Food - Women Times

How to make Palm oil Rice

by Women Times on December 21, 2021

Palm oil rice use to sound local to so many civilized people but when this delicious meal is tasted, you will always call for me.

Below are the recipe in making palm oil Rice

Ingredients:
3 cups of rice
1 Big Red Bell Pepper
2 big ball of onion
2-3 Scotch Bonnet (Rodo)
1/2 Cup dried pepper/ata ijosi (Optional)
125ml palm oil
3 cups chicken/beef stock/water
2-3 medium size smoked fish
2-3 pieces cooked ponmo, diced/sliced (Optional)
1/2 Cup smoked prawns
3 tablespoons grounded crayfish
1 Cup spinach or pumpkin leaves/ugu or basil leaves (Optional)
2 Knorr, Maggi or your preferred cubes
Salt to Taste

Preparation:
-Parboil your rice and set aside…
-Blend the Bell Pepper (Tatashe), Scotch Bonnet (Rodo), dried pepper (Ata Ijosi), 1 Onion with little water and set aside….
-Get a fairly big pot, add the palm oil. Place on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add 1/2 sliced onion, fry till translucent, this should take around 6-8 minutes, add the crayfish, stir and fry for 2-3 minutes….
-Add 3 cooking spoons of the blended pepper, the Knorr, Maggi or preferred cubes, salt to taste, stir and fry for 5-6 minutes, stir occasionally. Try not to add too much salt if you’ll be using stock, remember stock contains a considerable amount of salt…
-Add 3 cups of stock or water if you haven’t got stock, stir and let it cook for 4 minutes to thoroughly combine, then add the Ponmo or any other tough protein you’re using,
-Gently add the parboiled rice…
-Stir and combine thoroughly, then add the shredded smoked fish and prawns, stir; make sure the liquid isn’t too much. Taste for salt and seasoning, adjust if necessary

Note: It’s better to start with a small quantity of water or stock, add more stock or water, preferably stock as you go to prevent overcooking.

-Cover tightly and cook till rice is very tender, stir occasionally to avoid burning.

If you’re using vegetables, add tough vegetables like Ugu 2 minutes before doneness, then switch the heat off and continue to simmer with the residual heat for a further 2-3 minutes. If you’re using Spinach, add after doneness and simmer with the residual heat for 3 minutes.

Sit, relax and serve with a chilled juice

Food

How to make catfish pepper soup

by Women Times on December 15, 2021

Catfish pepper soup.

Ingredients:
1.2 kg fresh fish
110g onions, chopped (1 medium)
2 seasoning cubes
1 tablespoons ground crayfish
2 scotch bonnet
salt
2 big ehuru (3 small), ground 1/2 teaspoon ground uziza
2 sticks uda utazi leaves (bitters)

Cooking directions:
-Toast and grind ehuru, hit uda to just break it open.
-Wash catfish slices well.
-Pour hot water over the fish slices and leave to stand for 1-2 minutes, drain and rinse in cold water.
-Place in a pot and add just enough water to just cover the fish. Place over medium heat.
-Add onions, seasoning cube, crayfish, peppers and sprinkle some salt.
-Cover and bring to a boil, add ground ehuru, uziza and uda, gently shake and swirl your pot, cook for 5-8 minutes.
-Add about 5 leaves of shredded utazi and some water. Taste and correct seasoning.
-Cook for another 5-8 minutes until fish is well cooked. Take off the heat.
-Serve your Catfish pepper soup with boiled yam, plantain, rice, agidi (eko, corn paste pudding) etc.

Please note:
-To prevent your catfish from disintegrating in your pot of soup, use the hot water method. The hot water hardens the flesh so you can cook it long enough to get the seasonings and spices into the fish.
-Do not overload your fresh fish pepper soup with too many seasoning and spices.
-If using a spice blend, use just enough to have a mellow (not harsh) taste.
-Cook long enough to remove that harsh raw taste of spices.
-If you can stand the heat of hot peppers, this is one pepper soup that benefits from being very hot.
-Fish is one ingredient you do not want to cook from frozen.
-It needs to defrost properly right through to the centre and because it cooks very fast, there is no way the centre will defrost and cook at the same time as the outside.
-Leave your fish to totally defrost before cooking.
-Toast ehuru or better buy already toasted one like I always do.

