Tuesday, September 30, 2008

'Africans don't like potatoes'

About a month or so ago, while over at a friends, quite confidently, she said to me, 'Africans don't like potatoes'. The reason she made this statement was because I was cooking a few dishes for dinner that night, and my oven roasted herb potatoes (will definitely put it up the next time I make it) was one of them. She was cautioning me not to make too much.

This got me thinking. Although the statement is an obvious generalization (my sis loves potatoes, she claims they are her favorite vegetable), could the reason we are not crazy about them be that we feel potatoes are boring and usually there is not really much that we do with it. Often times, we simply boil it and eat it with stew.

I guess the texture/taste of a potato in the boiled form is quite boring. For example, my brother has no problem with mashed potatoes or fries, but something about it being boiled, does not quite interest him.

On the contrary friends, potatoes, can be fun!

There are quite a few simple side dishes that you can make with potatoes. Oven roast them chopped into bite size pieces with your favorite seasonings - Italian seasonings work great; mash them up with milk and butter, add a little sour cream for added yumminess; or do as I did a few days ago, thinly slice up the potatoes and bake them in a cheese sauce (Knorr makes a great three cheese sauce) in the oven for about 40 minutes, for a simple but delightful scalloped potatoes.

Calorie conscious, substitute milk with fat-free/low fat milk, and butter with low fat/cholesterol free spreads, and you won't even remember it's low fat.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Dinner in about 20 minutes

Sick of eating the same thing? Tired of leftovers? Hungry but not up for an hour by the stove?

On you next visit to the grocery store, pick up sachet or bottled sauces like 'Mongolian Beef', 'Thai Curry', 'General Tso', 'Thai Basil', 'Teriyiaki' or 'Curry Garam Masala'. Also grab some frozen mixed vegetables, or if you prefer fresh, a medley of onions and sweet peppers work great too.

Grab a wok or a frying pan, some cooking spray, frozen mixed vegetables (or chop up onions and peppers) and your sauce of choice.

Heat the pan, spray with the cooking spray, sauté the vegetables, add the sauce, and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve over rice, vermicelli or even udon noodles (You can add some store bought cooked shrimp or chicken just before adding the sauce, and simmer a little longer, for a heartier meal).

Always works out great for me. Not only do I get a meal in just a few minutes, but I don't have to go to an ethnic restaurant to get ethnic food.

p.s - In the pictures above, I used 'Essensia Mild Curry Garam Masala'. It is a low calorie sauce.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Mangoes


About a week ago, I bought some mangoes from the grocery store, and when I tried one, it was basically rubbish.
This kinda sucked since the ones I got a few weeks back from the same store took me right back to West Africa. I thought I had finally found a place that sold decent mangoes.
Anyway, I figured all was not lost. So, I looked up a pretty easy dessert recipe online. It was delicious !!!!

Mango Shortbread

CRUST
1 1/4 cups butter

4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

FILLING

2 cups mangoes, sliced thinly

1/4 cup flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Directions Cream crust ingredients.
Pat 1/2 of mixture into a 9x13 inch pan.
Set aside other half.
Mix filling ingredients (sugar, flour, cinnamon) -
and fold in mangoes.
Spread over crust
Add rest of crust mixture over mango filling.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Nigerian style barbequed beef (Suya)

Living on this side of the pond made treats like suya a rare commodity.
Yes, there is 'Suya Master' in DC, and a few other places in London, Houston and Atlanta, but for me, since I do not live in any of those cities, it is hard to come by.
I had attempted recreating this gem once or twice as a teenager, but it wasn't until 2001, when my roommate at the time, Mercy, made some for her birthday party that I was bold enough to give it another try.
Much thanks to her, it has become one of my most treasured recipes, and a party pleaser. Cooked in the oven, instead of on a charcoal grill like the masters do it, I like to garnish with onions and green peppers, and stick it on a toothpick for finger food. As an alternative, I skewer a few thinly sliced pieces, and serve with rice and plantain as an entree.
It might not be as good as the real thing, but it is a pretty good substitute, if I do say so myself.

Monday, September 22, 2008

I just love cooking!


Ever since I was little, I have loved cooking. I still remember being 7 years old in the kitchen with my mother learning how to chop onions the right way.
By the time I was a teenager, I had learned how to cook quite a few Nigerian meals like Jollof (Jellof, keeping it Naija) rice, Fish Stew, Egusi Soup, Banga Soup, and I even attempted to make pounded yam from scratch. I had also attempted a few dishes from my mother's British cookbooks.
At 17, I went to college and that was when I really started to experiment with food. I love food from all over the world, and once I taste a dish, and I love it, I am desperate to learn how to cook it myself.
Once I accomplish making a meal the traditional way, I like to put a little bit of 'me' into it the next time I cook that meal. 'Me' is learning about or experimenting with substitute ingredients that taste just as good; such as ground turkey when you don't have beef, using brown rice in Jellof rice, or adding spices I love and grew up with - like curry, thyme and cayenne pepper to create a fusion of sorts.
I love cooking that is simple but delicious, so at times, I go for a semi-homemade approach, especially when it comes to pastries and baking. I get bored of eating the same thing, so, I am at the stove quite often.
Anyway, above is a picture of some food (meat pies, mini pizzas, spring rolls with beef samosa filling, Singaporean noodles, and shrimp spring rolls - also made a Sangria) that I made for my sister's birthday almost two months ago. Many thanks and love to you sis, for encouraging me to do this xoxo.