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Tag: Nigerian stew

  • Low Budget Concoction Rice Recipe

    Low Budget Concoction Rice Recipe

    5,000 naira

    Nigerian Meals under 5k

    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. This is a classic Nigerian meal under 5k, here is a recipe on how to make low budget concoction rice. 

    Nigerian Concoction Rice (Native Jollof Rice) 1

    Ready in 45 minutes

    Serves 4 people

    500 calories 

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups Rice ( 1500 naira)
    • Palm oil (300 naira)
    • Chopped Scotch bonnet peppers (300 naira)
    • Onion (100 naira)
    • Smoked fish (1000 naira)
    • Dry fish (500 naira)
    • Dried prawns (500 naira)
    • Cow skin (500 naira)
    • Locust beans (100 naira)
    • 2 seasoning cubes (100 naira)
    • Ugu leaf (100 naira)
    • Salt

    Preparation

    • Parboil the rice by placing it in a pot with enough water and bring to a boil. When the rice is half cooked, strain and set aside. 
    • Next finely chop your peppers and onion.
    Nigerian Concoction Rice (Native Jollof Rice) 2
    • Wash the cow skin thoroughly to remove any sand residue and cut into little pieces like this: 
    Nigerian Concoction Rice (Native Jollof Rice) 3
    • Debone and shread the smoked and dried fish, also remove the heads of the dried prawns and blend them, they are packed with flavor and nice aroma.
    • In a pot, heat the Palm oil, add the chopped onions and locust beans stir and let it fry on low heat for 1-2minutes.
    Nigerian Concoction Rice (Native Jollof Rice) 4
    • Then add the chopped peppers and grounded prawn heads and allow it fry for a few more minutes.
    Nigerian Concoction Rice (Native Jollof Rice) 5
    • Introduce the rice to the pot and add enough water to cover the rice.
    Nigerian Concoction Rice (Native Jollof Rice) 6
    • Stir and add the smoked and dry fish and prawns on top of the rice. Cover the pot and let the rice cook on low heat for 10-15minutes.
    • When the rice is almost done, add the chopped Ugu leaves, it gives a distinctive flavour and a bit of brightness to the rice.
    Nigerian Concoction Rice (Native Jollof Rice) 7
    • Mix everything together and your delicious low budget concoction rice is ready to be served. 

    Tips

    When trying to make Nigerian meals under 5k, having ingredients like rice, onions, vegetable or palm oil, seasoning cubes and even crayfish powder helps to reduce the overall cost of making future meals. This low budget concoction rice recipe can be made with less than 3k if you already have certain ingredients at home. 

  • Simple Efo Riro Recipe (Nigerian Vegetable Stew)

    Simple Efo Riro Recipe (Nigerian Vegetable Stew)

    10,000 naira

    Efo Riro also known as Nigerian vegetable stew is a one-pot meal with layers of flavor. Its very versatile and can be served with rice, yam or any swallow. It is typically made with Efo shoko, pumpkin leaves (Ugu) and Green, but it can also be made with spinach. 

    Efo Riro can be made with any protein of choice ranging from chicken, beef, turkey or fish. My recipe uses a stew base like any other Nigerian stew and with a little work from the cook you will have your Efo Riro (Nigerian vegetable stew) ready to eat. Here is my simple Efo Riro recipe made with a mixture of Beef, Tripe, and cow skin.

    Nigerian Vegatable Stew (Efo riro)

    Ready in 45 minutes

    Serves 4 people

    427 calories 

    Ingredients

    • Tomatoes and pepper (1000 naira)
    • Tomato paste (300 naira)
    • Onions (200 naira)
    • Palm oil (300 naira)
    • crayfish powder (200 naira)
    • locust bean (100 naira)
    • Seasoning cube (100 naira)
    • Salt to taste
    • Vegetables- Ugu, Efo shoko, Green ( 1200 naira)
    • Dry Fish (1000 naira)
    • Dried prawn (500 naira)
    • Assortment  of Beef, Tripe, and cow Skin ( 5000 naira)

