(ukazi /afang) salad

                                       

                              

(Ukazi/afang) is a leaf eaten among the eastern part of Nigeria, the calabars and some igbos. The leafs is very expensive in the market, in a restaurant, a plate of afang soup is also costly. There are many ways of preparing (ukazi /afang), it can be prepare as soup or salad. As for me, we  prepare raw (ukazi /afang) as salad and eat it like that. Like the one in the picture. I know you might be wondering how possible that is! But believe me, it's delicious! Below are the steps on how to prepare this greenish and yummy salad.

Ingredients

1. A handful of sliced (ukazi /afang) or any quantity of your choice
2. Potash ( akanwu)
3. Ugba
4. Fresh pepper (3 seeds)
5. Kpomo
6. Garden eggs ( optional)
7. Stock fish (optional)
8. Knorr cube (1)
9. Palm oil (one cooking spoon)
Water and salt to taste.

How to prepare.

1. Mash the potash with a back of spoon into powder form. Pure it inside an empty jam bottle or inside a bowl. Add enough water and set it aside.
2. Soak the (ukazi/afang) in a clean bowl. Leave it to settle down in case it has any sand.
3. Scrape the kpomo with a kitchen knife. Chop them into pieces and set aside
4. Wash the ugba with warm water
5. In a small morter, pound  together the fresh pepper and crayfish if you don't have grounded one.
6. Pure in the oil . By now the potash must have settled. It is settled when the bottom looks like ash and the top brown. The one you should use is the top one that looks like brown
7. Now, pure in a little of the potash. Give it a good stir until the oil changes to yellow and thick. Continue stirring until everything is thoroughly mixed.
8.  Add half of the knorr cube, chopped kpomo, stock fish if you are using any. Stir it until everything has combined together.
9. Squeeze out excess water from the (ukazi / afang). Add it to the mixed ingredients. Give it a good stir until everything has blended. Add a little salt if you need any.
10. You can add some sliced onion by the side like the one in the picture or enjoy it like that! With a chilled beverage.

Note: if you are using stock fish, boil it until it is soft. Make sure you are using the flesh not the bone. Add it the same to you added the kpomo. You can add in you chopped garden eggs or add it on top of the salad like the onion. Whichever way you choose is cool!

square water melon

fried potatoes and scrambled eggs

If you feel like trying simple and light meal that cost less, than you are just at the right place! Here is a meal just for you.!!

Ingredients

1. (3 big blb) sweet potatoes peeled and slice.
2. Vegetable oil
3. (3 large eggs)
4. Knor (1cube)
5. Milk (3tablespoons)
and salt to taste

How to Prepare

1. Peel the potatoes, slice them round or any shape you desire.
2. Wash them and put them inside a sieve. Spice it with a little salt.
3. Put a big frying pan on the fire. You can use deep fryer if you have any. Allow it it to dry, pure in the vegetable oil and allow it to heat for some minutes, on a high heat. Add the sliced potatoes, fry it until it becomes brown and ready to be eaten.
4. Now crack in the eggs in a clean bowl. Add half of the knor cube and a little salt. Give it a thoroughly beating with a fork or a cake whisker. Mix the milk with a little water, add it inside the beaten eggs, give it one more beating. Set it aside.
5. By now you must have finished frying the potatoes. Transfer the oil in a big steeless bowl. Put the pot back on fire and add a spoon of the oil. Let it heat for 1minute. Pure in the beaten eggs. Stir it continuously on a low heat until it forms scrambled just like the one on the picture. You can enjoy it with chilled beverage, tea or anything you feel like. It's your choice.
Note: you can add a little stew beside it if you like.

okra soup

   Okra soup is one of the fastest, cheapest and easiest soup to make. It is delicious and it's good eaten on the same day you prepared it. I like mine crunching and green

Ingredients.

1. Fresh okra (any quantity you want  

2. Dry fish or smoke fish (titus)               

3. Kpomo.                                                    

4. Stock fish (optional)                              

5. Palm oil ( 3 cooking spoons)                

6. Crayfish (grinded 2 tablespoons)        

 7. Fresh pepper ( 4 seeds.                          

8. Vegetable ( ugu )                                   

9. Knor ( 4 cubes)                                      

10. Water and salt to taste. 

How to prepare

Before we begin, make sure all the ingredients are set.

Ok let's get started

In a clean medium size pot, cut the stock fish into pieces, put the stock fish inside the pot. The reason for cutting the stock fish into pieces is for it to cook quick. Add enough water, a little salt and boil for 30mins or until the stock fish is soft. 

Check it after 15mins to see if the water has reduced. Add a little more water if needed. Wash the dry fish with warm water in case there is any sand, pieces and set aside. Wash the kpomo scrape the inside to get the dirty out. Chop it into small squares, put it in a clean bowl and set aside.

Step 2. Wash the okra, chop it into squares depends on how you want it. Check it to see if the stock fish is ready, add the dry fish, chopped kpomo water and knor cubes. Cover and let it boil for 15mins on medium heat.

