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East African Pilau

Blessing Funmilayo
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0
East African Pilau

East African Pilau is a traditional, fragrant rice meal cooked with a variety of aromatic spices that give the rice an incredible depth of flavor. Beef or chicken can be used to make it.

Pilau Rice Recipe

Pilau has a superb flavor balance. It’s a celebratory dish that’s always present at special occasions or events. It’s created with rice cooked in flavorful meat or chicken broth. Unlike the Indian pilau, the East African version is less hot and does not contain curry.

Rice is, without a doubt, one of my favorite food in the world. Not only is it my to-go dish when I need to prepare a quick meal, but it can easily be turned into an elegant dish for special occasions.

What is Pilau Rice?

Rice pilau is a fragrant one-pot dish made with caramelized beef, rice, and potatoes simmered in a hearty meat or chicken broth.

It is considered a special rice dish that is often served at weddings, during festive seasons or when an important guests arrive.

How To Make Pilau Rice

  1. Toast and blend the pilau masala: In a medium saucepan over medium heat. 
  2. Brown the onions by frying it in oil until it caramelizes. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the Garlic, ginger and serrano pepper.
  3. Add the meat stock cubes, pilau masala, cilantro, bay leaves, and salt to taste and brown the meat for about 
  4. Stir in the tomatoes and cook till it dissolves. Then stir in the potatoes.
  5. Add water and bring everything to a rolling boil and leave the potatoes to cook for about 10 minutes.
  6. Stir in the rice then cover tightly. You can use an aluminum foil to cover it first, this will help keep the steam in. Then place the lid over it and leave to cook on a low heat for 20 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed.
  7.  Serve hot! You can sprinkle the rice pilaf with some chopped cilantro, then fluff with a fork. Enjoy.

How to Store and Reheat Pilau Rice

The rice may be prepared in advance. Store leftover in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. You can freeze easily too. Just make sure it is completely cooled and cooled quickly to room temperature before placing it into a freezable container or bag.

You can freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat until piping hot in the microwave on high heat.

Other delicious rice recipes  you might want to try:

Below is the step-by-step recipe on how to make this easy recipe. If you make it don’t forget to leave a comment. Enjoy!

East African Pilau

East African Pilau is a traditional, beautiful fragrant rice dish made with many aromatic spices that adds an amazing depth of flavor to the rice. It can be made with either beef or chicken.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Course Lunch
Cuisine African
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1tsp cumin seeds
  • 1tbsp ghee or oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and chopped
  • 4 cardamom pods
  • 4 cloves
  • 1tbsp turmeric
  • 250g basmati rice
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1-2 cinnamon sticks, broken

Instructions
 

  • Heat a large pan, which has a tight-fitting lid. Sprinkle the cumin seeds over the base and cook for 30 secs, stirring well to toast them but taking care not to burn them. Tip out of the pan into a bowl.
  • Heat the ghee or oil in the pan. Add the onion and cook it over a medium heat for 5-7 mins, until it starts to soften. Crush the cumin seeds lightly with the cardamom pods. Add the cumin, cardamom, cloves and turmeric to the pan and cook for 1-2 mins.
  • Rinse the rice well and add to the pan, along with 450ml boiling water, the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks and stir briefly just to mix. Bring the mixture to the boil, cover the pan and cook over a low heat for 12-15 mins, until the water is absorbed. Leave the rice in the pan but off the heat for a few mins before serving.
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Sambusas

Blessing Funmilayo
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1
Sambusas

Somali sambusa is a spicy meat mixture folded into a dough pastry and fried. They can be enjoyed in Africa as a snack or an appetizer but they tend to be saved for special occasions.

In supermarkets, these delicious snacks can be bought both frozen, or already fried and ready to eat. Many restaurants also serve them as appetizers.

Sambusa Recipe

This recipe comes from Ilahn Omar, who makes over 100 sambusas each year for Ramadan so that her Muslim friends and relatives have something portable to snack on after sundown. Her trick to being able to put out so many at once? Chinese egg roll wrappers. According to Ms. Omar they taste even better than her homemade dough.

They are fried triangle-shaped pastries with savory fillings, are a popular and tasty snack and they often have spiced ground beef fillings, but vegetarian ones can be found too, with fillings such as lentils, spiced potatoes, and onions.

Sambusa vs Samosa

When I first saw the Somali sambusa, my mind immediately went to Indian samosas. I absolutely love samosas.  Sambusa are widely regarded as the African version of the samosa. While they do have some similarities with samosas, they are in fact very, very, different.

SIMILARITIES

  • They are both served hot as appetizers or snacks
  • Both consist of dough folded around a filling and then fried
  • Both burst with flavor from several spices included in their fillings.

DIFFERENCES

The main difference between both are their fillings. Sambusa are filled with a meat and onion mixture while samosa are a vegetarian offering filled with potatoes and peas.

Traditionally, sambusa aren’t accompanied by a sauce while there are several sauces which could accompany samosas. Lastly, the spices inside a sambusa include cumin, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, cloves and cinnamon. Samosa usually contain cumin, chili powder and garam masala.

FAQ’s

What Kind Of Oil Is Best For Frying Sambusa? Can I Save My Used Oil For Later?

There are lots of options when it comes to the oil used for deep frying. Common options include peanut oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, and more. Vegetable oil is the oil I recommend using for deep frying Samosa. It has a high smoke point and once used for frying, can be reused.

Simply let the oil cool down completely, strain it, and return it to a storage container for later use. However, I would personally reuse the oil only once and dispose of it.

