Category Archives: Guest Posts

Scooped Mashed Potatoes in Chicken Curry Sauce 13th Shade of Valentines Cooking

Chicken Recipes, Guest Posts, Potato Recipes February 13, 2013 Leave a comment

Valentine is almost here – in fact it’s tomorrow and once again I’d be sharing one recipe that is close to my heart. So close that I only attempt it once a year (excluding special occasions where I need to whip out my little recipe book to impress).

From the title you already know its Mashed potatoes in chicken curry sauce, and although the components here are pretty popular, it’s the way in which it is served that differentiates this from any other style or method.
Let’s get started then:
Potatoes and spring onions
Ingredients
6-10 tubers/balls of potatoes
2 Eggs
Vegetable Sprouts
1/2 of a Whole Chicken
Spice – Curry, Thyme, Pepper, Salt, Seasoning
Vegetable oil
Onions
making mashed potatoes afrolems
Method
1. Season the chicken with diced onions, plus spice and allow to sit for a while (in a refrigerator)
2. Peel and slice potatoes into boiling water to cook until it’s soft enough to be mashed
3. Chicken can either be steamed before grilling in oven until it turns golden brown
4. Stock obtained from steaming should be mixed with vegetable oil
5. Add spice into stock and oil, with curry being dominant, stir until you get a thick paste
6. Boil eggs and thinly slice for garnish. Sprout vegetable can be used instead or along side.
7. Grilled chicken to be cut into four pieces and steamed in curry sauce for 3 minutes
8. Chicken in curry sauce to be served in a bowl, mashed potatoes to be scooped – ‘Like ice cream’ into bowl, and garnish to be added as desired.
chicken curry sauce afrolems
Voila, there you have it. You are free to put in your favorite add-ons or go shrimp instead of the chicken, at the end of the day it’s the scoops of mashed potatoes that stand out in this amazing sauce – and the scoops can also go into the bowl before the sauce.
Bon Appetit and Happy Valentine from all of us at EasyAppetite.

About Cook: Nubi Kayode is a Co-Founder of Easy Appetite, an online takeaway site that allows you order, experience and recommend meals for various restaurants. More at http://easyappetite.com

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Guest Post : White Rice, Egg Sauce & Turkey 3rd Day of Valentines Cooking

Guest Posts February 3, 2013 Leave a comment

The Afrolems banner went up about our valentines recipes and immediately we got a few requests to from different bloggers to feature their recipes in our series. Here is one of our guest chefs of the day. Hope you enjoy his recipe. XoXo

 #Nubicooks:

This is a simple meal, but allows for creativity and team work. So call up your valentine on V-day evening and get to cook this together. If you are the charmer like me, you may want to do this all by yourself, just make sure your valentine brings along the wine when coming over.

So let’s get started.

Ingredient:

Rice – enough for three
Eggs
Turkey – grilled or fried
Tomato paste
Onions
Vegetable Oil
Spice – Pepper, Salt, Curry, Thyme
Seedless Grapes

Method:

1. Boil Your Rice with salt until it is ready to eat
2. Dice your onions, soften tomato paste with stock or water
3. Whisk eggs
4. Quick-fry (in low heat) sliced onions, and tomato paste, in vegetable oil, add spice to make sauce
5. Pour in Egg into sauce and stir to make scrambled eggs in sauce. Add more spices if need be
6. Dish your white rice, and serve sauce on the side with grilled or fried turkey
7. Garnish with seedless grapes and eat with chilled wine.

Bon Appetit!

rice and egg sauce

About Cook:
Nubi Kayode is a Co-Founder of Easy Appetite, an online takeaway site that allows you order, experience and recommend meals for various restaurants in Nigeria. More at http://easyappetite.com

 

Guest Post: Cous Cous Salad – 5th day of Christmas

Guest Posts, Health Talk, Holiday Recipes December 16, 2012 Leave a comment

On the 5th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, an afrolems follower that submitted a recipe! I love when Afrolems followers send in recipes. That way i get a glimpse of what goes on in other kitchens. One of our followers sent in this lovely CousCous Salad recipe. Seasons Feedings….Enjoy!

