Hibiscus: Discover Fresh Flavours from West Africa with the Observer Rising Star of Food 2017. Lope Ariyo
is cassava that has been completely dried in the sun and shredded down to breadcrumb size. It is used to make Eba or is soaked in water and eaten like breakfast cereal with a sprinkling of sugar.
BEAN FLOUR is most commonly made from brown honey beans in Nigeria. They’re de-hulled, dried and milled, and the resulting off-white flour is typically used to make Moin Moin, a steamed bean cake, and Akara, bean fritters.
ATAMA is a herb with a liquorice-like scent, very similar to tarragon, which can be used as a substitute, although its leaves are much wider – more like those of the bay tree. It can be used dried or fresh, but the former has a much more intense flavour.
Obe Ata (Yoruba)
It wouldn’t be right to have a Nigerian cookbook and not include Obe Ata. Obe means soup in Yoruba and ata means pepper. In Nigeria, soups are usually made by blending the ingredients first and then cooking them in oils and flavoured stock. When made this way, they develop a vibrant colour. Most are ruby red, rich gold or bright, emerald green, encapsulating Nigerian food to a T: rich in flavour and beautiful to look at. This recipe is really quite spicy, so feel free to reduce or omit the chilli according to your taste buds! Serve with some Agege Bread or brioche, with rice spooned on top, or with Okele.
PREP TIME: 10 MINS
COOKING TIME: 20 MINS
SERVES: 4
2 large red peppers, chopped
4 salad tomatoes, halved
2 white onions, halved
2 celery sticks, chopped (optional)
4cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped (optional)
2 tbsp palm oil or coconut oil
1 beef, chicken or vegetable stock cube
1 tsp garlic granules
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tbsp carob powder (optional)
2 Scotch bonnet chillies, deseeded (if preferred) and finely chopped
salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper
groundnut oil, to serve
Using a blender or food processor, blitz the peppers, tomatoes, onions, celery and ginger (if using) with 100ml water to a relatively smooth liquid. You might need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your equipment.
Place a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the palm oil or coconut oil. Once it has melted, add the pepper mix, increase the heat to medium–high and cook for roughly 5 minutes until its colour changes from a pastel red to a dark, fiery red.
In a measuring jug, add 200ml boiling water to the stock cube, garlic granules, ground cloves and the carob powder, if using. Stir to dissolve the stock cube and then pour into the pan with the pepper mix. Add the chopped Scotch bonnets and season to taste with salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir, then place the lid on the pan and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat back to medium–low and cook for a further 10 minutes until reduced to a rich soup. By this point any tanginess from the peppers should be gone and the soup will taste almost sweet.
Divide between four bowls and drizzle over some groundnut oil to serve.
NOTES
Because this soup is eaten so often, many Nigerian households use double or triple the quantity of ingredients, blend the vegetables and then freeze them in portions. The frozen pepper paste can be added straight to the pan with the stock and spices. It’s also very common to add some form of protein to turn the soup into a stew. Favourites include chicken thighs or drumsticks, firm white fish or diced beef and tripe.
Obe Egusi (Yoruba)
This is definitely one of the most popular soups in Nigeria, and one which you’ll often find on the dinner table – a staple dish. It can be made in an abundance of ways – light and fresh or thick and creamy – using a vast array of cooking methods. Here’s my go-to recipe. Egusi seeds are the white seeds you find in a pumpkin, squash or melon. Although they don’t smell of much, they have a nutty flavour, not unlike almonds, and act as a brilliant thickening agent. If you can’t find palm oil, you can try coconut oil or groundnut oil but the flavour of the dish won’t be the same.
PREP TIME: 10 MINS
COOKING TIME: 25 MINS
SERVES: 4
200g ground egusi or ground almonds
1 chicken stock cube, crumbled
2 tbsp palm oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp tomato purée
2 Scotch bonnet chillies, deseeded (if preferred) and finely chopped
1 tsp onion granules
1 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tbsp carob powder
2 tbsp coconut aminos or 2 tsp shrimp paste
100g baby leaf spinach, chopped (optional)
salt
Add the ground egusi to a dry frying pan and toast for 4–5 minutes until it has darkened slightly. Pour the toasted egusi powder into a bowl, along with the stock cube and mix with 600ml water so that a runny paste is formed. Set aside.
Melt the palm oil in a large saucepan over a medium–low heat. Add the onion and tomato purée, stir and cook for 6 minutes until the onion has softened. Add the egusi mixture and stir until well combined. You should be left with a milky yellow blend. Add in the Scotch bonnets, onion granules, celery salt, ginger, cloves, carob powder and coconut aminos or shrimp paste to further develop the taste. Check if any additional salt is needed, then cook for 10 minutes until thickened and tiny lumps of the egusi seeds are visible. Towards the last 5 minutes, add the chopped spinach, if using, and let wilt.
When spinach is wilted, turn off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.