How Long To Deep Fry?

A good one should be cooked until crispy and golden brown. This will take about 2 minutes. You will want to keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.

Storage and Reheating

When fried, it is best when it is fresh and the crust is still crispy. Refrigerate cold fried Samosa for three to four days. Make sure the temperature of your refrigerator is set to 40°F (approx. 4.5°C) or colder.

To Freeze, wait till fried samosas are cold, place them in a large, freezer safe container. Seal tightly, and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To Reheat Leftover, for best results, let the frozen Samosa thaw in the refrigerator or on the kitchen countertop. Once thawed, place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (Approximately 200°C) for 8 to 10 minutes or until heated through and crispy. Alternatively, re-heat in an air fryer for 5 minutes once thawed.

Trying this recipe out at home, it’s easy to see why. The subtly spiced beef filling fries up beautifully in the egg roll wrappers, which brown evenly in just a few minutes with great crackly-tender shells enclosing a juicy, meaty center.

Some suggestions for Amazon links to “DASH Mini Donut Maker”.

DASH Mini Donut MakerProject Overview Docs Banner in Light Green Blue Vibrant Professional Style 1

Somali Sambusa

Sambusa are a dough pocket, filled with a ground meat mixture and fried. Don't let these small pastries fool you, they are packed with flavor and so, so, good!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine African, Somali
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

Dough

  • 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1⅔ cups Luke-warm Water
  • 2 tbsp. Olive Oil

Pastry "Glue"

  • 3 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour
  • 1½ tbsp. Water

Filling

  • 1 lb. Ground Beef
  • 1 Large Onion chopped thin
  • 5 cloves Garlic minced
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • ½ tsp. Cumin
  • ¼ tsp. Black Pepper
  • ¼ tsp. Ground Cardamom
  • ¼ tsp. Ground Ginger
  • ¼ tsp. Ground Turmeric
  • ¼ tsp. Ground Cloves
  • ¼ tsp. Ground Cinnamon
  • ⅓ cup Fresh Cilantro chopped finely
  • Vegetable Oil for frying

Instructions
 

Dough

  • Add the flour to a large mixing bowl and slowly add in the water and oil, kneading as you go. Do this until all of the liquids have been added. If too dry, add a small amount more water. If too moist, add more flour.
  • Form the dough into a ball and knead on a flour-dusted surface for an additional 10 minutes.
  • Place the ball of dough back into the bowl and cover. Set aside while you make the pastry "glue" and meat filling.

Pastry "Glue"

  • Add the flour and water to a small bowl and whisk until a glue-like texture forms. Set aside.

Meat Filling

  • Place ground beef, onion and garlic in a skillet and cook over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain of any liquids and then put the mixture in a medium mixing bowl.
  • Add the remainder of the filling ingredients and combine well.

Putting It All Together

  • Divide the dough into 6 balls. Rolls each ball out into a thin circle. Slice that circle in half, directly down the middle.
  • Pick up one of the halve and hold it, flat side down. Take the right edge and fold it about ¾ of the way over towards the left. Now take the left side and do the same towards the right. This should create a pocket.
  • Spread a little of the pastry "glue" with your finger where the two sides overlap to bind them.
  • Place about 1 ½ tbsp. of the meat mixture into the pocket and press the final flap of dough down over the opening. Use some more of the pastry "glue" to bind. Continue this process until all of the dough is gone and you have 12 sambusa.
  • Heat the vegetable oil over medium until it is well-heated.
  • Cook, 2-4 at a time. For me it took about 2 minutes on each side to achieve a golden-brown color.
  • Remove from the heat and cool on a paper towel covered plate. Let cool and enjoy!!!
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Tomato Stew

Nympha Nzeribe
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0
Tomato Stew

Tomato stew is a soup made primarily of tomatoes. It can be served hot or cold and prepared in a variety of ways.

Tomatoes are one of the most important vegetables used in preparing various kinds of dishes. Tomato stew, made from this vegetable, is a tasty, spicy mixture of flavors, usually eaten with rice and a lot of carbohydrate-based foods.

Tomatoes are can be used in a variety of dishes. There are diced tomatoes, whole plum tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, and several other forms such as crushed tomatoes and tomato puree.

Meat, poultry, or fish are frequently cooked with vegetables and seasonings in a tomato stew. So, a tomato stew can contain any mix of vegetables as well as meat, particularly tougher meats that can be cooked slowly, such as beef, hog, lamb, chicken, sausages, and seafood.

How To Prepare Tomato Stew

Tomato stew is a soup made primarily of tomatoes. It can be served hot or cold and prepared in a variety of ways. It is a West African staple, with various ingredient modifications based on culture and personal tastes.

Because of the ease of preparation, this is arguably more popular in Nigerian families than ofada stew, another Nigerian red stew classic. The fact that all stews are produced with blended tomatoes (occasionally with onions and peppers), cooked with some oil, and some form of protein is what unites them.

The type of oil used, the other veggies combined with the tomatoes, the quality of the tomato stew, and the protein used to make the stew vary depending on who cooks it for you.

How To Get Rid of Sour Taste When Cooking Your Tomato Stew

If you’ve ever spent a lot of time and effort preparing a full pot of stew and it came out sour, you’re not alone. You don’t have to give up on this one chance just yet. You can always try again and again but by making the following conscious efforts to make it better.

