THE GOSPEL OF STEW.

'Patience is sweet food". (The words of a ‘not so patient woman elsewhere!’).


I've been opportune to not only learn but taste real Nigerian style stew. A stew that defies the sourness in tomatoes (I've had horrifying experiences with the humble tomatoes!).
My story starts, on a Friday again. Befitting though because I love Fridays and most of my foodie adventures for some odd reason happens on that day.
A very fashionable woman was going to teach me the best stew. (She got tired of the cook's crap I’m guessing). So we made a date to make a mean stew!
Stew is definitely a staple food in the Nigerian home. It’s the one dish that transcends tribe! Hausa! Igbo! Yoruba! Tiv! Fulani! And even foreigners have stew in there every day menus.
In Nigeria, stew is a mix of 3 veggies, tomatoes (although some say it’s a fruit, I say it’s a tomato!), red pepper (Bell pepper, capsicum, sweet pepper) and onions (I think that speaks for itself).
The key to a successful mix in a traditional, authentic, grade ‘A’ stew is the pepper! 'Tattase' (we call it in this part of the world). this is the gospel!

Hierarchy of the Ingredients in a stew mix:

· Tattase(Alpha dog)
· Onions. (Omega)
· Tomatoes (not so important!)

Reason for tomatoes being not so important is its acidity often makes the stew sour and it can dominate a dish rendering other ingredients useless almost; much like an opera singer and a tennis player, put them together in a place and ask them to make some noise and we all know who will win. By tennis player I mean the females obviously, you know the type that makes it uncomfortable for you to watch a game in the same room with your dad because of the weird sounds coming from hitting a ball! (Get your minds out of the gutter people that is not what I mean.)

Method:
There is a technique to this dish you see. First of all you have to bleach your palm oil. What that means is, you fry the oil till you are literally choking to death if you're in an enclosed area, matter of fact not so enclosed and you'll still choke. I advise you do this outside, not in doors. If you live in a flat then go and beg your neighbor with the backyard to let you cook there! Make sure you give them some of the stew for future purposes if you know what I mean. Don’t be stubborn, if you want good stew you have to do this!

OK, fine, you can still fry the palm oil lightly but be warned it won’t be the same thing.

Separately cook the blended mixture of Tattase (pepper),onions and tomatoes on low to medium heat, basically you are trying to dissolve excess liquid (this stew is very thick you see); now I know you are thinking what quantity of what should you add?? Here is the response I got "person wey wan use quantity or time to cook no sabi cook!", means if you need to measure your ingredients, and time your food, then you can’t cook!. Most of our grandmothers believe this actually.

That said, make sure your pepper is the boss in this mix, then your onions and a small quantity of tomato, we need this for moisture and texture too. After cooking the mixture separately and bleaching, I can't get the picture of the typical 'Fanta' face and coca cola body! out of my head when saying this, but I digress.

Pour in the pepper mix into the oil, cook for further 40 min at least! ( I did not mention time! It’s an approximation!) Do not let it dry out to the point its burning keep an eye on it and keep stirring.

Before I forget, (some cook I am), season your stew or palm oil the moment you bring the two together (Now, my teacher swears by a particular seasoning, a cube to be precise, starts with a K. That's all I'll say.) And that's all she uses! Amazing, how you put that stew in your mouth you start conjuring up all kinds of possibilities of taste but its only 1 type of seasoning and couple of veggies and condiments like smoked fish (cat fish) and sometimes iru (gotten from locust bean) very smelly but delicious( that’s what I call irony). You can add in stock if its too thick for you. Any kind of stock will do.

Let that cook then add in boiled meat or whatever protein you prefer and I don’t mean egg, the meat kind is what I mean.

Put different parts of the animal please, (orisirisi). Let that simmer for some minutes more and either serve directly with white rice or turn it into Efo riro!

That is Efo leaves, Riro means to keep turning! So as u pour in the leaves you turn and turn and turn (well you get the idea or maybe I should say 'stir' considering it’s not a motor wheel!

PS: you stop adding the leaves when you think it’s enough! God forbid I tell you the quantity! I'm no amateur! *talk to the hand*.

Now, some women might be crying foul! Saying things like ‘she didn't even mention you can add garlic, what of attarugu (chilli). And I’ll say, this is a story of the best stew I've had and either while I was not watching (I was watching every action of hers) she added all that in or she performed some magic but that’s what she did and it turned out delicious.

That said, cooking is all about expermenting, dont let anyone deceive you into thinking you need a superior skill. practice and trials makes you perfect, just dont think you are Wolf Gang Puck please. That one is from a different breed, the genius kind and you need superior skills!

I dedicate this to my special Aunt. Aunt Rita. She is one person I know I've been learning from, a pool of information both culinary and life. I call people like them 'lifers'!
Because they have lived, experienced, learned and above all transcended the impossible.

