recipe.
Here, some work and skill is required. Most of the work goes to meticulous washing of the bold leaves. It is advisable to wash them at least 2 times. The first wash is with salt water and a foam sponge. This ensures that all the dust and dirt are removed. The second wash is basically rinsing them in plenty of water. Then remove the leaf stalk and you are ready to go. Skill is required to fold the leaves into cones. This will be discussed in the usage section.

Usage

Small Plastic/Aluminium Bowls

1. Before putting the moi moi mix into the plastic/aluminium bowls, first of all rub the insides of these bowls with vegetable oil. This is to prevent the moi moi from sticking to the bowl after cooking.
2. When putting the moi moi mix, it is advisable to keep the contents only up to half of the container. This is because moi moi rises during cooking. If the container is filled to the brim the contents will overflow during cooking.
3. While cooking the moi moi, water that is poured into the pot should only be half way up the bowls at the bottom of the pot. This is so that the water used in cooking the moi moi will not go into the bowls.

Aluminium foil

1. Scoop some moi moi mix into the aluminium foil bag through the open end of the bag. Just as in the case of bowls, it is advisable to keep the contents only up to half of the folded aluminium bag. This is because moi moi rises during cooking. If the bag is filled to the brim, it will burst during cooking with the contents flowing into the pot and making a mess.
2. When you are happy with the quantity, fold the open end of the aluminium bag and place the bag in a padded pot. Padding should be placed at the base of the cooking pot used in cooking moi moi that is wrapped in aluminium foils. Placing the bags of aluminium foils directly in the pot will cause the bags at the base to burst due to intense heat.
3. The bags of moi moi should be placed into a pot of boiling water and not cold water. This is so that the contents will set almost immediately thereby preventing accidental leakage.

Uma (Thaumatococcus Daniellii) Leaves

1. The stalks of uma leaves that were taken out during washing should be used to pad the base of the pot and the folded moi moi placed on these to prevent burning of the wraps at the base of the pot.
2. It is advisable to use at least 2 leaves to make one wrap. This doubling ensures a better reinforcement for the moi moi wraps to avoid leakages. Please note that with uma leaves, it is hard to achieve 0% leakage but we can live with tiny leakages.
3. To make uma wraps: First of all, place 2 leaves on top of each other, fold them into a cone. Then bend the pointed end and hold it there. Put some moi moi mix into the cone. Fold the open end and place the wrap in a pot of boiling water. The quantity of water should be so small that your fingers will barely touch it.
4. If you do not get it the first time, do not worry. This skill is perfected with practice. With time, you may even device your own easier method of doing this. Just remember that the goal is to make a wrap that allows the moi moi stay in the leaf without leaking out. There is no one formula of doing this, neither is it magic!
   
   

   How to Reduce Beans Bloating

   Beans contain special sugar molecules known as oligosaccharides. These sugar molecules require special anti-oligosaccharide enzymes which is absent in the human digestive track to properly digest them. The incomplete digestion therefore produces gas which causes discomfort and flatulence.
   This indigestion, bloating and subsequently, flatulence are the major factors limiting the consumption of this nutritious and healthy staple food. But we will not let this problem force us to abandon the wonderful benefits of eating beans.
   The following practices and habits should help reduce the problems associated with eating beans.
   

   Cooking practices that will help reduce beans bloating are:

5. Always wash dry beans thoroughly then soak for at least 5 hours before cooking them. Then when you start cooking, boil for 5 minutes, discard the water and rinse again. This helps eliminate some of the molecules that favour gas formation.
6. Do not add salt right away when cooking beans. This cooking advice is important because adding salt too early slows down or hampers the process of boiling off the unwanted substances which cause gas and subsequently indigestion.
7. Never undercook beans. Most dry beans should be cooked for at least 1 hour, except when using pressure cookers. Cooking the beans thoroughly continues the process of eliminating the complex oligosaccharides.
8. Cook the beans recipes where beans are mixed with other staple foods such as Rice and Beans and Beans and Yam/Plantain/Potato/Baby Corn Porridge. This is so that your digestive track does not have too much beans to digest in one meal.
9. Prepare the beans recipes where the beans coat is completely removed such as in Nigerian Moi Moi and Akara. Removing the beans coat greatly reduces the unwanted sustances in the beans.

Some eating habits that will help reduce beans bloating are:

1. Eat beans and similar legumes regularly to build up your body's ability to process them.
2. Limit the quantity of beans you eat in a meal. Start with small quantities then slowly increase consumption levels as your digestive track adapts to digesting the beans.
3. Drink more water than usual when eating beans. This will help the digestive enzymes process the food better.
4. Carbonated drinks add to the gas production problem so they should be avoided when eating beans.

Hopefully these techniques will work for you. If not, no problem, give it more time. Remember that flatulence is only a social concern, there is no psychological or physical harm caused by eating beans. So do not allow a little gas stop you from enjoying the nutritional benefits of eating beans.

Nigerian Breakfast Recipes

Breakfast meals in Nigeria are quick and easy to prepare. They are usually something you can rustle up and eat before you dash out on a working day. Most Nigerians still prefer to eat leftovers from the previous day's dinner due to lack of breakfast meal ideas. Some only take the good old bread and chocolate drink before dashing out to beat the rush hour.
The following are some quick and easy breakfast meals that are sure to help you start your day on a good note.

How to Make Custard, Ogi or Akamu

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There is an endless list of Nigerian food you can combine with Custard to make a delicious Nigerian breakfast recipe. Sometimes, it is also a side dish to some Nigerian dinner recipes.
How to Make Custard, Ogi or Akamu [Video]
Custard meal is simple yet very difficult to make. A lot of people often wonder how they can make a custard meal that is free of lumps.
Watery Custard meals or watery Ogi / Akamu is also a big problem to many people. In Nigeria, we usually add evaporated milk to our custard meals so the main requirement is that the custard is thick after preparation so that when the milk is added, a perfect consistency will emerge. But if the Custard / Ogi / Akamu is watery already, adding milk will result is a complete liquid which is not fit for consumption.
Due to the above problems, some people have given up on this necessary breakfast meal. But not to worry, you will get all the tricks of making the perfect Custard, Ogi or Akamu right here, including a video.

What you will need to make Custard, Ogi or Akamu

• Custard Powder | Ogi or Akamu
• Water (Hot and Cold)
• Evaporated Milk
• Sugar (to taste)

Preparation

Custard is used to explain this recipe but the same procedure goes for Ogi or Akamu too.

1. Put some custard powder into a good size bowl. Custard rises during preparation so you should use a bowl big enough to contain the custard meal in its risen state. If in doubt, use a very big bowl, with time, you will learn which quantity can comfortably fit is which bowl size.
2. Start mixing by pouring a small quantity of cold water into the bowl of custard powder. Stir and add some more water till you have a medium mix with no lumps.
3. When nearly ready, put a kettle of water to boil. Make sure the water will be enough. It is better you boil too much water than not have enough water.
4. Just before the water boils, stir the custard mix very well because some of the custard may have settled at the bottom of the bowl. If not stirred well, this is the major cause of lumps when you start making the custard.
5. Once the water boils, pour it slowly but steadily into the bowl of custard and stir at the same time. Pouring the hot water slowly and stirring at the same is very important because this prevents lumps from forming.
6. Once you see the custard setting, stop stirring and reduce the flow of water you are pouring till the custard has completely set.
7. Set the kettle aside and stir the custard very well. If it is too thick for you, you can add more hot water. But be careful else your custard will become watery. And remember that you will still add liquid evaporated milk.
8. Add evaporated milk and some sugar to taste and stir everything to the way you like it.

