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Yam Delicacies

Tomatoes Vegetable Sauce For Yam

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TOMATOES VEGETABLE SAUCE

Recently we have been on delicious ways to enjoy your yam. I would never have expected I would be the one teaching people various ways to have yam, an anti-yam-delicacy like me, but here I am, doing the Lord’s work and doing it well. Today we would try the tomatoes vegetable sauce. Like the name implies, it is basically tomato sauce with vegetables in it.

Previously we have tried vegetable yam porridge and doya da kwai, all from our yam delicacies. You can follow the link to see the process, recreate them and let me know if you enjoyed it.

This vegetable tomato sauce on today’s menu can be fixed in less than 30mins, including boiling the yam. Perfect for my fellow lazy cooks after a hard day job. Let’s also not forget its health benefits because we all know what vegetables represent. So, just follow the process and enjoy.

If you would rather have with normal Nigerian stew, you can find the recipe for that HERE.

INGREDIENTS FOR TOMATOES VEGETABLE SAUCE

-Fresh tomatoes

-Fresh peppers

-Onions

-Seasoning cubes

-Grounded crayfish

-Salt to taste

-Vegetable oil or palm oil

NOW TO THE COOKING OF TOMATOES VEGETABLE SAUCE

STEP 1: Start by preparing your ingredients. Pick the vegetables, wash and slice them. Do the same to the fresh tomatoes, pepper and onions. Set them aside.

STEP 2: Set your cooking pot on fire. Pour in your oil. If you are using palm oil, allow it to bleach a little. Once the oil is heated, add the tomatoes, onions and pepper. Fry till it loses its tartness. 

STEP 3: After frying out the tartness, add the crayfish, then seasoning cube and salt to taste. Stir, pour in your vegetables and stir again.  Allow some minutes and turn off the heat.

Serve with yam or anything of your choice

Feel free to recreate this recipe and tag@a_lazy_cook_gram on Instagram.

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Nigerian Stew

Ofe Akwu (Banga Soup of South Eastern Nigeria)

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Ofe Akwu

Ofe akwu to the South Eastern part of Nigeria is what banga soup is to the Niger Deltans. As similar as these soups are, both sides hate to have them compared or seen as the same. They are actually not the same, but they have same base, which is palm fruits.

Ofe akwu is also used as a stew while banga soup is used as a soup and accompanied with starch.

I have seen people use tomatoes for ofe akwu, I don’t know where they learned that from. You don’t put tomatoes in your ofe akwu. If you don’t like this recipe and would prefer the normal tomatoes stew, check HERE.

INGREDIENTS FOR OFE AKWU

– Mortar (I had to include this because you need it to pound your palm fruit)

– Meat (I used cow head)

– Dry fish

– Palm fruit

– Ground crayfish/prawn

– Nchanwu (scent leaf)

– Ogiri okpei (optional)

– Fresh yellow/red pepper

Cross section of some of my ingredients.

NOW TO THE COOKING OF OFE AKWU

STEP 1: Wash the palm fruit and set on fire. When it is done, pound and extract the juice with warm water. IT SHOULD BE “SEMI-THICK”. Set aside.

STEP 2: Start cooking your meat and season well. The tough ones first. I had already cooked my cow leg with a pressure cooker previously and stored some. So, I didn’t have to go through that process again (Bless Heavens!!). When your meat is almost done, add your dry fish.

To show the ideal ogiri for ofe akwu
Ogiri okpei

STEP 3: While your STEP2 is cooking, blend a little of your ogiri with fresh pepper and  crayfish. Pour the paste into your pot of meat and allow it to cook again.

STEP 4: When the meat is done, set a bigger pot on fire with the palm fruit extract in it. Pour your stock into it, without the meat. Allow to boil until you see oil floating on top. If it is too thick, you can add a little water. If it is watery, allow it to boil more.

Add the meat and fish. 

STEP 5: Allow to simmer, check for seasoning, put your nchanwu, stir and turn your heat off. After some minutes, you will see more oil floating on top.

To show the final outcome of the ofe akwu
Your ofe akwu is ready.

Feel free to try this recipe, post on Instagram and tag me @a_lazy_cook_gram

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Nigerian Stew

The Nigerian Tomatoes Stew (A Tasty Red Stew Recipe)

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Nigerian Tomatoes Stew (A Tasty Red Stew Recipe)

The Nigerian tomatoes stew is all about my favourite stew method. With all modesty and at the risk of sounding like a braggart, I make premium Nigerian tomatoes stew. My ex-colleague once told me a spoon of my stew is enough for a bowl of rice and I had to give her my recipe.

