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Category: Pasta

  • Low Budget Nigerian Meals

    Low Budget Nigerian Meals

    Nigerian meals Under 5k

    If you are a student or trying to operate on a low budget, this Nigerian meals under 5k are sure to save the day.

    These are low-budget Nigerian meals that anyone could make without having to spend too much. 

    Please note that, in this current 2024 Nigerian economy, buying foodstuffs in bulk is cheaper and helps to reduce the over cost of making any meals. 

    So whether you are a student or salary earner, it is advised to always buy foodstuffs like rice, vegetable oil, seasoning cubes, beans, onions, palm oil and salt in bulk. These items generally have a long shelf and can be stored for some time without going bad. 

    Without much talk, here are some Nigerian meals you can prepare with 5k or less in 2024.

    Fish stew- 5,000 naira 

    Fish Stew

    This stew serves two for a couple of days and can be made with five thousand naira or less depending on your location. You can adjust the cost by adding or removing some ingredients and protein sources listed.

    Rice and Beans with Fish Sauce- 5,000 naira

    Rice and Beans

    Rice and beans is a sunday classic dish in every Nigerian household. As the name implies, it’s rice cooked together with beans. It’s an exciting twist to the rather usual white rice, and goes with just about any meal.

    Nigerian Indomie Noodles

    Indomie Noodles

    The recipes on how to make Nigerian indomie noodles is as numerous as the amount of local government areas in the country. In fact, almost every Nigerian as their special way of preparing noodles, you can prepare Nigerian indomie noodles with egg or with chicken.

    Beans and Yam Porridge- 5,000 naira

    Beans and Yam

    Beans and Yam, a delicious carb bomb sure to give you all the energy you need throughout the day. There are about a hundred ways to prepare Nigerian Beans and Yam Porridge into a scrumptious dish.

    Yam and Egg- 3,000 naira

    Yam and Egg

    Yam and Egg sauce is one of the breakfast staples in Nigeria. It is easy to whip up and relatively cheap to make. For the yam it could be boiled or fried while the egg sauce is made with eggs, tomatoes, scotch bonnet peppers and onions.

    Concoction Rice- 5,000 naira

    Concoction Rice

    This Low budget concoction rice recipe is a slightly cheaper version of the Nigerian native jollof rice. It is a popular traditional rice dish with a unique taste and aroma and it’s very easy to make compared to some other nigerian rice dishes. Depending on your budget, you might use alternatives to the key ingredients like smoked dry fish, cow skin and dried prawns.

    Jollof Spaghetti- 4,000 naira

    Jollof Spaghetti

    Spaghetti Jollof as the name implies is a delicious fusion of the popular Nigerian Jollof Rice and pasta. The Spaghetti is made with the rich, spicy flavors of Jollof sauce resulting in a flavorful and filling meal!

    Suya Rice- 3,500 naira

    Suya Rice

    Suya rice is a combo of your favorite Street delicacy Suya and delicious Jollof Rice in one meal. This is a super easy meal to prepare and takes less than 45 minutes from start to finish. Perfect for a weekday dinner when you just need something to serve your family without having to spend too much money or too much time in the kitchen.

    Fried Beans- 5,000 naira

    Fried Beans

    Fried Beans is a national delicacy, it can be served as breakfast, lunch or dinner. Nigerian fried beans is hearty, tasty, and quite filling. It is usually paired with white rice, Garri (cassava flakes), fresh bread, or fried ripe plantains.

  • Jollof Spaghetti

    Jollof Spaghetti

    Nigerian Meals Under 5k

    4,000 naira

    Spaghetti Jollof as the name implies is a delicious fusion of the popular Nigerian Jollof Rice and pasta. The Spaghetti is made with the rich, spicy flavors of Jollof sauce resulting in a flavorful and filling meal!

    Jollof spaghetti is made by simmering the pasta in a flavourful, spicy tomato-based sauce usually made with a blend of onion, tomato, pepper, and spices such as curry powder, thyme, ginger and garlic similar to jollof rice. 

    Jollof spaghetti is not only a versatile dish but affordable as well. It’s a Nigerian meal that can be made with under 5k served alone or it can be served as a side dish with grilled or fried chicken, beef, or fish.

