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Tag: The quarantine is doing more good than harm. My home skills just got better
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African dishes are becoming part and parcel of most kitchens in the world nowadays. Koki and Ripe Plantain is a typical African dish. It is a dish so abundant in the various food nutrients. This traditional dish has become so popular that it is now eaten in many countries of the world because of its richness. The main ingredients used to prepare a tasty Koki and Ripe Plantain dish are,
- koki beans
- ripe plantains
- red palm oil
- tender cocoyam leaves
- magi
- salt
- pepper for those who eat pepper.
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This video shows us the ingredients to prepare a good dish of Koki and Ripe Plantains. Subscribe and share with friends.
- The beans and tender coco-yam leaves are harvested from the farm or bought from the market or store. All the other ingredients are gotten from the store. Spinach can be used where cocoyam leaves are not accessible.
- Soak the full beans grains for about 2 to 3 hours and wash. If crushed, soak and wash immediately.
- Slice the tender cocoyam leaves.
- Grind the beans after washing.
- Put the paste in a mortar, add a bit of salt and magi and stir or beat it for about three to four minutes.
- Add salt and magi to taste. Stir again for some time until it rises and almost double the quantity.
- Add the cocoyam leaves, and then it is ready to tie in bundles.
- Add red palm oil in each bundle before tying.
- Put in a sizable pot, add water and steam for about 45 mins to one hour.
- After grinding blend the paste very well. Add enough water and then all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together.
- Tie in bundles and steam in a sizable pot.
This video presents to you the complete procedure of preparing Koki and Ripe Plantains.
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Some Health Benefits of Koki and Rip Plantains
- The steaming method used in cooking koki retains a lot of vegetable proteins from the beans that are good for the body.
- Red palm oil gives us vitamins and fats.
- The tender cocoyam leaves give us vitamins and help in building our blood.
- Plantains provide us with calcium and starch.
Corn Fufu and Njyama-njyama is a typical African dish, so rich in the various food nutrients. This traditional dish has become so popular that it is now eaten in many countries of the world because of its richness. The main ingredients used to prepare a tasty corn fufu and njyama-njyama dish are as listed below.
Recipe for Corn Fufu and Njyama-njyama
- corn flour
- vegetables (njyama-njyama} also called huckleberry Other leaf vegetables can be used such as bitter leaf.
- vegetable oil
- tomato
- onion
- magi
- salt
- Pepper for those who like it.
- banana leaves
Method for preparing Corn Fufu and Njyama-njyama
Preparing Njyama-njyama
- Harvest the huckleberry (Njyama-njyama) from the farm or buy from the market. The quantity depends on how much fufu and njyama-njyama you want to prepare.Pick the njyama-njyama by removing the hard stems.Wash thoroughly and boil the njyama-njyama for about 20 to 30 minutes, then remove and slice.
- Slice the tomatoes and onion and fry using the vegetable oil and fry about two to three minutes.
- Add salt and magi, and allow to fry for about two or three more minutes depending on the quantity. Pepper can also be added at this stage for those who like it.
- Add the sliced njyama-njyama and stir well. When it is well mixed with the tomato and onion paste, allow it for one or two minutes, then stir and remove from the gas cooker or fireside.
Preparing Corn Fufu
- Trash dry yellow or red corn and grin it at a grinding mill. You may buy already prepared corn flour from a store.
- Put enough water in a sizable pot, depending on your quantity. Allow the water to bubble. Mixed corn flour with water and put in the bubbling water, then stir continuously for about three to four minutes till the dough is thick and tough.
- Add warm water and using a pestle or a wooden spoon , open the dough and let the water go in between the dough down to the bottom of the pot. Then cover and let it cook for about two to three minutes. open and stir till the fufu is smoother, tougher and looks shinny.
- Use the banana leaves to tie. Where there are no banana leaves, you can use film rolls.
- Serve with fried or baked chicken, fish or meat.
Health benefits of Corn Fufu and Njyama-njyama
Corn Fufu and Njyama-njyama is a dish very rich in food nutrients such as,
- carbohydrates
- proteins
- vitamins
- fats and oil
This video shows how to prepare Corn Fufu and Njyama-njyama. View and share it with friends.
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Achu and Yellow soup is a typical African Traditional dish of the Ngemba clan in Cameroon. It is a dish so abundant in the various food nutrients. This traditional dish, because of its richness, has become so popular that it is now eaten all over the country and in many countries of the world. The process to come out with a tasty dish of Achu and Yellow Soup is in three stages; the preparation, the actual pounding, and the Yellow soup preparation.