May your stew be cooked with patience till it is sweet!




More pictures below:

Unbleached palmoil.

Bleached palm oil.

What happens when you add in 'efo leaves'

AFRI CAFE - GWARIMPA (A review)

Exotic flavors of ice cream.

I was told about this new ice place in Gwarimpa, FCT, It’s meant to have the best ice cream in town.

Naturally I was excited and couldn’t wait!

So off to Africafe, from work, with a friend, we went.

The building itself doesn't really say anything about the possible goodies to be found in it. If it is a strategy it’s not working. I personally like excitement, especially when I am being bad! Cos 1 scoop of ice-cream will not do it for me!  I start from 2 and above and for women my age that is pushing it! (I am not old or aging. Just in my late 20’s is all!)  

On entry the first thing that catches your attention is the display of what they have. Mouth- watering goodies. The usual cupcake looking glam’d up and the unusual choux pastry filled with cream! You know you can’t go wrong with that.

But it’s the Ice cream that got me there. So ice-cream I got.

There are only about 6 flavours of Ice cream, ranging from typical flavours like Vanilla to exotic like the lavender. Although I’m told they change the flavours often.

Vanilla and bubblegum

I got the Vanilla and the bubblegum. Don’t ask me why I got that combination! I am not even a bubblegum ice cream fan. Tried it once and I knew I prefer chewing that flavour than having it in form of a cream emulsion.

That said I enjoyed it. More than the vanilla, which was more of ‘Dulce de Leche’ ice cream. I say change the name to that or make the vanilla come through more. The condensed milk was just too noticeable. Wasn't even trying to hide it’s shameless delicious self! It was nice but frankly mediocre.

My companion got the 1 scoop of lavender! (she being the Good gal evidently *raised eyebrows*), she went to pay, and hooray, in this case only though, they didn't have change so she had to get an extra scoop! (Muahahahahahaha) meaning more flavors for me to try. She got the cream of chocolate (looked more like vanilla with choc chips though, but that’s what they want to call it so I rest my case).

The Lavender was a revelation! I’ve never had a lavender flavoured ice cream, therefore no idea what to expect, and frankly when it comes to ice cream for me I just want it to taste like that! Ice cream, not a froyo and not a sorbet! An ice cream!!!

Lavender and cream of chocolate ice cream.

But we both liked the lavender. The flavor came through without harassing your palette, you know how you drink the tea or jasmine tea and pretend it’s delicious because it’s suppose to be posh but in your head you are begging for the experience to end! (Keep pretending that does not happen to you! That you actually enjoy all those weird flavoured tea! Na you know!). 

The lavender was soft in taste, and frankly I loved it and maybe, just maybe I’ll try the mango flavoured ice cream next time *eeeeeewwwwwww* .

The cream of chocolate was, to be blunt, a failure. It was more like frozen milk with choc chips. I did not enjoy it at all.  My ‘forced’ bad companion (Muahahahahaha), thought it was nice (key word here is nice!), we all know what that means when it’s used as a description of something like food or clothing or even a person! lol.

So we sat down to eat our ice cream outside, and again the lack of excitement of the place hit me! There is no vibe, it’s like visiting an aunt’s house that you don’t like but you just have to go and you are counting the seconds begging for it to end! Sad part is it has potential to be cosy and inviting but hey, I just want ice cream not a place to chill out. *Sarcasm*

need i say more?

I couldn’t resist the display case of course, it had a Twix kind of cake, I decided not to get it considering I can buy Twix, now I’m thinking I should have gotten it!, because the brownie I got was one of the best I’ve had. It was not too chocolaty and the bitterness that comes with chocolate was just right.

I got a non-chocolate lover to taste it (I know! Weird, I mean its chocolate!) And she liked it.

The service really is what you’ll expect in a place like that in this part of the world. It wasn't good. The gals were not very conversant with what they were selling, the manager was nonchalant! Considering we were the only 2 customers in there throughout our stay I expected more from them. Like a smile, a thank you for coming, instead I was interrupted and almost ignored!

RESTAURATEURS, REMEMBER THIS ALWAYS, CUSTOMER IS KING!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stats:

FOOD:  6/10

SERVICE: 4/10

AMBIENCE AND COMFORTABILITY: 3/10

WHAT NEXT: Might go back, for the brownie and the lavender ice cream.

PRICE: 7/10

A scoop of ice cream starts from 200 naira, with cone its 300Naira.

The brownie and a red velvet slice was 450Naira and most of the stuff they had displayed was around that price…………………….hmmmmm maybe I should change the ‘WHAT NEXT’ section to definitely going back! Considering you get a single cupcake for more than that price in some places. Haha but no!

Africafe is located at No 53, 4^th Avenue, Gwarimpa, Abuja.

