Simple Pasta Salad Recipe (With Video)
Overview
The mayonnaise dressed vegetable salad is a fixture of the Nigerian party table, and it is worth being precise about what that means, because it is not a salad in the European sense at all. There are no leaves at the centre of it. It is built on cooked vegetables, sweetcorn, egg and sometimes macaroni or baked beans, bound in mayonnaise and evaporated milk, and it is served cold in a large bowl alongside jollof rice and fried plantain. It arrived through colonial and post independence British influence on Nigerian catering, and it has been thoroughly domesticated since. The evaporated milk in the dressing is the clearest marker of that: it is not a British addition, and it gives the dressing a sweetness and a thinner consistency than mayonnaise alone. Nigerians of a certain age associate it directly with owambe, the large celebration parties where the food is served in quantity. This particular recipe is a contemporary quick version rather than a documented traditional dish. It uses macaroni, carrot, peas, sweetcorn, lettuce and egg with a mayonnaise and milk dressing, and it is presented by its author as an everyday meal rather than as party food. What can be said with confidence is that it belongs to that broader Nigerian salad practice; what cannot be established from the source is any particular lineage for the recipe itself.
Ingredients
Dietary tags come from contributors and AFN does not verify them. They also depend on the products you buy. Recipes here are published for learning, not as medical or dietary advice. If you have an allergy or a medical condition, check every ingredient yourself and talk to a doctor or dietitian. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Put a pot of water on to boil. When it boils, add the macaroni, and drain it once cooked.
- 2
Put the cooked macaroni and all the vegetables into a large bowl. Cut the boiled eggs into pieces and add them.
- 3
In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, evaporated milk and lemon juice and mix together.
- 4
Pour the dressing over the macaroni and vegetables and mix everything together.
- 5
Serve.
Africook’s Notes
Personal notes from B-NAZZIES KITCHEN EXPERIENCE- Cool the macaroni completely before the dressing goes near it. Warm pasta thins mayonnaise and the dressing separates into an oily film.
- Undercook the macaroni slightly. It softens further as it sits in the dressing, and pasta cooked to soft turns to paste in a salad.
- Add the lettuce at the very last moment, or serve it underneath rather than mixed through. Dressed lettuce collapses within minutes.
- The evaporated milk is what makes the dressing Nigerian rather than generically Western. It thins the mayonnaise and adds a distinct sweetness.
- It is served cold and is better after an hour in the fridge, which lets the dressing settle into the vegetables.
Questions cooks ask
What makes this different from a Western pasta salad?
The dressing and the composition. Nigerian salad of this kind is bound in mayonnaise thinned with evaporated milk, which gives a sweeter and looser dressing than mayonnaise alone. It is also built on cooked vegetables, sweetcorn and boiled egg rather than on leaves, with the pasta as one component among several rather than the base.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes, and it improves with an hour or two in the fridge as the dressing settles into the vegetables. Keep the lettuce out until just before serving, since it wilts quickly once dressed. It keeps two days refrigerated, after which the vegetables start releasing water and thinning the dressing.
What is this served with in Nigeria?
At parties it appears alongside jollof rice, fried rice, fried plantain and grilled or fried chicken, as one dish in a spread rather than a course on its own. As an everyday meal it is eaten with fried plantain and a protein, which is how the author of this recipe serves it. It is always served cold.
Can I use a different pasta shape?
Yes. Macaroni is standard because the small tubes hold the dressing and mix evenly with the chopped vegetables, but fusilli, farfalle and small shells all work for the same reason. Avoid long shapes such as spaghetti, which do not combine with diced vegetables and are awkward to serve cold from a bowl.
Reviews
3 reviews
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Never thought of putting evaporated milk into a salad dressing before, usually just put it in tea! Was a bit skeptical but tried it yesterday with the macaroni and it made the dressing so smooth. Added a little extra lemon juice to cut through the mayo.
Reminds me of every Sunday rice and salad back in Lagos. couldnt find peak milk at the local tesco in manchester so used carnation instead, dressing still turned out very creamy. e sweet sha.
My kids finished the whole bowl before dinner time. Dicing the 3 large carrots took me more than 10 minutes o, but the taste was very good. I added extra sweetcorn for them.