MOIN MOIN

Packed full of wonderful protein and fibre, this savoury steamed bean cake is a "superfood" in my opinion. Glance at any plate of jollof rice or fried rice at a Nigerian wedding or party and you're bound to see some moin moin hanging about on the side. It's not the quickest thing to prepare but the final product is totally worth all the effort.

There are various ways to steam moin moin but the traditional method is with ewe eran (uma leaves) which you're likely to find in any good African shop/market place. These are folded into little parcels to hold the bean mixture, giving you the signature pyramid shape - I will try my absolute best to describe this in the instructions below. The leaves also give the moin moin a distinct smell and flavour so it's worth buying some if you can. Otherwise, little ramekins or pudding moulds should do the trick.

Picture updated: March 2020

Picture updated: March 2020

Ingredients

(makes 12-15)

- 2 cups black-eyed beans

- 1 red onion

- 2 tomatoes

- 1 red bell pepper

- 1 scotch bonnet pepper

- 1/2 cup water

- 2 vegetable stock cubes

- 2 tbsp vegetable oil

- Salt and pepper to taste

- 1-2 bundles of banana leaves

Soak the beans (overnight, if possible) in warm water, then peel and discard the outer layer. 

Blend the beans, peppers and tomatoes with a little water to form a thick batter.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the stock cubes, vegetable oil and seasoning. You can get a little creative here and add some vegan extras like sweetcorn to liven it up a bit. Loosen the mixture with a bit more water. You want it to be thick but pourable.

If you're not using the banana leaves, divide the mixture into little moulds and steam on low-medium heat for 1hr 30mins until the moin moin is firm and solid.

If you're using the banana leaves, prepare a large pot by filling it a 1/4 of the way up with water. Now, grab 2 or three leaves at a time and lay them on top of each other. Hold upright in the palm of your left hand and start by folding the sides and then bottom in to form an open-topped parcel. 

Pour the mixture into the leaf mould, making sure you're still holding on to it securely in one hand. To close it up, fold the top section inwards and bend the loose flap backwards. Place it flat and ever so gently in your large pot of water. Don't worry if a little mixture seeps out at this point, even the experts can't avoid this (so I'm told...). 

Repeat this process until your pot is filled with the moin moin parcels.

Set the pot on a low-medium heat, cover and steam for 1hr 30 minutes until the moin moin is solid. You can test it by sticking a skewer or toothpick in to see if it comes out clean. 

Moin moin can be served hot or cold. Pair it with a plate of fresh salad and you've got yourself a tasty, light lunch.

GROCERY HAUL #5

I honestly feel like I robbed someone today. Here's a top tip: if you want a truckload of fresh produce at knock-down prices then make your merry way to a large produce market. Even though I hated going to the market with my mum as a kid (it was always too noisy, crowded or smelly), I'm beginning to realise that our parents and grandparents had it good! Nothing beats the experience of actually "looking, touching and smelling" before you buy. It's a highly sensory experience, not to mention the opportunity you'll get to practice your haggling skills!
When it comes to fruit and veg, most supermarkets will only charge you for the extra packaging, and chances are that you'll be left with some measly items that are totally lacking in taste and personality. Well, sometimes anyway...
So, whether you live in a small town or a big city, I encourage you to get out there and see what's on offer. Spread your wings a little and pay some extra attention to the food you allow in your body.

List:

~ Almond milk, yam, plantain, red onions, avocados, dark chocolate (vegans need treats too!), pawpaw (or papaya), tomatoes, spinach, maize meal, black-eyed beans, egusi ~

A few shots from the market I visited today.

  

EATING OUT #3 - HAAGEN-DAZS

There are a few things to do if you find yourself in an ice-cream shop with a group of others.

One is to sit in the corner with your arms folded.

The other is to order a sorbet and join in the fun! Sorbet is basically a frozen dessert alternative to ice-cream. It's made with sweetened water flavoured with fruit (juice or purée).

You'll want to avoid the chocolate sorbet as it contains egg-whites.

Otherwise, there's mango, raspberry, lemon, peach, strawberry...

Haagen-Dazs has over 650 shops in 54 countries across the world so, for the folks in Nigeria, it probably won't be long before it makes its way over there. If you really can't wait, then I have a great sorbet recipe coming up soon.

CURRIED RED LENTIL SOUP

This soup turned out to be surprisingly light and refreshing. The fact that I skipped out on adding any oil probably helped. I've been making a conscious effort to reduce the amount of oil I use in my cooking recently, but I've found it to be surprisingly difficult. I could be halfway through making a dish and this inexplicable (almost irrational) urge to add an unnecessary drop or two of oil suddenly emerges. 

Now, I'm not totally anti-oil or anything - a little goes a long way in binding flavours together and giving dishes that extra 'je ne sais quoi', but sometimes you just feel like pulling back a little, you know? And I happen to feel that way this week. Except, there's a bit of a disconnect somewhere. The act of adding oil to nearly everything is somehow so engrained that I find myself reaching for it before my brain even has time to process what I'm about to do. 

Oil is pretty central to Nigerian cuisine. If we're not deep-frying our snacks (puff puff, chin-chin, plantain chips...need I go on?), we're giving our stews and soups a glazed sheen with the stuff. This always makes for incredibly yummy food, but it's probably not something you want to have every day if you're trying to develop a healthy lifestyle. With that in mind, don't be too surprised if I stray into alternative, oil-free cooking methods in future recipes. 

Thankfully, lentils are extremely flavourful and the spices I used provide an additional lift. This is great for lunch or dinner and will leave you feeling full without the added calories.

