African Food, Dishes and Snacks

Crayfish soup

2011-09-08T18:11:00.000+01:00

Ingredients

500g crayfish tails (use rock lobster if in the USA)
1 teaspoon salt
50g butter (4T)
1 cup onions, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salad herbs
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 piece lemon rind
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup light cream

Instructions:

Heat 1.25 liters water in a large saucepan to boiling. Add the lobster tails and salt, and simmer until tender. Remove lobster tail meat from shells, coarsely chop and set aside. Reserve stock.

In another large saucepan, heat the butter and sauté the onions for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, herbs, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and lemon peel. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Add the wine and 4 cups lobster water. Boil soup and cook for 10 more minutes. Force soup through a food mill, then return to the pot.

Wali

2011-09-04T19:15:00.005+01:00

Wali (Coconut Rice)

Ingredients (6 servings)
2 cups rice
pinch salt
4 cups thin coconut milk
2 tablespoons thick coconut milk
Put the rice, salt and 4 cups of thin coconut milk in a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer very gently until the rice is done, about 20 minutes. Watch the pot carefully and add more thin coconut milk if the rice becomes dry before it is done. Just before serving, add thick coconut milk and stir. Serve with beef or chicken stew and vegetables of your choice.

Banga Soup

2011-08-07T20:00:00.000+01:00

INGREDIENTS:

Ripped palm nut, meat, crayfish, onion, salt, seasoning

METHOD:

Boil the palmnut till it soften.

pound or mash with your finger to bring out the sauce.

Put the sauce in a pot and boil

Boil meat separate and add to the palm nut sauce on fire.

Add crayfish, onion, salt, and seasoning, allow to simmer for 1 hour (add more water if necessary), then serve with eba, fufu, or rice.

Oha Soup

2011-06-30T12:10:00.001+01:00

Oha soup is mostly prepared by the eastern tribe in Nigeria. It is one of their special soup.

INGREDIENTS:

Oha leaves, stock fish, dried fish, beef, ash, (thickening agent) cray fish, Ogili, potash, oil, salt and grinded pepper.

METHOD:

1. Wash and shred the oha leaves with hand and cover up in a clean bowl.
2. Wash the stock fish and boil, add a pinch of grinded potash and grinded pepper
3. Mix the oha leaves with little water. Add to the leaves, salt and pepper
4. Cook for 5 minutes.

Afang/Okasi Soup

2011-06-30T11:55:00.001+01:00

INGREDIENTS:
1 Medium bunch of Afang leave, 3 medium bunch of water leaf, goat meat, a pair of dried fish, 3 table spoon of cray fish(ground), 3 cooking spoon of oil, pepper, onions, salt, water.

METHOD:
1. chop and grind (or pound in morter) the Afang Ogasi leave and set aside, Onions
2. Wash and slice the waterleaves, and set aside
3. Season the goat meat with onion and salt. Add two cups of water and allow to boil for 10 minutes.
4. Debone the dry fish and put together, add the sliced water leaves. Add the cray fish and pepper and stir, cover the pot for about 10 minutes. Add the the ground Afang and oil and stir. Allow to boil for 10 minutes then serve warm.

Ginger Beer

2011-06-22T11:23:00.000+01:00

COMPOSITION:
Ginger, lime juice, Sugar

METHOD:
1. Mix and stir the ginger, lime juice and sugar for about 10 minutes.
2. Serve with cold drink.

Fried Rice

2010-09-18T14:07:00.000+01:00

INGREDIENTS:

Rice, salt, onions, cucumber, beef, carrot, seasoning cube, thyme, pepper, groundnut oil, cabbage, green pepper, curry, green beans.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cut and wash the beef very well put in a pot, add the following: salt, curry, thyme, water, onions, seasoning cube, green beans, and cook as required. Perboil rice (half done)

2. Cut other ingredient into size, or slices. Put the rice and water of beef already boiled and cook (quarter done)

3. Pour groundnut oil on frying pan and put on the fire to heat them.

4. Put the ingredient and fry. Add rice and steam for few seconds and put it down from the fire.

5. Do this until all ingredients and rice is fried that way.

Jollof Rice

2010-09-18T13:40:00.001+01:00

INGREDIENTS:

Rice, meat, salt, tomatoes, onions, Thyme, vegetable oil, margarine, seasoning cube.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Prepare the meat and cut it into moderate size.