Enjoy; Serve hot or warm with a chilled drink

Food

How To Cook Spinach Soup

by Women Times on November 21, 2021

Spinach Soup is a common soup that is generally known in West Africa region. It has served as soup in many party occasions and various homes.

This soup can be said to have originated from south west in Nigeria as it is called Efo riro.

BeLow are the recipes in making or preparing spinach soup

Ingredients:
1.5 lb spinach blanched
Peppers 3 large red bell peppers,
2 scotch bonnet and 1 very small onion
1/4 cup palm oil
2 Tbsp crayfish blended
2 Tablespoon locust bean
1/2 cup stock fish about 2 handfuls of shredded
1 Prawn about a handful, (dried)
1 Onion medium size- diced
1 bouillon cube (or 2 bouillon cubes)
1 lb beef (A mixture of beef, tripe, and cow skin).
Smoked fish

Cooking directions:
-Cook your meat with your preferred seasoning cubes, onions and salt.
-Wash your stockfish; Parboil for 2-3minutes if too hard. This will soften the stock fish.
-Wash and parboil your fish for 2 mins
-Preheat the palm oil – I like it hot but not bleached.
-Add the diced onion and stir-fry till golden brown.
-Add the blended peppers (check notes above for details) and fry until the sauce thickens up.
-Season with the stock cube, add salt to taste, crayfish and locust bean. Stir until everything is well blended.
-Add the meat, smoked fish, stockfish and dried prawns; Add some water and cook until the sauce is dried

– Then add your spinach leaves stir together and allow to steam, then you can off the heat.

Stire again and serve with any food of your choice but i love taking mine with swallow most especially semolina

Food Health

A Healthy Lifestyle Starts With A Balanced Diet: Get These 5 Food Items On Your Plate

by Women Times on September 7, 2021

It is important to choose the right nutrients for the body to ensure a healthy lifestyle.

The key to a good and long life starts with what we eat. From a handpicked range of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and non-vegetarian options, such as fish and meat, the necessary nutrients for a balanced diet come through a lot of food items. It is important to choose the right nutrients for the body and lead the way to a healthy lifestyle. Packaged foods should be avoided and more focus should be laid on fresh food. Junk foods and oily food are to be avoided as they can harm the heart. But it also gets a little confusing on what to eat and what to avoid.

We have curated a list of the 5 must-haves for a daily diet so that the body is taken care of and the cravings of the taste buds are also attended to.

5 Foods To Add For A Healthy Lifestyle

1) Nuts

Nuts are a blessing in disguise. While they are great for a daily snack, the range of nuts also adds to the nutrients in the body. From proteins to carbohydrates, and magnesium, nuts contain a range of nutrients and provide multiple health benefits. Have nuts such as walnuts or peanuts daily. For you, we have a few recipes, too, where you can use nutsWhile these cashew nut cookies, which you can enjoy with your cup of tea, are full of protein, vitamins, and minerals, the nutritious Boasts of high fibre and is a great treat for diabetics.

_{Nuts are loaded with nutrients}

2) Berries

Berries are a healthy source of nutrients, such as vitamin C, fibre, and manganese. Blueberries are known for their antioxidant qualities while strawberries are very nutritious.

3) Eggs

Eggs are a huge source of protein for the body. They also contain folate that helps in hair growth. Eggs contain unsaturated fats, which are good for the heart, and a range of nutrients such as Vitamin B6, B12, and Vitamin D. Additionally, they are an absolute treat to relish.

_{Eggs are an excellent source of protein}

4) Meat

Meat, for non-vegetarians, offers huge nutrition. It contains iron that is good for the oxygen in the body, zinc to help in the growth and development of the structure of the body, Vitamin B12 to make the nervous system healthy and Omega-3 to keep the heart stronger.

5) Green leafy vegetables

From spinach to kale, green leafy vegetables contain a high level of antioxidants that help in keeping the body healthy. It also provides Vitamin K to the diet, which prevents osteoporosis and strengthens the bone structure. In addition, green leafy vegetables also make any food tastier.

_{Green leafy vegetables especially spinach should be a part of your diet}

Add these food items to your diet and watch your body go through a healthy change.

Source: NDTV foods

Food

How to Prepare Isi Ewu

by Women Times on August 29, 2021

Isi Ewu is a delicious meal made from the goat head. It is commonly eaten in the eastern part of Nigeria.

Some people confused Isi Ewu with Nkwobi although they have similar ingredients in making them both.