  • To remove the sour taste from tomato stew, steam or boil the fresh tomatoes before combining. The sour water escapes or evaporates during the steaming or boiling of the tomatoes, leaving the true tomato content with less water.
  • When tomato stew is thoroughly fried, it removes any water and acidic contents. This must be done properly by continuously stirring the stew as it is fried; continuous stirring keeps the stew from burning before the water content is completely evaporated. It takes time, but it is well worth it in the end.
  • When you remove the seeds from fresh tomatoes before blending, you reduce the amount of acid in the tomatoes because tomato seeds have a high concentration of amino acids, which contribute to the acid content of the tomato and make it sour.

What To Serve Tomato Stew With

In Tomato Stew is served as both a main course and a side dish, stewed tomatoes have carved out a distinct position in the world’s cuisine.

Stewed tomatoes go well with rice, pasta, white beans, roast chicken, baked fish, or as a basis for poached eggs in shakshuka.

Tomato Stew

Print Recipe
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 2 KG Goat meat.
  • 1500 ml Ground tomatoes.
  • Ground Fresh Red Pepper.
  • 1 cup sliced onions.
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg.
  • 1 tsp curry and thyme.
  • Half tsp ground ginger
  • Half tsp ground garlic
  • Vegetable (optional)(curry leaves, pumpkin leaves etc)
  • 400 ml Vegetable oil.
  • 3 Stock cubes.
  • 2 tbsp Crayfish.
  • Salt to taste.
  • 1 tsp beef seasoning spice

Instructions
 

Preparing The Meat

  • Wash the tomatoes and blend alongside the fresh pepper, also blend the crayfish alongside the nutmeg seed.
  • Slice the onion and set aside. You need 1 cup of sliced onions.
  • Wash the meat (Goat meat in my case) and parboil with three stock cubes, a teaspoon of salt, teaspoon each of curry and thyme and half cup of sliced onions.
  • Also sprinkle a teaspoon of your favorite beef spice.

Preparing The Stew

  • Most times I chose to fry the tomatoes in a frying pan separately and then add it to the cooked meat in the pot.
  • Set your frying pan on heat.
  • Add 400 ml of vegetable oil. Add the sliced onions and fry for about 2 minutes to release the scent into the oil.
  • Then pour in the ground tomatoes/pepper and fry (stirring occasionally to avoid burning).
  • You have to keep stirring for the next 20-30 minute, you don’t wanna end up with burned tomato stew.
  • Add extra stock cube (optional), add the ground crayfish/nutmeg and allow to cook for ten minutes.
  • Taste for salt
  • If you are using vegetable, you can add it now, allow to simmer for 3 minutes are you are done with making tomato stew.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Banga Rice

Nympha Nzeribe
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0
Banga Rice

Banga Rice, a traditional rice dish made with palm fruit concentrate, is one of the country’s Nigeria’s popular and loved dishes. The Urhobo people of southern Nigeria eat this dish frequently. The juice derived from the palm nut fruit is known as Banga. The juice extracted from the palm nut is cooked with parboiled white rice to make Banga rice.

The palm fruit extract is commonly used as a soup base in Nigeria’s southern regions, including the Niger Delta, South-East, and South-West. Most regions have their unique soups created specifically from it.

These palm fruit extracts are also used to make soup varieties including; Ofe Akwu of igbos, Ofe Utazi, Efik’s Abak Atama, Yoruba’s Obe Eyin, Urhobo’s Oghwoamiedi, and Izuwoibiedi for the Isoko people The herbs and spices utilized make a difference.

How To Make Banga Rice

This is a variation of jollof rice, a dish that Nigerians are extremely proud of and have reinvented in several ways including the Banga rice style.

Banga rice is delectable. It is made using a combination of Banga soup and rice. You can also prepare this dish with leftover Banga Soup or Ofe Akwu. It must be extremely soft since it absorbs the flavors of the components; it must not be dry or mushy. Its creamy flavor comes from palm oil extract.

To make the Banga Rice using the recipe below, you can use canned palm fruit concentrate or make your palm fruit concentrate from palm fruits.

How To Prepare The Banga Palm Nut Soup

  • Wash palm nuts, and place in a pot with water to boil
  • After 30 minutes it should be thoroughly cooked so drain the water
  • Place the banga in a bowl/pot/mortar and pound gently to extract the juice OR knead with your hands.
  • When the skin is peeled from the nuts, add warm water and sieve out the juice.
    Repeat the process 2 more times to ensure you extract all the juice.

After prepping this palm nut extract, you can proceed to make your delicious Banga rice. Alternatively, you can buy the already made banga extract in the supermarket. But be warned: it may not be as sweet as fresh banga.

Banga Rice

Print Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 500 g Long Grain Rice
  • 800 g Banga Palm nut soup
  • 50 g Dried shrimps
  • 1 Smoked catfish
  • 270 g Fresh prawns
  • 1 Scotch bonnet pepper
  • 1 Sweet pepper
  • 1 Red bell pepper
  • 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
  • 1 Onion
  • 2 Maggi cube
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp Banga spice
  • Cray fish
  • Scent leaves
  • 124g Cooked cow skin (Kpomo) (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Chop the onions and cow skin into small pieces, discard the head of the smoked catfish and break it into smaller chunks.
  • Do the same for the dried shrimps.Using a food processor pulse the bell pepper, sweet pepper, and scotch bonnet until they are fine but still visible.
  • Soak the rice in hot water for 5 minutes then wash and rinse out the water to remove any excess starch.
  • Soak the dried scent leaves in hot water for 5 minutes and then discard the water.
  • Add Sunflower oil to a heated pan and pour in the onions, allow to simmer for a few seconds, followed by the sweet pepper, scotch bonnet and red bell pepper blend.
  • Cook for about 2 minutes.Add the banga palm nut soup, cow skin, smoked catfish, half of the crayfish, half of the dried shrimp, Maggi, salt, banga spice and allow to cook for 5 minutes.
  • Add the Long grain rice and 200g of water and cook for another 15 minutes.
  • Using a wooden spoon stir the rice and add the remaining crayfish, dried shrimp, and scent leaves.
  • At this point you can taste it and add additional Maggi or salt if needed, reduce the heat and cook for additional 10 minutes, enjoy.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Caribbean Rice

Nympha Nzeribe
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0
Caribbean Rice

They say Caribbean rice is the most flavorful of the bunch of all the rice recipes available today and I couldn’t agree less. This dish combines rice, ripe plantains, beef, and vegetables to create a delectable meal that will leave you wanting more.