2. Wash meat and boil with salt, onion, and thyme.

3. Fry meat in hot oil until brown.

4. Slice grinded pepper and tomatoes.

5. Fry grinded pepper, onion, tomatoes in hot oil, adds salt, seasoning cube and other ingredients as many be required, allow cooking well and then adding your washed rice.

6. Allow to steam for about 10 minutes and then add enough water to boil until well cooked to taste

Moi Moi

2010-09-11T11:51:00.001+01:00

Moyin-Moyin (also called Moin-Moin, Moi-Moi, Moimoi), a sort of savory bean pudding, is a unique and delicious way to prepare black-eyed peas or other beans. The traditional way to cook Moyin-Moyin is to wrap it in leaves (such as banana leaves) and steam it. In modern Africa it is often cooked in empty tin cans, but it can also be made in muffin pans (muffin tins). There are many variations of Moyin-Moyin. Skip all the optional ingredients to make a simple version; include one or more of the optional ingredients to make fancy Moyin-Moyin. Also see the Akara recipe.
What you need
two to three cups dried cowpeas (black-eyed peas) or similar
one tablespoon dried shrimp powder
one or two tomatoes, (peeled if desired), chopped -- or -- a similar amount of canned tomatoes -- or -- two tablespoons of canned tomato paste
one or two onions, chopped
salt and black pepper to taste
chile pepper, chopped, to taste
cayenne pepper or red pepper, to taste
oil to grease muffin tin
Optional Ingredients (a cup of one or more of the following):
cooked shrimp, chopped
cooked carrots, finely chopped
cooked peas
sweet green or red pepper (bell pepper)
hard-boiled egg
dried, salted, or smoked fish; washed, cleaned and torn into small pieces
dried shrimp or prawns, washed and crushed
canned sardines
leftover cooked meat, cut into small pieces
dried or smoked meat, torn into small pieces
canned corned beef

What you do
Clean the black-eyed peas in water in a large pot. Cover them with boiling water and soak them for at least an hour or overnight. After soaking them, rub them together between your hands to remove the skins. Rinse to wash away the skins and any other debris. Drain them in a colander. If the beans have soaked only a short time, they may be cooked in water over a low heat until they are partially tender. More

You Are What You Eat

2010-09-10T12:24:00.000+01:00

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

One of the greatest physical gifts God has given to man is good health. We should work, sweat, make wealth from our labor, eat, and live well. In this context, the family dinning table is meant to be a place of nourishment, comfort, and fellowship. A balanced diet and proper nutrition with some exercise to tune up the body muscles should be sufficient to ensure good health and vitality.

Some people eat wrong things/poisonous species, some use wrong proportions, wrong combinations wrong methods of preparations and dangerous chemical effects from preservatives. For others sticking to traditional practices, personal preferences for certain foods, eating late at night. All these can alter the effect of food in our system.

Let us consider the five basic groups on daily nutrient requirements of the body. We are what we eat and we truly express what we are by what we eat.

In order to protect your health, build, and maintain an efficient body, you need to give more thought to nutritive value of the food used in your daily diet. With the knowledge of the composition of foods and the nutritional needs of the body, it will help you choose the right type of foods for promoting good health and vitality.

PROTIENS: They are foods essential for maintenance, repair, and growth. The body tissues are constantly active and are worn out by activities. It is needed for building and repairing of the body tissues. Children and young people need more protein in relation to the size than older people do. As one matures and ceases to grow, the need of protein decreases.

Sources: Sources of protein include meat, fish, fowl, cheese, egg, milk, beans, nuts, Soya beans etc.

Note: fowl (skinned) fish is better than meat due to less saturated fat and calories.

CARBOHYDRATES: They are foods needed for supplies of fuel for the body’s energy and warmth. They give heat and energy to move, play, work and exercise the body. They are also essential for proper use of fat and protein in the body.

Sources of carbohydrates include wheat, cereals, rice, maize, yam, cassava shafts, potatoes, oats etc

FATS AND OIL: They provide regulators that enable the body to carry on its complex operations and keep all its organs in good condition. They provide fuel twice as carbohydrates. They are also stored for later energy source reserve, when food intake does not meet the body’s requirement. Those stored under the skin serve as insulation and conserves body warmth. A moderate amount is desirable for proper body function but too much intake may result in undue slowness of digestion or an undesirable gain in weight. Unsaturated fats are preferable.

Sources of fat and oil include Animal fat, oily fishes, butter, cream cheese, fortified margarine, egg yolk, salad oil, vegetable oil etc.