TEL: 07055040404, 08103444444.

 

said display case

said display case again

Again

THE brownie *smiles*

Disclaimer: the stats up there are based on a couple of individuals take on the places visited not an official statistics, we are not the government!

rhythm of the city.

The city of Abuja has spoken and it said explore me because i have exploded and I'm here to stay.  The city has become a place with a pulse. You can't afford to miss out on the happenings. The clubs, the restaurants, the shops and even the spas. Abuja pushes you to become! You cant afford to sit ideal in this city of pulse...it'll pass you by like an old record playing in the background. So live a little with us helping you.

Next post coming soon.

Xoxo.

Lunch at Salamander (review)

A normal Friday in Abuja, with the roads coming to a standstill due to cars rushing home for the weekend at the peak of the afternoon but I was at a visually lovely restaurant called SALAMANDER.

.

Once you approach it you are struck with its lovely yellow picket fence and a beautifully flowered surrounding. I’m surprised it’s in the heart of the city of ABUJA.You are greeted or should I just say the door is opened for you by a security man standing inside the restaurant. That helps because frankly it’s a heavy door.

On entrance we were greeted or had a vague welcoming exchange between us and the waiter, now at this point I always expect a smile and maybe to be asked what kind of table I like. I didn’t get any of that so we decided to sit at a table that sits 4 but we were 3.

After sitting down the waiter almost immediately approached us with a menu. Might have been a long stressful day that warranted the absence of a smile but we got our menu on time.

The menu is a diverse and I dare say all-encompassing menu, so I can’t place the restaurants specialty from that. They have Nigerian food and lots of continental dishes signature to certain countries of the world, they also have a section for breakfast and brunch, and then small chops, what I’ll call the starter section, I had a difficult time finding it by the way, I was trying to find it first unfortunately it was at the bottom of the menu. Reading the menu itself I have to say was a tedious task, I was confused by the set-up and it packed a lot of items some of which were repetition but it was a promising menu. Made me look forward to my meal.

The ambience the restaurant exudes is a chill out zone. It’s a place that makes you forget yourself if you are a real person I dare say. It relaxes you to a fault! My companions were yawning and they complained the music was too depressing, I can agree with them in some cases but I think the music is just right for the kind of place salamander is, it’s a place where the typical 'boho' chic individual would feel comfortable. Its for the young and hip (are we allowed to use that word still or it’s outdated?). The new generation of Nigerian indie crowd (if there is anything like that). Although I think it can do with Nigerian Jazz too, and an upbeat tone for the afternoons not the kukere’s or the gagacrazy’s though that would be out of place.

We made our decision on what we wanted to eat but we had to call the attention of one of the 2 waiters available at that time. He took our orders and left without incidence (my Nigerian brothers and sisters will understand what I mean).

Our drinks came first and they arrived on time too, we had lemonade and fruit cocktail it said. The fruit cocktail for me was more of a smoothie, fresh though and unadulterated but it could do with an uplift, maybe pay more attention when buying the fruits. The lemonade though fresh, was bitter! I can blame the Nigerian lemon for that taste but as a restaurant paying attention to where you get your produce is imperative! Considering it will affect what you serve to customers palette. My palette was slightly offended, but I was impressed by its freshness.

The food took a long time to arrive and I only hope it had nothing to do with the noise coming from the kitchen into the diner’s area. I heard conversations about ‘nyanya’ (a district in Abuja) and how someone missed another. This does not go well for decorum. I know my waiter/waitress has a life aside from serving me food! Thank you by the way, but there is a time, a place and a method for everything.

When the meal arrived though I totally forget how long it took to come ( just for a minute though!). There was couscous and lamb chops sauce; now, I have had different kinds of couscous dishes in my life but this is up there among the best I’ve ever had! ( singing in my John legend voice) It was delicious! Soft but not mushy, packed the right kind of spiciness and sweetness (from the dried fruit), the garlic was just right. It was heavenly. The sauce was tasty too but I felt it didn’t compliment the couscous.

A bruschetta dish ( which I thought was a bread dish because I have had bruschetta several times before and is heavenly especially with the right kind of balsamic vinegar, this had no bread though but it did have the right type of balsamic vinegar and taste, just one thing I must mention, the tomato, was stale!).

We also had lamb chops which came with chips; the lamb chops were tender and seasoned well but the chips were nothing close to it; Oily and not appealing to the eye.

Grilled  chicken salad was fresh and crunchy and delicious. Even without the dressing. Thank God they give you the dressing by the side. We finished it without looking at the salad dressing and after tasting the salad dressing I’m glad I finished the salad without a glance at it.

Overall I have to say salamander gave me food that would take me back to it. But I wasn’t impressed with the service. I felt at some point like I was intruding or unwelcome and that’s what happens when the human touch is disconnected with the idea a restaurant is trying to sell. If you can’t offer excellent service then do a buffet and ask customer to serve themselves.