The Nigerian Custard / Ogi or Akamu is ready. Serve with the following Nigerian meals which are great partners to Custard meal.
Nigerian Fried Plantain
Nigerian Fried Yam
Nigerian Recipe Pancake

Nigerian Salad Recipes

Nigerian Salads can be substantial meals on their own. Some of them are also used as the perfect side dish to all the Nigerian recipes,

How to make Nigerian Salad

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Nigerian Salad is so unique that there is no other place that prepares such filling and exotic salad as this recipe. It can be had as a meal on its own or as a side dish to the various Nigerian rice recipes
The quantities of ingredients stated are what will give you a typical taste of the Nigerian Salad. The quantities can be halved or multiplied and the same taste will be achieved.

Ingredients

• 1 medium bunch of Lettuce
• 5 medium sized Carrots
• 4 small pcs of Irish Potatoes
• 2 medium pcs of Cucumber
• 3 medium Eggs
• 1 415g tin of Baked Beans in tomato sauce
• 200g of Sweet Corn
• 5 pcs of Plum Tomatoes (Jos Tomatoes)
• Salad Dressing – the classic Heinz salad cream works best with the Nigerian Salad recipe. A close substitute is the Heinz Caesar Salad Cream. You can use mayonnaise too.

Before you prepare the Nigerian Salad

Wash and cook the Irish Potatoes till done. The eggs should be hard boiled. To save time, these two can be cooked in the same pot as they need almost equal amount of time to get done.
All the vegetables need to be washed.

1. Cut the lettuce into thin shreds.
2. Scrape and shred the carrots using a grater.
3. Peel and cut the boiled potatoes into sizeable cubes.
4. Peel, remove the seeds and cut the cucumber as shown. If you want more green color in your salad, you may peel the cucumber in stripes.
5. Remove the seeds from the plum tomatoes and cut into small pieces.
6. Place all the cut vegetables in separate containers.

Open the sweet corn and drain the preservation water. Rinse the seeds and set aside. Also open the baked beans tin and set aside.
Remove the shells of the hard boiled eggs, slice thinly and set aside. An egg slicer is perfect for this job.

Preparation

1. With the exception of the egg, start putting the ingredients in small batches into a big salad bowl till all are exhausted.
2. Now, place the sliced eggs on the salad, covering the top.
3. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for at least one hour. This is to allow all the ingredients to mix well.
4. Serve with a salad dressing of your choice but the Heinz Salad Cream works best with this recipe, seconded by a caeser salad dressing.

Notes and Tips
If you prefer your Nigerian Salad crunchy, substitute the lettuce with cabbage. You can also use the two as the lettuce adds a green color to the salad.
The above are the minimum ingredients for making a Nigerian salad. More ingredients such as boiled macaroni, corned beef, green bell pepper, green peas etc can be added for varied flavour.
The Nigerian Salad is best consumed within 24 hours of preparation if no salad dressing is added to it.
If you are lucky to buy a baby cucumber, it may not be necessary to remove the seeds.

Nigerian Salad can be eaten alone or as a side dish to Jollof Rice, Coconut Rice, Fried Rice and other Nigerian rice dishes.

How to make Coleslaw

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Coleslaw simply means cabbage salad. It is a blend of finely shredded cabbage, carrots and a few other crunchy vegetables. It is then generously dressed with mayonnaise and salad cream.
It is generally eaten as a side dish to such foods as Jollof Rice, Fried/Barbecued Chicken, Moi Moi and many other rice dishes.
Coleslaw is usually served chilled to allow the dressing settle into the vegetables.

Ingredients

• 1 small cabbage
• 1 small green bell pepper
• ½ tin of green peas
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 medium onion
• 5 tablespoons of salad cream (preferably Heinz Classic Salad Cream)
• 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• A pinch of salt

Preparation

All the vegetables need to be washed.

1. Cut the cabbage, green bell pepper and onions into very tiny pieces.
2. Scrape and shred the carrots using a grater, then use a knife to cut across the shreds to make the pieces even smaller.
3. Put the cabbage, green pepper, green peas, onions and carrots into a large bowl and stir till you get a good mix.
4. In a separate, smaller bowl, mix the salad cream, mayonnaise, sugar and salt.
5. Pour the cream mix into the bowl of vegetables and stir very well.
6. Chill and serve.

Note: If you prefer the coleslaw creamier, you can increase the quantity of the salad cream. Feel free to add a pinch of ground pepper if you like it spicy.

Coleslaw can be eaten alone or as a side dish to Jollof Rice, Coconut Rice, Fried Rice and other Nigerian rice dishes.

Nigerian Stews and Sauces

Stews and Sauces are essential to Nigerian gastronomy. Most staple foods are cooked plain and eaten with either stew or a sauce. This makes Nigerian foods one of the most versatile in the world. With one staple food, you can have up to a dozen different tastes. Really, there is always food for everyone in Nigeria.

How to Cook Nigerian Tomato Stew

 

Tomato Stew is very common in Nigeria. You will usually find that most families make this in considerable quantities and store in the freezer. This is because most staples can be cooked / boiled / fried and eaten with this stew viz:
Rice - Tomato Stew is the single most popular sauce when eating boiled white rice. The Jollof Rice Recipes are cooked with the simpler version of the tomato stew. This is the tomato stew with no added meat or chicken.
Plantain – It is not unusual for Tomato Stew to accompany Fried Plantain or Boiled Plantain.
Beans – Beans can be cooked plain and eaten with the Nigerian tomato stew.
Yam – You can bring out the best in the yam staple by eating it with tomato stew. Boiled Yam and Fried Yam go really well with this stew.
Tomato Stew is usually a tricky Nigerian recipe to prepare. If it is not sour, it is burnt or too oily. Not to worry, just follow the steps below and you will learn how to make the best Nigerian Tomato Stew.

Ingredients

• Fresh Plum Tomatoes (referred to as Jos Tomatoes in Nigeria) – 1kg
• Vegetable Oil – 30 cl
• Chicken/Turkey/Beef – 1kg
• Onions – 3 medium bulbs
• Chilli Pepper & Salt – to taste
• Seasoning – 2 cubes of Maggi / Knorr & Thyme (2 teaspoons)

Before you cook Tomato Stew

1. Wash and blend the fresh plum tomatoes. Remember to remove the seeds unless you are sure your blender can grind them very well.
2. Cook the chicken / turkey / beef with 1 medium bulb of onions (chopped), the 2 seasoning cubes and thyme till done. Fry or grill the chicken / turkey / beef if you want to. This is optional.
   

   Note: Remember to add water sparingly so that your tomato stew will not be watery when done. You can always add more water during the final stages of the cooking if the chicken / turkey / beef stock is not enough.
   If you want to make tomato stew that you will store in the freezer to be used in cooking Jollof Rice recipes then you will not need to add chicken / turkey / beef at this time. Cook these the day you want to prepare the Jollof rice recipes.

3. Grind / Blend the chilli pepper.

Cooking Directions

1. Pour the tomato blend into a pot and cook till almost all the water has dried.
2. Add the vegetable oil and the remaining 1 bulb of onions (chopped). For your tomato stew to fry very well and not have any form of sour/raw taste, you need to add a generous amount of vegetable oil. Don't worry about having too much oil because you can pour out the excess oil after frying the tomato puree.
3. Cook at low heat till all the water has dried. You can confirm this because the tomato puree starts to stick to the base of the pot.
4. Stir constantly till you notice that the vegetable oil is separated from the tomato puree. Unlike when you first added the oil and it formed a smooth mix with the tomato puree. Taste the fried tomato puree to make sure that the raw tomato taste is gone.
   

   Note: With time and experience, you can even tell that the tomato puree is well fried from the aroma.