This isn’t jollof rice or fried rice; it’s something else entirely. You’ll end up with something that’s more than rice once you figure out how to combine vegetables, meats, natural condiments, and rice.

History of Caribbean Dishes

The cuisine of the Caribbean is a mix of African, Creole, Cajun, Amerindian, European, Latin American, Indian/South Asian, Afghan, Middle Eastern, and Chinese cuisines.

When people came to the Caribbean, they brought their traditions with them from all over the world. Furthermore, the population has developed distinct regional styles. The Spaniards also introduced a variety of ingredients, including coconut, chickpeas, cilantro, eggplants, onions, and garlic, during Christopher Columbus’ voyages in 1493.

Food from the Caribbean has evolved into a narrative technique for highlighting and promoting their culture over time.

What is Caribbean Rice Made Up Of?

Rice, plantains, beans, cassava, cilantro, bell peppers, chickpeas, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, coconut, and any of the locally available meats like beef, poultry, pork, or fish are all common ingredients in most Caribbean dishes and the Caribbean rice is not an exception.

Garlic, onions, scotch bonnet peppers, celery, green onions, and herbs like cilantro, Mexican mint, chives, marjoram, rosemary, tarragon, and thyme are also possible ingredients of this quintessential cuisine.

What to Serve with Caribbean Rice

It’s usually served with chicken, beef, or pork, but it’s also delicious with Browned Chicken. You can serve more meaty dishes with this dish.

Caribbean Rice

Print Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups rice
  • 2 kg Chicken
  • 1 cup sliced green pepper
  • 1 cup sliced red bell pepper (optional)
  • 1 cup sliced carrot
  • 3 cups fried ripe plantain cubes
  • 1 cup sliced onions
  • 12 spoons browning
  • seasoning cubes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp chicken spice
  • 150 ml vegetable oil
  • 400g of beef cube

Instructions
 

  • Start by seasoning and parboiling the chicken with the usual ingredient [I used 2 cubes of Maggi, teaspoon each of curry and thyme, a teaspoon of salt and a half cup of sliced onion]. When the chicken is cooked, don’t allow the stock (meat water) to dry. Pick with a fork and grill or fry. Here, I grilled the chicken.
  • Also, parboil the beef cubes in a small pot with one seasoning cube and a pinch of salt. Add one cup of water and allow them to cook until they are very soft. Separate the beef from the stock once it is well cooked and set aside both the stock and beef.
  • Slice the carrot, plantain, green pepper, onions, and beef (if that is not done already)
  • Fry the plantain and set aside. Pour boiled water on 3 cups of rice, allow to sit for 3 minutes, wash and cook until it is 75 percent done. Don’t overcook it, or the food wouldn’t turn out well. Watch this rice closely. Add two spoons of browning to the rice, stir evenly and set aside. Then, Join the chicken and beef stock together. It shouldn’t be more than a cup.
  • Set your cooking pot on heat and add 100ml of vegetable oil. Allow to heat for a minute before adding the beef cubes. Fry the beef cubes for 3-5 minutes until it darkens, just as it appears in the image above.
  • Remove the beef cubes and pour in the remaining sliced onions. Stir, add the sliced green pepper, red bell pepper, and carrot
  • Add the chicken/beef stock, a teaspoon of salt, a seasoning cube and a teaspoon of ground (pepper). Stir all together.
  • Allow a minute, then transfer the colored rice. Turn evenly, taste for salt, you can add another seasoning cube. Once the taste is excellent enough, add the fried meat and fried plantain.
  • Turn evenly, cover your pot and allow simmering on low heat for 3-5 minutes.
  • Serve your Caribbean rice with fried or grilled chicken.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Peanut Butter Soup

Blessing Funmilayo
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0
Peanut Butter Soup

Do you enjoy peanut butter? This peanut butter soup dish will be a hit with your family. This soup is not only simple to prepare but also quite tasty! With creamy peanut butter, spicy chili powder, and black pepper, it is packed with flavor and nutrients. We are going to show you how to make this peanut butter soup recipe.

What Is Peanut Soup?

Peanut soup is an African recipe that’s very popular in West Africa, and especially in Ghana. It is made from peanut butter. It is made by combining peanut butter or blended roasted peanuts with stock and tomato sauce.  I grew up eating the indigenous form of this peanut soup (groundnut soup) made with freshly blended roasted peanuts and indigenous seasonings; oh mine! The soup is delicious!!

What Does Peanut Soup Taste Like?

If the idea of peanut butter and tomato paste turned into soup makes you question this recipe, I strongly urge you to get past that apprehension! There’s a cup of peanut butter in the recipe, so it will taste like spicy watery peanut butter. Served over warm rice, it’s a creamy, spicy and comforting combination.

