Nigerian Foods, Tips and Cooking

Do you love travelling to beautiful places around the world? Are you a food blogger interested in African cuisines? Do you plan to visit Nigeria soon?. This article explores some mouth-watering Nigerian cuisines you should try on your next visit.

Nigeria is regarded as the largest black country in the world having over 150 million citizens and over 250 ethnic groups with 3 major ones. Each ethnic group has some peculiar cuisines associated with them. Below are some of these foods and how to prepare them.

1. Ofada rice with stew: Ofada is a small town in the South-Western part of the country. Its residents are known to be rice farmers hence the rice grown is named after the town. This rice is brownish in colour and sold across the country.

Ingredients: 2 and a half cups ofada rice, 5 cups water, 1 tsp. vegetable oil (optional), 1 tsp. Salt.

Direction to cook includes heat up the 5 cups of water in a pot till it boils, rinse rice thoroughly with cold running water and pour into the pot of boiling water. Add salt and oil. Thereafter, cook for 35 minutes or until its ready (soft to eat).

2. Pounded yam and melon soup (egusi): This delicacy is also known among the south-western Yoruba people. The ingredients for 2 servings include 1 tuber of yam, 2 cups of ground melon, fresh tomatoes, fresh pepper, 1 medium-size ice fish, Palm oil, onion, stock cube, 1 tsp of salt, 1 small bunch ugwu leaf.

Direction to cook: Peel, wash and boil yam till its well-cooked. Pound in a mortar with a pestle, mould into balls and set aside. Add little water to ground egusi in a pot to form a thick paste with blended pepper, onion and tomatoes. Stir the mixture and allow to cook before adding palm oil. Pour in some water to lighten the soup if too thick, stock cubes, salt to taste and your fried ice fish. Finally, add chopped ugwu leaf and allow to cook for 5 minutes. Serve pounded yam and egusi soup.

3. Afang soup is eaten by the Efikis/Ibibio people of Nigeria. This soup has a bit of bitter taste but highly nutritious and tasty.

Ingredients are Smoked fish, beef or assorted meat, ground crayfish, periwinkle (optional), Afang Leaves (dry or fresh), Water leaves (Alternatively, lamb lettuce or Spinach), Palm oil, Stock cubes, Fresh pepper or ground dried pepper (to taste) and Salt to taste.

Direction to cook: wash and cut Afang leaves, pound or blend it and set aside then slice the water leaves and also set aside. Cook until tender the assorted meat, smoked fish or beef and stockfish with chopped onions, one stock cube/seasoning cube and salt to taste. Then clean the dried fish in hot water, remove the bones to avoid choking while eating and add the fish to the pot of cooked meat. Add the Palm oil, pepper, ground crayfish and stock cube to the pot. Mix well and then add periwinkles (if you are using any). Add salt to taste. Cover the pot and leave to boil for about 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, add the Afang leaves, leave to simmer for 3 to 5 minutes and then add the water leaves. Afang soup is ready to be served hot with Starch, Pounded Yam, Wheat meal, Eba, Fufu, Semolina, Amala,

4. Tuwo shinkafa is popular throughout the northern parts of Nigeria. It is a unique dish consisting of rice flour or soft, short-grained rice and water.

Ingredients: 1 cup white rice (non-parboiled) and 3 cups water

Direction to cook: Wash the non-parboiled rice to a pot. Add water to the rice and let it cook till the water is dry and very soft. Next, using a wooden spoon, mash the rice against the edges of the pot to bring the rice together. Stir and mash continuously until it forms one nice lump. Tuwo Shinkafa is often served as an accompaniment to various soups and stews such as egusi, miyan Kuka, miyan taushe, and stew for overall nutrition.

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