Introducing 'Yamarita' and prawn/ fish pepper sauce;
Essentially this is fried battered yam along with prawns in a special hot sauce.
👍 Tasty party small chops; supplied by DeJuTT catering - 07939 141850
Another innovative Nigerian creation.
Next is the stand alone 'Okro soup' fondly referred to as 'Asepo' by the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria.
Cooked with a wide range of Seafoods, smoked turkey and assorted meats and eaten with a supple mould made with dried yam flour (Amala).
This was a friend's 'snuggle slipper' menu for the Christmas. That soup was 'rich....😃, the kind you linger over because there's so much to pick out of the Soup.
So folks, don't stay quiet or shy. Send us what you've got and we'll do our best to share.
Looking forward to celebrating your business or your skills in 2017...
There should be a law, I think , against people who do their utmost to wrap us round their little fingers with their tantalising kitchen productions......😁.
Anyway, that's what makes good business and ...There is 'self control ' too. So we shall struggle to share this one and constructively decide when we will cook ours later. 😑
9jafoodie rice
Is what she has named this one but the concept is very simple and as I often interject, can be modified to your taste or preference.
Follow the link and see for yourself. Does her technique remind you of what we have shared here before? Let's chat.
What if you did that with a cooked deboned fish and crayfish mix instead and served it with '👌' for lack of a better word. (Attitude?...). Lord, have mercy.
So apologies in advance if it seems like I am collaborating with Ronke Edoho of 9jafoodie to cause excessive salivation this morning, but good things need to be shared.
So what innovative storm have you created in your kitchen or what is your unique presentation style that you feel should make people order from you?
This is your stage, make yourself known.
Send us an email or even a short video to fallyvltd@gmail.com and we will help you cast your net further for clients.
Not to worry, we shall definitely be going round to other traditions as we discover them or "you" share with us. You can leave a link in my comment box here, on Facebook, on Twitter or wherever you come across it. Also via email to fallyvltd@gmail.com.
Back to business: Caribbean green seasoning recipes:
I am going to give you two because there are many variants and as with every thing modern, things change as you go along and you can modify to your taste with ingredients you are more familiar with. #1. From our friend Chris again at an older website http://chrisdelarosa.com/caribbean-green-seasoning/
#2. From Cheryl at CloseKitchen.com on YouTube and on Instagram
Why two? From the differences, you can see where you want to fall in or what you would change.
Chris used lots of 'sweet pepper' types. You can use those which you are familiar with and like.
Cheryl added Scotch Bonnet and removed the seeds, you may want to keep the seeds in.
Main things we find added are the fresh greens; parsley, thyme, chives, scallions or onions and garlic.
Finally, you may be like me, going down discovery lane as I learn about a new but prominently featured herb, "Chadon Beni" in true Caribbean style green seasoning. However, if you don't find it, you could use Coriander instead.
Here's a video from Chris about this legendary herb.
All done now.
Enjoy your experiments, share with friends, (after tasting and you give yourself a 👍😂) Don't let our foods 'leave a bad taste' in anyone's mouth. Lol!
Look forward to hearing from you all about your different traditions so we can bring them to light here; and about your Afro Caribbean shops too.
In this handling of turkey, Chris of Caribbeanpot.com shows how to make the best of your basic turkey and halve(!), yes halve your cooking time. The video is very engaging and I can almost smell the cooking as I watch. �😂
Hope you enjoy it as I did and give it a go. More details are available at caribbeanpot.com
Caterers, grocery sellers make yourselves known so we can showcase your skills too, send us an email using the address below.
This is an age test..... testing by food, yes by food.😅
Let's join the fun. I wonder if it would apply to you at all. 😐 not sure if the test would be universal.
Do let us know, how it went with you and if you could relate to your part of the world too. Does this picture trigger memories....? Follow me to foodsng.com for the journey.
Leave your comments in the box below, sign in through your Google account or equally on my Facebook page.