VITAMINS: They are organic substances present in very small amount in natural food and sometime produced within the body. They are for normal metabolism for development and maintenance of tissues structure and function.

Ø VITAMIN A: It helps to keep the skin and the lining of the nose, mouth, throat, and inner organs in good condition. It is also necessary for normal vision especially in dim light. Its deficiency causes night blindness.

Sources include butter, whole milk, cheese, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, egg, liver, kidney, spinach etc.

Ø VITAMIN D; It is important to young people because it works with calcium and phosphorus to form strong bones strong teeth. Its deficiency causes rickets and irregular and poorly calcified enamel so that they easily decay. Sources include exposure to sun light, fish.

Ø VITAMIN B: (THIAMIN(B1), RIBOFLAFIN, NIACIN(B3)

They are important in converting fuel in foods into energy. Burning up and maintaining the cells and tissues of the body. Adequate amount of vitamin B in food helps to promote adequate normal appetite, good digestion, steady nerves and good moral. It also prevents fatigue, drowsiness, and vomiting. Sources include whole and enriched grains regular bread, unpolished brown rice, potatoes, cheese, milk, meat etc.

Ø VITAMIN C: It is essential for body growth and development. It accelerates wound healing. It is important to store food rich in vitamin c at low temperature or in the fridge and avoid lengthy cooking. Sources include fruits and vegetables, tomatoes, raw cabbage, spinach, turnips, potatoes, mango, oranges, grapes, apple, pawpaw etc.

Ø VITAMIN E: It is for fertility and it builds defense against infection.

Ø VITAMIN K: For formation of proteomic (normal clothing of blood)

Ø VITAMIN B6: for mental alertness.

MINERALS: They are Building materials for bones and teeth, as constituents of blood and tissues. There are more than twenty different minerals carrying out its essential activities. The most important are calcium, phosphorus, iron, and iodine.

ü CALCIUM AND PHOSPHORUS: They gives rigidity and hardness to the bones and teeth.

ü Fluorine: It helps to build good teeth, hardens the enamel, and prevents decay.

ü IRON: It helps in the development and functioning of the blood pigment and hemoglobin. It may be stored in small amount in the liver and bone marrows. Sources include milk, egg, green leafy vegetables, meat, and liver.

ROUGHAGES: It stimulates bowel movement and prevents constipation. Sources include fruits like pineapples, oranges vegetables.
WATER:

Coconut Rice

2010-09-10T11:57:00.000+01:00

INGREDIENTS:

1 Coconut, 4 cups of rice, 1kg meat, 4 large onion, 100g margarine, 1 tin tomatoes paste, 2 large fresh tomatoes, salt, pepper to taste.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Shell and grate the coconut finely

2. Nash the coconut in the water and strain squeeze out all the milk from the coconut into the water and discard the chaff.

3. Put the coconut water into a pot wash, cut meat into pieces. Season with salt and pepper and then add to the coconut water. Bring to the boil and simmer until meat is partly tender.

4. Grind onion, slice, or grind tomatoes and pepper. Add to meat, tomatoes paste and continue simmering.

5. Wash the rice and add to other ingredients. See that there is just enough water to cook the rice. If there is not, add some more but not much.

6. Bring to the boiled. Add more seasoning if necessary, add the margarine. Stir occasionally. When the rice is almost soft cover the pot with cloth, then with the lid to keep in the steam.

Edikai Nko Soup

2010-05-20T19:26:00.000+01:00

No other food like African food. I wonder if I can survive in other country without taking African dishes and snacks. Here is another soup prepared mostly in the eastern part of Nigeria. It is taken along with Eba, fufu, or pounded yam.
INGREDIENTS:
Any assorted meat such as beef, liver, pomo, pork, crayfish, stockfish, etc. pumpkin leaves (ugu), water leaves, perewinko.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Wash and cut the meat into small sizes then put them in a pot and add a little water, add your pepper, salt, seasoning and begin to steam.

Wash the perewinko (without shell) thoroughly and add to the boiling meat.

Wash and the pumpkin leaves.

Add your water leaves and much oil, allow to simmer for some few minutes (to enable the water get dry a little) and its ready to be served with pounded yam, eba etc.

Enjoy this tasty meal when you come to Nigeria.