African Peanut Butter Soup

This is probably the easiest peanut soup you’ve ever tried, but don’t be deceived by how easy this is because it is incredibly delicious.

The traditional recipe uses red palm oil as a base for the fat and flavor of the peanut soup. But I used vegetable oil instead. The sweet potatoes is also an addition that is not always included but it’s something I always add to make the dish more hearty.

How To Prepare Peanut Butter Soup

When you make peanut soup, you’re working with a concentration of peanut tastes. Therefore a little goes a long way in your soup to create a perfectly balanced soup!

  • Blend – To make this easy peanut soup, you will start by blending the Tomatoes, Peppers, Onions. Garlic and Ginger.
  • Caramelize the Onions – To caramelize the onion, you will allow them to cook in the oil, stirring only occasionally for about 5 minutes until they are super soft and lightly golden brown.
  • After that, Prepare the sauce by adding the blended tomatoes, onions. Leave to simmer for about 10 minutes (a little more or less). Now stir in the seasoning. Stir well to bring out the flavors!
  • Next, add Peanut butter. Use a wooden spoon to stir well until the peanut butter dissolves in the sauce.
  • Cook – Continue to cook for another 15 to 20 minutes or till it is well cooked and the soup becomes thickened to your likeness.

Tips For Making African Peanut Butter Soup

  1. Use natural peanut butter made with only peanuts and salt. Whether you opt for chunky or creamy, that will really come down to your preference. Just make sure the peanut butter you use doesn’t contain oil, sugar or any other additives. We want to maximize the peanut flavor.
  2. Don’t use tomatoes in place of tomato paste. In a lot of recipes, this would totally be acceptable, but in this case, we want to create a thick base for the peanut soup. The fresh tomatoes or even canned tomatoes will instead create a lighter broth, which is not part of the authentic recipe.
  3. Be careful not to overcook the sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes add bulk, nutrition and a sweet taste to the recipe. So I love adding them, especially when making it vegan. But if you overcook them, they will become soft and change the consistency of the soup entirely. So make sure to chop them small and check on them after 20 minutes of simmering.

What To Serve With Peanut Butter Soup

In Ghana, they eat it with fufu, which is dough made from boiled cassava. It can also be served with;

  • Cooked rice
  • Pounded yam
  • A loaf of crusty bread for mopping the soup or some fresh dinner rolls to sop up every drop left in my bowl! 

Storage and Reheating

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. It will last about 3-4 days in the fridge.

Freezing Instructions: You can also freeze peanut soup in the freezer for up to 3 months by using a sealable container or freezer bag. To re-heat, thaw in the fridge overnight and then microwave when ready to eat.

 

If you’ve tried this African Peanut Soup recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it.

Peanut Butter Soup

This Peanut Butter Soup recipe is made with simple ingredients like peanut butter and tomato paste, but has a unique delicious flavor!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine African, West-African
Servings 6
Calories 385 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 2 large onions finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger optional
  • 3 oz tomato paste
  • 1 sweet potato chopped
  • 6 cups vegetable broth or water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup baby spinach optional
  • 8 oz shredded chicken optional

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot. Add onions and ginger, and cook for 5-10 minutes until the onions are very soft and translucent, but not browned.
  • Add tomato paste and mix with the onions until they are well coated. Add the sweet potatoes to the pot, season with salt and cayenne pepper, and mix with the onion and tomato paste mixture.
  • Pour the vegetable broth or water into the pot and bring mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover for 20 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are cooked. Stir in the peanut butter until it’s well blended with the mixture. Add spinach and/or chicken, if desired, and stir to combine.
  • Serve over white rice with crushed peanuts, if desired.

Notes

Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However here are some common substitutes that would work well in this recipe.
 
  • If you don’t have fresh ginger, substitute 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger for ¼ teaspoon ground ginger.
  • Instead of sweet potatoes, you can use yams or white potatoes
  • You can substitute the spinach for any other hearty greens like kale, mustard greens or collard greens, or leave them out all together.
  • To make it vegan, just leave the chicken out. You can add tofu, more potatoes or leave as is without the chicken.

Nutrition

Calories: 385kcal
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Rice Balls (Omotuo)

Blessing Funmilayo
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0
Rice Balls (Omotuo)

Rice balls or Omotuo is a traditional Ghanaian staple food made with rice. The rice is typically cooked with more water than normal to make it softer.

It is then pounded to make it smooth, after which it is rolled into sizable sticky balls. Hence, its English name is thus “Rice Balls”.

What is Omo Tuo?

Omo tuo is a Ghanaian rice side dish with Hausa origins that is popular throughout the country. It’s created by cooking glutinous rice until it’s very mushy, then pounding or rolling it into sticky balls.

Some people refer to it as “rice fufu” or “rice balls.” It’s usually served with groundnut (peanut) soup, but it’s also good with palm nut soup. It’s served with a baobab leaf and dried okra soup called miyan kuka in Nigeria’s northern Hausa-Fulani areas.

History Of Omo Tuo

Omo tuo, as it is known in Ghana, has its roots from the Hausa people in the Northern region but is widely enjoyed throughout the country. They refer to it as tuwo shinkafa.

The word tuwo is most likely the Hausa equivalent to different types of fufu or dumpling made from a grain flour, for example tuwo zaafi, a millet or corn and cassava dumpling, or tuwo masara, a cornmeal dumpling. The Northern Nigerian tuwo shinkafa is usually made from ground rice as opposed to soft then pounded whole rice.