5. At this time, if you think there is too much oil, pour out the excess and add the chicken / turkey / beef with the stock, and then add pepper and salt to taste.
6. Cover the pot and allow to contents of the pot to boil for 5 minutes.
7. That’s the way the best Nigerian tomato stew is made.

Use tomato stew to eat White Rice, Fried / Boiled Plantain, Fried / Boiled yam. Add it when cooking your Jollof Rice recipes and even to your Egusi Soup!

 

Nigerian Soup Recipes

Soups are those special sauces that accompany the major Nigerian food commonly known as Foo Foo (Fufu). Foo Foo is a generic name for food you swallow during the eating process. Foo Foo is generally tastless and rely on the richness of the soups to make the meal delicious. It is common knowledge that Nigerians especially the Igbos from the eastern part of the country, must have at least one foo foo meal in a day. This is why soups are very essential to Nigerian food recipes. All Nigerian soups can be served with Eba (Garri), Agidi, Amala, Semolina, Pounded Yam or Cassava Foo Foo. 

How to cook the Nigerian Pepper Soup

 

The Nigerian Pepper soup is a popular Nigerian soup recipe. It is such a versatile recipe as it can be prepared with different types of meat and fish. Thus there is the Chicken Pepper Soup, the Cat Fish Pepper Soup (popularly known as Point and Kill), the Goat Meat Pepper Soup, the Cow Leg Pepper Soup and the Assorted Beef Pepper Soup.
People usually go to exclusive bars or restaurants to eat the Pepper Soup. This is because this Nigerian food recipe is believed to be prepared with 'secret' ingredients that only the restaurant Madams know about. Yes, the Pepper Soup ingredient which gives this recipe its unique aroma and taste, is truly the best kept secret. But our job here at All Nigerian Food Recipes is to expose all Nigerian food recipes and cooking secrets so that you can prepare them right inside your own kitchen whenever you want to.

Ingredients for Pepper Soup

• Cat Fish | Chicken | Goat Meat | Cow Leg | Assorted Beef - 1 kg
• Ehu –- 4 seeds
• Chilli Pepper –(to taste)
• Dry Uziza –- 2 teaspoons
• Onions –- 2 medium bulbs
• Crayfish - 2 tablespoons of ground Crayfish
• Salt -– to taste
• Seasoning – 3 Maggi / Knorr cubes & 1 teaspoon of Thyme

Before you cook the Nigerian Pepper Soup

1. To prepare Cat Fish Pepper Soup, wash and cut the cat fish into 1-inch thick slices. Boil some hot water and pour on the pieces of fish to firm them up. This toughens the skin of the fish so that it does not fall apart during cooking.
2. If preparing Chicken pepper Soup, it is preferable to use whole chicken instead of drumsticks. The different parts of the chicken will bring variety to the pepper soup. So wash and cut up the whole chicken and set aside.
3. If you want to prepare Assorted Beef Pepper Soup then you should buy different parts of beef - best cut, offal (shaki, round-about, liver and kidney). Wash the offal thoroughly especially the round-about which should be turned inside out during the washing. Cut these into medium pieces, just big enough to be chewed in one go.
4. For Goat Meat Pepper Soup and Cow Leg Pepper Soup, just wash and cut the goat meat or cow leg into medium pieces. In this case also, make the pieces just big enough that it can be chewed in one go.
   
5. Now it is time to prepare the 'secret' ingredient. Using an old frying pan, roast the Ehu seeds (stirring constantly) till you can smell it. Don't worry you will know when it is OK to take it off because it has a distinctive aroma. Another way to know that it is OK is to take one of the seeds and try to remove the outer membrane. If the membrane comes off easily, then the Ehu is done.
   
6. Peel off the membrane from all the Ehu seeds and grind with a dry mill.
7. Cut the onions into tiny pieces.
8. Rub the dry uziza with your fingers to break them into tiny pieces.

Cooking Directions

1. This cooking direction describes Chicken Pepper Soup. To prepare Cat Fish Pepper Soup, Goat Meat Pepper Soup, Cow Leg Pepper Soup or Assorted Beef Pepper Soup just substitute chicken with cat fish, goat meat, cow leg or beef and offal respectively.
2. Place the pieces of chicken in a pot and pour enough water to cover the contents of the pot. Add the stock cubes, thyme and onions and cook till done.
   

   Note: When cooking Assorted Beef Pepper Soup, you should cook the shaki for sometime before adding the other beef parts. Shaki is tough and will take longer to cook than the other beef parts.
   Cow leg is a tough meat part so when cooking Cow Leg Pepper Soup, you should use a pressure cooker if you have one. This will save you some gas or electricity.
   

3. By now, you will notice that some of the water has dried. Add more water to bring it to the level of the contents of the pot.
4. Add the ground Ehu, crayfish, dry uziza, chilli pepper and salt to taste. Ehu has some spicy taste so you should add chilli pepper with care. Even though it is called pepper soup, you still want to be able to taste and enjoy the recipe itself. Too much chilli pepper will ruin it for you.
5. Cover the pot and leave to cook for 10 minutes on medium heat. The pepper soup is ready.
6. Pepper Soup should always be served hot. It can be eaten alone with a chilled drink by the side. You can also eat it with Agidi, White Rice or Boiled Yam.
   
   

   The Nigerian Vegetable Soup Edikang Ikong

    

   The Nigerian Edikang Ikong soup or simply Vegetable Soup is native to the Efiks, people from Akwa Ibom and Cross River states of Nigeria. It is a general notion that the Edikang Ikong soup is very nutritious and this is very much so. Prepared with a generous quantity of pumpkin leaves and water leaves, this Nigerian soup recipe is nourishing in every sense of the word.
   It is common for Nigerians to request this soup recipe after a bout of illness as we trust it to replenish whatever was lost during the sickness. But you do not need to be in a state of convalescence to enjoy this wholesome Nigerian food recipe.
   

   Ingredients for Edikang Ikong Soup

7. Pumpkin leaves | a big bunch
8. Water leaves | even bigger bunch
9. Beef, Kanda and Dry fish
10. Pepper, Salt and ground Crayfish - to taste
11. Palm oil | 30cl (about 1 small bottle of Coca Cola)
12. Periwinkle - 1 cup
13. Onions - 2 medium bulbs
14. Seasoning – 3 Maggi / Knorr cubes

Before you cook the Edikaikong Soup

1. Wash and cut the pumpkin and water leaves into tiny pieces. Put them in separate sieves to drain out all the water as much as possible.
2. Cut the Kanda into small pieces. Cook the beef, kanda and the dry fish with the 2 bulbs of diced onions and the 3 Maggi / Knorr cubes with as little quantity of water as possible.

Cooking Directions

1. When the meat is done, add a generous amount of palm oil, the crayfish and pepper and leave to boil for about 10 minutes. The palm oil serves as water in the Edikaikong soup. You should try as much as possible to make it the only liquid in the soup.
2. Add the periwinkle and water leaves and leave to cook for another 5 minutes. You may have to cook for less time at this stage so that the water leaves are not over-cooked.
3. Now add the pumpkin leaves and salt to taste. Stir the contents of the pot very well and turn off the heat. Cover the pot and leave to stand for about 5 minutes.
4. The Edikang Ikong soup is ready to be served with Garri, Semolina, Amala or Pounded
   
   

   Nigerian Afang Soup Recipe

   
    
   
   The Nigerian Afang Soup, like the Edikang Ikong soup, is native to the Efiks, people of Akwa Ibom and Cross River states of Nigeria but enjoyed by all Nigerians. It is also very nutritious as the soup consists mainly of vegetables. Afang Soup is prepared with a generous quantity of Water leaves and the wild herbal Okazi leaves.
   The Nigerian Afang Soup should not be confused with the Okazi Soup native to the people of Imo and Abia States of Nigeria. While Afang soup is prepared with basically vegetables, Okazi Soup is simply the Nigerian Egusi Soup cooked with thinly sliced Okazi leaves.
   