Potato Salad with fish

2010-05-15T14:04:00.002+01:00

INGREDIENTS:

Potatoes, fish, chopped parsley, spring onions, thick mayonnaise dressing, seasoning.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Wash, peel, and cook potatoes and fish until done but still firm. Dram and allow to cool for a little.
When cold enough, cut into slices or cubes.
Put marinade that is mixed consisting of veneger or lemon juice, oil and flavor for 30 minutes-1 hour.
Mix potatoes with spring onions (chopped mayonnaise and seasoning)
Put the salad on dish and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Orange Drink

2010-05-15T13:59:00.000+01:00

INGREDIENTS:

Orange, sugar, water.

INSTRUCTIONS:

· Peel orange and strain in a bowl, boil for 5-10 minutes (add orange and water strain and add sugar.

· Remove and allow chilling before serving.

Ewedu Soup

2010-05-15T13:55:00.002+01:00

Ewedu soup is a type of soup enjoyed by the Yoruba tribe in the western part of

Nigeria

. Some other tribes in the western and middle belt in

Nigeria

love it so much.

Ewedu is very rich in minerals and medical personnel always prescribe it to patient having shortage of blood. It is one of the soups for weight loss because. It goes well with amala.

INGREDIENTS:

Ewedu leaf (Jute leaf), salt, locust beans (iru), potash (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Remove Ewedu leaves from the stem and wash them.
Chop into pieces on chopping board.
Put one cup of water on fire and bring to boil.
Pour the chop ewedu into the boiling water
Add the locust beans (iru) and potash if desired.
Allow to boil for 10 mins, with the pot uncovered.
Add salt to taste and cook for another five minutes. Serve with stew and eba, amala or fufu etc.

Enjoy it with your family. Have a wonderful taste.

Lemon Grass Drinks

2010-05-03T19:34:00.002+01:00

INGREDIENTS:

10 Blades of lemon grass, 500ml of water, sugar to taste.

INSTRUCTIONS:

- Wash leaves and put in a clean pot, add water and bring to boil.

- Boil for 2 minutes and remove from heat. Leave, cover to infuse for 4-5 minutes.

- Strain and serve hot with sugar to taste.

Zobo Drinks

2010-05-03T19:28:00.002+01:00

INGREDIENTS:

Zobo, sugar to taste, ginger (dry powder form), flavor (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

- Bring water to boil, add zobo into the boiling water, and leave for 30 minutes after which you sieve.

- You can then add sugar to the zobo drink and ginger (dry powder form)

- Add flavor of your choice if you desire.

Egusi Soup (Melon)

2010-05-01T14:08:00.003+01:00

INGREDIENTS:

Meat or fish (about 1kg), 2 tomatoes, 1 onion, 4 peppers, 2 maggi cubes, cooking oil, a cup of grinded egusi, salt, water.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Boil the meat or fish until it is tender, and keep it aside
Grind the tomatoes, peppers, and onion together.
Place in a pot add the meat and the magi cubes and about 2 teaspoons of cooking oil, and the grinded egusi.
Add salt and grinded pepper to taste. Eat with any dishes that have ‘soup’ with them.

I love to serve you better, please paste your comment

Suya (stick meat)

2010-05-01T14:04:00.002+01:00

Suya is prepared like stick meat. The Hausas in the northern region of

Nigeria

majorly prepare it. This particular stick meat (suya) as the Hausas call it is so delicious in taste, and appetizing. Learn from here how to prepare Suya.

INGREDIENT:

Meat (cut into cubes), grinded hot pepper, salt, 2 sliced tomatoes, 2 sliced onions, grinded kulikuli(groundnut cake). Mixed skewer for roasting.

INSTRUCTIONS;

Mix the grinded pepper, the salt, the kulikuli,and the spice together.
Put the meat inside the mixture and make sure it is coated well with the mixture.
Put the pieces of the sliced beef into a thin wooden or metal skewer. Add the sliced tomatoes and sliced onions in between the pieces of meat.
Roast on top of charcoal fire, bar be cue maker, local firewood roaster or an oven.
Allow the heat to cook one side of the meat then turn to the other side.
Serve as a snack or as a side dish.

N.B

Please, your comments will be appreciated. Have a wonderful taste of African food.

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Yam Porridge

2010-04-30T17:17:00.000+01:00

INGREDIENTS:
A yam, 1 medium smoked fish, half cup of palm oil, 1 small onion, 1 table spoonful ground Cray fish, 2 cup of water, 1 small bunch of green fresh vegetable, salt to taste, pepper to taste.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Peel the yam, cut it up into rectangular
Prepare all other ingredients (fish, pepper, and onion, vegetable).
Put the yam into a saucepan, add water to boil.
Add oil, salt, pepper, crayfish, tomatoes, and onions.
When the yam is almost cooked, add vegetable.
Turn gently to make a fairly tick porridge.
Taste for salt.
Dish out and serve hot as lunch or dinner.
Have a wonderful taste of African dishes.

