Hey Foodies!!!
You are all probably why I cooked so much meat. It will delight you to know that this was much more than domestic cooking. Last week, I had the opportunity to cater to about a 100 people or more. You can imagine my thoughts when I was asked to do so. I was so close to turning down the offer as I was not being paid for labour, and I had two midterms the day the food was needed for. However, I knew this was a chance that might open doors for me, so I took on the task.
So what did I cook for? The international students organisation at my college was having their annual bazaar. A member of the exec board hit me up saying they have Nigerian food every year, but that this year, there was no one to take on the task. My exited self said YES so quick, not realising what I was getting myself into. The budget was limited, I was given only $100 to produce any three trays of Nigerian food. Nigerian food is expensive to make, I was lost on what to make for so much people with $100 and the time frame I had allocated to cooking. Since it was a taste of Nigeria, I wanted something different from the usual jollof rice that people are used to. Several dishes crossed my mind. I was thinking yam pottage? Beans? Fried rice? Efo (vegetable soup) and all sorts. Then I finally settled for white rice, palm oil stew and dodo as it was the most cost effective and time efficient thing. I made the right decision. Although stressed through it all, every one was happy in the end. I had people coming back at the bazaar for seconds, because the food was “tasty”.
As shown in photos, preparing Nigerian food is not very time efficient. If you are not patient, it can put you off. This is especially because all dishes are cooked from scratch with fresh ingredients. No wonder most people do not like cooking. Anyways, todays post is on how to make this fried palm oil goat meat and shako stew. The stew was not as fried as I would have liked it to be due to several factors. Firstly, I live on campus during school semesters. Living on campus limits my cooking so much and one reason is because the alarm in my apartment is so touchy,it is not built for the Nigerian in me (lol). Secondly, I was knackered and was thinking strictly about my tests I had and how to keep the food fresh at the same time. Life is tough lol, especially when you have to multitask. This definitely taught me a lot about time management.
I doubt you all would want to make this big a portion when you try out the recipe, therefore, I would be writing a recipe for a smaller portion when next I make it. Goat meat is one of my favourite types of beef (it is healthier than cow meat) and so much tastier when seasoned to perfection. Often times, people are thrown away at the mention of “goat”. However, trust me on this one. It is not as “goaty” as the name sounds. Goat meat can be cooked in various forms, pepper soup, a sun (roasted peppered meat), in ego (vegetable soup) etc Goat meat stew can be eaten with white rice as shown above, or with plain okra and eba, boiled plantain, yam(cassava) and so on.
The ingredients in this dish are as follows,
Parsley
Salt
Knorr cubes
Plantains
White rice
Palm Oil
Tomatoes
Bell Pepper
Small Pepper( Tatashe/rodo/rocket/ squash)
Tomato paste
Onions
Goat Meat
Shaki
Meat Stock
Ps: Did you know that the outcome of your stew is dependent on how you blend your tomato, onion and pepper?? The consistency has to be right in order for it to have that rich flavour by the time you are done cooking. Also, this plays a very important role in the colour of your stew. If you do not mix your ingredients right, your stew might not come out as red as it should be.
I do hope you have enjoyed reading this post and you are currently drooling at your screen :p
Watch this space for a smaller portion and an updated version of the recipe.
Thank you for reading and don’t forget to follow on instagram (@WovenBlends) for day to day updates.
Lots of love,
WovenBlends
I love the step by step pictures.
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