Embark on a culinary journey through Africa with this guide to essential foods and ingredients. Whether you're a seasoned cook or just starting to explore African cuisine, this guide will provide you with the building blocks for creating authentic and flavorful dishes.
If you know me, you’d know that this is probably one of the hardest decisions I have to make- deciding what to eat. It’s not because I’m indecisive (as some of you may suggest) it’s because I want to eat too many things at the same time.
Let's dive into some must-have items that will elevate your cooking and introduce you to the vibrant flavors of Africa.
Essential Pantry Staples
Here are some essential pantry staples that every African food enthusiast should have:
- Indomie Instant Noodles: For those days/ nights when you don’t have time to make an elaborate meal or you’re too broke to buy food, this will be your savior. YOU NEED THIS.
- Knorr Cubes: This is VERY essential because I love flavor in my food.
- Dried Pepper
- Yaji (Suya Pepper): Yaji+ Knorr+ Chicken= perfection.
- Shea Butter: Perfect for those dry winter days.
- Chin-chin
- Golden Morn/ Peak Milk: Feed the child in you.
- Black Soap: My new-found love.
- Sure Roll-on deodorant
- Nigerian Art
These ingredients will not only help you create delicious meals but also connect you to the rich culinary heritage of Africa.
Read also: Experience Fad's Fine African Cuisine
The Art of Making Jollof Rice
Jollof rice is a staple dish in West Africa, particularly in Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal. This flavorful rice dish is a must-try for anyone exploring African cuisine.
That awkward moment when you realize that you don’t have a detailed jollof recipe on your blog. I hear a lot of people saying that making jollof rice is really hard and complicated. I can see why anyone would think that. Perfect jollof is really dependent on the proportions of ingredients you use. Some people put too much rice, or too much water, or not enough tomato sauce. Either of these mistake can end in a pot of disaster.
Starting small and building up is key for me. For instance, after making the tomato sauce, I pour in a little rice and mix it thoroughly, if the sauce overpowers the rice, I know there’s room to add a bit more rice. It’s better to add a little and build up on ingredients, you can fix that easily.
Choosing the Right Rice
It’s also really important to choose the rice carefully. I’ve tried a bunch of rice varieties, and I find that long grain rice works best for me.
The first time I ever made jollof was in my junior (3rd) year of Uni. I started making it and I had absolutely no clue what I was doing. I just followed what I remembered my Aunties doing. Thankfully, and surprisingly, it turned out edible and tasty. No one, till date knows that was my first attempt. You know those moments where you nailed something, and you really don’t know how?
Read also: The Story Behind Cachapas
NIGERIAN PARTY JOLLOF RICE
Other Culinary Adventures
Have you ever seen a photo of food on Instagram and tried to recreate it? Well, on Sunday, I did. I was scrolling through my timeline and I saw a photo of an English breakfast. I’m looking forward to trying out more insta-inspired meals!
I’m sitting in my bed fantasizing about all the juicy goodness I’m gonna eat today! It’s one thing to attend a barbecue, it’s another to go to an African (esp. Nigerian) barbecue. If you haven’t been, you haven’t lived life to it’s fullest (dramatic?
If you need some inspiration for a barbecue, I’ve got a few ideas for you.
So I’m sitting in my cousin’s living room trying to figure out a response for my mom, and bam! It hit me… I want yams! But now the problem is, how do I want them prepared? I think composing this post just confused me even more!
Read also: Techniques of African Jewellery
Chicken Dishes
Anyway, today is all about chicken. If you know me, you know I love my chicken (especially those thighs). Classic Peppered Chicken: For those who can handle the heat. After washing the chicken, put it in a big bowl and pour in all the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Cover the bowl with plastic food cover or foil.
Here is a simple way to prepare chicken for grilling:
- Cut out enough foil to cover the entire chicken. Place it on a tray or counter top.
- Grab all four corners of the foil and twist.
- Be careful that that the legs don’t tear through the foil.
Quick Recipe Idea: Stir-Fry Quiche
In a frying pan coated with PAM cooking spray, I stir-fried chopped bacon, onions, tomatoes, and spinach. I added 2 Knorr cubes , salt, and thyme to taste. Next, I poured the stir-fry into the frozen crust and made sure it was spread out evenly. The final step is to put it in the oven and let it bake…I forgot to time it but it tool about 25-30 minutes, I believe.
Fruits of Africa
Growing up we had a huge tree outside our gate. During the harmattan, its leaves covered the grounds. Red, green, brown, everywhere. It reminded me of the American fall season. In the rainy season, the tree blossomed and bore fruit. In the initial stages, it’s green and bitter (don’t eat it before it ripens.
The fruit has 4 layers; the first is the skin. Then the flesh which is followed by a large seed. Every year, I looked forward to eating this fruit called fruit… Yes, I said fruit called fruit. That’s what I grew up calling it, we all did. But today, my curiousity lead me to carry out some research and I found out that this fruit I called fruit all my life is actually an Indian Almond also called tropical almond, and scientifically, Terminalia catappa. Eh!