Step 3. Blend the pepper, crayfish and half of the onion together.  Pick the vegetable (ugu) if you are using any. Wash it in a clean water for about 4times. Slice the remaining onion and set it aside. By now the boiling ingredients should be ready.

Step 4. Transfer the boiled ingredients into a large clean bowl. Put the pot on fire and let it dry. Add 3 cooking spoons of palm oil. Let it heat for 1minute. Add the sliced onion, fry it for 5seconds. Add in the blended ingredients. Stir and add the remaining knor cubes. Cover the pot and let it boil for 3mins on high heat.  Add the boiling ingredients, stir it and taste to see if you need any salt.

Let it boil on medium heat for about 8mins. Now add the okra, do not stir. Steam it on medium heat for 3 to 4mins. Stir it properly, cover and allow it to boil for 2 more minutes. When the soup is ready, serve hot with eba, semovita etc.

Note: if you are using vegetable (ugu) add it the same time you added the okra and remember do not stir. Enjoy!!!                                                                     

                        

                         

                                                     

                                                                     

                                                                  

       

                       

                  

                                                                                                                              

                                                

                                                                        

                                                                             

sandwich

This yummy yummy sandwich is what I make mostly on Saturdays for my siblings. Each time I made them, my siblings will eat and eat and even asked for more. I know we have different types of sandwich and also different ways of making them, but this very one is my favourite.

   Things you need.

 Ingredients.

1. 1 loaf of bread (sliced)

2. Sardine (3tins)

3. Red ball pepper (4)

4. Eggs (5)

5. Onion (medium)

6. Butter or margarine

7. Knor cube (1)

8. Fresh tomatoes (optional)

9. Cabbage (optional)

10. And salt to taste

         

            How to prepare.

Step 1. Get Your sandwich machine ready. Make sure the inside is well cleaned. Rub the inside with a little butter. You don't want your sandwich to stick to the machine when is ready. After you have finished rubbing the butter, do not plug it. 

  

Step 2. Chop the onion, pepper into small small squares, also chop the cabbage, fresh tomatoes if you are using any. Mix them together and set aside. Open the sardine, pure them in a clean bowl. Add a little salt, pieces them with a spoon until it looks like a marsh potatoes. Set the bowl aside.

Step 3. Now in a clean bowl, crack in the eggs, add the knor cube and beat them together with a fork or whisker if you have any. Get your margarine or butter ready. As for me, I normally use baking margarine whichever one you are using, that's ok it will still come out fine. 

Note: if the margarine or butter you are using is block, microwave it a little. Do not melt it. In case you don't have microwave, keep it in a room temperature before getting the other things ready.

Step 4. Now that everything is ready, let's make the sandwich. This is were the  work begins. Plug in the sandwich machine, get two slices of bread, spread  butter on each with a bread knife. After you have finished spreading them, keep one of the sliced bread aside. On the other one, scoop a spoon of sardine and spread it round. Now add a small quantity of the chopped ingredients. Place it inside the machine, scoop in two spoons of the beaten eggs. Cover it with the other sliced bread, close the machine. Allow it to cook until it is brownish in colour just like the one in the picture. Continue the process with the remaining slices of bread. You can make as many as you like. You can enjoy it with chilled beverage, hot, or even eat it like! 

                                                                                

                                                                       

chicken stew

crayfish rice and garlic with gizard

Crayfish rice and garlic is one of my siblings favourite. Is easy to make and very tasty too. To spice it up a little, I added a little of coconut powder about 1tbsp. Here are the things you need to make this delicious meal

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups of long grain rice
2. Crayfish ( not grinded one)
3. Onion 1blb (sliced)
4. 2gloves of garlic (chopped)
5. 4cubes of knor
6. Coconut powder (1tbsp)
7. Vegetable oil (1cooking spoon)
8. Gizard (10pieces)
9. Black pepper (1tsb)
10. Water and salt to taste.

          How to prepare

Step1.

 Wash the rice and put it in a clean pot, add water and perboil it for 3mins. Drain and raised it with clean water. Put it in a bowl and set aside. Wash the gizard, spice it with onion, garlic and a cube of knor. Add a little water and allow it to boil for 5mins on a low heat. After it must have boiled halfway, add a little salt, cover and continue cooking.

Step2.

 Put a clean dry pot on the fire. Add the vegetable oil, let it heat for 1min. Add the sliced onion, garlic and fry them for 10seconds. Add the washed crayfish and continue frying for another 10 seconds. Pure in the perboiled rice, the remaining knor cubes, black pepper. Combine everything together and fry them for 5mins on a low heat.
     
Step3.

Mix the coconut powder with a little water in a clean bowl. Pure it inside the fried ingredients, add in the gizard with the stock, stir it properly, add more water. Add salt if needed. Cover and allow it to cook for 15mins.

Step4.

After 10mins, check if the water has  dried a little. Reduce the heat and let it cook well. You can serve it hot or cold with a chilled drink to go with it.

Note:
I usually prepare the gizard separately as pepper gizard, then add it by the side of the rice when the rice is ready. But you can prepare yours together. In whichever way you choose, is still going to come out beautifully and tasty too!