    Jollof Spaghetti 1

    Ready in 35 minutes

    Serves 4 people

    650 calories 

    Ingredients

    • 1 green or red bell peppers (500 naira)
    • Fresh scotch bonnet peppers and tomatoes (700 naira)
    • 2 large onions (300 naira)
    • Sachet of PowerOil vegetable oil (500 naira)
    • 2 cloves garlic minced (100 naira)
    • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated (100 naira)
    • Sachet of tomato paste (200 naira)
    • Sachet of thyme and curry powder (200 naira)
    • 2 chicken seasoning cubes
    • salt to taste
    • 1 pack of Goldenpenny spaghetti pasta (1200 naira)
    • Green peas, green onions, and carrots (optional)
    • cooked protein of choice (optional)

    Preparation

    • Start by blending the fresh tomatoes and scotch bonnet peppers alongside to a smooth paste. In a frying pan add the vegetable oil and allow to heat up before throwing in the chopped onion to fry until translucent. 
    Jollof Spaghetti 2
    • Add the minced garlic and grated ginger along with a pinch of curry and thyme, fry until fragrant.
    Jollof Spaghetti 3
    • Then add the blended tomatoes and pepper mix to fry for about a minute or two until all the water is evaporated and the sauce is thick
    Jollof Spaghetti 4
    • stir in the tomato paste, salt and two seasoning cubes.
    • Then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes allowing the flavors to merge together.
    Jollof Spaghetti 5
    • If you are adding the veggie mix, allow the sauce to cook 90% of the way before adding them. This way, the veggies do not overcook and become soggy. 
    • If you want your Jollof Spagetti to stay on the 5k budget, you can use boiled eggs as your choice of protein but I’ll be using chicken and boiled eggs which I like to add as the sauce thickens.
    Jollof Spaghetti 6
    • If your budget is above 5k, you can use chicken, turkey or beef which you’ll need to season and cook till tender before frying the sauce.
    • Add the chicken or beef broth into the sauce and, stir constantly to create a smooth sauce.
    Jollof Spaghetti 7
    • Allow the mixture to a cook on high heat until oil starts to float at the top.
    • Taste the sauce and season with salt as needed.
    • Your Jollof spaghetti is almost ready. Simply boil the spaghetti pasta according to instructions on the packaging. Drain and add to the jollof sauce. 
    Jollof Spaghetti 8
    • Mix thoroughly to combine everything and place the spaghetti on medium to low heat to cook for about 5 more minutes before serving.
    Jollof Spaghetti 9

    Tips

    Jollof Spaghetti is a delicious pasta dish that is very easy to make as well as very affordable. It’s a Nigerian meal under 5k but you can spend me depending on your choice of protein.

    Here are other Nigerian meals under 5k: 

    Concoction Rice

    Yam and egg sauce 

    Nigerian suya rice

    Fish stew

    Nigerian Noodle recipe

    Rice and Beans

  • Nigerian Indomie Noodles Recipe

    Nigerian Indomie Noodles Recipe

    Nigerian Meals Under 5k

    The recipes on how to make Nigerian indomie noodles is as numerous as the amount of local government areas in the country. In fact, almost every Nigerian as their special way of preparing noodles, you can prepare Nigerian indomie noodles with egg or with chicken. 

    Ready in 20 minutes

    Serves 2 people

    280 calories 

    Ingredients

    • Indomie noodles 
    • Fresh pepper and onions
    • Eggs
    • Vegetable oil 

    Preparation

    1. Parboil the noodles. I’ll be using superpack indomie noodles, I usually cook two packs for myself. So start by boiling some water in a pot, when the water comes to a roaring boil, add the noodles and allow to cook for about five minutes. This is the recommended cooking time on the noodles packaging. 
    2. When the noodles are cooked to al dente, strain and place back into the pot. 
    3. Fry your egg sauce. In another pot or frying pan, add some vegetable oil and fry your onions and chopped fresh pepper. You can add in some fresh tomatoes and even other vegetables like carrots, green beans and green pepper if you are feeling a bit fancy. But i like to keep it simple and quick. 
    4. Fry the onions and pepper until they become fragrant, i like to add a pinch of seasoning cube, garlic and ginger powder, alongside curry and thyme just for a lil razzle dazzle of flavor. Allow everything to incorporate into each other before introducing the eggs.
    5. Add your beaten raw eggs with a pinch of salt. For the two packs of superpack indomie noodles i fry two eggs. You can make do with one or increase the number of eggs according to your taste and wallet. 
    6. Once the eggs are fully cooked and well mixed in with the pepper sauce, add it to your cooked noodles and mix thoroughly. Place your delicious looking Nigerian noodles on the stovetop and allow to cook for about two minutes so that everything can mix properly and your noodles are ready to be served.

    Tips

    You can make your sauce before cooking the noodles, so that they are nice and fresh when being incorporated into the sauce mixture 

    You can use any type of noodles and they’ll work just fine

    You can fry an extra egg and lay on top of your noodles before serving so it really looks like the noodles sold at those maisha spots. If you are Nigerian, you’ll understand what I’m saying.