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Fried Plantains
Fried Plantains
Plantains make a quick and easy side dish that is a great alternative to fries and other forms of potatoes. They only take a few minutes to pan fry and taste even better seasoned with a suya spice blend. A good rule to remember with plantains is that unripened ones are not sweet and sorta resembles a potato in texture. Ripe plantains are very sweet and taste closer to a fried banana.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1 large plantain unripened; sliced 1/2” thick
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1 tsp suya spice blend
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Heat up 1/4” of oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Place the sliced plantains in the oil in a single layer.
- Fry for 4 minutes a side until golden brown and crispy.
- Toss with the suya spice blend and salt. Serve immediately.
Nigerian Sausage Rolls
Nigerian Sausage Rolls
Sausage rolls are popular all over Nigeria and most African countries. The sausage is made from either beef or pork(depending on religious beliefs), and is rolled up inside a buttery biscuity pastry. They get baked, and I get baked. The sausage rolls turn out golden brown and flakey. Before you know it, you just might accidentally eat all of them in a course of a night.
Servings: 12 sausage rolls
Equipment
- food processor
- rolling pin
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 2 tbsp milk
- garlic powder
Sausage
- 3/4 lb ground pork
- 1 large egg
- 1 maggi bouillon cube crushed
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Mix in the butter, egg, and cold water until a dough forms. Roll into a ball and cover with a damp cloth.
- Place the ground pork, egg, anc seasonings in a food processor.
- Process until smooth. You will want the fat to be broken down.
- Lightly flour a clean surface and a rolling pin. Cut the dough ball into 4 equal pieces
- Roll out one of the pieces into an 8”x10” rectangular sheet; about the size of a sheet of paper.
- Spread a quarter of the sausage down the left side of the dough.
- Roll it up like a fatty. Don’t lick it.
- Cut it into 3 equal pieces. Repeat these steps for the rest of the ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the sausage rolls on the sheet in rows of 4. Using a fork, prick 2 sets of holes in each roll. Brush each roll with milk. Lightly sprinkle on garlic powder.
- Bake the sausage rolls for 25-30 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Kale and Whitefish
Kale and Whitefish
Greens are an important part of Nigerian cuisine. Efo riro is a classic dish of kale stewed in a spicy tomato/red pepper sauce with pieces of whitefish. You will want to use a firm fleshed fish, so I recommend tilapia, swai, catfish, or snapper. This dish is even hearty enough that it could be eaten vegan without the fish or dried shrimp. Efo riro is best served with boiled yams or steamed basmati rice.
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 3 roma tomatoes chopped
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 habanero
- 2 tbsp dried bitter leaf
- 1 1/2 lbs white fish fillets tilapia, swai, catfish, or snapper
- 1 tbsp creole seasoning
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 maggi bouillon cube
- 3 tbsp dried shrimp
- 4 tsp powdered locust bean
- 2 bunches kale rib removed; washed; chopped into 2” pieces
Instructions
- Place the onion, tomatoes, red bell pepper, garlic, and habanero in a blender.
- Purée until smooth. Set aside.
- Rehydrate the dried bitter leaf in a bowl of water for 10 minutes. Squeeze out the water and chop. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season your fish with creole seasoning. Place on a rack on a baking sheet lined in in foil.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Cut into 2” pieces. Set aside.
- Heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the tomato paste, turmeric, thyme, and garam masala for 1 minute.
- Pour in the reserved purée, bitter leaf, powdered locust bean, dried shrimp, and maggi bouillon cube. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium low. Slowly incorporate a handful of kale in at a time.
- Once all the kale is mixed in, simmer for 5 minutes without stirring.
- Add in the chunks of fish. Cook for 3 minutes.