Ingredients

(serves 4)

- 2 cups red lentils

- 4 cups water or vegetable stock

- 1 grated carrot (optional)

- 1 clove crushed garlic

- 2 tbsp curry powder

- 1 tsp mixed herbs

- Freshly squeezed lemon juice

- Salt and pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan and simmer for 20-25 minutes (until the lentils are soft). I didn't use the grated carrot this time but it occurred to me afterwards that it would work great in this dish, not to mention giving it an extra nutrition boost. If you have other vegetables at home, feel free to add them too.

Serve hot or warm with a slice or two of wholegrain/seeded bread.

SLOW-COOKED SPICY PASTA WITH CABBAGE AND CHICKPEAS

I don't mind the fact that whole wheat pasta takes longer to cook than regular white pasta. What it usually means is that I can make one-pot meals such as this one, leaving it to simmer and do its own thing while I get on with something else for a while. Perfect for days when I get back from work and I'm not immediately hungry but know I'll want something good later on.

Ingredients

(serves 2)

- 2 cups water

- 1 cup whole wheat pasta

- 3 cups fresh cabbage (roughly chopped)

- 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas

- 1 tomato (roughly chopped)

- 1 carrot (diced)

- 1/4 cup chopped celery 

- I vegetabe stock cube

- 1-2 tsp chilli powder

- 1 tsp dried thyme

- 1 tbsp organic palm oil

- Salt to taste

Chuck all the ingredients into a cooking pot. Turn the heat alllll the way down. Go chill out or something and leave it to cook for about 40-45 mins (maybe check it half way through to make sure things are still going swimmingly and the water hasn't dried out).

Not surprisingly, the pasta and veg soak up all the heady spices, the chickpeas thicken the sauce slightly and you're left with a glistening, warming plate of pasta.

MANGO & CHOCOLATE MARBLE CAKE

Cooking is like my other great love: writing. You conceive of this vague idea and you let the characters reveal themselves to you over time; you trace out the possible narrative in daydreaming sessions throughout your day; you stew over the conflicts and resolutions of your killer plot; you adhere to the distinguished literary tradition that came before you, all the while trying to carve out your own path with innovation and originality. Replace all the literary jargon with some cooking terms and you get the picture...

All this to say that I baked a mango and chocolate marble cake today - the marriage of two headstrong ingredients that had no real business being together and would never have found bliss had my imagination not brought them into the same cake tin. 

The bitter-sweet ending to this tale is that the cake is pure goodness. Two of my favourite ingredients kicking it, loving life, but trying to escape my antagonistic appetite.

Ingredients

- 2 cups wholegrain flour

- 1 cup brown sugar

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp ground ginger

- 1 cup almond milk

- 1/2 cup sunflower oil

- 3 tbsp cocoa powder

- 1/2 cup mango purée (cut a very ripe, medium-sized mango into small pieces and mash or blend to form a purée)

You'll need two mixing bowls for this recipe, but start off with one and put the other aside for now.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour, sugar, baking powder, ground ginger). Add the almond milk, and sunflower oil to form a nice, thick cake batter. This is the base mixture.

Here's where the second bowl comes in. Pour about a third of the cake batter into the second bowl and put aside. In the first bowl, add the mango purée and mix well to combine.

In the second bowl, add the cocoa powder and mix well to combine.

Take a regular-sized cake tin and lightly grease it with some oil/vegan butter or line with grease-proof paper. Pour the mango batter in first. Then swirl the chocolate batter into it. Use your finger to create a pattern if you want, don't be afraid to get your hands a bit messy here.

   

Bake in a pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Happy eating :)

GARRI COOKIES | Cassava Biscuits | Gluten-Free

Updated photograph: May 2020

This recipe has lingered in my mind for a long time now. Today was the day to finally transform the abstract image of a garri-based cookie into a concrete final product. In all honesty, it turned out a lot better than I thought it would. It's based loosely on the other popular way to eat garri in Nigeria (soaked in water with sugar and groundnut/peanuts) so bear that in mind before you go wondering why anyone would dream of using garri in a sweet instead of savoury recipe. Three reasons to try these out?

1) Crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside

2) Healthy but yummy

3) They're different and you've probably never tried a garri cookie before...live a little :)

Updated photo: May 2020

Ingredients

(makes 6)

- 1/2 cup garri

- 1/4 cup oats

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- 1-2 tbsp dried raisins

- 1-2 tbsp chopped groundnut (peanuts)

- 1/2 cup hot almond milk

- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- extra hot water

Combine all the dry ingredients and oil in a large mixing bowl. Add the almond milk slowly, mixing as you go along until you have a sticky dough. If the mixture seems too dry, go ahead and add a bit of extra hot water, one tablespoon at a time. 

Line a baking sheet with some grease-proof paper. Use a tablespoon to scoop a mound of cookie dough into your palm and carefully flatten/mould the dough into a round cookie shape. 

Bake in a pre-heated oven, 180 degrees Celsius, for 20 minutes until golden brown on one side, then flip the cookies over and bake for a further 10 minutes. Leave to cool and harden on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes after baking. Enjoy!

JOLLOF SURPRISE

This is what happens when you replace the usual red bell pepper with yellow and green pepper in a traditional jollof rice recipe (click here for my previous post). I also threw in a bunch of fresh parsley to jazz things up.

My latest discovery is brown basmati rice, which I used in this recipe - absolutely delicious stuff. You know you're doing something right in the kitchen when the fragrance starts to waft through the entire house. Rivals the euphoric feeling of freshly baked bread.