Below are my recipes in making Isi Ewu

Goat head
Pepper
Nkawu/potash
Salt
Seasoning
Crayfish
Utasi leaf
Onion
Red oil

Preparation

Parboil your goat head, spice it with salt, seasoning and cook it till it is soft, bring down.

Pound your fresh pepper especially that yellow pepper, add potash and palm oil, make it thick that’s the sauce, add your goat head meat, crawfish, salt and little seasoning turn it very well, taste and see if salt is ok.

Dish it on a plate or small bowl garnish it with utasi leaf and onion.

Your Isi Ewu is ready.

This delicious food is irresistible to anyone even tasting it for a very first time.

It tastes so yummy and easy to prepare

When you eating it don’t forget to step it down with a fruit wine or any drink of your choice.

Food

How I Make My Nigerian Egg Rolls

by Women Times on August 22, 2021

The weekend is over. Although it was a busy one for me. So today being a Sunday, I decided to make this simple egg rolls for my family.

To me being a Mum, making egg rolls is a simple one for me.

Below are the simple recipes I use in making my egg rolls

RECIPE
2 Cups Flour
1 Egg
1 Tsp Baking powder
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Nutmeg
2 Tbsp Margarine
8-9 Tbsp Water
5 Eggs Boiled
2 Tbsp Sugar

Method
In a large bowl, mix together the Flour, Baking powder, Salt, Sugar and Nutmeg

Use your fingers to blend the Margarine into the flour until it’s crumbly.Add the beaten egg and mix together. The dough should look dry at this point.Begin to introduce the water a little at a time and work the dough till dough is soft and sticky but still workable.

Work the dough for about a minute then cover it and let it rest for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Work the dough again for a couple of seconds to a minute and divide it into smaller units

Tightly wrap each of the dough around each Egg.

Fry on a medium heat turning over and over again until it’s golden brown.

So this is how I make my Nigerian egg roll

Serve your Egg Roll hot or warm.

I love taking my egg rolls with a chilled Zobo drink.

Food

HOW TO MAKE FRIED RICE

by Women Times on August 15, 2021

Fried rice is a delicious food prepared with rice and some other vegetables. I love making this kind of rice mostly on a Sunday evening. In fact it’s a special food for my mother in law.

Below are the recipe for making fried rice

400 g long grain rice
600 ml turkey
3 large carrot
1 handful peas and runner beans
2 large green pepper
2 onion bulb
3 tablespoonful curry powder
1 teaspoon ginger powder
3 glove of garlic
2/3 spoonful black pepper
3 cooking spoonful vegetable oil
3 stock cube (know chicken)
to taste salt
500 g Chicken/Turkey thighs or drumsticks(cooking the chicken)
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon curry
1 medium onion
1 glove garlic
1 small yellow pepper
1/2 ginger powder
2 seasoning cubes (knorr)

Steps

Add a little water and cook the chicken for 10 minutes. Then add more water and cook until done. The liquid left after cooking the chicken,is your stock. Pour the stock into a Strainer to remove tiny chicken bones and any other particles in it; then set the stock aside for later use.

Wash and place the cow liver in a pot, add seasoning cube and salt to taste; Cook the liver for 10minutes, then when cooled,cut into cubes and set aside. Liver can also be fried, before cutting into cubes

Wash all the vegetables. Dice the onion & set aside ; Peel the carrots & cut into small cubes. Remove the seeds of the green bell peppers & cut into small cubes. Place the carrots & green peas in boiling water for 5 minutes, strain out and place in a bowl of cold water, leave to cool in the water, then pour into a sieve and set aside.

This method is called blanching. It helps to par-boil the vegetables without cooking it through, thereby cutting down the stir-frying process. It also helps to preserve the vibrant color of the vegetables.

Place the reserved chicken stock into a large pot and bring to a boil. The stock should be at almost the same level as the rice, so that it dries up completely when the rice is done. You can add some water if the stock won’t be enough to cook the Rice.

As the stock begins to boil, add the parboiled rice, seasoning cubes(stock cubes), curry powder, garlic powder, onions and salt to taste.
Your rice is ready wen all the water is dried up.