The Preparation
The main ingredients for preparing Achu and Yellow soup are coco-yams, banana, red palm oil, cow meat and skin, salt, magi, Limestone (Niki), achu soup spices, and pepper. The pepper is only for those who eat it. In my village setting, the coco-yams and banana are harvested from the farm while the other ingredients bought from the market or store. Of course, in a city, one has to buy all the parts. The traditional plates (banana leaves) are also harvested and warmed over a glowing fire then split in rectangular forms ready for use in the second stage to tie the achu (coco-yam fufu) itself. In a city, we use a dish in place of the leaves.
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Banana leaves
The coco-yam and banana are washed and put in a sizable pot, beginning with the coco-yams, then the banana, and finally some tender or young coco-yams at the top. The pot is then covered with banana leaves or foil paper and allow to cook until the coco-yam and banana are soft enough for pounding.
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Pounded coco-yam and banana
The Actual Pounding
When the coco-yam and banana are well cooked,
- Firstly we peel the tender or young coco-yams and pound.
- Then pound the banana and mixed with the pounded coco-yam. This is done in about two or more batches depending on the quantity. Each batch is mixed up with the previous one to keep it continuously soft and smooth. At the end of this stage, all the pounded coco-yam and banana are well mixed until it is smooth to form a dough.
- Water is added if the dough is too tight; otherwise, it is just fine.
- The softer dough or call it fufu is then removed and tied up in bundles known as bundles of achu.
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Yellow Soup Preparation
While the coco-yam and banana are being pounded, the meat and skin is also cooking on the fireplace.
- Firstly, slice the meat and skin and wash it thoroughly.
- Secondly, put in a pot and add enough water, salt, and magi.
- Then, allow to cook until it is soft enough. This can take about thirty to forty-five minutes, depending on the type.
- Mixed the red palm oil and “Niki” in a bowl or pot till it turns pure yellow.
- Drain the stock from the meat and pour it in the bowl or pot. Use a second bowl to mixed the soup well by turning it from bowl to bowl till it is pure yellow and thick enough. You can also use a blender to blend if you have one otherwise continue mixing for about two to three minutes, depending on the quantity.
When these three stages are accomplished then, Achu and Yellow Soup is ready for the table. Yummy!
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Some health benefits of Achu and Yellow Soup
Considering its ingredients, Achu and Yellow Soup is very rich in
- Carbohydrates from the coco-yams.
- Proteins from the meat.
- Vitamins from red palm oil and vegetable.
- Fats oils from the red palm oil.
- Calcium from the yellow soup
- The yellows soup also fixes minor stomach upsets.
The search for recipes has become top of the day, as we see in many search engines. Many people have turned to domestic cooking than ever before because of the quarantine. This attitude, of course, has helped to reduce their family expenses drastically. On my part, in addition to the realization of my backyard garden, I have also discovered that my home skills just got better thanks to the quarantine. I have been able to come out with some typical pastries before I thought only experts could do them well. I also had time to prepare some of my traditional dishes. Here are samples of my homemade stuff during this period of quarantine. My grandchildren have attributed all to grandma, hahaha! Take a look!
Grandma’s yummy bread
Grandma’s yummy cookies
Grandma’s yummy biscuits
Grandma’s yummy banana cake
Grandma’s yummy pancakes
Grandma’s yummy beans and pof pof (Mǝku nǝ̀ ǝkarǝ̀)
Grandma’s yummy barbecue (Ǹnà ǹtonǝ)
Grandma’s yummy roasted fish/chicken and bobolo (Nǝ̀bye bwo ǹgwu ǹtonǝ̀ nǝ̀ mǝ̀nyondo’o) .
Grandma’s yummy achu and yellow soup (Ə̀ku’u nǝ ǹjya- nikǐ)
Grandma’s yummy corn fufu and njama-njama (Ə̀banǝ̀ nǝ̀ ǹjyǎ-nkaŋǝ)
Grandma’s yummy water fufu and eru (Ə̀banǝ casarǝ bwo erù)
Grandma’s yummy boiled cassava and vegetable . (casarǝ̀ nǝ ǹjyǎ-nkaŋǝ̀)
Grandma’s backyard garden (ǹsùŋǝ njyâ ndzǝ̀mbarǝ̀)
In every disappointment, there is a blessing. Dear friends, endeavor to make the most out of every stressful situation like the one we are experiencing. If you don’t have what you cherish, cherish what you have. We have found ourselves in a case whether we appreciate it or not, we have to live with it so long as we have not got a solution. Step by step, day by day, until God‘s plan, is fully revealed. Let us embrace and fight it positively.
