NIGERIAN FOOD
Matse’s Quick Fix
Apart from being a famous On-air-personality and a full-time mother and wife, Radio presenter, Mat- se Uwatse is also passionate about cookery and runs a fast growing cookery blog, www.matsecooks. com. Here are a few of her exciting and unique Nigerian food recipes.
Ingredients:
2 cups of beans
5 medium sized tomatoes
5 fresh pepper
1 medium sized onion
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2-3 eggs
3 cooking spoons of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of curry powder
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon of grated nutmeg or nutmeg powder 2-3 seasoning cubes
Salt to taste
Preparation process:
Step 1:
Carefully select and clean your beans. Rinse the beans in clean water, put it into a pot, add some water to cook it until it is soft.
Step 2:
Puree the tomatoes, pepper and onion in a blend- er. With a clean pestle, mash the cooked beans until it is quite smooth but not too smooth.
Step 3:
Pour the vegetable oil in a pot or saucepan and set over fire using medium heat. Add sliced onion to it and fry till a bit brown. Pour in the tomato puree and allow to cook for 10 minutes. Add the curry powder, thyme, nutmeg, seasoning cubes and salt. Stir in and allow to cook for 5 minutes
Step 4:
Add the tomato paste. Mix it in.
In a bowl whisk the eggs and gently pour into the pot. Spreading the egg mix around the boiling pot.
Step 5:
Cover the pot or saucepan. Do not mix in the eggs. Allow to cook for 3 minutes until the eggs coagulate. Remove the cover and then stir. The eggs will be in clusters in the sauce. Introduce the sauce into the pot containing the mashed beans and thoroughly mix in. Add more salt and season- ing if desired and cook for another 5 minutes with low heat.
Serve with fried plantain, fried sweet potatoes, fried yam, bread, pap, custard or garri.
PAN FRIED TOAST.
Ingredients:
4 slices of bread.
2 eggs
1 fresh pepper
1/4 medium size Onion Pinch of salt
Margarine to fry.
Preparation:
Step 1:
Slice the bread, add the salt to the eggs and whisk. Slice the onion and pepper.
Step 2:
Soak the bread in the egg bath (back and front of the bread). Place soaked bread on a slab or chop board and arrange bits of sliced pepper and onion on it. Soak another slice of bread and place over it, like a sandwich.
Step 3:
In a hot frying pan, add a tea spoon of margarine. Allow to melt and place the bread into it.
Step 4:
Use the slotted frying spoon to press down the bread for the heat to get in. When fried and brown, flip to the other side and repeat the same process. Re- move from pan and slice into triangles.
Serve hot with your favourite beverage, juice or cold drink.
SPAGHETTI POMODORO
Ingredients:
300g of Spaghetti
350g plum tomatoes
3 tablespoons of Olive oil
1 Onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 Cup of red wine
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh basil (I used scent leaf) 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
A pinch of sugar
salt to taste
Seasoning to taste.
Preparation:
Step 1:
Boil water in a pot, add a few drops of vegetable oil, then add the spaghetti and allow to cook. Make sure the spaghetti is not cooked too soft. Pour the spaghetti into a strainer and put it under cold running water to stop the cooking process.
Step 2:
Mince the garlic, de-seed and chop up the peeled plum tomatoes. Dice onion.
Step 3:
Pour olive oil into a saucepan and add the onions. Stir fry until soft. Follow up with the garlic and stir in for a few minutes. Add the plum tomatoes and mix in.
Step 4:
Pour in the red wine. Add the tomato paste and mix. Stir in the sugar, black pepper, salt and seasoning.
Step 5:
Allow to simmer for 15 minutes and mix in the spaghetti and scent leaves.
Leave for 2 minutes and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
PS: Please use low heat for cooking.