Note:

It’s o.k to add a dash of cayenne pepper if you like some heat!
Don’t over boil your Rice before frying it, otherwise, you will end up with a soggy fried rice.
Fried rice is best enjoyed when the Veggies remain crunchy, so don’t overcook your veggies.
I used mixed veggies which consist of Carrots, Sweet Peas, Sweet Corn, and Green Beans. However, vegetables like sweet bell peppers can also be used.
In order to achieve that nice coveted crisp, you will need to turn up the heat to high during the frying process and stir continuously as you allow the rice to heat up.
I added pieces of beef liver in my fried Rice, a lot of people like this as well, but if you don’t want it you are free to leave it out, you will still enjoy the total goodness of the Fried Rice.
When making this Fried Rice, it is best to use Chicken stock or Turkey stock because of their mils taste. The beef stock should be avoided as it can overpower the taste of the fried rice.

It’s nice having this sumptuous fried rice with my family.

Food

Banga Soup Recipe

by Women Times on August 8, 2021

It’s Sunday and i decided to make palm nut soup for the family unlike the regular food on my family’s time table.

This palm nut soup is also known as Banga Soup which is commonly cooked in the south south region in Nigeria.

I learnt this recipe from my friend in Delta state, so i decided to share it here.

Palm-nut soup with or without fresh fish
Banga Soup can be prepared using fresh catfish (fresh fish Banga soup) or dried/smoked fish.

In this recipe, I opted for dried fish and stockfish, but you can definitely use fresh catfish if that’s your preference. Either way, this soup is very delicious with or without fresh catfish.

RECIPE

Beef: I used beef in this recipe but you can use an assortment of meat of your choice like tripe, cow leg, or any other beef part of your choice.

Onion: An essential aromatic that boosts the flavor of the beans. You can use any variety – white, yellow, or red.

Cameroon Pepper: This is used to add a bit of heat to the soup. You can use cayenne pepper or red chili flakes if you don’t have Cameroon pepper and if you want less heat, just skip it.

Seafood: Fresh Shrimps, crayfish, catfish, stockfish (dried cod), dry fish,

periwinkles. These are some seafood options that you can use. However, in this recipe, I used crayfish, stockfish, and dried fish.
Habanero or scotch bonnet: Either will work

Palm-nut fruits

Banga spice: A mixture blend of Ataiko and Irugeje in a dry mill. Readily available in market

Banga spice leaves(Beletete leaves): You can substitute with dried basil, bitter leaf or dried scent leaves
Oburunbebe stick:

Dried Fish: washed and soaked in hot water.

Salt: Add salt and seasoning powder or seasoning cubes to taste.

Water/stock: I also added the recovered beef stock to boost the taste of the soup. If you don’t have any stock you can add a little more seasoning powder (stock cube).

Tips for Making The most delicious Banga Soup

Season and spice to your level. This is the fun and creative part of cooking this soup. Banga calls for a handful of spice and seasoning so be sure to taste as you go and adjust the flavors as you like.

A good finishing: I always finish this soup with beletete. It adds richness and makes the flavors come alive. If you don’t have that, feel free to use bitter leaves or scent leaves.

Make enough for the next day: Most soups taste better on the second day, including Banga, so be sure to make enough to have a reserve for the next day.

Once the soup is set, serve with swallow or rice but I prefer serving my Banga Soup with rice.

Lifestyle Food

How to Prepare Efo Riro Soup

by Women Times on July 20, 2021

It’s Eid al-Adha, the “Feast of Sacrifice.” It is typically marked by communal prayers, large social gatherings, slaughtering of livestock and distributing meat to the needy.

So by welcoming friends and families on this wonderful day, I decided to prepare Efo riro soup along side with other food varieties.

Efo Riro is a Yoruba word and it loosely means ‘stirred spinach’. In Nigeria, the vegetables used for Efo Riro are ‘Efo Shoko’ (Lagos spinach) or ‘Efo Tete’ (African spinach).

These are the local spinach varieties that are very popular and easily available. In other parts of the world, any spinach greens will do.

This African stew is popular in some West African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon. The recipes are similar with only slight differences but my version is commonly made in Nigeria among the Yoruba tribe.

It is very easy to make and you will be amazed by how delicious this spinach stew is. You really can’t go wrong with this recipe!

