Okro and Ogbono Soup with Carrot Semolina

The plating and styling of Nigerian food has gone through dramatic changes in recent times. There is more consciousness in healthy eating and living, hence the need to reinvent old time comfort food to a more appealing and appetizing experience.

I love incorporating veggies in my meals because it adds bulk and reduces the caloric content of the food. So for my semolina I would be making it with steamed and pureed carrots. I have seen some make garri with ugu or cabbage but I love it with carrot. The carrot lends its sweetness to the semolina and changes it to a vibrant orange colour.

Ingredients
500g beef
2 cups Okro, sliced 2 cups Ugu, shredded
1 cup Ogbono, milled
1/2 cup Crayfish, milled
1 cup or small pack flaked stock fish
1/2 teaspoon Cameroon pepper, milled
5 fresh pepper, atarodo, finely sliced
3/4 cups Palm oil
2 teaspoon Salt
4 cube seasoning
1 onion, medium sized

1. Put the beef in a pot add half of the onion, 2 cubes seasoning, Cameroon pepper and a light sprinkle of salt about 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
   
2. Bring the beef to a roaring boil. Add the washed flaked stock fish, reduce heat allow to simmer for about 20 minutes.In a small sauce pan heat the palm oil until very hot. Add the milled ogbono and stir quickly, it will form up( don't worry its an expected reaction). It's been said that this method of frying the ogbono makes for a tasty soup. I don't know about that or rather I don't agree. The only thing I noticed about frying the ogbono is that it makes the ogbono dissolve better in the soup. Hence there are no lumps and bits of the ogbono in the soup. Also because it quickly dissolves in the oil it reduces the cooking time.
   
3. Add the palm oil and ogbono mixture in the pot of beef, put in the remaining onions increase the heat from low to high.  Allow to boil for 5 minutes add the opeyi, crayfish, cube seasonings and salt cook for another 5-7 minutes.
4. Remove the pot lid at this point do not cover the pot again until after the soup is cooked and served except the soup is to be eaten at a later time. Leaving the pot uncovered will help to reduce the continued cooking of
   
   the veggies so that the okro and ugu still retains it colour and brightness.
5. Add the sliced peppers and ugu cook for a minute, in goes the okro with the rest of its relative in the pot. I allow it to cook for a minute because I would be serving it immediately. If I was to serve it later I turn off the heat immediately. Okro cook very fast so to retain its texture and colour DON'T OVER COOK!

Carrot semolina

5 carrots
1 cup semolina
water

Cut up the carrots into small sizes put in a pot add enough water to cover, cook until

tender. Puree the carrots in a blender use the water for boiling the carrots to puree it. Pour into a pot if the water is too small to make the semolina add more. Bring the carrot water to a boil stir in the semolina and make as directed by the manufacturer. (I forgot to get pictures when i was making the semolina but i hope my description helps:)

Serve with the soup above.

Barbecue Chicken

There are days when I wonder where the hours has gone to ( has that ever happened to you) it like you just woke up........ the next minute it is 12 noon and suddenly you look at the clock and it 2.30pm,...ouch!

Not enough time to make lunch and get the kids back from school so what do make for lunch.......you make instant noodles but with this barbecue sauce all you need do is just reach into your fridge, pull this out and serve with potatoes, yam or even plantain.

Your kids would thank you for it... I hope they do...... but seriously they will.


Barbecue Sauce ingredient


140g tomato puree ( 2 small cans)

1 kg Chicken( orobo or fryer)

1 tbsp Olive oil

2 clove garlic

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp molasses/ black treacle

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp chili

1 chicken cube




Barbecue sauce

1. Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft about 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste, sugar, molasses, vinegar, soy sauce, salt and chili. Stir and cover, cook for 10 minutes over low heat. The sauce is ready, allow to cool before refrigeration.






Barbecue Chicken

1. Put the chicken into a pot add enough barbecue sauce to coat the chicken add the chicken cube, sliced onions and garlic. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes if you are using orobo but for fryer chicken cook for about 5 minutes.
2. Remove the chicken from the pot and put on a rack to drain for about 5 minutes before grilling.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees, Place the chicken in the center of the oven and brush generously with the sauce and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Half way through turn to the other side and brush more sauce on it and bake.
4. You can grill over a grill pot if you have one or use an oven as per my instruction above.
5.  Bring it out from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before eating. I wasn't able to wait that long i dug right in  once it was out of the oven. Don't be like me
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Modern Thali

Last Saturday was my birthday and I decided to make an intercontinental meal. After much deliberations and debate between I and my kids we finally arrived at this menu. Actually I wanted to make this while my kids gave suggestions such as pizza, pasta, lasagna (can u see they all wanted Italian). Since I was the birthday girl, my wishes were obliged!

This combines Indian, Kenyan, Arab and Oriental cuisine, the curry is India, while kachumbari is native to kenya. I tweeked the veggies a bit from the original recipes. I used less yogurt for the raita and less tomatoes for the kachumbari. This was an impressive spread and would make a perfect menu for a get together or a special occasion where you want to impress and best of all it is easy to make.