I have gone on to share my recipe with many people because tomatoes stew is one thing that seems simple to cook, but somehow you realise you are not getting it right. It took me a while to figure it out and there has been no going back, lol.

Please have it in mind that the difference between two foods is patience. So, take your time to read and implement these steps. DON’T RUSH THE PROCESS…

You can also find a video of this same recipe HERE, albeit with goat meat.

NOTE!!!

1) Avoid any oil with flavour. I’ll advice a good vegetable oil.

2) I didn’t use tomato puree, just so you know you can achieve this without it.

INGREDIENTS FOR NIGERIAN TOMATO STEW

-Meat of your choice. I used goat meat and kpomo

-Tatashe

-Shombo

-Tomatoes

-Habanero pepper

-Seasoning cubes

-Garlic (fresh or dry)

-Ginger (fresh or dry)

-Curry

-Thyme

-Salt

-Vegetable oil

-Onions

-Nonstick pot (not compulsory but advisable to enable you fry without burning)

NOW TO THE COOKING OF THE NIGERIAN TOMATOES STEW

Prepare your tomato paste. Blend with ginger, garlic and onions (if you are using fresh ones). Bring it to boil, till ALMOST all the water is gone.


While the above is going on, slice a bulb of onion and set aside.

Season your meat. Don’t underrate this step. I always add SALT after the meat has softened because it closes the pores and hardens meat. The STOCK (water from your cooked meat) is one of the most important things in your stew. So, season well. When the meat is done, do whatever you want with it. I grilled mine.

Turn out your tomatoes from the pot and set same pot on fire. Pour in your oil and allow to heat. Caramelize your onions…

Please pour in enough oil, better plenty than small. If the oil is too much, you can drain after frying.

Put in your tomatoes and set to medium-low heat.

 Allow to fry for some minutes, add your thyme and curry. Stir and leave to fry for more minutes till your tomatoes look fragmented. The duration would depend on the quantity of your tomatoes.

All through the frying process, please keep stirring at intervals to avoid burning your tomatoes. 

Pour in your stock.

Then your meat.

Stir and check for seasoning. Adjust if need be. Allow to simmer and your stew is ready…

You can serve with rice, spaghetti, yam, even bread.

Feel free to recreate this recipe, post on Instagram and tag me@a_lazy_cook_gram.

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Yam Delicacies

Doya da Kwai (A Nigerian Street Food)

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Doya Da Kwai (A Nigerian Street Food)

Doya da Kwai is a Nigerian street food that warmed its way into my heart. Made from yam battered in egg, this meal is a hit any day and anytime. I learned to make this from my dad and wondered why I never thought of trying this recipe all these years. It is a very easy meal to prepare and is being replicated in many homes and eateries. Some other countries also have same meal. So, we global…

One lovely Saturday morning we were in the kitchen ready to make our usual yam and tomatoes sauce when my dad walked into the kitchen. With a smirk on his face he asked if we weren’t tired of eating “white yam”. Of course we were, but we didn’t know what else to do, asides yam porridge which I shared HERE.

He got out eggs, handed them to me and that marked my journey.

INGREDIENTS FOR DOYA DA KWAI

Yam

Eggs

Salt

Seasoning cube (optional)

Groundnut oil for deep frying

NOW TO THE COOKING OF DOYA DA KWAI

Peel your yam and cut into your preferred shape.

Put the yam in a pot , add a little salt  and  leave to boil.

Cook till it is soft but firm. Drain immediately to avoid it softening further.

Start to heat up your oil. While that is happening , break your egg , season it with salt, stock cubes, pepper and whatever you want. I put a little parsley in mine.

Whisk it and start dipping your yam into it, ensuring it is well coated…
Fry till it crispy and golden brown.

Food is ready to be served.

Yumyum

Feel free to replicate this meal and tag me on Instagram @a_lazy_cook_gram.

 

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Nigerian Soups

Ofe Nsala (White Soup)

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Ofe Nsala (White Soup)

Nsala soup, also called white soup is a delicious soup in Igbo land. It is the only soup made without palm oil, so it tends to look like a slightly thick pepper soup. Very easy to make, healthy and tasty, I can’t think of any reason you shouldn’t try this.

Ironically, despite being from the South Eastern part of Nigeria, my first time tasting this soup was during my service year. My friend told me she discovered a restaurant that makes the best white soup, so we landed there the next week, straight from CDS, all dressed in our khaki. Suffice to say, I have been hooked since then.

