Recipes By Yewande Komolafe
156 recipes found
Dodo (Fried Plantains)
Fried, grilled, boiled, dehydrated and pulverized, sweet or savory, plantains are a staple of Nigerian cuisine. Dodo, as it is called in Yoruba, refers to fried sweet plantains. For the plantains to caramelize properly, use ripe plantains (the skin should be deep yellow and speckled with large black dots). If you can find only green plantains, you can seal them in a paper bag and let them ripen for 2 to 3 days. Cooking the plantains in hot oil brings out their caramelized sweetness, and a quick toss with pickled onions adds an acidic bite. Enjoy these sweet, tangy morsels on their own, or serve this dish alongside jollof, plain steamed rice, frejon or plain cooked beans.
Roasted Mushroom Larb
Earthy mushrooms replace meat in this take on larb. A dish popular in the northern and northeastern regions of Thailand, larb is often a lively combination of cooked minced meat, fresh herbs and a punchy dressing. In this recipe, mushrooms are roasted until golden brown and crispy around the edges, and, once cooled, tossed with a mix of cilantro, mint, basil and aromatics, including sliced scallions. Lime juice and soy sauce keep the dressing tangy and savory. A subtle, nutty crunch from toasted ground rice is an essential element of the salad, so don’t skip this step. Serve the dish with steamed rice and additional lime wedges for squeezing. To get vegetarian recipes like this one delivered to your inbox, sign up for The Veggie newsletter.
Ginger-Turmeric Bone Broth With Greens
This simple, soothing recipe fortifies the bone broth you already have on hand — either your own or a store-bought variety. The spice, aromatics and citrus are added flourishes. Ginger lends warmth, and turmeric offers a robust earthiness. Handfuls of nutrient-dense torn greens thrown in at the end wilt just enough to retain a delicate crunch, and a squeeze of lemon completes the broth.
Citrus-Glazed Pork Chops With Gingery Bok Choy
Rich pork makes a perfect companion to tart oranges in this tasty weeknight meal. The bold, bright, citrusy sauce demands a robust cut of meat, so pick well-marbled, thick-cut pork chops with a nice fat cap. A dry rub of brown sugar creates a caramelized layer that lends depth to the pan sauce, and the gingery bok choy adds a delightful bit of freshness. This is quite a meal on its own, but you can steam some brown or white rice for a starchy side. Slice the pork to serve, and drizzle the pan sauce over everything.
Sauce Moyo With Mango
A chunky blend of fresh tomatoes, red onions, chile and lime juice, sauce moyo can be found across West Africa, particularly in Benin, Togo and Senegal. It's great in hot and humid weather, though it brings a little heat and flavor of its own thanks to the addition of a Scotch bonnet or habanero chile. Fresh tomatoes are traditionally the source of its mild sweetness, but, here, mango is added for a fruity burst of flavor. Seasonal stone fruits, like peaches, apricots and nectarines, will work just as well.
Nước Chấm
A classic Vietnamese condiment with a base of fish sauce, nước chấm brings a bouquet of garlic and chile notes to everything that absorbs it. Extremely versatile, it’s served alongside a wide range of dishes, adding heat, sweetness and savor to rice, grilled meat and fish.
Fish Pepper Soup
Pepper soup is a spicy dish made from a distinct blend of ground seeds, spices and fresh herbs. A generous spoonful might make your nostrils tingle, and even make you break a sweat, as you might during the humidity of noontime Lagos. Pepper soup can be made with any type of meat or seafood, and even obscure cuts and scraps can be elevated by the bold broth. This version uses a whole fish, taking the bones to make the stock, then poaching the fillets in the flavorful liquid. Ground pepper soup spices can be found easily at markets all over Nigeria; here in the United States, you can find them at African grocers or online. For the adventurous, I’ve included a recipe using whole spices that you can toast and grind into a blend of your own. Serve the dish alongside steamed white rice, steamed plantains or Agege bread, if desired.