I’ll go back to salamander again but I hope they’ll retrain staff to be a tad bit friendlier and also procurement department should pay attention to produce and its quality.

Oh and that double seater cushion couch, looks comfortable but definitely not for eating on a dining table.!

I’ll have lunch there again and maybe again (because of that couscous!) but make me feel like the king I am as a customer and you might be unbeatable! Goodluck.

Salamander Café LTD is located at no 5, Bujumbra Street, off Libreville, Wuse II, Abuja. Phone Number: 07027850932.

PS: I didn’t leave any tip because I was charged 10 percent service charge, I say you’ve tipped yourself already, and also I didn’t get a smile!!

DULCE DE LECHE

I bet you don’t really know how Dulce De Leche is made; I bet you think it is only a superior skill that can produce said Leche. I bet you did not know that Dulce De leche is actually CONDENSED MILK BOILED FOR 3 hours! LOL.  I know!

Unbelievable right?

 I had no clue too. I thought it was some complicated confectionery miracle that requires a Michelin starred chef or at least his/her sous chef to make. NOPE! It is just humble Condensed milk that is always on the shelf of even the gloomiest shop, you know the kind you send your house help to, the kind that starts with a humble Hausa man setting up a table then evolving to a ‘container’ shop. 

Feel like a fool?  

Not to worry I felt exactly the same! Heck I almost slapped myself!  Like really! You boil condensed milk for three hours and you get DULCE DE LECHE!

 I guess it’s the name that makes it sound so impossible, and it actually simply means Candy of Milk, or sweet Milk. FRENCH! *rolling eyes*, still love em’ though.

But then I am happy it is just that! Imagine what you can  do with it! Home-made ice cream! Yes that’s easy too so relax, invest in an ice cream maker and Haagen Daz will have nothing on you. Plus they come with recipe’s! Most of them anyway! Well the one I have came with one! Moving on! I've mentioned homemade ice cream, then Dulce de leche stuffed doughnuts, if like me you like the gooey side of flour baked goodies then this will just be heaven sent!  Peanuts smothered in boiled condensed milk (I mean Dulce de Leche, ahem!), you can eat it like that with a spoon or simply use as a spread!

 What?!

Don’t look at me like that!

 If you are going to take condensed milk anyway you might as well keep your cardiologist number on speed dial and go all out! (k just have a bit, once in a while, a looooong while)! Afrifoodroute will NOT be responsible for any incidence! 

Seriously though once in a while shouldn't hurt. Don’t become a ‘dessert or everything nice monk’, why do you think your tongue has so many nerves!

You can even make a brownie with the boiled condensed milk! (I can’t get over the fact that it’s only BOILED condensed milk. LOL.)

So there you go, Dulce de leche, boiled condensed milk  (for 3 hours), and did I mention it should be boiled in its package, they mostly come in cans anyway, unless you are so posh you get it delivered straight to your house from the factory where the condensed milk itself is made. In that case you sir/ma are on your own. Figure out how to boil and let us know. 

For the rest of us, do not open said can, boil for 3 hours and  you have yourself something that your mother in law will either love you more for or ………..(keeping my mouth shut on this one)

 Let me know when you try it.

Gosh years wasted not boiling condensed milk!

PS: Ladies it’ll be in your best interest to eat just one of the Dulce de Leche stuffed doughnut! We will not be responsible for an obesity induced divorce…..

Thanks for your time!

Yours Loyally

Baby M.

The First restaurant review will come up soon! Watch this space!!!

The Beginning...........

Afrifoodroute is proud to debut its self to you. if you are in Abuja and need to know the zing and the happenings in the local food route, we are your go to site. check us out monthly for your update on where you need to get your chow, grub, food, abinci, and everything nice that can pass through your taste buds. 

You can also send us information about your experiences in any eatery and recommendation. We want to make your dining experience a lil bit easier so be a regular here!

 Indulge me by giving me a couple of minutes of your time to explain why you need to have a 'restaurant affair'. 

First of all food is essential, no science to that, but what you shouldn't miss out is how to experience food.

Eating shouldn't be a necessity rather a journey. one that will entice all your five senses, it should make you aware of your yin and yang, the food you eat should give you joy and it should make you want to explore the endless possibilities of a single ingredient

There are thousand of recipes to be explored and that is just using one ingredient.

Eating shouldn't be boring, it shouldn't be a chore and it sure as HELL shouldn't  be a daunting task (eating miyan kuka often is!)

let me show you the myriads forms of food and its habitat, the restaurants that dish them out and the Joy (fingers crossed) to be had in said joints.

You can suggest places you want me to sample there grub and i'll report back to you asap.