Nigerian cuisine is rich and diverse, offering a variety of dishes that are both flavorful and satisfying. This article explores three popular Nigerian recipes: Shaki stir-fry, assorted meat stew, and pepper soup. Each dish showcases unique ingredients and cooking techniques that highlight the depth of Nigerian culinary traditions.
How to cook Assorted meat pepper soup . Your family will love this.
Shaki Stir-Fry: A Modern Twist on Traditional Ingredients
The idea for Shaki stir-fry began as a playful question about what a "Nigerian" stir-fry would look like. The stir-fry method allows for creativity with ingredients, and this recipe combines traditional Nigerian flavors with the quick cooking style of a stir-fry.
In creating this recipe, we didn’t have much trouble coming up with protein options. We wanted “meat” that most Nigerian would love and also things that will provide relative texture contrast. Ponmo, shaki and Snails were the winners. The crowning achievement of this whole thing is the sauce; the stirfry pros know that the secret to a great stirfry is the sauce. You really should try this recipe. Cook it for the fam, for bae, for the next potluck, for yourself (because aren’t nobody more special!).
I got the ‘book’ shaki, known as Bible. Manifold. Onigbawe, in Yoruba. I also got some Tozo, probably from the belly as it is ‘fatty’. Sigh.
Stirring till the mix had a uniform glaze of brown from the suya spice. In went some roasted peanuts - because cassava and peanuts rock. I like to hold off seasoning when I do things with suya just so it isn’t overdone.
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Quite soon, we were done. I want the cassava chunks to be more, taste more interesting but they aren’t. Don’t get me wrong, it is nice - the tripe and tozo give it texture. I’m chewing bits and pieces laced with the bright green of scent leaf. The tripe is not hard or soft - it is in between chewy and I have to spend some time on it.
I have shared some stirfry recipes in the past, my favorite being this Suya chicken stirfry recipe that you can honestly be prepared in 15 minutes. The stirfry idea isn’t restricted to meat and vegetables; it is simply the mode of cooking.
So holler at me if you know how one can coax good flavour out of this root.
Nigerian Assorted Meat Stew: A Weekend Staple
Nigerian Assorted Meat Stew is a flavorful dish often prepared on weekends. This stew is characterized by a rich, fried pepper base and a medley of assorted meats, creating a hearty and satisfying meal.
This is one recipe I really should have shared ages ago cos a weekend hardly ever goes by without me preparing it, but for some reason, I never thought to share a recipe, well, until now. Unlike my Chicken Stew recipe, I do not use Garlic and Ginger for Assorted Meat Stew. I prefer to retain the natural flavours of the meats so I refrain from using too many condiments.
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You’ll notice I used quite a lot of Vegetable oil for this recipe. You do need a lot of oil for properly fried stew, otherwise, you’ll end up with boiled and not fried stew. Wash and season your meats, boil them till tender on medium heat. Remember to boil the tougher meats for a while before adding the softer meats. When boiling meats, I prefer to steam first with no water. I add one blended onion, Knorr cubes, Thyme, Curry powder and Salt to taste. When the meats are fully cooked, fry or grill and set aside.
Usually, I roast my peppers but when I’m cooking with Goat meat, I don’t. To learn how to roast peppers, check out my Chicken Stew recipe.
Pour 2 cooking spoons of Vegetable oil into a big pot and place on medium heat. Next, add the in the blended pepper mix, 3 Knorr cubes, Curry powder and Thyme. Only add salt if you won’t be using meat stock later. Fry until the pepper mix loses its sourness and the oil starts to flow to the top a little. This should take roughly 20 minutes.
When it’s well fried, add the meat stock, you’ll need to add 2 cups to avoid using water. Water will water down the taste of the stew but if you haven’t got stock, you can use water but just a cup. Taste for salt/seasoning, adjust if necessary. Stir and turn the heat down to LOW. Allow to slow cook and incorporate for a further 20 minutes.
Let’s hear from you when you’ve had the chance to try out this easy Nigerian Assorted Meat Stew recipe.
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Assorted Meat Pepper Soup: A Spicy Delicacy
Peppersoup is one of the most delicious Nigerian foods. I want to talk about the assorted meat recipe I have come to learn, in the last few years that several recipes exist. This one, however, is made with assorted meat. We have different recipes in Nigeria that are made with different kinds of meat and fishes.
Here is how I Make pepper soup with assorted cow meat. I have used the phrase ‘Assorted cow meat’ on several parts of this food blog. If you don’t understand what I mean, here is an explanation. There are many brands of beef seasoning spices in Nigeria, you can use anyone. The glass plate contains a seasoning cube and paprika powder. Assorted goat meat on the other plate.
Start cooking the meat with some simple ingredients. Cook the meat for just 10 minutes then add about 3 cups of water and cook for 30-50 minutes until the meat becomes tender and easy to chew. Add the Paprika - a teaspoon. Paprika is a spice made from the dried fruit of red bell pepper. Add the sliced utazi, salt and (ordinary) pepper to taste.
You can serve alone with a chilled bottle of your favorite drink. Why not try this out in your kitchen and tell me all about it? You could make assorted meat pepper soup using this recipe.
Recipe for Assorted Meat Pepper Soup
This recipe serves 4 people and has approximately 529 kcal per serving.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg assorted meat (goat or cow)
- 3 Seeds of Ehu
- Scent leaves (a handful)
- Sliced Utazi Leaves (optional, to taste)
- 2 stock cubes
- 3 Tablespoons of ground crayfish (optional)
- 1 Cup Sliced onions
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Beef seasoning spice
- 2 garlic cloves
- Half-finger of ginger
- Half teaspoon lion Peppersoup spice
- Teaspoon Paprika
Instructions:
- Pound or blend the ginger and garlic together.
- De-shell the calabash nutmeg (Ehu) then go ahead and blend/pound together with the uziza seeds and half cup of crayfish.
- Slice the onions and utazi leaves and set aside in a plate.
- Wash the meat and season with a teaspoon of beef seasoning, a teaspoon of salt, half cup of sliced onions and 1 seasoning cube).
- Once the meat boils for 10 minutes add 3 cups of water to it and cook till it becomes tender and chewable.
- Add the pepper soup spice, the ground ehu, uziza, crayfish, and remaining onions.
- Add a teaspoon of Paprika and allow it to boil for 3 minutes.
- Add the sliced utazi, salt and (ordinary) pepper to taste.
Note: Uziza seeds are very pepperish, be sure to taste before adding scotch bonnet. Use pepper at your discretion.
| Nutrient | Amount per Serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 529 kcal |