   Ingredients for Afang Soup

5. Okazi leaves | 4 handfuls of sliced Okazi
6. Water leaves | 1kg or a big bunch
7. Palm oil | 30cl (about 1 small bottle of Coca Cola)
8. Periwinkle - 1 cup
9. Onions | 2 medium bulbs
10. Beef, Kanda and Dry fish
11. Pepper, Salt and Crayfish - to taste
12. Stock Cubes (Maggi or Knorr) | 3 cubes

Before you cook the Nigerian Afang Soup

1. Wash, drain and slice the water leaves into tiny pieces. Grind or pound the sliced Okazi leaves. In Nigerian markets, the sellers of these sliced Okazi leaves have a machine for grinding it. You can also grind it with your blender with a small quantity of water. Take a look at the ground Okazi leaves.
2. Grind your pepper and crayfish and cut the onions into tiny pieces.

Cooking Directions

1. Boil the beef and Kanda with the diced onions and stock cubes in a very small quantity of water. When done, add the dry fish and cook for about 5 more minutes.
2. Now add the palm oil, crayfish and pepper. Once it starts boiling, add the Okazi leaves, water leaves and periwinkle. When the periwinkle is done, add salt to taste and there's your Afang soup!
3. Serve with Garri (Eba), Semolina, Amala or Pounded Yam.
   
   
   

   How to cook Banga Soup

    

   The Nigerian Banga Soup or Ofe Akwu is native to the Niger Delta and the South Eastern parts of Nigeria. In the Niger Delta areas, Banga soup is commonly eaten with various foo foo recipes – Pounded Yam, Semolina, Garri and Cassava Foo Foo. In the South Eastern parts of Nigeria, Banga Soup is referred to as Ofe Akwu where Ofe means Soup / Stew and Akwu means palm fruit and is used mainly as stew for the White Rice recipe.
   The palm fruit oil extract used in cooking Banga Soup / Stew is quite different from the Palm Oil used in cooking Nigerian food recipes. Palm Oil is pure oil extracted from the palm fruit pulp at high temperatures while the palm fruit oil extract used for the Banga Soup is extracted at a very low temperature and is a mixture of oil and water. Palm fruit oil extracted for Banga Soup contains less saturated fat than palm oils.
   

   Ingredients for Banga Soup

4. Palm Fruits – 1 kg
5. Beef
6. Dry Fish
7. Vegetable – Scent Leaves
8. Onions – 2 medium bulbs
9. Crayfish – A handful | 2 tablespoons of ground Crayfish
10. Salt and Chilli Pepper – to taste
11. Seasoning – 3 Maggi / Knorr cubes

Before you cook the Nigerian Banga Soup

1. Wash and cook the palm fruits till done. A good sign that the palm fruit is done is that you will notice cracks on the flesh of the fruits. The palm fruit is also soft to the bite.
   
2. Pound the palm fruits in a mortar with a pestle till all the flesh are separated from the nut to form a smooth pulp as shown in the photo.
3. Cook the beef and the dry fish with 1 bulb of diced onion and the 3 Maggi / Knorr cubes till done.
4. While you have the beef cooking, extract the palm fruit oil from the palm fruit pulp by washing it in warm water. Small quantities of the palm fruit pulp should be washed in as small quantity of warm water as possible. If the palm fruit oil starts getting too thick, pour the liquid into another container through a sieve to prevent the palm fruit fibres from entering into the oil that will be used in cooking the Banga Soup. Repeat this till all the palm fruit pulp has been washed.
   

   A more efficient extraction process can be achieved by separating the palm nuts from the pulp before washing the pulp in warm water.
   During the extraction process, if you think that there is still some oil on previously washed palm fruit pulp; re-wash these when you change the water before washing new palm fruit pulp.
   Water should be used sparingly during the extraction process so that at the end, the extracted liquid will have the consistency of evaporated milk or tomato juice bearing in mind that you still have to add the beef stock.
   

5. Leave the extracted palm fruit oil to stand for some time then slowly pour this into the pot that will be used to cook the Banga Soup / Stew, taking care not to pour the tiny pieces of fibre that have settled at the bottom.
6. Wash and cut the scent leaves into tiny pieces. The scent leaves are what gives the Banga Soup its unique aroma and taste. If you are outside Nigeria, this may be hard to find, so you can use pumpkin leaves or any other vegetable in place of scent leaves.
7. Cut the remaining bulb of onion, grind the crayfish and pepper and set aside.

Cooking Directions

1. Set the pot of palm fruit oil on the stove and start cooking at high heat. Leave to boil till you notice come clear oil at the surface of the Banga Stew. If you think that the Banga Soup is watery, cook till the soup has thickened to the consistency you like for your stews.
2. Now, add the beef, dry fish and stock, the onions, crayfish and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the scent leaves and salt to taste. Leave to cook for 2 mins. The Banga Soup is done. Serve with White Rice or use the Banga Soup to eat Garri, Semolina, Amala or Pounded Yam.
   
   

   How to cook Ora (Oha) Soup

    

   Ora (Oha) soup is native to the South Eastern Nigeria. It is a very traditional soup similar to the bitterleaf soup but cooked with Ora leaves. Ora (Oha) Soup is special because the tender ora leaves used in preparing this soup recipe are seasonal unlike their bitterleaf counterpart which can be found all year round. Though it is only the vegetable that distinguishes the Ora Soup and the Bitterleaf Soup, they taste so different that it is hard to believe the difference just one ingredient can make in a recipe.
   

   Ingredients for Ora (Oha) Soup

4. Vegetable - Ora leaves
5. Cocoyam – 8 corms
6. Red Palm Oil – 3 cooking spoons
7. Assorted Beef – Includes best cut, shaki (cow tripe)
8. Assorted Fish – Dry Fish and Stock Fish
9. Chilli Pepper, Salt and Crayfish (to taste)
10. Seasoning – 3 Maggi or Knorr cubes

Before you cook the Nigerian Ora Soup

1. Grind the crayfish and pepper and set aside.
   
2. Wash and boil the cocoyam corms till soft. Remove the peels and use a mortar and pestle to pound the corms to a smooth paste.
3. Using your fingers, cut the Ora (Oha) leaves into tiny pieces. This technique is to prevent the vegetable from becoming darker in colour. This happens when you cut the ora leaves with a knife.

Cooking Directions

1. Boil the shaki (cow tripe), stock fish and dry fish in 1 litre of water till they are well done. First sign of a done shaki is that the cuts will start curling on itself.
2. Wash the beef and add to the pot of shaki etc. and continue cooking. When the meat is done, add 3 cubes of Maggi/Knorr and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the pepper and ground crayfish and cook for 10 minutes. Add the cocoyam paste in small lumps and then the palm oil.
4. Cover the pot and leave to cook on high heat till all the cocoyam lumps have dissolved. You can add more water if you feel that the soup is too thick.
5. Add the ora (oha) leaves and leave to cook for about 5 minutes.
6. Add salt to taste and the soup is ready to be served with Eba, Foo Foo, Semolina or Amala.
   
   

   How to Cook Nigerian Egusi Soup

    

   The Nigerian Egusi soup, prepared with melon seeds, is native to the southern part of Nigeria - Igbos and Yorubas.
   Nigerian Egusi Soup Recipe [Video]
   Egusi soup is also one of the most popular soups for all Nigerians and non-Nigerians that like Nigerian fufu recipes.
   