Different Versions Of Rice Balls

Asia comes to mind when thinking about sticky rice dishes as they have a wide variety of sweet and savory types. Indonesian lemper ayam (sticky chicken rice), Vietnamese fried sticky rice cakes (xoi chien phong), Japanese sweet rice balls (ohagi botamochi) and onigiri (rice ball snack).

One dish in the French quarter of New Orleans, thought to have African origins, is calas, fried rice fritters. However this seems to be more of a distant cousin to puff puff or beignets, known as kala in Liberia.

How To Prepare Rice Balls (Omotuo)

It is best to use long or short grain varieties of rice which have not been par-boiled. Thai jasmine rice, long or short-grain white rice, or glutinous rice with high levels of amylopectin (Asian sticky rice) are the best varieties to use for this. Par-boiled rice and basmati rice are not suitable as the cooked grains normally separate easily and lack a sticky consistency.

To prepare the rice, simply boil it with a little salt and water until it is mushy. Depending on the type of rice used, the amount of water required will vary. It is not required to soak the rice in water; nevertheless, a small amount of extra water should be added to create a very soft, sticky outcome. With a wooden spoon, mash the rice and stir it like banku or fufu. Then, in a wet round basin, stir the rice to make rice balls. To keep the rice from adhering to the bowl’s surface, a drop of oil can be added.

Notes

  • You might require only 3 cups of water for the 1 cup of rice subject on the variety of rice.
  • Nevertheless, if the rice is not soft after all the water has been absorbed from cooking, add a half or more cup as necessary.
  • Rice balls can be prepared ahead of time and warmed in the oven or microwave just before serving.

What To Serve Omo tuo With

Omo tuo may be served with any type of soup, but traditionally you can serve your delicious omo tuo or rice ball with:

 

Thanks for reading this recipe, if you made this recipe, don’t forget to leave me feedback. Enjoy!

Some suggestions for Amazon links to “Best Rice Cooker”. 

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Omo Tuo/ Rice Balls

Omo tuo is a Ghanaian side dish originating from the Hausa people, made by cooking very soft rice, then pounding or rolling the rice into sticky balls.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine African, Ghanaian
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups of rice long grain rice
  • 3 cups of water
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the rice to remove excess starch. This is optional as the starch encourages the stickiness of the rice.
  • Place the rice, salt and water in a pot and bring to a boil.
  • Turn the heat down to medium and allow the rice to steam in the pot until most of the water is absorbed.
  • Using a sturdy wooden spoon, pound the rice using a mash and fold method. Bring the rice toward the side of the pot, then turn over. Repeat until the rice is mushy and glutinous.
  • To serve, scoop the desired amount into a wet bowl and swirl around until balls are formed.
  • Serve the Omo tuo with any type of soup but is it traditional to serve it on a Sunday with peanut soup stew or palm nut soup.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Agidi or Eko

Blessing Funmilayo
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Agidi or Eko

Nigerian Agidi or Eko is Nigeria’s Jello sort of, it is a popular breakfast meal in Nigeria. It tastes so good with hot Akara or Pepper Soup.

It is easy and quick to make. It can be made from either fermented wet corn starch or smooth cornflour.

What Is Agidi Made Of?

Agidi, or Eko as it is known in Yoruba, is a Nigerian delicacy that breaks out beyond tribes, class, location, and religion. Everyone appreciates it, from north to south.

It is made with cornflour. The process is very similar to how to make Ogi but with a slight difference.

Health Benefits of Agidi (Eko)

Agidi is formed from corn, and the health advantages of eko are similar to those of maize, as listed below:

  • Potassium is found in this dish. Potassium is an essential mineral that helps manage blood pressure and may promote heart health.
  • It aids in the reduction of blood cholesterol levels. Some dieticians believe it might assist diabetics to regulate their blood sugar levels.
  • Eko is good for your eyes.
  • It helps to prevent diverticulosis a disease of the large intestine.
  • It’s fulfilling, Eko has a lot of bulk, that helps in filling the stomach and ensures satisfaction.

If you are also watching your weight, you can use agidi as a fufu or eba substitute . It is also recommended as a starter food for babies and could be enriched with milk  and fruit puree before pouring into a Mould or container to set.

Is It Good For Pregnant Woman?

Agidi relieves constipation, which is a frequent complaint among pregnant women, thanks to its high fiber content. In both pregnant and non-pregnant women, it is perfectly safe. There are no negative side effects to be concerned about.

How To Make Agidi/Eko

Eko is cooked into (solid) with a tangy taste, its a higher version of pap or ogi (akamu) that goes well with delicious Nigerian pepper soup, stew, banga soup, ogbono soup, and egusi soup among other dishes.

It is usually prepared in uma leaves or banana leaves, but in the absence of these leaves you can make use of any clean container of choice.

Below is a step-by-step simple guide on how to make eko. Enjoy!.

Some suggestions for Amazon links to “Agidi Mold”.

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Agidi/Eko Recipe

Eko or Agidi is Nigeria's is made of corn flour. Eko is just like ogi but the process of making is different. Nigerians eat eko with pepper soup or hot akara.
Print Recipe
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • Corn flour (corn starch)
  • Cold water

Instructions
 

  • Mix the cornstarch or flour with cold water in a pot. Add water bit by bit to reduce lumps.
  • Place the pot on the stove and stir continuously, make sure you are constantly stirring the mixture. After some time, you will notice the cornstarch mixture begin to thicken. Continue stirring on medium heat to avoid lumps.
  • When completely thickened, pour some water to the sides of the eko, cover the pot and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes on medium heat.
    Stir well to mix the Agidi with the water.
  • Transfer to containers and leave to cool down. Wrap in uma leaves to get the Agidi shape.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Gbegiri Soup (Beans Soup)

Blessing Funmilayo
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Gbegiri Soup (Beans Soup)

Gbegiri soup  (Beans soup) is one of the popular soups in Nigeria, some people actually patronize the Buka (restaurants) because of this Gbegiri soup and their signature stew Buka Stew.

