So i woke up this morning to find out we had run out of bread (The usual Saturday breakfast). The bakery close to where i stay don't open shop early and where the bread vendors sell their wares is a long walk from home. To get breakfast ready and on time, i had to make egg rolls since most of the basic ingredients were readily available in the kitchen. Fast forward few hours later, i was done with breakfast and the whole family enjoyed it as well. 
Nigerian egg roll is a popular snack similar to scotch eggs but unlike scotch egg which is made with minced meat and egg , Egg roll is made from flour dough and egg. The dough is made almost the same way doughnut dough is made (Non-sticky). Once done, it should look slightly like Nigerian Buns on the outside with egg in the middle.

How to make Nigerian Egg roll
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time:30 minutes
• Total Time: 60 minutes
• Makes:        10 egg rolls

Things you'd need::: 
• Flat working surface/ chopping Board
• Rolling pin
• Frying Pan
• Mixing Bowl
• Empty Saturated Milk Cup for measuring

Ingredients:::

• 10 Whole eggs

• 4½ Cup Wheat flour (all-purpose flour)

• ½ Cup Sugar

• 4 tbsp. Margarine, Butter

• ½ tsp. Baking powder 

• 1 tsp. Mixed Spices - Optional 

• Pinch of salt 

• 1 cup warm water 

• Vegetable/Soya oil (for deep frying) 

Directions:::

Step 1: In a medium sized pot, boil the eggs for about 10mins till hard boiled. Once cooked and while hot, place the hard boiled eggs in cold water. This is to ensure the shell comes off easily. 

Step 2: Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, mixed spices (if you are using) and salt into an empty bowl. Mix thoroughly then add the margarine/butter. Work into it with the tip of your hand till it looks crumbly like breadcrumbs.

Step 3: Make a well in the center and gently add water little by little. Work into it some more till you get a Smooth non-sticky elastic dough. Divide it into 10 and roll the divided dough into balls

Step 4: Dust your flat working surface with flour and roll out each dough. Wrap each dough around each egg and roll into balls

Step 5: Pre-Heat your vegetable oil in a deep fryer or pot and fry the egg rolls till golden brown. To ensure it cooks well on the inside, reduce the temperature of the burner once you drop the egg rolls into the oil.

Step 6: Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel. Serve!

Egusi soup (Melon Soup) is Unarguably the most popular Nigerian soup everyone loves. It's quite versatile too as it's prepared by every single tribe in Nigeria though the methods of preparation might differ slightly. No matter how it is prepared, the end result still remains the same good old tasty soup. In the north it's known as Miyan Gushi, in the east it is known as Ofe egusi, in the west it is known as efo-elegusi. It could also be prepared with different leaves such as Ugu leaf "fluted pumpkin leaf", Onugbu "Bitter leaf, Afang "Wild spinach", water leaf e.t.c View full list of Nigerian leafy vegetables here - A different leaf means a different flavor. 

One of the reasons why i love preparing Egusi soup with bitter leaf is, with bitter leaf the soup tends to last longer without the taste changing while being refrigerated but when prepared with ugu leaves, it's best eaten within a time frame. Also, bitter leaf makes it fingerlicking good. 

How to make Egusi soup with bitter leaf

• Prep Time:  30 minutes

• Total Time: Over 45 minutes

• Serves :       6

Ingredients:::

• 2 Cups Melon Seeds "Egusi"

• 600g Red beef

• 1 medium sized Stock fish

• 2 Medium Smoked fish

• 1/2 Cooking spoon Cray fish

• 5 chili pepper "Shombo"

• 3 red scotch bonnet pepper "Ata rodo" 

• 1 medium sized onion

• 1½ Cup palm oil

• 1 Cup Bitter leaf - Pre-washed

• 3 Seasoning cubes

• Salt to taste

Directions:::

Step 1: The first step is to peel the egusi by removing the white Egusi seeds from the brown shell. Place the peeled Egusi in a dry mill (The smaller grinder that comes with the Cup blender) and grind till smooth. It might start to cake up but never mind, that's not a problem.

Step 2: Bitter leaf is always sold pre-washed in the Nigerian market. To be on the safer side and to avoid making your soup extremely bitter, it's always advisable to Boil and re-wash the already washed bitter leaf.

Place the pre-washed bitter leaf in an empty pot and add some water. Cook on medium heat for 10mins. Strain and rinse about 2-3 times more. Squeeze out the excess water and set aside for later use. Please taste it before adding to the soup (There's no remedy to Bitter Egusi soup - If you've got, please share below)

Step 3: Wash the chili pepper and scotch bonnet. Dice or blend into a puree - Set aside. Click here to view steps on how to make pepper puree

Step 4: For the Stock, you could use any type of meat or fish you choose to. For this particular recipe, i used a mixture of Stock fish, Smoked fish & Beef.

Wash the Beef, Stock fish and Smoked fish (remove the bone). Place the beef in an empty pot, add the blended pepper puree and Chopped onion (you could also blend the onion), Crushed seasoning cubes and just enough water to cover the content of the pot. Cook on medium heat for about 25 minutes. Add the salt, washed stock fish and smoked fish, Cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off the burner and set aside.