   
   

   Ingredients

7. Egusi (Melon) seeds - 3 cigar cups | 600g
8. Red Palm Oil – 2 cooking spoons
9. Beef – Best cut and Shaki (cow tripe)
10. Fish – Dry Fish and Stock Fish
11. Crayfish
12. Pepper and Salt to taste
13. Vegetable – Pumpkin leaves or Bitter leaf
14. Seasoning – 3 Maggi or Knorr cubes
15. Traditional Seasoning – 1 Okpei (optional)

Before you cook Egusi Soup

Before preparing the soup, soak the dry fish for about half an hour. Boil the stockfish for 20 minutes and leave in the pot with the hot water to soak for about an hour.
Much closer to your cooking time, grind the Egusi with a dry mill. Grind the crayfish and the dry pepper separately and set aside. Wash the vegetable to be used. Cut into tiny pieces.
Boil the shaki, stock fish and dry fish in 1 litre of water till they are well done. First sign of a done shaki is that the cuts will start curling on itself.
Wash the beef to be used for the soup and place in a pot and start steaming at medium heat. There is no need to add water at this stage. When the meat is done, add 3 cubes of Maggi/Knorr. This method makes the meat cook faster while retaining all the taste. Also meat contains lots of water and you will notice that the water content increases as the meat starts to boil.

Cooking Directions

There are two main methods of cooking egusi soup. These we will call oil before egusi and egusi before oil. Confusing? Not.

Oil Before Egusi

1. Put 2 cooking spoons of red palm oil into a dry pot and set on the stove to heat. As soon as the oil is clearer, add the ground egusi and start frying. This should be done at low heat to avoid burning. Keep frying till you see the egusi getting drier. One sign of this is that it will start sticking to the bottom of the pot.
2. Now, start adding the shaki/fish stock little by little while still turning the egusi. When the stock is exhausted and you feel that the soup is still too thick, you can add more water. If your choice of vegetable is bitterleaf, it should be added now as well.
3. Cover the pot and cook for 30 to 45 minutes. The egusi is done when you notice that the oil has risen to the surface of the mix and separated from the mix. If this is the case, add the fish, shaki and meat. Also add pepper and salt to taste. If pumpkin leaves (or any other soft vegetable) is your choice, please add it now.
4. Cover the pot and leave everything to steam together for 5 minutes.

The egusi soup is ready to be served with amala, Eba (garri), pounded yam or cassava foo foo.

Egusi Before Oil

This method produces a healthier egusi soup. This is because there is no frying involved.

1. In this method, as soon as the shaki, fish and meat are done, remove them from the stock and place in a different pot or plate.
2. Add the ground egusi to the stock and cook for 40 minutes. You will notice the clear egusi oil coming to the surface of the soup.
3. Add 2 cooking spoons of red palm oil, the meat, fish, bitter leaves (if it is your choice of vegetable) pepper and salt to taste and cook for another 10 minutes. Now, add the pumpkin leaves if is your choice of vegetables, stir the soup and turn off the heat.

The egusi soup is ready to be served with amala, Eba (garri), pounded yam or cassava foo foo.

How to cook Bitterleaf Soup

 

Bitterleaf soup is one of the most traditional soups in Nigeria. The name is quite misleading in that a well prepared Bitterleaf Soup should not have even the faintest bitterness. This is achieved by washing and squeezing the bitter leaves (and changing the water at intervals) till all traces of bitterness has been washed off.
One will be deemed a bad cook if his/her Bitterleaf soup tastes bitter!

Ingredients

• Vegetable - Washed and squeezed bitterleaf
• Cocoyam – 8 corms
• Red Palm Oil – 3 cooking spoons
• Assorted Beef – Includes best cut, shaki (cow tripe)
• Assorted Fish – Dry Fish and Stock Fish
• Pepper, Salt and Ground Crayfish (to taste)
• Seasoning – 3 Maggi or Knorr cubes

Before you cook Bitterleaf Soup

1. Make sure that the bitter leaves are well washed, such that there is no trace of bitterness left. If not, wash and squeeze it more. If the bitterness cannot be completely washed off (which is usually the case with most washed bitter leaves sold in the market), boil it for about 15 minutes and wash in cold water.
   
2. Wash and cook the cocoyam till soft. Remove the peels and use a mortar and pestle to pound the corms to a smooth paste (as shown).

Cooking Directions

1. Boil the shaki (cow tripe), stock fish and dry fish in 1 litre of water till they are well done. First sign of a done shaki is that the cuts will start curling on itself.
2. Wash the beef and add to the pot of shaki etc. and continue cooking. When the meat is done, add 3 cubes of Maggi/Knorr and cook for 5 minutes.
   
3. Add pepper, ground crayfish, bitter leaves (if they have not been parboiled) and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the cocoyam paste (in small lumps) and the palm oil then go to step 5.
   
   Note: If the bitter leaves were parboiled to remove the bitterness, then for step 3; add pepper, ground crayfish, the cocoyam paste (in small lumps), the bitter leaves and the palm oil. In other words, add all the ingredients at this stage.
4. Cover the pot and leave to cook on high heat till all the cocoyam lumps have dissolved. You can add more water if you feel that the soup is too thick.
5. Add salt to taste and the soup is ready to be served with Eba, Foo Foo, Semolina or Amala.
   
   
   

   How to cook Okra Soup

    

   Okra Soup is one of the quick and easy Nigerian soups to prepare. Some argue that a lot of work goes to the cutting of the two vegetables used in preparing this recipe. Yes but once the vegetables are ready; it cooks in no time at all.
   
   Kiddies Okra Soup is a simpler version of this recipe and kids simply love it!
   

   Ingredients

6. Okra – 250g
7. Red Palm Oil – 3 cooking spoons
8. Beef – Best cut
9. Shaki - Cow Tripe (Optional)
10. Fish – Iced Fish, Dry Fish, Stock Fish
11. Crayfish
12. Pepper and Salt to taste
13. Onions - Optional
14. Vegetable – Pumpkin leaves or Spinach (Washed & Frozen)
15. Seasoning – 3 Maggi/Knorr cubes

Before you cook Okra Soup

About two hours before preparing the soup, boil the stockfish for 20 minutes and leave in the pot with the hot water to soak.
Cut the okra fingers into tiny pieces. To achieve this, you need to make a few vertical cuts followed by horizontal cuts on the okra fingers. Grind the crayfish and the dry pepper. Wash the pumpkin leaves, if it is your choice of vegetable, and cut into tiny pieces. If you will use frozen spinach, defrost and cut into tiny pieces.

Cooking Directions

1. If you will use shaki (cow tripe) for the soup, wash and boil till it is done. Add water sparingly because this soup needs to be thick. Add the soaked stockfish and dry fish to the cooked shaki. The length of time it will take to cook shaki depends on the cooking appliance utilized. You can take a bite to confirm this. The first sign of a well-done shaki is that the cuts will start curling on itself. When you are happy that the shaki and stock fish are well-done, add ground crayfish and pepper and steam for 5 minutes. Then set aside.
2. Wash the beef to be used for the soup and place in a pot, add some onions (optional) and start steaming. There is no need to add any water at this stage. Boil the meat for about 10 minutes and add seasoning (Maggi or Knorr cubes) then continue cooking. When the meat is done, add iced fish (if you will use iced fish) and two pinches of salt. Continue steaming for 5 mins. Then set aside.
3. Pour red palm oil in another pot and heat the pot to dissolve the oil if it is congealed. Add the diced okra and start frying, add some meat stock from time to time till you notice the okra start to draw. This process should take a maximum of 5 mins to avoid over-cooking the okra.
4. Now add the shaki stock, meat stock, pumpkin leaves and salt to taste. Then stir well. Cover the cooking pot and turn off the cooker. Leave to stand for 5 minutes. Soup is ready!
   

