Making A Delicious Coconut Rice

The Coconut rice is not only a healthy meal but also a very delicious meal, mostly when a matured-sweet coconut is used, if you are looking forward to preparing this delicious meal but don’t know how to go about it, here is all the answers you need to know about preparing this delicious rice meal.

 This comes 2nd on my list of delicious rice meals. Right after salad sauce.

What you see is a simple coconut rice, super delicious. The only difference between the usual jollof rice and this is the use of cocoanut milk; it changes the taste and impairs the color slightly.


There are actually different recipe, some don’t use tomatoes, I have another recipe in the rice book that is called buttered coconut rice, it’s to die for.

First you should spend some time looking for the really matured cocoanut, one big cocoanut would be enough for 4 cups of rice which would probably serve a family of five or six.

When you  find the matured-dried cocoanut, the shell is usually dried. Break it, take a bite, if it is not sweet, start looking again. It is important to buy the really matured and sweet cocoanut, it make a whole lot of difference. It should really be somewhat sugary. If you are there, shout – yaw!!! And commence with the rest of the cooking.

The Ingredients for cocoanut rice Include (Serving – 6 Persons)
Coconut (one big ball)
3 cups of rice
Fresh ground or sliced tomatoes (500ml)
Chicken/beef (2KG)
Onions (2 bulbs)
Maggi cubes (2-3)
1 sachet Kitchen glory (beef seasoning)
Groundnut/vegetable oil half cup (150ml)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparations

start by breaking and de-shelling the cocoanut (we don’t need the water inside, you can drink it – very healthy), grate (sort of grind) the coconut with a grater, the idea is to squeeze out the milk from the main coconut. Normally you grate the coconut with a grater and then add a cup of water or two and then squeeze out the white water (coconut milk) which is needed for the preparation of coconut rice. Filter the squeezed out milk and set aside in a bowl

Then Parboil about three to four cups of rice, grind the tomatoes/peppers (you need about 500ml), your blender should be calibrated, or you can slice the tomatoes if you like. Also parboil the chicken with all the necessary ingredients (Onions, Maggi, Salt, and Kitchen glory – beef seasoning), add water about five minutes later and allow cooking till it is soft for consumption.

After which you will Pick the chicken with a fork and deep fry while reserving the stock (water from the meat) for further cooking. Once you have gotten the water from the coconut and also fried the chicken… or not. Sometimes I just add the chicken without frying them.


Set your cooking pot on heat, add half cup (150ml) of vegetable/groundnut oil, allow heating for at least 90 seconds before adding the ground or sliced tomatoes. Now fry and stir the tomatoes for the next 10-15 minutes till it is dried.

Add the meat extract (water from the meat) once you are done with frying the tomatoes, also add the coconut milk, a cube of Maggi, add more salt to taste. Allow to boil before adding the rice, cook for the next twenty to forty minutes until it is very soft for consumption.

Then you can  now add a little more water along the line. Once it is soft enough to your desire, go ahead and serve with the fried meat, you just made a delicious pot of coconut rice

Serve with the cooked, fried or grilled chicken. Aside chicken you can also use goat meat, beef or assorted meat to make a delicious cocoanut rice meal.

Is this interesting? Do you like the meal? Any question? pls leave me a comment below on the comment section

How to Make Banga Stew (ofe akwu)

Banga soup (stew) has topped the list of Nigerian stew recipes over the years because of its uniqueness and blend of natural ingredients . I have learned that it is more advisable to make stew with palm oil than groundnut or vegetable oil.

Bear in mind totaly different from the Deltan version that is served with starch or eba. If that is what you are looking to make, here is the recipe – Delta Banga Soup

The Banga soup (ofe akwu) is very easy to make and very popular in the eastern part of Nigeria, almost every ingredient used in Making this stew could be gotten from the farm, that is why it is a little bit easier for folks in the rural areas while it remains difficult for people outside the country to find all the ingredients that are required.

This is another kind of Nigerian stew popularly eaten by the Igbos and some other parts of Nigeria; I would prefer this stew above Nigerian tomato stew any day. This is a delicious plate rice, served with banga stew (soup) plus a sprinkle of peas. (the peas was boiled for 3 minutes on low heat)


Here is a list of ingredients used in making Nigerian Banga soup (stew) ‘ofe akwu’, (as the Igbos like to call it). Most of these ingredients can be purchased from any Nigerian market or African shops in case you live outside Nigeria.

Ingredients: | Serving : 6×2 Persons
Banga (palm fruit) (9-10 cups)
2KG of Meat (I used goat meat while making the video below, you can use chicken, turkey or a combination of two)
1 sachet of ‘Onga soup’ spice
A cup of Sliced onions
2 cups of sliced fluted pumpkin(optional)
2 cubes of maggi
A cup of sliced Scent leave
Dried fish (500g)
Half cup of ground Crayfish
Fresh or dried pepper to taste
Salt to taste

“Onga soup” is a special kind of spice that I use in making Nigerian banga soup and few other Nigerian foods, You will find this in the video below. Onga is made by promasidora (Nigeria) LTD, I think the company is located in Switzerland.

Like I always say; there are lots of spices and flavors used in making Nigerian foods, most of which are also franchised in almost every country of the worlds. Take knorr cube for instance, this ingredient is available in almost every country of the world in different forms and shapes, knorr or maggi is used in almost every known Nigeria food recipe.

The good thing is that you can use almost any spice for Nigerian foods although there are just a few that are irreplaceable.