Step 5: In an empty pot, pour in the palm oil and ground Egusi. On medium heat, stir fry for about 3 minutes till it starts to dry up but don't let it burn. 

Step 6: Pour in the meat & fish stock in step 4 above, add the ground crayfish, Stir and cover the pot. Leave to cook for about 15 minutes till the Egusi swells and cakes up a little. By this time, the oil would have settled on top.

Step 7: Add the washed bitter leaf, stir and cover the pot. Leave to simmer for 5-7 minutes before turning off the burner. 

Serve with any "Swallow", Yam or Rice.

Recipe by www.dobbyssignature.com

I once worked in a popular brewery here in Nigeria but never for once did i try any of the beer products even though it was readily available all around. That's probably because i've got more affinity for sweet things but Just as i was about giving up on all beer, the "Ginger beer" came along. 
Maybe because of it's "sweet" refreshing taste or probably because of the health benefits, Either way ginger beer remains one of the easiest beers to make right at home. This is because, it takes a shorter time to brew unlike other beers which takes longer to brew.
i love ginger beer, Infact the only type of beer you could find in my private stash is ginger beer. Also, the ingredients for homemade preparation are easy to find around the kitchen. Just mix a little bit of ginger, sugar, lime/lemon, activator and the end result is usually this fizzy, sweet drink with a little bit of alcohol (well, not that little though if you leave it for a longer period).....plus its easy as ABC :)
Related Posts: Ginger Recipes

Ingredients:::

• 2 Fresh ginger roots

• 6 Cups water

• 1 Cup Sugar (you could use more or less)

• 3 tbsp. lemon/ lime Juice

• 1/3 tsp. Bakers yeast

Directions:::

Step 1: Peel off the papery skin of the ginger with a spoon(It'd come off easily) or a knife, rinse clean and grate with a grater

Step 2: Place the grated ginger in a small pot, add the sugar and 2 cups of water. Heat till the sugar dissolves then turn off the burner.

Step 3: Through a fine sieve, Strain the Sugar-ginger syrup into a bowl and once strained completely, leave to cool down. 

Step 4: Transfer the strained liquid into a plastic bottle, add the remaining water, lemon or lime juice and bakers yeast. Make sure you leave a little air space in the bottle (This is done to leave room for the gases that'd build up during fermentation). Cover the bottle and shake to mix up all the ingredients as well as activate the yeast to start the carbonation process.

Step 5: Leave to stand in a cool place for about 24-48 hours (Try opening it once or twice to release the carbon dioxide as well as reduce pressure so it doesn't explode in your face when it's finally ready).

Step 6: To check if it's ready press the plastic bottle, if it depresses/ goes in then it's not ready but if it's firm and seems swollen then it's ready. The firmness is caused by the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation. 

Step 7: Once it's ready, gently open up (Best done over the sink) to release pressure. It should  bubble or be fizzy (Imagine the reaction you get when you open a carbonated soft drink that has been shaken). Now your drink is ready, but best served cold.

Place in a refrigerator and serve Chilled.

Recipe by:

www.dobbyssignature.com

Kunu drink is a popular drink made from whole grains of millet and sometimes sorghum or corn. Its quite popular in most parts of Nigeria especially the northern part where it originates. It’s got a spicy, nutty flavor and it’s packed with nourishing vitamins and minerals. It’s also rich in protein and high in fiber. Preparation of this drink takes about a minimum of 2-3 days. This is because for the first two days, it’s left to soak in water so as to trigger the process of fermentation.  Making Kunu at home is quite easy and requires nothing fancy. Here's how its done…….

De-hulled Millet

How to make "Kunun Zaki" drink 

Utensils:::

• Blender 

• Pap Sieve 

Ingredients:::

• 3 cups Millet (de-hulled)

• 1 medium sized Sweet potato, peeled- Optional

• 2 Medium sized Ginger, peeled

• 1 tbsp. Cloves (Konofiri)

• Sugar (To taste)

• Water 

Directions:::

Step 1: Soak the seeds in water for 48hours to allow the seeds ferment making sure you change the water every 7 hours. 

Step 2: Wash thoroughly with clean water and place the millet, Ginger, Cloves (Konofiri) & Sweet potato in a blender (You need one with sharp blades) and blend till you have a smooth paste making sure you add water while blending to enable it blend smoothly.

Step 3: Place the blend in a large bowl and pour cold water over the paste (This is to make it easier to sieve) and mix. Gently pour the slurry into the sieving bag and sieve the mixture. Discard the chaff 

Step 4: Leave the sieved out liquid to settle for about 7 hours, by then the clear liquid would be above the sediment (thick paste below). Sieve out the clear liquid leaving the settled mixture which should be thick.

Step 5: Divide the thick paste into two bowls (Let’s say bowl 1 & 2). Pour boiling hot water over the content of bowl 1 and stir (As if you are preparing pap). Add the content of bowl 2 into bowl 1 and stir some more. At this stage you can add as much water as you want depending on how thick or watery you want your kunu. It’s usually thick though.

Step 6: Sweeten with sugar, Refrigerate & Serve Chilled. 

"Kunun Zaki" drink with Ice cubes

Recipes by

www.dobbyssignature.com