It is easy to make, delicious, velvety, mildly flavored, and healthy. It is mostly served with Ewedu soup and stew with amala to make a dish called abula.

What Is Gbegiri Soup?

To start with, I must let you know that soups and stews are eaten differently in West Africa, compared to other parts of the world.

Our soups and stew are not eaten on their own, they will usually accompany a bland starchy main like rice and pasta or swallow. The soup/stew provides the flavor as well as lubrication in case of swallows; and like the Indian curry complements the mains dish.

Gbegiri is a Nigerian traditional soup, which originated from the Southwestern parts of the country. It has a light orange color and is traditionally served with amala (yam flour swallow) or tuwo (corn or rice flour swallow); and meat or fish.

Traditionally, this  soup is prepared either with Nigerian brown beans or black eye beans; and the preparation method includes;

  1. Soaking the beans to soften the skin before peeling.
  2. Cooking of the peeled beans until very soft.
  3. Using ijabe (blending broom stick) to liquefy the beans (or just blending in a blender or food processor).
  4. Cooking the blended beans with palm oil and traditional spices.

Gbegiri Soup Recipe

Here is what you need…

  • Beans  (Haricot or black eyes beans)
  • Pepper flakes/ground pepper powder
  • Fermented locust beans (iru/dawadawa)
  • Ground dried prawns
  • Palm-oil
  • Bouillon cube
  • Salt

A few notes about ingredients…

Palm oil – You only need a little quantity of this to give the gbegiri a light orange color.

Beans – You can substitute the haricot beans with black eyed beans or other white canned beans like cannellini.

Fermented locust beans (Iru/dawadawa) – Depending on personal preference, you can either blend this with the beans or add after blending. If you’re not a big fan of this condiment, you can do without.

Some suggestions for Amazon links to “Beans Navy Organic”.

Beans Navy Organic

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How To Make Gbegiri

There are two ways to prepare Gbegiri soup:

1) Make Gbegiri with blender and

2) Make Gbegiri without blender.

Both methods are great and i have detailed both in this recipe.

How To Cook Gbegiri Without Blender

Let me just state that this is the authentic way of making gbegiri. My Oyo state people know this and this was how my mama taught me. So if you’re going with the authentic recipe, sieve!

  • If you have very thick consistency of the cooked beans, just add water so it’s much easier to sieve. Be careful not to add too much water as so as not to make the gbegiri too watery.  Sieve the beans collecting the liquid in a pot.
  • Pour the sieved or blended beans back on the stove. Add stock cube, locust beans, cayenne pepper, palm oil and salt to taste. Don’t overdo the palm oil. You only need just enough Palm oil to give it color.
  • Leave to cook for 5 minutes then take off heat.

How To Cook With Blender

  • Boil assorted meat till tender with seasoning and salt. Separate stock from meat and set aside
  • Blend cooked beans in a blender for a smooth puree and set aside (I love this bit as you can see the silkiness of the beans)
  • Place a cooking pan on medium heat, add palm oil and heat for about 3 minutes (don’t bleach oil)
  • Stir puréed beans in palm oil (beans purée should not be loose but somewhere in the middle of loose and thick) Add water if needed to achieve the desired thickness
  • Add assorted beef and cayenne pepper, stir till well combined. Reduce the heat and leave to cook for about 10 minutes. Check-in between to avoid soup from burning.
  • Add crayfish, seasoning and salt. At this point don’t want the soup to be thick, add water if need be but don’t overdo it.
  • Continue to cook until all ingredients are well combined. Check for seasoning and salt. Your Soup is ready!

Can I Make Gbegiri Soup With Beans Flour?

Yes, I tried it and it very easy to make. Just mix the beans flour with cold water to form  thin paste. Pour into a pot with boiling water, add the palm oil, salt, fermented locust beans and dried prawns.

Stir continuously and add more water as it becomes thicker until you have the right consistency.

The gbegiri made from the bean powder had a gel like texture. The starch in the powder became swollen and gelatinized; leading to a cooked starch texture; almost like custard.

What To Serve With Gbegiri Soup

Serve with ewedu soup, swallow of choice like amala dudu (black yam flour), garri or Tuwo and buka stew.

Storage

You can refrigerate this gbegiri soup for 3-4 days. It becomes quite thick after and you will need to add some water when warming it.

YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THESE OTHER DELICIOUS SOUPS:

Ewedu 

Egusi Soup

Ogbono Soup

Let’s get cooking!