Below is the image of pounded palm fruit with a portion of the squeezed-out thick juice in a plate and then by the right is sliced onions, scent leaves in a plate

Soak the dried fish in hot water and wash thoroughly to remove sand and dirt,
blend the crayfish or blend together with dry pepper if you are making banga stew with dried pepper, although I prefer to use red fresh peppers.

Chop the onion and set aside in a plate, I like to make most foods with lots of onions just because of its health benefits.

Cook the palm fruits (banga fruits) for 30 to 50 minutes then pound with a mortar and pestle, you will see how this is done in the video below. Pour water in a bowl, add the pounded palm fruit and try to squeeze out the thick syrup. The palm fruit juice is a major part of banga soup this can also be used in making Nigerian soups (then you wouldn’t need palm oil).

Pour the squeezed-out thick juice into a bowl and set aside.

Wash the meat with hot water and parboil with a separate pot till it is tender (be sure to add the ingredients – use the 2 cubes of maggi, a teaspoon of salt, half cup of onions.), It is possible to make a delicious meal with tasteless meat, that is the only reason I advise you to use lots of ingredients while parboiling the meat. Then very little or none while making the main foods, just use the meat stock (water from the meat) and you will be fine.

Add the squeezed-out palm fruit juice to the boiling meat on fire.

Add the (dried fish and crayfish) to the cooking pot and cook for about 10 minutes
Add your spices if it is not yet as tasteful as required. (Sachet of “onga soup” and/or a cube of maggi, knorr or royco). Stir and add the scent leave (chopped), sliced onions, salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and cook for another minute then add the chopped vegetables (optional), allow to simmer for another 3 minutes and you just made a delicious Nigerian banga stew (ofe akwu)

Serve with rice, yam or cooked beans

That is how to make banga soup (stew) in Nigeria, the Igbos call it “ofe akwu”.

Preparing Turmeric Rice (Yellow Rice)

Turmeric Rice is one of the very basic yet delicious rice recipes to prepare in your kitchen. There's no tomato stew to make in this recipe so don't bother about preparing this rice dish?

Ingredients

• A Long grain parboiled rice
  • If you stay in the USA/UK, use 2 cups.
  • If you stay in Nigeria, use ½ De Rica cup.
  • If you have a weighing scale, use 350g or you may use 0.8lbs.
• use 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
• use 1 teaspoon Nigerian curry powder
• use1 teaspoon black pepper powder
• use 1 small red onion
• use 2-3 cups chicken stock
• A small quantity of red pepper
• A handful green peas
• Salt (to taste)

Notes about the ingredients

This following image shows the quantities of some of the ingredients you may use.

1. Use enough turmeric powder to colour the rice. Please note that the rice may not look so yellow when you add the parboiled rice to the turmeric mix in the pot but when the rice is done, it will become very yellow.
2. Turmeric is known as yellow ginger in Nigeria. It is known as ajo or ata ile pupa in Yoruba and kurkum in Hausa. You can buy turmeric powder in big supermarkets eg Shoprite in Nigeria.
3. I used chicken stock for this recipe because I served the rice with Onion Baked Chicken. I used soft chicken which I baked from raw so no boiling of the chicken done to get some chicken stock. This means that for taste, I added chicken stock which I always have in my freezer. I get this chicken stock when I prepare side dishes like Peppered Chicken.
   
   If you want to prepare this with Fried Chicken or Grilled Chicken, cook the chicken with thyme, onions, stock cubes and whatever else you use to season your chicken. Then add the water from cooking that chicken (chicken stock) to the rice during Step 1 in the cooking directions.
4. If you are in Nigeria, red bell peppers are available in big foreign supermarkets. Use tatashe as alternative to the red pepper. The quantity of red pepper you need is so small, see the video below.

Before you cook Turmeric Rice or Yellow Rice

1. you have to Rinse and cut the red onions into small pieces.
2. Rinse, remove the seeds and cut the red pepper into small pieces.
3. Prepare the chicken you will serve it with. You can serve with Peppered Chicken or Onion Baked Chicken.
4. Parboil the long grain parboiled rice. For the quantity of rice stated above, add to boiling water, stir, cover the pot and once it boils again, leave to boil for 10 minutes or till you can easily cut the grain of rice with your finger nails.

Cooking Directions

1. Pour the chicken stock into a sizeable pot.
2. Then Add the turmeric powder, Nigerian curry powder and black pepper.
3. Cover and cook till it's boiled.
4. Add the parboiled rice, stir and make sure that the liquid in the pot is at the same level as the rice. If not, top it up.
5. Taste for salt and add some if necessary. Stir, cover again and start cooking on medium heat.
6. If you have parboiled the rice correctly as described above, the rice should be done by the time the water dries up. Taste to confirm. If not, you will need to add more water and reduce the heat to prevent burning. Continue cooking.
7. When you can no longer see the water in the rice, add the diced red pepper, onions and green peas. Stir only the top of the rice, cover and continue cooking.
8. The rice is done when all the water dries up.
9. Stir with a spatula till the vegetables and the rice are well combined.
10. That's all you need to make yourself happy!

For meat, serve with Peppered Chicken or Onion Baked Chicken. For side dishes, serve with Fried Plantain, Nigerian Moi Moi, Nigerian Salad or Coleslaw.

Click here to send me your feedback and questions about preparing this Turmeric Rice.

for proper understanding you may want to watch the video below