Food Minia

So I was feeling like having some toast and after making a couple slices, I mean toasted bread, my eyes caught some plantains which I had in my larder, then the idea to toast plantains came to me.....so I did. Traditionally, plantains are fried, boiled, roasted or cooked with other ingredients. So I am exploring another method to enjoy this healthy, slow release energy source. After all the #NewNigerianCuisine movement is all about experimenting with ingredients and cooking utensils....abi..? So how did it turn out? Verdict & Observations Toasting plantain in a toaster is another way of cook it and quite similar to roasting or baking. The resulting dish had a taste which can only be described as something between the taste of fried plantain (dodo) and roasted plantain ( booli ). It is a simple and super fast way to cook plantains and it hassle free, All you need do is slice the plantain as thinly as possible then place in the toaster until well cooked. The thickness of the sliced p...

Quite simply one of the most popular food pairing/combo in the entire Nigerian cuisine pantry. Beans and plantain offer a really nutritionally balanced and great tasting dish.  I love the simplicity and frugality of this combo and whether you like your beans all well mashed up, cooked plain with added pepper sauce or stewed in a thin sauce, it always catches my attention. Here I share one of my earliest well presented beans and dodo dish, encouraging you to try some out this weekend.... See a full recipes of my popular beans and dodo dishes Layered Beans Yam and Plantain Beans. Plantains, Meatballs Hotpot

Truth be told, I do sometimes resent having to labour over the stove for guests, especially those ones that did not give you enough notice that they are come...and as always, they want to be treated to your usual signature dishes...! So I keep coming up with loads of different food ideas which can rescue me from this sorts of sticky situations. The recipe I am sharing today is one of them. Very simple and straight forward dish with little effort, and requires no elaborate ingredients. I have now grown to love my fish mongers at the Ozumba Mbadiwe Victoria Island (under the bridge) fish market in Lagos. The size of the prawns I get from there is huge, I mean, really huge. Still, they come in different sizes, and I kid you not, when cooked and curled up, some of the prawns can be as big as the circle you make with your index finger and your thumb...! So this my quick starter, prawns and dodo dish, when served with some wine, cocktails, mock-tails or just a delicious blend of fruit juices...

I love exploring new things, new food ingredients, new techniques, and such and such.....that is just the way I am....! I eat plantains regularly, not only because they represent one of the most staple sources of carbohydrates in Nigerian cooking, but also because they are versatile to use in different dishes, are extremely delicious and most importantly, they are a healthy source of slow release energy. I have so many plantain recipes ( check them out here ), and I continue to explore new ones to suit my taste, preference, mood etcetera. So in this recipe, quite simply, I cut plantains in the form of shards and deep fry them. I always fry my plantains with my oil of choice, coconut oil. I imagine you can cook the plantain shards by roasting, baking or boiling..... You are sure to achieve an equally fantastic dish. Plantains as I said earlier, are very versatile to serve with a range of different soups/stews or other dishes like pottages and hotpots. Well, after having discovered the ...

Plantains are just so versatile, and contrary to what you might have heard about them, they are a healthy source of slow release energy....! There are several ways of preparing and serving them.....baking, frying, roasting, mashing, pounding, making into snacks etc. What you make them into or how you process them is determined by their stage of ripeness. Read more about plantains here . I love plantains and have several recipes on then ( Check here for more recipes on plantains  ) I want you to get inspired by this simple plantain dish. No fuss, ready in a few minutes, especially if you already have some rich and smooth red pepper sauce/stew. The highlight of this dish goes to the sleek arrangement of the evenly sliced boiled plantain.......hmmm Simply gorgeous.... Make some as served with what ever you fancy. Mine is served with some stewed turkey.... What you need To make the boiled plantains: You need ripe plantains Salt. What to do Place enough water into a deep base pot and ad...

So, am really excited about this recipe....the tastes and flavours and textures I experienced from this dish, I cannot describe, you just have to find out for yourself....! First I have to say that the minced beef we get in the UK and the one I made myself (here in Lagos) with the local beef in Nigeria, are like chalk and cheese....miles apart in taste and texture and juiciness...omg! Already, Nigerians are known to favor beef with a firm texture, which is able to retain and soak up lots of flavours... This is because Nigerian cows are largely organic, fed on natural grass and vegetation, and put through a lot of "exercise" because they are reared by the a Nomadic Nigerian tribe known as the Fulanis. Everywhere they go, they take their cows and allow them to graze on natural vegetation as they move from one place to the other....actually they move in search of vegetation...! Anyway, I am totally in love with this beef, and when I decided to make some home-made mince out of th...

Plantains are so versatile, they can be used in whatever stage of ripeness they are...! I love that about them, and the interesting thing again is that they have a distinctive different taste at these different stages. Another interesting thing is that, their taste is further developed or enhanced by the method used to cook them and also the other ingredients paired with them...and I do have a craving for some of these distinct tastes from time to time, depending on my mood. Today's recipe works best with over ripe plantains....and because plantains do tend to ripen quickly, I do not tend to panic if I have an over ripe one in my larder. I just deep fry it first for a few minutes then transfer it into an oven to bake until it attains this "dryish" but not burnt texture, which is excellent to serve with some spicy salsa style sauce. And because the plantain is at its ripe state, it tastes really sweet, which also combines well with the saltiness and spiciness of the dip. T...