Brandied Fruit Scones
A great batch of scones requires only a few ingredients, but fast hands are essential for working the flour, cold butter and cream into a firm, substantial dough. Brandied dried fruit is added to this traditional dough, and the result is a holiday treat that carries notes of warming spices and citrus. The dough can be cut and baked immediately, or stored in the freezer and baked to order. Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar before they go into the oven, and you’ll have a batch of scones with perfect crackly tops. These are best served warm with a generous slather of salted butter and a dot of piquant marmalade, but they’ll keep for a day or two if stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Hibiscus-Spiraled Ginger Cookies
Floral hibiscus and citrus zest, along with coarse sugar, make up a delightful swirl in a buttery shortbread dough with contrasting textures from chewy candied ginger and caramelized raw sugar. Every bite of this cookie is suffused with delicately sweet flavors, which are complemented by a slight fruity tang. For the prettiest spiral, make sure to roll your log tightly. The log can be wrapped and frozen for up to one month, or refrigerated for up to three days, then sliced and baked without thawing.
Fruit Caramel
One way to extend the life of fresh fruits is to incorporate them into caramel sauces. Any caramel sauce base can be enlivened by ripe or slightly overripe fruit, such as bananas, strawberries and stone fruit. This fruit caramel sauce is an excellent way to add a deeper sweetness and a hint of the season to your favorite desserts.
Corn and Shrimp Beignets
A light batter coats plump pieces of shrimp and sweet corn kernels, delivering a savory bite perfect for picnics, a finger-food weeknight meal or casual entertaining. Lemon zest and ground cayenne pepper provide an essential zing that brightens these easy-to-devour morsels. Although these crisp fritters are wonderful fresh out of the pan, they can also be cooled, stored frozen in an airtight container and popped in a hot oven to warm and refresh.
Roasted Carrots With Yaji Spice Relish
A fragrant combination of dried spices and aromatics, yaji, also known as suya spice, is as ubiquitous as salt and pepper in homes across Northern Nigeria and West Africa more broadly. Often used to cure meats and finish other dishes, the spice blend is made depending on taste and access to ingredients, so the recipe can range from home to home and vendor to vendor. Common among blends is the addition of a warming chile powder, ground ginger (although fresh is used in some cases) and pulverized peanuts. Here, a basic yaji spice blend is incorporated into a fresh, piquant relish of scallions, lemon zest and juice as a finish to liven up roast vegetables.
Beef Suya
Suya is a popular Nigerian street food made of thin strips of meat that are seasoned, skewered and grilled. The term “suya” can refer to the preparation technique or the resulting dish, and can apply to other meats, such as goat and chicken. This recipe is similar in style to the suya made from a fattier cut of beef called tozo, which comes from the hump of the zebu cattle, found in northern Nigeria. A well-marbled piece of boneless short rib is a great substitute. Ask your butcher to thinly slice the meat into strips, or pop it into your freezer for 30 minutes and use a sharp knife to slice. Suya spice, or yaji, is available online or at African groceries, or you can make your own (see Tip).
Kunun Gyada (Spiced Peanut Rice Porridge)
Short-grain rice imparts a subtle sweetness to this creamy, peanutty blend. Aromatic cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves — or any other warming spices — meld into the comforting porridge, which is often served at the beginning or end of the day as a means of filling the gap between meals in northern Nigeria. Serve hot or room temperature, with a dab of tamarind purée for a bit of acid and some granulated sugar, honey or dates for sweetness. Or, mix the porridge with kefir for a drinkable version (see Tips).
Moin Moin (Steamed Bean Cakes)
Prepared by rehydrating dried beans, then peeling and grinding them into a paste and finally steaming it in leaves, these fluffy bean cakes can be quite the project. In Lagos, where this is a common Nigerian dish served at celebrations and on weekend mornings, community grinding machines can be heard on Fridays, working away large basins of beans in preparation for whatever festivities the weekend may bring. Banana leaves, which impart a slight grassy flavor, are used in this recipe, but ọlẹ (pronounced oh-LEH), a type of water lily leaf, is most common in Lagos. Moin moin is typically flavored with powdered, dried crayfish and can be stuffed with meat, fish, boiled eggs or, in some cases, all three. This vegan take includes the option to stuff the cakes with roasted mushrooms in ata din din, a delicious addition. Serve hot, alongside dishes like jollof rice, efo riro and dodo for the ultimate party plate, or enjoy alone, slightly unwrapped right on the banana leaf.