You can use fresh catfish, it is very perfect for white soup, but I don’t like catfish, so I decided to use goat meat and assorted meat.

To show readers the basic ingredients
Cross section of my basic ingredients
To show readers what local spices look like
Local spices…ehuru, uda and uziza seeds.


INGREDIENTS FOR WHITE SOUP

-Goat meat

-Assorted cow meat

-Dry fish

-Stockfish

-Uziza seed

-Uda

-Ehuru (African nutmeg)

-Yam or yam powder

-Dry crayfish/prawn

-Fresh pepper

-Seasoning cubes

-Ogiri (Optional, I didn’t use in mine)

-Uziza leaves

-Utazi leaves

-Salt

PREPARATION

Start by peeling and boiling the yam, then you go ahead to pound in a mortar. The yam serves as thickener. DON’T SALT THE YAM BEFORE BOILING.

To show readers quantity of yam used
Raw Yam
To show readers what the pounded yam looks like
Yam after pounding. Please make it soft, so it can dissolve faster.

Do well to roast your ehuru. You can put in a frying pan and roast. 

To show readers my roasting method
This is how I roasted mine.

After that, grind or pound your uziza seed, uda and ehuru together. Be careful with the uziza seed as it is spicy. If you have pepper soup spice, you can use it. You can also find how to make your pepper soup spice HERE.

To show readers the grounded spices
Grounded ehuru, uda and uziza seeds
To show readers my grounded prawns
Grounded prawns.
To show readers my sliced leaves.
Sliced uziza and utazi leaves.

Set all of them aside…

NOW TO THE COOKING

STEP 1: Put all your meat and dry fish into a pot, season them properly and allow it to cook till it is tender. The tougher ones should go first and the softer ones last, so they don’t scatter.

Cooking of the meat
All my meat in the pot. I used a pressure pot to soften the tough ones.

STEP 2: When they are all properly cooked, add water to the pot. This should depend on the quantity of soup you want to make and most importantly, the quantity of your thickener.

STEP 3: Allow the pot to boil for some more minutes, then you go ahead to add your fresh pepper, crayfish and local spices. Please the local spices should be added first, check for the spiciness before adding fresh pepper.

Added all my spices and fresh pepper.

STEP 4: Allow to boil for some minutes, then you add your pounded yam.

Added the pounded yam

STEP 5: After some minutes, your pounded yam should have dissolved.

What your pot should look like when the pounded yam has dissolved.

Go ahead and add your uziza and utazi leaves sparingly. Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Soup is ready.

To show the finished work
What would you have this soup with?

Feel free to recreate this recipe and tag @a_lazy_cook_gram on Instagram.

 

 

 

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Yam Delicacies

How To Make Yam Porridge With Vegetables

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Yam Porridge With Vegetable

This is my first post here and I am super excited. I dedicate this post and the yam porridge to everyone who encouraged me to do this. I do not take you all for granted. 

You can call me a Lazy Cook and if you are like me or even better than me, I promise you will find my recipes easy to work with.

To the matter of the day, who else has a love-hate relationship with yam? It really has to be prepared well and by me, else I won’t enjoy it. There were big tubers of yam in the house, so why not? I decided to indulge myself.

NOTE: The oil level is my preference, you can increase yours.

INGREDIENTS

-Yam

-Dry/smoke fish

-Palm oil

-Seasoning cubes

-Fresh pepper

-Ground crayfish/prawn

-Salt

-Vegetables

PREPARATIONS

-Wash and cut your vegetables.

-If you are using dry fish, soak and pick out the bones.

-Peel, wash and cut the yam into your prefered sizes.

-Slice or rough blend your onions and pepper.

NOW TO THE COOKING OF YAM PORRIDGE

STEP 1: Put your already cut yam into a sizable pot. Pour water into the pot, it should be a little above the yam. 

Add the dry fish immediately, so it can cook and also infuse its flavour. If you are using smoked fish, add in Step 2.

To show the initial stage of the cooking
Yam and dry fish ready for cooking


STEP 2: When the yam is half done, pour in your palm oil, blended crayfish/prawn, pepper, onion, salt and seasoning cubes. Give it a light stir and cover to continue cooking.

Adding palm oil
Adding the palm oil. I used just one spoonful, you can use more or even less.

 

STEP 3: By now the yam should be properly done and the oil has mixed well. So you can go ahead and put in your sliced vegetable. Stir and leave for few minutes. 2 mins is okay. Put off your heat and serve hot if you want

I served mine with leftover meat from my stew.

Food is ready

Feel free to replicate this meal and tag me on Instagram @a_lazy_cook_gram.

 

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