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Aqua Natural Galaxy Sand Bio Substrate 5lb for Aquariums Sand seeded with Start up bio Active nitrifying Bacteria

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Gbegiri Soup (Abula)

Author: Ajoke
Gbegiri soup is a type of Nigerian soup popularly eaten by the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria. It is made from peeled cooked bean. Let me show you how to make it the easy way.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine African, Nigerian
Servings 6

Equipment

  • Blender or pressure cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cups of brown beans peeled
  • Cayenne pepper
  • ¼ cup of palm oil
  • 2 tablespoons ground crayfish
  • 2 Beef stock cubes
  • Salt to taste
  • 800 g Assorted beef (about 3 cups) I used turkey neck, shaki and smoked snort. the addition of assorted beef is highly optional

Instructions
 

  • Boil peeled beans with enough water over medium heat until soft or use a pressure cooker both stove top or electric pressure cooker works.
  • Boil assorted meat till tender with beef stock cubes, onions and salt. Separate stock from meat and set aside
  • Blend cooked beans in a blender for a smooth puree and set aside, pass the blended through a tiny hole sieve and discard the chaff.
  • Place a pan on medium heat, add palm oil and heat for about 3 minutes (don’t bleach oil)
  • Stir puréed beans in palm oil (beans purée should not be loose but somewhere in the middle of loose and thick) Add water if needed to achieve the desired thickness
  • Add assorted beef (if using) and cayenne pepper, stir till well combined. Reduce the heat and leave to cook for about 10 minutes. Check-in between to avoid soup from burning and add more water if need be
  • Add ground crayfish, beef stock cube and salt. At this point don’t want the soup to be thick, add water if need be but don’t overdo it. Continue to cook for another 3 minutes then take it off the heat. Serve with ewedu soup, swallow of choice like amala dudu (yam flour), garri or Tuwo and buka stew

Notes

Tips
If you don’t have a blender, use ijabe (the small broom used for cooking) or cook the beans until mushy and pass through the sieve as you would with a blender method.
 
Gbegiri is mostly cooked with meat or other protein, so feel free to cook it plain with crayfish alone and pair with buka stew.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Ila Alasepo

Blessing Funmilayo
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Ila Alasepo

Ila asepo or Ila alasepo (okro soup) is a one pot okra soup. Okro is usually served with a separate stew, but when all the stew ingredients go into the okra in one pot, it is called Ila alasepo.

This Ila Alasepo is great comfort food and easy to make. Just a couple of ingredients and voila! You have your soup ready to be devoured. 

I don’t get tired of okro soup be it Ila asepo, otong soup, Ogbono Okro, or plain okro. I just love the way it helps slide swallow down to its destination not to mention its high nutrient value.

What Is Ila Alasepo?

Ila is the Yoruba word for Okra, and Asepo means “To cook together”;  ila Alasepo is mixed okra soup. In regular Yoruba style, okro is typically served with stew.

The fact that the ingredient that would normally go into the stew goes into the soup itself makes this a “lesser’ soup for the affluent Yoruba folks. Ila alasepo according to my grandma is something you cook when you are out of money.

The determining factor for a great okro soup is the level of viscosity (how much it draws), this is why akaun is added.

On the nutrition scale: okra is rich in Fibre, protein, Vitamins k/c, Folate, and Magnesium.  I turned this soup into a “rich” soup by making use of a wide variety of proteins.

How To Make Ila Alasepo

Okra Soup is one of the quickest and easiest Nigerian soups to prepare. You start by placing a  pot on medium heat, pour in the meat stock (or water), cover, and bring to a boil. Add in the cooking potash if using. Add in the prepared meat, fish, prawns, crayfish powder, Maggi palm oil, and pepper, and then finally add in chopped okra and minced tatashe. Food is ready!

What To Serve With Ila Alasepo

  1. Eba (Garri)
  2. Cassava Fufu
  3. Semolina
  4. Amala
  5. Pounded Yam

So that’s going to wrap this up with this special recipe. Thanks so much for your time. I am sure you can make this at home.  Remember to bookmark this page in your browser and share it with your family, friends, and colleagues. Thanks again for reading.  Let’s cook!

Some suggestions for Amazon links to “Assorted Meats”.

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Ila Alasepo

Author: Ajoke
Ila asepo (okro soup) is a one pot okro soup. Okro is usually served with a separate stew but when all the ingredients of stew go into the okro in one pot, it is then called Ila asepo. Asepo means cooked together in Yoruba which explain how the name Ila asepo came about.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine African, Nigerian
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

Ingredients

  • 500 g fresh okra finger
  • ⅓ cup palm oil
  • 500 g beef or assorted meat cooked
  • 500 g fresh fish I used fresh salmon
  • 1 cup fresh prawns
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • Scotch bonnet chillies use according to preference
  • 1 medium-size onion
  • 1 wrap locust beans Iru
  • Salt to taste
  • Beef bouillon cube Knorr cubes or any seasoning cube of choice
  • 2 tablespoons ground crayfish

Instructions
 

Instructions

  • Prep the ingredients: Add the red bell pepper, scotch bonnet chillies and onion to a blender, puree and set aside.
  • Chop or process the okra in a food processor and set aside. Cut the meat or fish into manageable chunks and set aside
  • Cook The Stew: Place a pan on medium heat, add palm oil, heat for about 1-2 minutes until hot then add the puréed pepper. Leave to cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Check at interval and stir to avoid burning add seasoning cube and salt to taste, add fresh prawns and fish if you are using or meat/assorted meat and cook for another 5 minutes. Take the fish and prawns out of the stew into a bowl and continue to cook the sauce on low heat (leave the meat/assorted meat in the stew) Whilst the stew is cooking
  • Cook the Okra: Place a new pan on the medium heat, add 1½ cups of water, locust beans and bring to boil (this should take about 3 minutes) add the chopped okra and stir vigorously to combine. Cook another 2 minutes and reduce the heat.
  • Mix the stew and okra: Finally, add the cooked stew to the okra and stir to combine. Taste for salt and seasoning and suit taste. Add ground crayfish, the fish taken out earlier carefully stir to combine and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Turn off the heat and serve the stewed okra with a swallow of choice
Keyword Ila alasepo, Okra Soup, stewed okra
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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