    Preparation

    • Blend the tomatoes, peppers, and onion. Then cook down to form a paste like you would when preparing stew.
    Efo Riro Recipe (Nigerian Vegetable Stew) 2
    • Many people would say this isn’t the authentic way of preparing Efo Riro, as the Yorubas who are the originators of this dish typically prepare it with a blend of scotch bonnet peppers and onions. But recipes evolve and one is free to make a few changes to a recipe as their palate would accommodate.
    • Cook the meat. In another pot, season your beef, tripe and cow skin with some crayfish powder, diced onions, curry, thyme and seasoning cubes with salt to taste.
    Efo Riro Recipe (Nigerian Vegetable Stew) 3
    • Allow them to cook till tender. If your cow skin is already tender, it can skip the cooking party and be introduced later on in the cooking process.
    • Preheat the palm oil. With the stew base ready, heat up the palm oil in a pot without bleaching it. Then throw in some diced onion and locust beans and stir-fry till golden brown.
    Efo Riro Recipe (Nigerian Vegetable Stew) 4
    • Add the pepper and tomato blend and fry until the sauce thickens up. Stir constantly to prevent burning, it should take about 15 minutes.
    Efo Riro Recipe (Nigerian Vegetable Stew) 5
    • Next add in the crayfish powder, locust bean, seasoning cube, dried fish, the meat, cow skin, dried prawns and salt to taste. Stir everything together.
    Efo Riro Recipe (Nigerian Vegetable Stew) 6
    • Add some water or stock to thin out the sauce, then cover it up and allow it to come to a simmer.
    Efo Riro Recipe (Nigerian Vegetable Stew) 7
    • Finally, add your mixed vegetables making sure it has been properly washed and chopped to your desired size.
    Efo Riro Recipe (Nigerian Vegetable Stew) 8
    • Then leave it to cook covered for about 2 to 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

    Tips

    This simple Efo Riro recipe pairs well with rice, yam and even swallow. Its a great alternative to regular stew and can be made with any protein of choice. 

  • Nigerian Fish Stew

    Nigerian Fish Stew

    5000naira

    Nigerian meals under 5k

    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. But here’s what you’ll need to create a delicious Nigerian fish stew for less than 5k.

    Please note that to create Nigerian meals under 5k or other budgeted meals successfully, having certain ingredients like oil, onions and crayfish stocked at home helps to reduce cost drastically. But without much talk lets make our delicious Nigerian fish stew.

    Nigerian Fish Stew 1

    Ready in 30 minutes

    Serves 5 people

    1150 calories

    Ingredients

    • tomatoes and pepper (1000 naira)
    • Fresh fish ( Hake or Mackerel) (1800 naira)
    • Onions (200 naira)
    • Vegetable oil (500 naira)
    • Garlic and ginger (150 naira)
    • Ground Crayfish (100 naira)
    • Tomato paste (200 naira)
    • Eggs (500 naira)
    • Iru (50 naira)
    • Kpomo (500 naira)

    Preparation

    • Start by blending your tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic and ginger. I like to use fresh garlic and ginger because I find them more potent than the powdered or paste versions
    • After blending the mix till smooth, pour into a pot and boil till the water is completely dried and the tomato mix is reduced to a thick paste. 
    Nigerian Fish Stew 2
    • If you are planning on using the stew to eat rice, which you most likely would, you should get your rice cooking alongside your tomato mix. I like to cook my eggs in my rice in order to save gas and time. So while parboiling your rice, just drop your eggs inside and take them out when you wash the rice.
    Nigerian Fish Stew 3
    • With your pepper and tomato mix ready and your rice underway, the next step is to fry your fish. Please note that frying of fish isn’t for the faint hearted, so you can opt for smoked fish if you are not used to working with splashing hot oil. You’ll still end up with a delicious Nigerian fish stew regardless of the kind of fish used.Have your fish all toasty and brown like this
    Nigerian Fish Stew 4
    • I also like to add some dry fish especially when frying my onions as it gives the oil a ton of flavor
    Nigerian Fish Stew 5
    • Now its time to cook the stew. Place a pan on medium heat, add vegetable oil and heat until hot. Add chopped onions, ground crayfish, dry fish and iru, then allow the onions to fry until translucent, stirring occasionally. 
    Nigerian Fish Stew 6
    • Next, add your boiled pepper and tomatoes mixture. Do this carefully to avoid splashing of the oil and bring to boil for about 10 minutes.
    Nigerian Fish Stew 7
    • Time for your proteins, add your fried fish, boiled eggs and kpomo. Also add your tomato paste at this junction. Season the stew with salt and bouillon powder to taste, you can decide to add garlic and ginger powder to reinforce their taste and fragrance in the stew.
    Nigerian Fish Stew 8
    • Stir to combine and continue to cook for another 10 minutes or until you can see the oil floating on top of the stew.
    • Take the stew off the heat and its ready to serve immediately.
    • You can serve Nigerian fish stew with rice, yam, beans and even plain okro soup. 

    Tips

    You add spices like curry and thyme when frying the onions, as it not only adds flavor to the oil but makes your entire home smell amazing.