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Showing posts from September, 2013

Good old Efo-riro

Good Old Efo riro can be eaten with many meals. I didn't have much drama with this meal growing up. Recently I tried it with yellow Eba, which I didnt grow up eating, we ate eba made from the whitish garri(Ijebu garri precisely) ,But hubby suggested we try the yellow garri one day(coming from someone who isnt a foodie), I thought i'd try it too.Not bad I must say! I love efo riro with boiled rice, without the usual stew! My love for this combo is a recent development ,over a year ago I guess. I grew up using Ugwu leaves but I use spinach more often. Its really simple once you have your Spinach, if you're in the US, you may substitute ugwu and spinach for 'collard greens"or 'kale'. kale is becoming popular in Nigeria lately also thanks to farmers who carefully plant and nurture it in areas that have "kale-friendly" weather.  In Ibadan and other south western states, its not called just spinach, there are many species,efo shoko, efo tete....

How to cook crunchy one-pot Okra Soup (Ila-Asepo) +health benefits of Okra

 My relationship with Okra has been a rollercoaster. First I liked it as a toddler till I was about 14 years old and by that time, anytime I ate it it, I felt nauseous, there seemed to be no remedy. My mum concluded it was a change in hormones! By the way Okra is called 'ladies' fingers' in some cultures, some call it 'gumbo' also. I have seen it served(fried) as a side with potato chips in the US. I bet some Nigerians would find that wierd. I extracted this health benefit bit from a website(see reference at the end of the page) Okra Promotes a Healthy Pregnancy - An extremely important B vitamin for producing and maintaining new cells, folate is an essential compound for optimal pregnancy. The vitamin helps prevent birth defects like spina bifida and helps the baby to grow sufficiently. Vitamin C is also essential for fetal development. Okra is rich in both folate and vitamin C. Helps Prevent Diabetes – Thanks to fiber and other nutrients, okra prov

Asian Shredded beef and mushroom sauce and how to get the best results in cooking basmati Rice

Yesterday was Sunday, I craved something from the Asian Cuisine collection. I thought to myself, I would make something I had done before but a different version. I had done a beef stew which is continental ,I learnt from my kenyan friends, its also kind of Irish. This recipe has an Asian twist to it, the soy sauce, mushrooms, green peppers...its just lovely. I got reminded of this sauce when my friend reeta put up a picture of something similar last week, whetting my apetite,lol. I also stumbled on a blog www.1qfoodplatter.com that made the recipe uncomplicated. I decided I was going to give it a try, my non-professional idea of making the sauce(which I jotted down) matched her recipe just right.....it means its possible to guess how a meal was created by eating it more than once. This is especially true of people who take great interest in cooking. Enough said. Lets cook. You'll need Some strips of beef 1 tablespoon  of cornflour beef seasoning cube One large green pep

Best of Naija Series....Palm oil dodo ,whole boiled egg sauteed in Sunday Stew

Yesterday evening I wondered what to cook. Then I remembered that once or twice, I had eaten plantain fried in palm oil. I decided to try that. As opposed to the usual omelette or eggsauce I would have made. By the way, palm oil isn't terrible in the diet. too much of everything is not good for you. Palm oil has its advantages when eaten in the right amount. I decided to make a stew my aunt and I call 'Sunday stew", its just refined stew that youre tired of. you kinda make it more interesting! Saute some onions, enough of green and red bell peppers, some diced carrots and steamed peas if you would. add your old stew and reason to taste. Boil eggs ,place them in cold water for some minutes, peel and drop the hard boiled eggs in the sunday stew. heat some palm oil, slice your plantains and fry the plantains,turning them over to ensure each side is cooked, becareful not to cook over very high heat so the insides can cook. Serve the stew with the plantain. On