Àbàa ntəǝ nə̀ kàa nluu. An Advice bag never gets full.
More on Wise Sayings in Nkwen Language
| S/No | Nkwen | Free Translation |
| 1 | Àbàa ntəǝ nə̀ kàa nluu. | A bag of advice never gets full. (You continue to get advice or learn till your last day, even in events you think you are an expert.) |
| 2 | Boŋə m̀bì’inə̀ kàkə atyə̌ chyà. | The shoulder can never be above the head. (A slave, “worker, student, wife” can never be above his master “boss, teacher, husband”.) |
| 3 | M̀bàŋə nə̀lwenə̀ ə̀ bə moo. | An old age walking stick is a child. (An encouragement for parents to take good care of their children and to children who take good care of their old aged parents.) |
| 4 | Moo tə̀ zu’u ǹtèe mya kù zhə̀ nsansə. | A child who never listens to mother’s advise shall face his/her doom. (A warning to recalcitrant children) |
| 5 | Ngwo nə̀ kǎ moo ngwo dàŋə njwe. | A dog cannot give birth to a different species. (Said when a child grows with the good or negative qualities of a parent) |
| 6 | O tə kuu moo ŋù ò jwe wwò. | When nursing another man’s child bring yours forth. (Said in situations where an adopted child despises his/her caretakers) |
| 7 | Fya azuŋə ambwo ŋù wuma a zhi ǹdwènə̀. | Give something to one who knows the value. (Said in a situation where someone takes good care of something) |
| 8 | À̀wuŋə nə̀ tə kwi afò a ǹnà kàkə̌ m̀yə̀. | A hunting session does not end because animals are finished in the bush. (We do not stop an activity because the enjoyment or pleasure is not still there but because we have to keep time.) |
| 9 | Boŋə ò ka kù’u bǔ ŋù tòŋə ò kàkə̌ ǹfὲ’ὲ njya zhì zhi. | If you’ve never eaten achu’u with someone you’ll never know how he consumes the soup. (If you’ve never lived with someone, you’ll never know his/her attitude.) |
| 10 | Ǹchə̀ ngwo dzwi nə ngwo. | A curse on a dog remains with it. (Said when we need not revenge a bad act from someone but leave it to God’s judgement.) |
| 11 | Boŋə o ka ndya dzwi bə bǐtə̀ ǹjyǎ zhə̀ nə̌ nkyǐ. | If you are not present water will be added to your soup. (If you are not present, you’ll always be cheated.) |
| 12 | Bǝ̌ tyə mbenə mə ndya bə nə̀ ngrə-məkwε. | Fighting within the household is done with the elbows. (Infighting within siblings should never be done fiercely) |
| 13 | Ǹdya tə̀ sa’anə̀ bə awε̌ ŋu. | A family with no quarrels is the absence of people. (Said as a consolation to a family or group of people who are quarrelling or fighting) |
| 14 | Àbwo bikàkǝ̌ ntsù adàŋə̀ dàŋə nku’u. | An empty hand never goes to the mouth. (Said when someone needs a reward for a service or when someone has to feed on what is available and not what he likes) |
| 15 | Ə̀tyə bya boŋə nchya zi mo’o. | Two heads are better than one. (We need to journey or reason with others for we are not perfect) |
| 16 | O tə tòŋə akù’u ò zə̂ ǹjya zhi za’a. | See the achu’u soup first before boring it. (Foresee before embarking on any project) |
| 17 | “Mə̀ nkə̀ la zhi” ǹtsə̀mə zoŋə bə ndzə̀̀mə̀. | “Had I known” is always the last. (Said when an omission brings negative results) |
| 18 | Mə̀tànə ŋù bə nə̀li zhi. | A man’s choice is his eyes. (Said when one has to make a personal choice or decision.) |
| 19 | Ndyâ bikàkə nə bǝ̀ nshwe. | A house cannot burn with people inside. (A problem can’t go unresolved when people are present.) |
| 20 | A ka mətanə kə ghə o kə mbəŋə nə ala’a shu’u. | If you can’t go to the market don’t wish the rain on people. (Do not sabotage if you are not talking part in something) |
| 21 | Tə zhi ntsǝ̀mǝ̀ mbu’u. | An innocent person is in God’s grace. (Said when someone is not guilty of something or is accused when he/she is not guilty) |
More on Wise Sayings in Nkwen Language