Ingredients

100 g couscous
fresh parsley chopped (optional)
1 red onion finely chopped
½ cucumber, deseeded and finely chopped
1 Large carrot finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped cabbage
1 glove garlic
chicken finely dice (optional)
chicken stock
1 chopped green pepper
spring onions
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:

In a large frying pan combine oil, garlic, half onions, and add chicken, cook until tender, then pour in a bowl.

Cook over low heat.

Prepare couscous with chicken stock as liquid.

Be careful so it doesn’t get mushy.

In a large bowl mix chicken with remaining  all veggeies and couscous.

Garnish with a few black pepper and parsley.

Dish by Natachy Peace

cous cous salad for afrolems copy

Spicy Noodle Frittata – Sandra Aigbinode Chef of the week

Guest Posts August 24, 2012 Leave a comment
So my lovely friend Sandra Aigbinode sent in this lovely recipe. Spicy Noodle Frittata. I plan on making it this weekend. Hopefully I succeed. Sandra has been a chef of the week in the past with her delicious Rum Cake.  Hope you enjoy making this dish as she did. Don’t forget to send in your chef of the week recipes to afrolems@gmail.com
Delicious and healthy breakfast dishes in 20 minutes or less. If I can do it so can you trust me.
Description

Ramen or Nigerian Indomie noodles are baked into a frittata and topped with shredded cheese.

Ingredients

  • 2 packages chicken flavored ramen or indomie noodles
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons butter
  • 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions

  1. Put noodles in a pot filled with boiling water. Cook until tender, and drain remaining water out if any. In a medium bowl, whisk together the 6 eggs and seasoning packets from the noodles. Then mix in noodles.
  2. Melt butter in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the noodle/egg mixture, and cook over medium-low heat until firm. It takes about 7 minutes. Cut into four slices, and then turn over to brown the other side for 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over the top if you want, and serve.
Note: I served mine with a bagel with cream cheese on the side!

noodle recipe sandra aigbinode

Afrolems welcomes Chef Eskor – Chicken Fiesta, Cinnamon Basil Pasta, Spring Rolls

Guest Posts May 1, 2012 Comments: 6

Hello, my name is Chef Eskor and I am Canadian by birth and Nigerian by Blood. My base for these vibrant succulent dishes is intercontinental cuisine and a little bit of culinary flare. The ever so juicy Chicken Fiesta served with an exotic fruit sauce has risen to be a crowd favorite. A blend of herbs, a handful of Nigerian spices, with an adage of assorted oils heightens the flavor profile of this poultry.

The sauce is a mixture of fruits that can be found at a local food store, pureed and mixed with cream to evenly distribute flavor throughout the palette. Heavily influenced by Italian cooking, it’s what one would describe as colorful. The fettuccini Cinnamon Basil Pasta extenuates in flavor as it is being eaten. Blanching and then blitzing the cinnamon basil, scallion, and coriander in a blender, I found what seemed to be love at first site. The colour was bright and alive. I proceeded to turn my confetti into a remixed creation of basil/cream fettuccini pasta, with a touch of salt, herbs and crack-black pepper.

Never having a dull moment in the kitchen!

Spring Rolls were my next adventure. I indulged and went all out wrapping this pastry dough to perfection; a variation of carrots, onions, bean sprouts and mushrooms fried to a golden crisp. The integrity of this Asian delicacy spoke for itself.

I often find the best way in the kitchen to create is by being vividly filled with passion and always having fun.

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Strawberry Banana Smoothie Banana Truffle -Sokolad Chocolate by Afolabi

1, Guest Posts April 27, 2012 Comments: 5
6:30AM, my annoying alarms are buzzing off the chain… Its finally Friday morning and getting out of bed today is no where as easy as the last. As I managed to drag my feet around my bedroom to disable all 4 alarm clocks, I start to reminisce on the day gone by.

Number 1 on my speed dial is the ingenious Chef Eros, he is going to kill me for calling him this early but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. His line rings “Morning Afolabi”… “Morning Tolu, quick one… Am off to work now and before I walk into the building, mind sharing with me the recipe you’ve got planned for Afrolems?”