Below are my recipe

3-4 bunches of efo tete about 600g. Substitute efo tete with shoko, spinach or kale
3 red bell peppers tatashe
3 scotch bonnet chillies use according to preference
2 onions
1 cup palm oil use more if you prefer
3 tbsp locust beans Iru woro
1 whole smoked mackerel
2 medium Smoked ponmo washed and diced
2 tbsp Ground crayfish
Salt
2 beef boullion I used Nigeria Knorr

I used smoked dried ponmo for this recipe, you can also use fresh ones if you want. If you are using the dried ones, soak them in warm water for at least 36-48 hours. Wash ponmo clean (use wired scourers for easier job) and set aside
Pick the vegetable from the stalk and slice into chunks( see photo for reference)
Rinse vegetable clean, drain and set aside
Wash locust beans and set aside
Chop 1 onion and set aside
Shred the smoked fish into flakes and also set aside
Blend the peppers with the remaining onions with little water coarsely and set aside (I sieved the blended pepper as I choose not to boil the pepper)
How to cook efo riro
Place a pan on medium heat and add palm oil, heat for about 5 minutes but don’t bleach
Add iru woro and chopped onions and fry for about 2 minutes (In this case, I used half of the locust beans and saved the rest before I finished cooking the soup)
Add the blended pepper to the palm oil and stir to combine, after about 3 minutes, add the remaining locust beans. Add the diced ponmo and ground crayfish and cook for another 3-4 minutes on low heat
Add seasoning (bouillon cube/stock) and pinch of salt. (check for salt at the later stage of the cooking)
Whilst you are waiting for the sauce to cook, boil water enough to cover the vegetable. Once the water is boiled, pour over the vegetable and cover with a lid for 5 minutes. Strain and squeeze out excess water from the vegetable.
Continue to cook the sauce till oil floats on the top, add half of the smoked fish and stir to combine. (You can add little water to the sauce if it is too dry but do not over do it as efo riro is almost water free)
Add the vegetable to the sauce and stir till all is well incorporated.
Add the remaining smoked mackerel and carefully combine in the vegetable. Check for salt and cook for another 4 minutes.
Take it off the heat and set aside. Serve with a swallow of choice or rice and you can even choose to eat it on its own.

I really derive pleasure in serving my guests with this yummy soup 😁

Food

Jollof Rice Recipe

by Women Times on July 4, 2021

Families gathers together almost every Sunday. Jollof Rice is almost everyone’s if not 100 percent people’s choice.

It carries the vote When it comes to party’s menu with other foods varieties.

I personally love making jollof Rice on Sundays because to me, it’s a means of bringing people together.

So today I will be sharing my jollof rice recipe to do get my family and friends attention.

Below are my recipe for jollof rice
4 big bell peppers
2 vine tomatoes
1 whole white onion
Note: You can increase the amounts of the three ingredients above depending on the numbers of people you want to feed. The only rule being that the number of peppers should be double the number of tomatoes used, and the number of onions used should be a quarter of the number of peppers used)

1 Scotch Bonnet pepper (optional)
1 whole red onion
Half a cup of vegetable oil
A tube of tomato puree (sachet or tin tomatoes)
3 Bay leaves
1 tablespoon of dried Thyme
3 Stock cubes
2 tablespoons of All purpose seasoning
2 teaspoons of curry powder (optional)
Salt (to taste)
Long grain rice (1 cup per person as a standard measurement) The number of peppers, tomatoes and onions above usually work for 6 cups of rice. If you need to cook less rice, then reduce those ingredients as required.

How to cook!
-Blend together the peppers, tomatoes and white onion. Set aside.
-Chop up the red onion and fry till translucent in half a cup of oil on medium heat.
-Add 3/4 of a tube of concentrated tomato puree to the red oil mixture and fry for 5 mins.
-Add the bay leaves, dried thyme, stock cubes, all purpose seasoning and salt.
-Mix all of this together; Combine both the mixtures you now have, cover and boil on medium heat for 15 minutes.
-Wash your already parboiled rice and drain till the water is clear. This removes excess starch and helps the rice cook better.
-Once the stew has cooked for 15 mins, add the washed rice, and mix together thoroughly. Cover and cook on low heat, making sure to stir the rice every 20 minutes. -Cook for a total of 1 hour then leave to sit covered for an extra 10 minutes.

You can spice up this recipe by adding 2 well known vegetables to arrive at what we refer to as Mixed Vegetables Jollof Rice.

You can Serve with fried meat, fish, chicken etc balanced with creamed and avocado pear but personally I love taking my jollof rice with grilled meat. Why I do go for grilled meat is because, grilling do reduce the contents of fats the meat could have gathered.