   PS: Shaki, Meat, Dry Fish, Ice Fish and Stock Fish must not all be used at the same time in preparing the okra soup recipe. If you can, by all means use all as they will add to the flavour. But if not, an okra soup prepared with only iced fish can equally taste good. So don't go and break the bank because of a pot of soup!
   Onions is optional because while some people cannot bear the smell/taste of onions in okra soup, others are like "Okra soup without onions? No Way!"
   So feel free to add and subtract ingredients but the minimum ingredients that make an okra soup are:
   

   • Okra (of course)

   
   

   How to cook Nigerian Nsala Soup (White Soup)

    

   Nsala soup or White Soup is a tasty, fast and easy soup recipe that has its origins in the riverine areas of Nigeria.
   

   Ingredients

5. Cat Fish
6. Utazi Leaves (crongromena ratifolia)
7. Raw White Yam / Yam Powder / Potato Puree - Thickner
8. Chilli Pepper, Salt and Ground Crayfish (to taste)
9. Seasoning – 3 cubes of Maggi / Knorr and Ogiri Okpei (Nigerian traditional seasoning)

Before you cook Nsala Soup

Cut the catfish into 1 inch thick cylindrical discs and remove the intestines. Place in bowl. Pour hot water on the fish to remove the slimy substance on the outer skin. Leave for 2 minutes and wash the fish with cold water. This process of pouring hot water also toughens the fish so that the pieces do not dissolve while cooking the soup.
Boil a few cubes of raw white yam. When soft, pound with a mortar and pestle till a smooth paste is formed, then set aside. You can substitute white yam with yam powder or potato puree for the thickening.
Wash and cut the utazi leaves into tiny shreds. Blend the chilli pepper, the crayfish and the shredded utazi leaves and set aside. Utazi is bitter in taste and only used for flavouring so one or two leaves should be enough.

Cooking Directions

1. Place the catfish in a pot and pour enough water to cover the fish. Add the seasoning and cook till done. Feel free to add beef and dry fish to this soup recipe.
2. When the catfish is done, add the crayfish, pepper and utazi leaves blend. Also add the yam paste in small lumps and salt to taste.
   

   Note: Catfish is what makes Nsala soup what it is, giving it the unique taste that it has, therefore it cannot be substituted with any other kind of fish.
   

3. Cover the pot and allow the contents to cook at high heat till all the yam paste have dissolved. While cooking, if you think that the yam paste will make the soup too thick, you can remove some that are yet to dissolve.
4. The Nigerian Nsala Soup is ready to be served with Amala, Eba (Garri), Yam Foo Foo, Semolina etc.

1. 
   
   

   • Palm Oil
   • Beef/Iced or Dry Fish
   • Crayfish
   • Pepper and Salt (to taste)
   • Vegetable
   • Seasoning

   Fluted pumpkin leaves are the best for okra soup but for those outside Nigeria, this may be hard to come by so you can use spinach. But make sure it is the washed and frozen one (see photo). This works better than the fresh and leafy spinach as far as the Okra Soup recipe is concerned.
   

Serve with Eba (Garri), Foo Foo, Semolina, Pounded Yam or Amala.

1. 
   

Nigerian Cocoyam Recipes

Cocoyam, a tuber crop similar to yam, can also be used to make mouth-watering Nigerian food recipes where the cocoyam is mainly grated, boiled or pounded.

 Nigerian Ekpang Nkwukwo                  submitted by Mrs Eze

Ekpang Nkwukwo is one of the Nigerian cocoyam recipes made with grated cocoyam, water yam, cocoyam leaves and periwinkle. It is a Nigerian food recipe native to the South South Eastern Nigeria – the Cross River and Akwa Ibom States of Nigeria. Ekpang Nkwukwo is a meal reserved for special occasions and is the preferred Christmas meal.

Ingredients for Ekpang Nkwukwo

• Cocoyam – 500g
• Water Yam – 250g (Optional)
• Vegetable – A big bunch of tender Cocoyam leaves | Pumpkin leaves & Scent leaves (Nchanwu)
• Palm oil – a generous quantity
• Crayfish – a handful
• 3 medium bulb Onions
• Periwinkles – 2 milk cups | 300g if shelled or 500g of unshelled periwinkle
• Assorted Beef & Offal
• Dried fish
• Snail (Optional)
• Pepper & Salt to taste
• Seasoning – 2 Maggi / Knorr cubes

Before you cook the Nigerian Ekpang Nkwukwo

1. Wash and cook the beef, offals and dry fish with the seasoning till done.
2. Peel, wash and grate the cocoyam and water yam (if you will be using this). Mix the two together and set aside.
3. Prepare the pot by rubbing a generous amount of red palm oil on the insides of the pot.
4. Wash the tender cocoyam leaves and tear into medium pieces. If using pumpkin leaves, wash these and set aside.
5. Blend the pepper and crayfish and set aside.
6. Wash the shelled or unshelled periwinkles.
7. Wash and slice the scent leaves into tiny pieces.

Cooking directions for Nigerian Ekpang Nkwukwo

1. If you will be using unshelled periwinkles, place these at the base of the well-oiled pot.
2. Scoop a small quantity of the grated cocoyam into a piece of the torn cocoyam leaf or one pumpkin leaf. Wrap the cocoyam with the leaf and place in the pot. Repeat this procedure till all the grated cocoyam (and water yam) is exhausted.
3. Add the pepper, crayfish, onions, shelled periwinkles and assorted beef.
4. Add hot water to the level of the pot contents and set to cook on medium heat for 20 minutes.
5. Now, add the scent leaves, a generous amount of palm oil and salt to taste. Cook for more 5 minutes and the Ekpang Nkwukwo is done.
6. Leave to stand for 5 minutes and stir.

That's how to cook the Nigerian Ekpang Nkwukwo.

How to cook Bitterleaf Soup  

Bitterleaf soup is one of the most traditional soups in Nigeria. The name is quite misleading in that a well prepared Bitterleaf Soup should not have even the faintest bitterness. This is achieved by washing and squeezing the bitter leaves (and changing the water at intervals) till all traces of bitterness has been washed off.
One will be deemed a bad cook if his/her Bitterleaf soup tastes bitter!

Ingredients

• Vegetable - Washed and squeezed bitterleaf
• Cocoyam – 8 corms
• Red Palm Oil – 3 cooking spoons
• Assorted Beef – Includes best cut, shaki (cow tripe)
• Assorted Fish – Dry Fish and Stock Fish
• Pepper, Salt and Ground Crayfish (to taste)
• Seasoning – 3 Maggi or Knorr cubes

Before you cook Bitterleaf Soup

1. Make sure that the bitter leaves are well washed, such that there is no trace of bitterness left. If not, wash and squeeze it more. If the bitterness cannot be completely washed off (which is usually the case with most washed bitter leaves sold in the market), boil it for about 15 minutes and wash in cold water.
   
2. Wash and cook the cocoyam till soft. Remove the peels and use a mortar and pestle to pound the corms to a smooth paste (as shown).

Cooking Directions

1. Boil the shaki (cow tripe), stock fish and dry fish in 1 litre of water till they are well done. First sign of a done shaki is that the cuts will start curling on itself.
2. Wash the beef and add to the pot of shaki etc. and continue cooking. When the meat is done, add 3 cubes of Maggi/Knorr and cook for 5 minutes.
   