Curry Chicken

Ingredients

1kg Chicken thigh (bones removed and cut into cubes)

3 Medium sized Onion

1 tbsp curry powder

2 cloves garlic

1 70g can tomato paste

½ Can coconut milk

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp chili powder

2 chicken cubes

1 handful coriander (or parsley if coriander is not available)



Chicken breast can be substituted but I prefer the thigh because it’s more flavourful. I used the bigger chicken thigh popular called orobo because it is easier to de-bone and cube.

1. In a hot pan heat the oil, add the chicken sprinkle with the chicken cubes fry until browned on both sides and the chicken starts to release its oils. ( if your pan is small you can split the chicken into two and fry in batches, do not over crowd the pan so that the chicken would brown evenly and nicely)

2. After the chicken has rendered its fat remove the chicken from the pan, sauté the onion in the pan with the chicken fat for 5 minutes add the garlic and cook for a few seconds.

3. Mix in the tomato paste, curry powder, chili, cumin and turmeric.

4. Pour in the coconut milk, cover and simmer on low heat until chicken is tender. If it starts to thicken too much add a cooking spoon of water or less.

5. I didn’t add salt because the chicken cubes already has salt and since the sauce is thick the saltiness from the cubes is enough.




Raita


1 cup plain yogurt

2 large cucumbers, chopped

2 tbsp finely chopped onion

1 tbsp chopped coriander

1 tbsp lemon juice

Pinch of salt

½ tsp cumin





1. In a mixing bowl combine all the chopped items together

2. Add the yogurt, lemon juice, pinch of salt and cumin

3. Mix all together and serve

I couldn’t get plain yogurt so I used vanilla flavoured yogurt it was alright just had a bit of ice cream flavour to it,





Kachumbari
2 large tomatoes

1 large onion

1 green pepper (capsicum)

1 small cabbage

1 tbsp spoon olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

Handful of coriander, chopped

Pinch of salt

Pinch of chili



1. Finely julienne( slice) all the vegetables put in a bowl

2. Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a another bowl

3. Pour over the vegetables and mix set aside in the refrigerator until serving time.





Braised Rice
1 cup rice

1 small onion

1 tsp butter

2 cups chicken stock

Salt and pepper

2 chopped carrots

1. In a pot sauté the onions and carrot in butter

2. Washed the rice and add to the pan gently fry in the butter for a few minutes

3. Add the chicken stock and the seasonings, bring to a boil

4. Place in an oven at 250 degrees for about 15 minutes or in place of an oven allow to cook on the burner until ready.

Couscous
1 cup couscous

1 small onion

1 carrot

Pinch salt

Pinch pepper

1 tsp olive oil

2 cups chicken stock



1. Bring the onion and carrot to a boil in the chicken stock.

2. Add the oil, salt and pepper, turn of the heat

3. Pour in the couscous cover the pot allow to stand for 5 minutes

4. Turns the heat on to the lowest after 5 minutes and allow to simmer slowly for 2 minutes

5. Fluff with a fork and serve.



Pappadom
A pack of pappadoms

Oil for deep-frying



1. Heat the oil until high for deep-frying, drop one pappadom in the hot oil pressed down in the middle with a soup ladle while using another flat spoon to scoop the pappadom together towards the soup ladle.

2. Try to make it form the shape of a bowl.

3. Scoop out and drain



Plate all the different dishes as creatively as you can, enjoy!

Egusi and Okazi Soup

During a discussion with some friends recently, scratch that discussion bit; we were arguing which ethnic group in Nigeria could lay claim to the Egusi soup. Egusi soup is eaten by almost all Nigerians it cuts across all geo-ethnic zone, Egusi soup has different recipes and methods of cooking. It is cooked with a vast array of leafy vegetables though ugu is the most popular vegetable used. I decided to make this Egusi soup with both Ugu and Okazi leaves.

Ingredients

5 cups Egusi

1 kg Beef

5 large pieces Tripe

5 large pieces Pomo

1 medium-sized Stock fish

1 medium-sized dry smoked fish

¾ cups Palm oil

1 large onion, sliced

1 bunch Ugu leaves, shredded

1 cup Okazi leaves, shredded

Dawa Dawa (locust beans) optional

¼ cup Crayfish, dry

Red pepper according to taste

Stock cubes

1. Put the beef, tripe, pomo and stock fish in a pot. Add two cube seasoning, 2 tsp salt, and onion. Pour in water to cover the beef, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until tender.
2. Divide the egusi into two equal parts keep one half aside. Take the other half and add just a little water to bring them together form 6 dumplings with the egusi.
3. Add the egusi balls to the pot of boiling meat, increase the heat and cook for about 15 minutes.Smash the balls to tiny bits.
4. Add the palm oil allow to boil for about 2 minutes.
5. Next break the dry fish into bits remove all the bones and wash. You can leave it whole if you prefer it bigger I just like them bite size. Add to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes.
6. Now is the time to put in the remaining egusi( that is the remaining half that was kept aside earlier). Cook for 10 minutes then in goes the crayfish, dawa dawa, and pepper.
7.  Add the okazi and just let it boil.
8.  Seasoning with the stock cubes and salt.
9. Add the Ugu leaves in last allow to cook for 2 minutes and food is ready.
   
   
   
   
   
   Pair with any ‘swallow’ of your choice.
   
   
   
   
   

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