Hello friends,
How's the experimenting getting on? Don't forget to invite a friend for lunch and they could perhaps rate your cooking; from cardboard -------> lip smacking good and in between 😅.
Do let us know how it goes.
If you simply can't cook, I just hope you placed your orders with caterers in time otherwise hold a New Year Dinner instead.
Today, I'm sharing a Nigerian Fish Recipe from sisijemimah.com
and a Caribbean Prawn Recipe from caribbeanpot.com. (😐 found some use for pumpkin which I have not cooked before now.)
These meals are a posted, with regards, to my 'pescatarian' friend and to those of us who 'just want to have something different'.
Invite a friend, the season is for sharing kicked off by the best sharer. Do your very best and be a good Afro Caribbean food representative.
Caterers, indigenous grocery sellers get in touch. It's your page.👍
I was out shopping yesterday at Ades Cash and Carry in Charlton when I came across these packaged frozen yam cubes and thought to try them out.
It is packaged in Nigeria, 500g of frozen yam cubes per pack.
In a previous blog, I mentioned that some people do freeze store their peeled and cut yam as it doesn't keep for long in the pantry or kitchen storage. Simpli Foods have gone one step further and done all peeling and cutting, of hopefully select yam pieces, for us.
When opened, this is what a whole packet looks like and the advice given is to cook from frozen
I put about half a packet in a pot and covered the yam cubes with boiling water. You can add salt to taste. I boiled at moderate heat for about 15 minutes. The idea generally, is to boil till soft, test poke with a knife or fork.
I served up half of the yam cooked with fried eggs containing onions, sweet peppers, black pepper, sea salt and mushroom and some of my precooked Nigerian stew.
Comments:
It was well tasty and proved to be good quality yam. Each bag cost £2.99, not bad value for money. Essentially, one would be paying for convenience, seeing as one wouldn't have to hunt for good yams in the shops, no problem with storage as it would go straight into the freezer. It would be particularly good for young students or adults living alone. A packet could provide 2-3 servings.
So for now, I am aware that it is available in my local Ades Cash and Carry but you can check in your local African and Caribbean food shop for it's availability. The Simpli Foods website also has a search engine to show where their suppliers are located worldwide.
Leave any comments in the box below or let us know if your local cash and carry or supermarket even, has these products in store and we will share with others.
Also tell us if you are caterer who cares for some publicity or you have some cooking skills to display. You can email us directly.
In case, you have been in doubt or confused about the purpose of this blog, that is essentially what it is; sharing and caring.
Sharing African and Caribbean recipes, daily cooking tips, shopping haunts and tips.
'Why?', you may ask; because not everyone knows these things and the fact that we want our 'foods' to be more easily accessed.
This could be by cooking it themselves or linking with a caterer who knows their stuff such as we would advertise on these pages. Nuff said, back to sharing. 😅 This Tasty Jerk Pork dish from Caribbeanpot.com has me salivating already. I love Caribbean spices, they never fail to add taste to a dish and I often try their variants in my own cooking. This could make a tasty addition to your Christmas table setting or even replace the turkey if you are not into all that hype. If you don't eat Pork, then why not try it on some other type of meat?
Give it a try, and 'share this blog, if you care'. Give someone else a chance to partake of a good thing.👍 If you know you are good at preparing such meals and can cater for a fee, drop us an email and we will link with your audience. So have a nice weekend, don't stress, one step at a time and you'll get things done. Fally Jay for The Food Hut.
Yam in African and Caribbean countries often serves as a filling breakfast or can be a light lunch. However, because of the cost of importing it into the UK and the time it takes travelling, finding good yam can be challenging. Nonetheless, it has its benefits.
Good yam, should feel largely firm all over without any squishy bits. Scabs can be cut off where initially the yam may have started deteriorating but dried up afterwards.