3. Add pepper, ground crayfish, bitter leaves (if they have not been parboiled) and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the cocoyam paste (in small lumps) and the palm oil then go to step 5.
   
   Note: If the bitter leaves were parboiled to remove the bitterness, then for step 3; add pepper, ground crayfish, the cocoyam paste (in small lumps), the bitter leaves and the palm oil. In other words, add all the ingredients at this stage.
4. Cover the pot and leave to cook on high heat till all the cocoyam lumps have dissolved. You can add more water if you feel that the soup is too thick.
5. Add salt to taste and the soup is ready to be served with Eba, Foo Foo, Semolina or Amala.

Nigerian Yam Recipes

How to prepare Nigerian Yam & Vegetable

 

As the name states, this recipe is a basic yam and vegetable mix. The good thing is that this recipe lets you try a wide range of leafy vegetables which can go with the yam staple: green Amaranth, fluted pumpkin, water leaves etc.

Ingredients

• Yam – 1kg
• Leafy Vegetable - Fluted pumpkin/Green Amaranth/Water Leaves
• Red palm Oil – to color
• Okra – 4 fingers (optional)
• Onions – 2 medium bulbs
• Chilli Pepper & Salt – to taste
• Seasoning – 2 cubes of Maggi / Knorr

Before you cook Yam & Vegetable

Peel and cut the yam tuber into 2 inch cubes. Wash the yam cubes and place in a sizeable pot.
Wash and cut the leafy vegetables, cut the onions and okra into tiny pieces. Grind / Blend the chilli pepper. Put all these in a separate pot and set aside. The okra only helps the vegetables stick together so it is optional.

Cooking Directions

1. Pour enough water to cover the yam cubes and cook till the cubes are soft.
2. Now, pour out the water from the pot, leaving the yam cubes in the pot. Cover the pot to retain the heat.
3. Add a little water (about 1 cooking spoon) to the pot containing the vegetables. Cook till the vegetable is softened by the heat. Be careful not to overcook the vegetable.
4. Pour the cooked vegetables and other ingredients into the pot containing the yam cubes. Add the palm oil and salt to taste.
5. Stir with a wooden spoon till all the ingredients have mixed well.
6. The yam and vegetable is ready to be served.

Serve with Fried Plantain

How to cook Nigerian Yam Porridge

   

The Yam Porridge can also be referred to as yam soup. It is mainly yam cooked with ingredients and the resulting dish contains some soupy liquid. It is usually not cooked with added vegetables but feel free to add a little if you so wish.

Ingredients

• Yam – 500g
• Red palm Oil – to color
• Ground Crayfish – 2 tablespoons
• Onions – 1 medium bulb
• Chilli Pepper & Salt – to taste
• Seasoning – 1 cube of Maggi / Knorr

Before you cook Yam Porridge

Peel and cut the yam tuber into 2 inch cubes. Wash the yam cubes and place in a sizeable pot.
Wash and cut the onions into tiny pieces. Grind / Blend the chilli pepper. Set these aside.

Cooking Directions

1. Pour enough water to cover the yam cubes and start cooking at high heat.
2. Note when the water starts to boil and leave to continue boiling for 10 more minutes.
3. Add the cut onions, ground crayfish, pepper and seasoning.
4. Cover the pot and continue cooking till the yam is done.
5. Add the red palm oil and salt to taste and continue cooking till all the oil has been absorbed into the porridge. You can reduce the heat to medium at this stage depending on the consistency of the porridge.
6. The yam porridge is ready to be served.

Yam porridge is usually eaten alone but you can serve with Fried Plantain

How to cook Nigerian Boiled Yam

   

Boiled Yam is an easy and fast yam recipe. If you can boil egg, then preparing this recipe is no big deal. It is prepared without any added ingredients thereby leaving you with a wide range of sauces and stews to eat it with.
Boiled yam can be eaten with Tomato Stew, Vegetable Sauce, Pepper Sauce, fried egg or egg omelette.

Ingredients

• White Yam – As much as you can eat.
• Salt to taste (Optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Cut the yam tuber into 1 inch slices.
2. Peel and cut the slices into half moons. You can leave it circular if you want. This does not make a difference to the recipe at all.
3. Wash the slices, place in a pot and pour water to cover the contents.
4. Boil till the yam is soft. This is when you can easily drive a fork into the slices without resistance.
5. Add salt and leave to cook for about 2 minutes. This is so that the salt will seep into the yam slices.
6. Turn off the heat and drain the water.

Serve with Tomato Stew, Vegetable Sauce, Pepper Sauce, fried egg or egg omelette.

How to prepare Nigerian Fried Yam

   

Fried yam recipe is a deep-fried yam recipe that can be eaten with a wide range of Nigerian stews and sauces. It is fried in such a way that the outside of the chips is crunchy while the inside is moist. It is mostly used as a breakfast meal with fried egg, egg omelette, Tomato Stew, Vegetable Sauce or oat meal.

Ingredients

• White Yam – As much as you can eat.
• Vegetable Oil
• Salt to taste

Frying Directions

1. Peel and cut the yam tuber into 1 inch cylindrical discs. Make several cuts across the discs to get large chips. Wash the yam chips and place in a bowl.
2. Add a little salt and toss the contents to distribute the salt.
3. If you are using a deep fryer, pour enough vegetable oil into the fryer as per the instructions manual and preheat the oil to 170°C. You can also use a pot to fry the yam chips. It is preferable to use a pot rather than a frying pan for this fried yam recipe because pots provide more depth for the frying process.
4. When the oil is heated, add a few yam chips, leaving enough room for flipping the chips.
5. Stir the chips till they have turned golden.
6. Remove the chips and place in paper towels to absorb the oil.
7. Fry the rest of the chips following steps 4 through 6.

Serve with fried egg, egg omelette, Tomato Stew, Vegetable Sauce or oatmeal.

Nigerian Beans Recipes

Black-Eyed or Brown beans are rich in high quality protein which provides a healthy alternative to meat and other animal protein. They are also rich in soluble fiber which helps lower blood cholesterol. This makes beans a must-have staple in Nigerian dishes. Still beans is not a very popular food item because it is associated with flatulence and indigestion. Allnigerianrecipes.com details some cooking methods that will help eliminate the discomfort associated with beans to ensure that this staple stays in your family menu.

How to cook Nigerian Beans Porridge

 

Beans are unpopular staple foods because it is associated with bloating, flatulence and indigestion. Most people have one reason or the other why they do not eat beans. Yet, it is advisable to to have beans in the family menu especially when you have young children in the family.
The cooking method detailed here will help eliminate the problems associated with beans. You can learn more about how you can prevent the problems associated with eating beans at: How to Reduce Beans Bloating.

Ingredients

• Beans (Brown/Black eyed) - 3 cigar cups | approx. 750g
• Red Palm Oil - 3 cooking spoons
• Crayfish (1 handful)
• Onions – 3 medium sized bulbs
• Pepper & Salt to taste
• Seasoning – 3 Maggi/Knorr cubes
• 500g Yam/Plantain/Sweet Potatoes/Baby Corn (Optional)

Before you cook Beans Porridge

Soak the beans in cold water for 5 hours. Boil the beans for 5 minutes and discard the water. Wash the beans in cold water and set aside. This soaking and pre-cooking process will help reduce the gas inducing elements.
Chop the onions, grind the crayfish and pepper.
If you will use yam/plantain/sweet potatoes, wash, peel and cut them into 1 inch cubes and set aside. If you will use baby corn, drain the preservation liquid, rinse and set aside.

Cooking Directions

1. Put the beans in a pot and pour water up to the level of the beans and start cooking.
   

   Note: If you have a pressure cooker, beans is one of the staple foods you will want to use it for. It considerably reduces the cooking time.
   

