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This isn’t new to the Africans and Asians. It is commonly referred to as ‘Epo pupa’ (red palm oil) by the yoruba tribe of Nigeria in Africa due to its reddish colour. The oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the African oil palm. This colour is acquired from the same nutrients that give carrots, tomatoes and some other vegetables their rich colours; Carotenes. Palm oil contains so many nutrients that it can be defined almost as a dietary supplement, a powerhouse of nutrients!

Red palm oil is an essential ingredient blended into a number of everyday processed foods including something as common as Mayonnaise. Like vegetable oil, it is used for frying and cooking but differs in that it is heat stable and therefore its quality does not diminish when subjected to high heat. It is used in preparing quite alot of African dishes including popular soups like Egusi, Ndole & Banga and vegetable stews like the Bitter leaf stew, Afang e.t.c.

That’s not all though, it is also used in the manufacturer of anti-aging cosmetics, soaps and alot more. The health benefits are also fantastic because it contains such a high level of antioxidants,  vitamins E, K  and can be converted to vitamin A in our bodies. Waow!
Now let’s talk about what we use Palm oil for……… COOKING for me!  If you are a lover of African food such as Beans, Egusi, Ogbono, Moi Moi (to mention just a few) and you don’t use Palm oil; May I ask what you use?  Hmmm, you may have been doing some great injustice to yourself;  to cooking and to the people that are to enjoy the food with you. I see it almost like celebrating christmas without eating chicken. Now you see what I mean.?!?!?

So would you use a Dutch Pot? Did I hear…mmmmm, not sure? Must be kidding, these pots are an ‘all-in-one’, versatile wonder!

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Don’t miss out, visit us today …..Coconut milk, Cerelac, Maggi Cubes, Knorr Cubes, Fanta, Plantain chips, Chin chin, Cornmeal, Semolina  and more….

AfriCarr Sales Team

We are proud to introduce the Africare range of hair care products; many products available here and more coming soon.

Okro or Okra is a green vegetable which looks like a capsule and contains numerous creamish seeds. It is native to West Africa though also well known in many other parts of the world. Commonly referred to as ‘lady’s fingers’, Okro can be used in a variety of dishes and its cooking varies very widely amongst different groups of people.

Here, we describe one of the ways of cooking Okro soup as it is popularly done in West Africa.

Ingredients

Fresh Okro

Meat (Beef, chicken, Tripe, Cow foot e.t.c)

Dry fish

Dry/Smoked Prawns or Crayfish (Ground or whole)

Dry ground pepper

Palm Oil

Stock cubes (Maggi, Knorr, Jumbo e.t.c)

Salt (to taste)

Method:

• Wash the fresh okro in water ensuring they are clean of any dirt
• Gently chop, blend or grate to get okro into small bits (the size of the bits is a personal preference)
• Season the meat with onion, curry, thyme, salt, onions and any other meat seasoning of choice
• Let the meat cook till tender
• When the meat is tender, leave the stock in and add Palm oil, dry ground pepper, dry fish, smoked/dry prawns and allow to cook for some minutes
• If available, add Iru (locust beans paste), add salt to taste
• When the mixture starts to thicken, reduce the heat and add the chopped okro
• Leave the pot uncovered and allow the okro to cook for about 5 minutes stiring ocassionally
• Taste to check that the okro is soft; if it is take off the cooker
• Serve with any of Yam flour, Pounded yam, Gari (Eba), Semovita, Ground rice e.t.c.

Fried Plantains (Dodo, Aloco)

Plantains are similar to Banana both belonging to the genus Musa. In contrast to banana which is soft and eaten in its raw form, plantains are usually cooked before they are eaten. Its cooking varies with choice and it is usually the case that the prevalence of one cooking method over another varies amongst different groups of people.  They can be boiled, roasted, baked or simply fried. Furthermore, they can be served as a snack, a starter or an addition or side dish to a main course such as Jollof rice.

Here, we describe the simple steps to follow if you are trying this dish out for the first time.

Ingredients

Ripe plantains

Cooking oil (Sunflower oil, Vegetable, Groundnut oil, Palm oil)

Salt (to taste)

Method:

• Use a clean knife to carefully peel off the skin
• Cut the plantain into slices of medium thickness
• Sprinkle a pinch of salt and shake well to mix
• In a frying pan or deep fryer, heat up some oil (any cooking oil of choice can be used)
• When the oil is heated up but not fiercely hot, add the plantain slices
• Allow to cook on medium heat for a few minutes on each side till golden brown, then turn and allow the same on the reverse side
• When brownish on both sides, remove from oil and place in a strainer to remove any excess oil
• Serve

Ingredients:

• 4 cups (or about 1 Litre) white rice
• 4 tomatoes and 1 bell pepper and I scotch bonnet pepper
• OR 8 ounces (or about ¼ Litre) canned tomato sauce and 3 ounces (or about 90 milliliters) canned tomato paste
• Onion
• Salt
• Dry Red Pepper (like Cayenne pepper)
• Jollof seasoning
• Meat broth (about 1 cup or ¼ Litre) or Maggi or Knorr cubes (about 4)
• Water

Method:

• Give the rice a rinse with warm or cold water before cooking
• Pour  it along with about 6 cups (or about 1½ litres) of preferably boiled water into a pot and place on medium heat
• Leave the rice to boil for about 10-15 minutes
• If you are using fresh ingredients e.g tomatoes, pepper s & onion, blend these until the mixture is finely blended
• Add either the blended  mixture to the rice or if you prefer not to use fresh ingredients, add the tomato sauce, tomato paste and dry pepper
• Sliced or diced onions can also be added for extra taste
• If you have any  broth from boiling any meats e.g beef or chicken, you can add it to this as well.  If  you are a vegetarian, adding about 4 maggi or Knorr original cubes is as good
• Add a teaspoon of jollof seasoning and about 2 teaspoons of salt; this is completely dependent on your salt tolerance so can be altered to suit your taste
• Add enough water to allow the rice to cook until soft (since you will not be draining the rice, it is better to add a little at a time and check up on it regularly). Too much will result in soggy rice!
• Reduce the heat to allow for slow cooking and leave the rice to cook until soft.
• When it seems like all the water in the pot has dried up, turn the rice with a wooden spoon and leave for another few minutes. A dull popping sound indicates dryness and if the rice is soft enough, then the heat can be turned off
• It is also possible to bake Jollof rice. Once all the ingredients have been added to the washed rice, it can be baked at about 350 degrees and checked at regular intervals
• Jollof rice is best served with plantain.

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