The Flygerians Cookbook

1

SMALL

CHOPS

MOI MOI STEAMED BEAN PUDDING

Moi Moi is a steamed bean pudding made from blended and skinless black-eyed beans. It can be cooked vegan style or plumped up with meat, fish or crustacean options and can be served as an appetizer.

500 g/3 cups peeled and dried black-eyed beans

1 large onion, chopped

3 red Romano peppers

3 red Scotch bonnet chilli/chile (or to taste)

4 garlic cloves

60 g/2 oz. Jumbo chicken stock powder or bouillon vegetable stock powder

20 g/¾ oz. ground crayfish (optional)

2 tablespoons dried mixed herbs

2 tablespoons curry powder (mild, medium or hot)

100 ml/? cup vegetable oil

2 UK medium/US large eggs, beaten (optional)

Moi Moi leaves, rinsed, or foil containers

100 ml/? cup boiling water

salt

OPTIONAL FILLINGS

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved

200 g/7 oz. raw tiger prawns/shrimp

4 x 100-g/3½-oz. cans of mackerel, fish shredded

MAKES 10-12 PUDDINGS

FIRST, PREPARE THE BEANS

Soak the peeled black-eyed beans in boiling water for 30 minutes. Using a sieve, rinse and drain the beans to ensure there is no excess skin.

Blend the soaked beans, onion, Romano peppers, Scotch bonnet chillies and garlic in a food processor until you achieve a smooth consistency. Add water to assist with the blend if necessary.

Transfer the blended mixture to a bowl and add all the stock powder, ground crayfish, if using, mixed herbs, curry powder, a pinch of salt, vegetable oil and beaten eggs, if using.

FORMATION

Rinse the Moi Moi leaves, if using this method, and prepare them to fold into parcels. Baste each Moi Moi leaf with oil to avoid the leaves becoming dry or sticking (or baste the foil containers if using).

If you are adding the optional fillings, half fill the parcel (or container) with the bean mixture. Add the sliced eggs or raw prawns and mackerel and top with some more bean mixture, then wrap the leaves over the top to make a parcel, or top with the container lid.

START STEAMING

Place the filled Moi Moi puddings in the base of a medium saucepan and add the boiling water. Steam for 50 minutes over a medium heat, using a probe or toothpick to check the consistency. Add more water to the pan as needed to prevent burning. Leave to cool before serving.

CHOP LIFE!

TIPS

» To ensure you don't overheat your blender, add ingredients in batches and add small amounts of water to aid smooth blending.

» Adding raw eggs to the mixture gives the Moi Moi a soft and fluffy finish. If you don't use eggs, you can add additional oil instead.

» If you are worried about the tightness of your parcels, you can use twine to secure them if needed.

VEGAN AKARA BEAN FRITTERS

Akara is a vegan Nigerian snack, which is the perfect small chop to have while you wait for your main course. Originally vegan and gluten free, it is a dish for everyone. Akara can be served hot as a small chop, but is also delicious with shop-bought Nigerian (or Madagascan to honour our dual nationality) custard for breakfast.

500 g/3 cups peeled black-eyed beans

1 Scotch bonnet chilli/chile (or more for preference )

1 red Romano pepper

2 garlic cloves (optional)

1 large red onion, chopped

1 tablespoon bouillon vegetable stock powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs

salt

vegetable oil, for deep frying

MAKES 15-20 AKARAS

FIRST, PREPARE THE BEANS

Submerge the black-eyed peas in boiling water and soak for 1 hour. They will get softer as a result, making blending easier.

Once the black-eyed peas are soaked, drain the water, and transfer them to a blender or food processor. Add the Scotch bonnet, Romano pepper, garlic and red onion and blend to a smooth paste. Try to make the mixture as thick as you can, but you might need to add a little water to aid blending. Also try blending in stages to avoid the blender overheating.

Pour the blended mixture into a large bowl. Stir thoroughly and add the vegetable stock powder, baking powder, mixed herbs and salt to taste.

START FRYING

Heat the vegetable oil in a deep frying pan/skillet over a medium heat to about 180°C/350°F. To test if the oil is ready for frying if you don't have a thermometer, drop a small piece of bread into the pan. If it sizzles and browns straight away, it's ready; if not heat for a little longer.