Kunu Drink

2010-04-23T13:20:00.000+01:00

INGREDIENTS:

Jero seeds (ataile jinger), ayu, eeru, aata ijosi (small dried pepper).

INSTRUCTIONS:

Soak jero and baba(optional) the next day remove husk and leave for a day.
When mill you add all the dry ingredients then sieve, leave for a day and continuously pour away of water.

Bring water to boil then pour grinded jeroon to the water you’ll divide the content into 4 part, two would be boiled in the boil water while the other two would be added to it just like that.

Soya Milk Drink

2010-04-23T13:13:00.000+01:00

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of Soya beans, vanilla flavour,1 milk cup of sugar, pineapple flavor, water(2-3 cups).

INSTRUCTIONS:

Ø Soak Soya beans in cold water, remove skins, resoak beans in hot water overnight. Grand into a bowl and add two cups of water or more, filter with clean cloth or water sieve.

Ø Put into clean pot and boil for 30 minutes, during boiling, skin or remove foams from top and drop.

Ø Add 1 milk cup of sugar, 2 cup of vanilla, two cups of pineapple flavor. To cool, put in a bottle and seal. Keep in fridge to chill and serve cool.

Donkunu(maize)

2009-12-10T12:57:00.000+01:00

Recipe for prepareing donkunu. It is one of the Ghanian favourite food .

Soak the maize for three days
Grind(not too smooth)
cook part of it for about 10-15 minutes then pour the remaining raw one and mix it very well.
Rap them with corn stocks or banana leaf
cook again for about 30 minutes
soup
Grind more pepper with little tomatoes(not too smooth)or blended tomatoes and pepper
Heat your vegetable oil and pour the blended pepper and tomatoes until it is done.
Add some spices like ginger,galic,nutmeg.
Add seasoning and salt to taste.
slice raw tomatoes and blended raw pepper and plenty of onions(slice)
serve hot.

coconut and cassava chips mixture(Abasha or Tapioca)

2009-12-01T13:47:00.001+01:00

It is common snacks in most Eastern region Nigeria,but it has found its way into other part of Nigeria kike the Western states. Thy are prepared and sold in the market places . Children and adults alike love it , especially during the dry season . It is very satisfying when it is served along with icy milky drink at midday .

The following utensils will be needed for its preparation>

A sharp knife for slicing the cassava sfter boiling
A net food-cover for covering the soaked cassava
A tray where the cassava will be sliced

You will also need the following recipe

One medium size coconut and
One medium size cassava tuber.

other African snacks.

Groundnutcake(Kulikuli)

2009-11-21T14:02:00.005+01:00

This is a snack produce majorly in the northern state of Nigeria. It is made from groundnut . Any spicy of groundnut can be use . For economic purpose such as extraction of oil , there are the better type which are smaller in sizes.

Groundnut cake(kulikuli)has great economic advantage . from the groundnut you can extract oil which can be use for frying and cooking purposes.The oil alone can bring back a great return of your expenses.

Groundnut cake (kulikuli) has a fine taste of groundnut which can be taken along side with other foods like corn pap or alone. This snack need packaging for a large commercial purpose.

If you want to know how to prepare this snack you can make a request of the recipe at aikoyevictor@gmail.com.

African Snacks

2009-11-14T18:18:00.000+01:00

The snack food recipes category contains recipes for dishes that are "African fast food", or finger-food, that are often sold by street vendors. Some of them are also made at home and eaten for breakfast, snacks, or as appetizers or accompaniments to meals. Many of these snack foods are deep-fried, while the typical African main-course is most likely to be stewed in a pot. (The typical traditional African meal is a soup or stew served with a staple without any side dishes.)

Fried Plantains and grilled Corn on the Cob are two other popular street foods.

Also included here are non-African desserts that have become popular in Africa, and desserts that have nothing to do with Africa (except their name).

Akara
Caakiri
Coconut Pie
Congo Bars
Dabo Kolo
Fool
Fritters
Fruit Salad
Kanyah
Kashata
Koki
Kola Nut
Mandazi
Moyin-Moyin
Ngalakh
Sugar Peanuts