Yam doesn't store for too long and some people peel it, clean it and cut it into reusable sizes before storing it in the freezer. (For shorter cooking times, cut the yam into smaller pieces, though not too small or else it will turn into mush when cooking)
If you do store your yam in the freezer, you would have to wait for it to fully thaw before cooking. All peeled yam, needs to be immersed in a bowl of water before cooking if you want to avoid discolouration due to exposure to air..
The 'collaboration' is that
- I have a video from Chris (foodfaq) originally from the Caribbean showing how yam is prepared and boiled. (He has decorated his with beef stew but doesn't actually cook it in this video)
-And I have a young man on the NigerianFoodChannel stir up some egg stew mix that would make you want to eat up at least 2 to 3 pieces of yam. Do remember you can always spice it to your taste.
So for a wholesome tasty breakfast, go get yourself some yam and try this.
Invite your friends unfamiliar with yam, to give it a go by sharing this blog with them.
For good measure, I have added a link to some BBC yam recipes too. Click here.
Share your experiments with your friends. Maybe they'll going looking for some YAM themselves😊.
Do leave your comments or links for recipes, caterers or shops you would like to share with us, in the comment box below. You can also email us directly.
Imma, blogging at Immaculate bites, shares her take on one of my favourite naturally made drinks. I love the aromatic sensation from the cloves and ginger combined with the tangy taste of sorrel. I particularly like to have mine warm as it chases away the winter blues. 😊👍 Join Imma here as she also gives a bit of gist about 'the travels of sorrel' and shares her recipe.
I have included a you tube video to give the traditional Caribbean option too.
It's funny how we find ourselves sharing similar tastes even when we may need a visa to even visit each other's countries. Don't forget we are building a platform here, where we get to know what's being served up in the pots of other nationals in Africa and the Caribbean and show off ours too to potential new customers. Take up your opportunity to be in the spotlight by leaving your business link in the comment box below, emailing us directly at sales@fallysfoodhut.com or inboxing us on instagram 'fallys_food_hut'. Later....keep busy in your kitchens.🍴 Fally Jay for The Food Hut.
So what are you up to these days? All your orders stacked up back to back with no room for more?
Not yet? What's on your menu? Do you want others to know?
Need new customers or you simply want to tantalise us with your presentation pictures?
Get in touch with me and we can work on it together. My email address is below.
Wherever you come from in Africa or the Caribbean, I'm interested... Don't hesitate.
You may even come across me at your catering event or your restaurant...😃.
Now that would be cool.
Just remember, this is your stage and your ovation awaits.
Here is someone I would like to celebrate today. Check out his posts on Facebook.
This shop is one of my favourite haunts down SE18. Owned by a pleasant mannered Ghanaian couple, I often go there for select yam tubers and bottled 'shitto'.
Shitto is a deep fried hot sauce with lots of pepper, some fish or crayfish and other spices. It is a Ghanaian specialty. 'Spicy and nice 😅'
Fried or boiled yam with shitto, together are something else. You must try it sometime.
Perhaps you can go there
Manna Superstores -30 Thomas St, Thamesmead West, London SE18 6HT;
Or ask at your local African and Caribbean food store for their best shitto and get yourself some yam or plantain even and let me know how it goes.
They are good at stocking all things Ghanaian and more, so if you in an experimental mode, that's the place to go.
Yesterday, I came across these when I visited the store; small green garden eggs or pea aubergine and coco yam leaves. (unusual..😒)
Coco yam leaves are sometimes referred to as Taro or Kontomire by the Ghanaians and can be used for vegetable stew as described in yesterday's blog.
Seeing as these items were together in store, I figured there must be an indigenous recipe to be discovered ....I found two.😃.
Those greens have definitely sparked my interest, especially with all the rave about our health. I will be giving it a try.
Otherwise simply add the Coco yam leaves to vegetable stew and chew on the garden egg raw, so much health benefits therein, and I am told they are on weekly supply to the shop.
Have a smashing weekend and leave comments or links to your own shopping haunts in your area or proven caterer per excellence in the box below. You can also contact us by email.