You can shape the fritter mixture into balls or flatten them slightly into patties, depending on your preference, or just use a deep spoon to scoop up some of the bean mixture and carefully drop it into the heated oil. Be cautious of splattering as they enter the pan.

Fry the akara until golden brown and crispy, turning occasionally to ensure even cooking. This should take about 5 minutes per batch.

LET'S CHOP!

Once cooked, place the akara on paper towels to drain excess oil and repeat this process until the mixture has all been used.

EWA AGOYIN

This is a traditional Nigerian dish made from black-eyed beans, and can be made vegan by swapping or taking out ingredients. In our opinion it can be eaten any time of the day but then again we don't believe in placing restrictions on food. Ewa Agoyin can be served with boiled yam or cassava, Agege bread (see page 23), or fried plantains. If you are feeling extra, you can add a fried egg on top.

500 g/3 cups black-eyed peas or brown beans

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2-4 fried eggs, to serve (optional)

AGOYIN SAUCE

2 large red onions, chopped

6 garlic cloves

5 Scotch bonnet chillies/chiles (or to taste)

10 cherry tomatoes

1 red Romano pepper

150 ml/? cup palm oil or olive oil

2 tablespoons Jumbo prawn/shrimp stock powder or bouillon vegetable stock powder

1 tablespoon paprika

3 teaspoons ground crayfish (optional)

2 tablespoons curry powder (mild, medium or hot)

salt

SERVES 2-4 FLY PEOPLE

FIRST, PREPARE THE BEANS

Place the black-eyed beans in a colander and rinse thoroughly.

Put the beans in a large pot with a pinch of salt and add boiling water to cover. Boil the beans for 1½ hours until tender, topping up with more water as needed. Drain, then return the beans to the pot and roughly mash.

MAKE THE AGOYIN SAUCE

Using a food processor, blend the red onions, garlic cloves, Scotch bonnets, cherry tomatoes and Romano pepper.

In a deep saucepan, heat the oil and add the blended onion mixture. Season with the stock powder, paprika, ground crayfish, if using, and curry powder.

Take the sauce off the heat once it has thickened and the flavours have combined. Check the seasoning and add salt to taste.

LET'S CHOP!

To serve, transfer a portion of the cooked beans to a dish or plate and drizzle a lot of Agoyin sauce over the top. Top with a fried egg, if liked, and season with freshly ground black pepper.

GIZDODO SKEWERS

Gizdodo gets its name from gizzards and dodo (plantain) being mixed. Chicken and turkey gizzard is a popular small chop eaten in Nigeria. Our grandma used to make us these skewers as a snack to graze on.

500 g/1 lb. 2 oz. chicken gizzards

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon Jumbo chicken stock powder

1 tablespoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons curry powder (mild, medium or hot)

2 tablespoons ground turmeric

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 bell peppers (any colour), deseeded and cut into large pieces

2 large red onions, cut into large pieces

1 large white onion, peeled and roughly chopped

5 red Romano peppers, roughly chopped

2 red Scotch bonnet chillies/chiles (or more to taste)

3-4 garlic cloves

150 ml/? cup vegetable oil, plus extra for shallow frying

2 ripe plantains, peeled and sliced into thick rounds

400 g/1 cup tomato purée/paste

salt

15 wooden skewers (no need to presoak)

SERVES 3-4 FLY PEOPLE

FIRST, PREPARE THE GIZZARDS

Add the gizzards to a large saucepan and add the ginger, chicken stock powder, dried thyme, curry powder, turmeric, garlic powder and a pinch of salt. Pour sufficient boiling water into the pot to submerge the meat and cook over a medium heat for 30-40 minutes until tender. Top up the water if it begins to evaporate.

GET BAKING

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Place the peppers and red onions on a baking sheet, season with salt and roast for 15-20 minutes.

PROCESS & FRY

Using a food processor, blitz the chopped white onion, Romano peppers, Scotch bonnets and garlic together until minced.

In a deep frying pan/skillet, shallow fry the plantain slices in vegetable oil until golden brown. (As the plantain is quite ripe it may appear to be burning but this is OK.) Remove the plantain from the pan and set aside until needed.

Drain the cooked gizzards and set the stock water aside.

Using the same pan, fry the gizzards in vegetable oil for 3-4 minutes.

ADD THE FLAVOUR

In a separate pan, add the vegetable oil, tomato purée and the...