2. Cook till tender, adding more water from time to time, if necessary. Always keep the water at the same level as the beans so that when the beans is done, you will not have too much water in the porridge.
3. When the beans porridge is soft, add the onions, crayfish, pepper and seasoning. Cover the pot and keep cooking for 5 minutes.
   

   Note: To get the most out of beans, it is best to cook it with one of the following: sweet yam, ripe/unripe plantain, sweet potatoes or baby corn. If you will add any of these, this is when to do so. Then instead of cooking for 5 minutes, cook till the added yam / plantain / potatoes is done. The baby corn should be added when you turn off the heat in step 5.
   

4. Add the red palm oil, salt to taste and cook for more 5 minutes at medium heat.
5. Turn off the heat, add the baby corn (if you have chosen to use it), leave to stand for 5 minutes and turn the porridge with a wooden spoon.

The beans porridge is ready. If you cooked the beans porridge without any of the additions,

How to cook Nigerian Moi Moi 

Moi Moi (also Moin Moin) is a great dish accessory in Nigeria. It is commonly seen accompanying Jollof Rice, Fried Rice, Fried Plantain, Custard, Akamu (Pap, Ogi) etc. It can even be eaten alone as a snack with a soft drink to wash it down.
Nigerian Moi Moi Recipe [Video]
Due to its popularity, Moi Moi is often served in parties, dinners and other special occasions.

Ingredients

• Beans (Brown/Black eyed) - 3 cigar cups | approx. 750g
• Bone Marrow / Eggs (3 pcs) / Corned beef (optional)
• Vegetable Oil - 3 cooking spoons
• Tatashe (or tinned tomato puree in the absence of this)
• Crayfish (1 handful)
• Fresh Pepper (If the tatashe is not hot enough)
• Onions – 3 medium sized bulbs
• Nutmeg (1 pc or 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg)
• Salt to taste
• Seasoning – 3 Maggi/Knorr cubes

Containers

• Aluminium foil or
• Plastic Bowls or
• Uma Leaves(Thaumatococcus Daniellii)

Before you cook Moi Moi

About three hours before cooking the moi moi, soak and wash the beans to remove the coat. When the entire coat has been removed, place the beans in a bowl and pour enough water to cover it. Leave to soak for three hours. This is so that the best consistency will be achieved when you blend the beans.
It is advisable to use one of eggs, bone marrow or corned beef, not the three at the same time. If you will use eggs, cook till hard boiled, cut into small pieces and set aside. If you prefer bone marrow, cook it with salt and Maggi / Knorr cubes. If it is corned beef you will go for, open the can and separate the beef into small lumps.
Now go ahead and prepare the moi moi containers.

Next ...

Wash the tatashe, onions, nutmeg, red pepper, crayfish and set aside. Ensure to remove the tatashe seeds as they have a tendency to give meals a bitter taste.
Now that the beans is soaked (the bean seed is tender when you pinch it), it is time to blend it. It is very important that you use a very good blender for this purpose. The taste and feel of your Moi Moi depends so much on the consistency of the blend. If in doubt, put a small quantity of bean seeds in your home blender and grind to the best of its ability using as small quantity of water as possible. Feel the resulting paste with your fingers and if you notice any tiny pieces at all, then the blender is not good for Moi Moi. At this time, you may consider using the commercial heavy duty mills at your local market if you are in Nigeria. Yes, you have your health and hygiene concerns but most of the mill operators actually keep their mills clean. And they let you bring your own water and containers. So there you go!

Cooking Directions

1. Blend the beans, tatashe, onions, crayfish, pepper and nutmeg together and put in a big enough bowl.
2. Prepare about half a litre of warm water. This will be used in mixing the moi moi. You do not want to use hot water for this purpose as it may cause the mix to be lumpy.
3. Slowly add the warm water and stir the mixture at the same time. When you have achieved medium consistency, add salt to taste, 3 cooking spoons of vegetable oil, bone marrow stock (if this is what you have chosen to add to your moi moi) and Maggi / Knorr cubes.
4. Stir the mixture very well and start putting the mix in your choice of containers by following the details at How to Use the Moi Moi Containers. Now is the time to add one egg piece per bowl/ aluminium foil/ uma wrap. The corned beef pieces should be added this way too if chosen.
   

   Note: Moi Moi is one of the Nigerian food recipes that is prepared cold. All the mixing and adding of ingredients is done off the stove. That is to say, once you start cooking, there is no going back! You cannot decide to add more salt or seasoning or a new ingredient later. So getting it right at the mixing stage is very important.
   

5. Pad the base of a big pot and set the moi moi containers in the pot, add a small quantity of boiling water and start cooking.
6. Add as small quantity of water as possible at a time while cooking the Moi Moi as detailed in preparation and use of moi moi containers so that the moi moi will not become watery when done. This is the case especially when using aluminium foil or uma leaves.
7. The length of time you will cook your Moi Moi depends on the quantity and the Moi Moi container you used.
   The Moi Moi that gets done quickest is the one wrapped in Uma or Banana leaves, followed by Moi Moi wrapped in aluminum foils then the one that takes the most time is Moi Moi cooked in aluminium or plastic plates.
   But whatever Moi Moi container you use, it is advisable to cook your Moi Moi for at least 1 hour, before checking it. Confirm that it is done by putting a knife through it, if the knife is stained with Moi Moi paste, then the Moi Moi is not done, but if the knife just has a slight smear of Moi Moi, then it's done. Also, when you cut through the Moi Moi, the insides will be set and not watery.
   If you are cooking a few wraps of Moi Moi in a small pot on high heat, then it will only take about 45 minutes to get done while when you are cooking a large pot of Moi Moi, it will definitely take more than one hour.

Serve with chilled fruit juice, or coconut juice.

How to cook Rice and Beans

 

If you do not like beans when it is cooked alone like in Beans Porridge, then you need to try the rice and beans recipe.
One way to reduce the flatulence or indigestion associated with beans is to cook it with another staple and the rice and beans recipe is one of such recipes.

Ingredients

• Rice - 2 cigar cups | 500g
• Beans - 1 cigar cup | 250g
• Tomato Sauce or 40g of tinned tomato puree
• Vegetable Oil
• Chicken or Fish
• Pepper and salt - to taste
• Onions - 2 medium sized bulbs
• Seasoning – 2 Maggi/Knorr cubes & Thyme (1 teaspoon)

Before you cook Rice and Beans

1. Wash and soak the beans for about 5 hours. Discard the water and rinse the beans.
2. Put the beans in a pot, pour some water and set to boil.
3. Once the beans starts boiling, turn off the heat, throw away the water and wash again. These steps will help minimize the indigestion associated with beans for most people.
4. Fry the tinned tomato puree if you do not have already made tomato sauce.

Cooking Directions

1. Now cook the beans till tender and set aside.
2. Parboil the rice using the method detailed in Parboiling Rice for Cooking Rice and Beans.
3. Meanwhile, cook the chicken till tender using chopped onions, 1 teaspoon of thyme and 2 cubes of seasoning. If you will rather use fish, boil the fish for 5 minutes using the same amount of seasoning. Fry or grill the chicken or the fish and set aside.
4. Now, pour the chicken / fish stock into a pot big enough to accommodate the rice and beans, bearing in mind that the rice will rise some more.
5. Leave to boil, then add some tomato sauce, the parboiled rice and the cooked beans. Check that the water level is just less than the level of the rice and beans.
6. Add pepper and salt to taste.
7. Stir, cover the pot and cook with medium heat till the water is dry.

Serve with the fried chicken or fish and fried plantain.