Carne Adobada (Chile-Marinated Steak)
Mexican adobada, a tangy marinade with guajillo chiles, is often reserved for large cuts of pork, but it’s also well-suited to any sturdy cut of steak, such as flank. The acid comes from lime juice in this formula, but vinegar or lemon juice works as well. An overnight marinade yields incredibly tender results, but a 30-minute steep is sufficient to infuse the meat with the fruity flavor of the chiles. Here, the steak is paired with a nice piquant roasted red pepper relish, which complements the deep flavors of the marinated meat. Side dishes like rice, beans and warm tortillas round this dish out for a wonderful weeknight meal.
Spicy Tamarind Pork Ribs With Scallions and Peanuts
This recipe balances richness with a tart sweetness, and features a two-part approach to cooking the meat that yields complex flavor. Pork spare ribs are marinated, covered and baked until just tender. They’re then brushed with a glaze made with an invigorating combination of tamarind, ginger, nutmeg and scotch bonnet chile. You can finish the ribs in a hot oven or on the grill; the glaze caramelizes nicely either way. They are delightful as a finger food or as a main dish with practically any accompaniment, like this cool cucumber salad.
Citrus and Herb Tonic
This simple infusion is loaded with bright winter citrus and heady aromatics. It works as a tea for sipping while curled up on a sofa or on the go, and it will add a spot of sunshine to your day. Treat this recipe as a concentrate — you can make it ahead of time and store it refrigerated in a covered container. To serve, portion in mugs and dilute with boiling water. Drizzle with honey or your sweetener of choice.
Blistered Tomato Dressing
A vinaigrette can be as simple as an emulsion of oil and vinegar, but a memorable one carries flavors that hint at the season. This one, featuring charred tomatoes, is perfect for summer. Blistering fresh tomatoes deepens their acidic sweetness. Made with sherry vinegar and olive oil, the dressing is at once earthy and bright.
Garlic Chicken With Guasacaca Sauce
Simple to make, versatile in use and complex in flavor, guasacaca sauce is one of the wonderful condiments of Venezuelan cuisine. Creamy from the addition of avocado with a bright and tangy herb and lime base, it makes an evocative pairing for any vegetarian, seafood or meat dish. Here, it accompanies a sheet-pan dinner of roasted chicken and carrots but will do just as well with anything from the grill.
Creamy Avocado-Miso Dressing
Whip up this quick dressing when you want to use up any ripe or slightly overripe avocado that’s too soft for slicing. The miso gives the creamy dressing a delicately sweet complexity, and the lemon and vinegar cut through the buttery avocado. Use this protein-rich dressing to generously coat your hearty green salad, warm grain bowl or vegetables charred on the grill.
Coconut Caramels
Making your own candy may seem daunting, but time and attention are all you need. This recipe calls for two sugars: granulated, which provides the base for your caramel, and an inverted sugar, corn syrup, which stabilizes and keeps the caramel from crystalizing. The line between soft-chewy and hard candy is a delicate one, so a candy thermometer is recommended for precision. Ginger and cardamom will add a nice zing, but lean into other warm spices, such as cinnamon, black pepper or chili powder, if that’s what you have on hand. A final coat of toasted, finely shredded coconut lends an almost buttery crunch, and prevents the pieces from sticking. Wrap up individually if you have the time: These are made for sharing and can be frozen for up to a month.
Sazón-Spiced Shrimp and Okra
Fresh okra is wonderfully versatile, and searing it in a hot pan is one way to lend texture while preserving its shape. This dish comes together entirely within a large skillet; you’ll work in stages to cook the okra and then the shrimp. A dusting of annatto-infused sazón adds aromatic and earthy flavors, and a tinge of spice. Finished with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime, this dish is perfect for a light evening meal or as part of any warm-weather menu.
Puff Puff
The genius of puff puff is in the simplicity of the dough: A nutmeg-spiked batter, a bit of patience for the yeast to rise and time to fry up the balls will result in the most delightful little puffs. If the batter seems wet, you are on the right track. The consistency should be similar to a yeasted pancake or waffle batter. Tossing the fried dough in spiced sugar is optional, but recommended: The added layer creates an irresistible crunch. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.