Chef Eros: “It’s a Surprise… My lips are sealed” and before I can put my manipulative skills to work, the line cuts”

Whilst the Government insists that I must participate in NYSC, my love for chocolates and my chocolate making business sprouts new branches. My day job had me sprinting across floors getting documents signed…@mysokolad? The orders are pilling up. Quick run to the toilet to call the Culinary HQ for update on my orders… I dial 08095566770 on my iPhone, wait for it to connect but am not surprised that the first three times I tried, I got a busy response. Finally! It’s my turn…phone rings… “Gooood morning! Your are through to Culinary Inc., My name is Kelvin, How can I help you?”…. “Kelvin, its me Afolabi, what’s the update on our orders”…. “Oh morning Afolabi, thank God you called, We are almost out of Dreamy Marshmallow in white chocolate shell, any chance you could make some more during your break?”

At this time my brain starts racing… I have no more marshmallows? My break is only an hour during which my partner and myself have to be at Radisson Blu for a meeting with Management and I have no Marshmallow? What shall I do?

Its break time, as am trying to race out of the building, My boss comes by my desk, hands me a pile of tasks to perform and just as he’s about to leave, he turns round and says… “Did I mention how nice you look in that dress today?”…. Errrr! Awkward!!! Finally get to my meeting, close the deal, jet off to the grocery store, grabbed bags of marshmallows to be dipped in our rich Belgian White chocolate. As I head to check out, my eyes could not but notice the deliciously looking fresh strawberries and the succulent bananas winking at me.

The next thing that came to mind where those smoothies I used to get with my bestie from Tealicious over on Calhoun Street in Houston. With crazy cravings kicking in, I decided why not have that great smoothie taste in my chocolate and with that, I came up with my own version of a strawberry banana smoothie truffle. My Strawberry banana smoothie truffle recipe is infused the sweet taste of strawberries, radiant flavor of bananas and for a twist, shredded coconut.

Generally speaking, truffles are easy to make as long as the general steps in making them are followed. There is really no limit to what you can use as a filling flavor, but in order to make the best truffles, ensure that your fillings are not too overpowering.

When I make my strawberry banana smoothie truffle, I use fresh bananas and strawberries and blend them into a puree with a food processor. For the purpose of this recipe, I’m using ingredients and techniques that will enable you to make these mouth-watering truffles at home.

Recipe:

Yield: about 3o truffles

Utensils required

Measuring spoons

Measuring cup

Immersion blender

Pot

Stainless steel or glass bowls

Candy cups

Candy Thermometer

Spatula

Cling film

Ice cream scoop, teaspoon or piping bag

Parchment paper

Baking tray or cooling rack

Gloves

Ingredients

 

6 oz. Sokolad Belgian milk chocolate

1/8 tsp. Banana essence

½ tsp. Strawberry essence

Vanilla essence (optional)

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

3 tbsp. Coconut flakes

Salt (a dash)

To finish truffles

4 oz. of Sokolad Belgian milk chocolate (tempered)

5 tbsp. Coconut flakes

¼ cup Chopped strawberries

Step 1

  • Obtain 6 ounces of Sokolad Belgian milk chocolate (replace with a brand like Ghiradelli) and chop the chocolate into small pieces. Place in a stainless steel or glass bowl. *Remember, the higher the quality of chocolate you use, the better the flavor of your final product. *
  • Pour heavy whipping cream in a stainless steel pot. With your stove on medium heat, bring whipping cream to a boil until bubbles appear on the sides. This is called scalding.

(If using a strawberry and banana puree, strain them into the whipping cream with a sieve)

*Be Careful not to let it bubble in the middle, as this will over cook the cream*

  • Pour heated cream into chopped chocolates. Let sit for 2 minutes and then stir well.
  • Stir in small circles from the inside out
  • To avoid your chocolate seizing, (yes my lovely readers, chocolate seizes if any form of moisture gets into it, rendering it stiff, grainy and useless) let your ganache cool to 34 °C (Using a thermometer) and add strawberry and banana essence. Stir in small circles, from the inside out.
  • