In West African cooking, palm oil is the queen of the kitchen.  This meal celebrates the importance of palm oil to the cooking of this region in all its  rich red smoky flavor.

Palm Chicken

You will need:

1kg of chicken thighs

6 firm fresh tomatoes

2 medium onions

a bunch of ntong (ask for pepper soup leave or nchiau in any African shop) or mint leaves (rinse and chopped)

4 fresh red chili (or less if you don’t want it too spicy)

quarter cup of palm oil

salt and I cube of maggi chicken

Wash the chicken and pat it dry, then put it in a cooking pot or pan.

Process (not blend) the pepper, half of one onion and the ntong, or  mint leaves

And pour over the chicken. Season it with the salt and the maggi and set aside for about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes and the remaining onions into big chunks;  put this in the pot and mix well.  Drizzle the palm oil over the chicken, cover and bring to boil  for about 20 minutes– turn the chicken gently with a wooden ladle  every now and then to prevent it from burning. When ready, spoon onto a flat serving dish.  Serve with steamed rice, yam, or potatoes

Enzymes are a special class of biological chemicals in our body that act as catalyst to trigger functions to maintains and regenerate vital body fluids, cells, tissues and organs.

Enzymes play many roles in our body.  Some of the most essential roles of certain enzymes are the ability to digest food and assimilate the nutrients content of fruits and vegetables.

It’s been medically proven that following a primarily raw food diet can help maintain the essential vitamins, minerals and enzymes our body needs.  However, how convenient is it for most people to chew their way through platefuls of raw fruits and vegetables each day? In some cases certain people might find it hard to properly digest the raw fiber in their food.  For that reason juicing provides the best alternative method for ensuring that your body receives the daily enzymes and benefits it needs.

Full Moon – this week specialty – is guarantee to do just that.  enjoy!

Full Moon
1 ripe Mango – seeded

a quarter of pineapplee

I well-ripe orange

Quarter of pawpaw (papaya)

I carrot

I lemon-grass stick – or five long leaves

Wash all the ingredients and, peal the mango, orange and papa – but include the seed of the papaw as they are known to be rich in anti-oxidant – juice all the fruit together.  Your delicious drink  chock-full of vitamins and minerals is ready.

This recipe shows how much you can do with so little if  you love cooking. The idea for this creation came one day when I was looking inside an almost empty fridge and wondering what to cook for a friend who had decided to pay me a surprise visit – with another friend in tow, of course (Africans will do that to you. Never mind that you did not request their presence, nor indicate a need for your quiet peaceful afternoon to be disrupted, not only will they drop in on you, they will expect to be wined, dined and entertained). But you know what, I kind of like that,  real friends should never have to be given an invitation before showing up on one’s doorstep:-).

Skylark Mushroom

Quarter a kilo of button, or yellow mushroom

2 bulbs of garlic (minced)

1 medium onion (chopped)

Four firm fresh tomatoes (cut into big chunks)

A handful of dry shrimps

2 sliver of butter

A can of coconut cream

Coriander leaves, or Ntong – Scent leaves – the Igbos of Nigeria call it Nchiaun (chopped)

Salt and black pepper to taste (add a little chili if you so wish)

Wash and slice up the mushroom.   Melt the butter in a pan; fry the garlic, onions, and tomatoes gently for about three minutes. Pour in the coconut cream, mushroom (throw in a few dry shrimps if you have any), pepper and salt,  let it cook – stirring gently every now and then.  When the mushroom is cooked – should take about five minutes – add the coriander or Ntong and cook for a further 45 seconds.  Dish onto a serving plate and served with steamed rice, or yam.  You can top the mushroom with a pan-fried salmon fish, if you have any, then sprinkle  a few rucola leaves  (rocket salad leaves) and….la voila!

Hey people!

Welcome to another new week.

If some of you out there are like me (whose idea of greeting the morning is to blink one eye-lid, roll over and get right back to sleep!), you will love this one.  The ginger in it is a real pick-me-up, while the banana and carrot provide you with enough energy to propel you into that shower in preparation for your day’s job.

Don’t forget to wash the vegetables and fruits!

1 carrot

I banana

A slice of fresh ginger

Half  of a red beetroot (substitute one medium potato if you can’t get beetroot)

Juice all the ingredients together.  Makes one and a half glass – about .250ml.

• I have heard some say they don’t like fish.  Well, all I say to that is this, let’s have that conversation again after you’ve tried this recipe:-)

• I white-flesh fish – about half a kilogram (cut into big cubes)
• A can of coconut cream
• I fresh chili (chop it up)
• A cube of ginger (minced)
• 1 Lemon grass stick or a three of the grass (mash up it)
• A few sprigs of fresh dill and coriander leaves
• 1 tsp of ground turmeric
• A  sliver of butter

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Wash and pat dry the fish.  Pour the coconut cream in a bowl, add the chili, half the ginger, dill, and half of the coriander leaves, salt, and the lemon grass – toss together.  Put the fish pieces in and let it soak for 1 hour.  Then take out the fish pieces – and set aside the marinade. Steam the fish for about 20, or until the pieces flakes off easily when tested with a fork.  Five minutes before the fish is ready, melt the butter in a pan, or work, and gently fry the turmeric and the remaining ginger for about two minutes, add the marinade sauce and boil until the sauce reduces a bit.  Arrange the fish over a serving dish and pour the sauce over it,  garnish with a few sprig of coriander and dill.  Served with steamed rice, or mashed potatoes.