Royal Dainties

Have you ever bought Watermelon, only to discover that it's not ripe or sweet? It can really be, not only disappointing, but also effort and money wasting! This sometimes makes one wonder how to identify a ripe one. On most occasions, you just have to cede your right of judgement to the vendor who makes a choice for you - unlucky you, if you meet a mischievous one! Check out for any or all of the following tips and such woe will never betide you again! 1. SOUND CHECK I'm sure you have severally seen the mallams (vendors) giving the watermelon some slaps/tap, you just might not  know what they are checking for! Ripe watermelon when tapped/thumped gives a HOLLOW sound. If the sound is deep/thick, it means the subject is not ripe. So, you might want to do some knock knock knock when next you are buying! 2. BELLY (FIELD SPOT) CHECK Field spot is simply the side upon which the watermelon rested while growing till maturity/harvested. A ripe watermelon has a creamy y

Tomatoes certainly is an essential (or a near  compulsory) ingredient in almost any kind of soup. It is however highly perishable, and like any other farm produce, seasonal. So, at a point, it's cheaply available (wasting away) everywhere and at another very costly, if available at all. At such times, we more often than not turn to canned 'tomatoes' (at least, that's what we are told they are!). But such are not free from all manner of additives and preservatives which most of the times are not only unhealthy for consumption but with adverse effects over time. But you know, you can eat YOUR (at least you are sure tomato it is!) tomatoes near fresh and cheap all year round! Oh yes, you can! Here is a  time tested, simple, cost effective and healthy (do-it-yourself) way you can preserve tomatoes for an all year round consumption for you and your family: INGREDIENT/EQUIPMENT 1. Tomato (Desired quantity based on available Jam jars) 2. Jam jar(s) (It has to be gla

WHY YOU SHOULD COOK MOIN MOIN WITH LEAVES Moin moin is a protein-rich food in Nigeria made from a mixture of blended black-eyed beans, onions and fresh ground peppers. Moin Moin is prepared by first soaking the beans in cold water until they are soft enough to remove the fine outer coat. Then blended (using a blender) until a fine paste is achieved. Salt, stock cube, dried crayfish, vegetable oil or palm oil and other seasonings are added to taste. You can add sardines, corned beef, sliced boiled eggs, or a combination of these and other 'garnishes' to liven up Moin Moin. Such is referred to as  " Moin Moin elemi meje" , which translates to Moi Moi with 7 lives. Full recipe available on https://royaldainties.blogspot.com.ng/2017/07/how-to-make-moin-moin-with-leaves.html Many methods are used to wrap the moin moin, from Nylon to Aluminium cups to Foil papers to Plastic to Leaves. However, the best of them is Leaves. But these days in most places, they are prep

                                                          HOW TO MAKE MOIN MOIN WITH LEAVES 3 Milk cups of Beans 4 Tablespoons ground crayfish 3 Big Stock Cubes ½ Handful of Habanero pepper or Atarodo 2 Tatashe Peppers or Bell Peppers 3 Big Onions 20cl Vegetable oil 50cl of warm water Salt (to taste) 4 Hard Boiled Eggs 1 Big Mackrel Fish Leaves Moin moin Cooking Preparations Wash the beans with enough water to remove the coat . When the entire coat has been removed, place in a bowl and cover with water while you prepare the peppers. Cut the eggs and fish into small pieces and set aside. Wash the habanero & bell peppers. Cut the onions into pieces & grind the crayfish with a dry mill. Wash the leaves thoroughly and set aside. Cooking Directions Blend the beans, peppers, onions, crayfish with some water and pour the mix into a big bowl. Add the vegetable oil Add the war

NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF AFANG SOUP Most people who eat this Soup know little or nothing about the rich nutritional value of this African dish and many more. So what do you stand to gain when you eat this soup? 1. Afang soup is a good source of unsaturated fatty acids. Unsaturated fatty acids make up the HDLs (i.e High-Density Lipoproteins). HDL is known as good cholesterol because it helps to remove other forms of cholesterol from your bloodstream. 2. It is rich in essential dietary fibre. Dietary fibre is very good for weight loss and also helps prevent constipation. 3.The Okazi leaves used in its preparation are rich in iodine. Iodine helps in preventing goitre. 4.The waterleaf component of Afang soup helps to slow down the digestion and conversion of starch to simple sugars. This makes Afang soup useful in managing diabetes. 5. It also contains a lot of anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are important in repelling free radicals and preventing oxidation. 6. It is also a

Food is an Art, Cooking is an expression. Feeding well is a necessity. Let us cook Afang Soup: How to Cook Afang Soup Ingredients for Afang Soup 400g sliced Okazi/Afang leaves 250g Water leaves 20 to 25 cl red palm oil (about 1 drink glass) Beef, stock fish and Dry fish Periwinkle 2 tablespoons ground crayfish Pepper and salt (to taste) 2 stock cubes Before you cook the Nigerian Afang Soup Wash, drain and slice the water leaves into tiny pieces. Grind or pound the sliced Okazi leaves. In Nigerian markets, the sellers of these sliced Okazi leaves have a machine for grinding it. It's the same hand machine for grinding melon. If you don't grind, you won't enjoy the soup because its a tough leaf.After grinding, the leaf becomes tender. Grind your pepper and crayfish and cut the onions into tiny pieces. Cooking Directions Boil the beef and stockfish with the diced onions and stock cubes in a very small quantity of water. When done, add the dry fish an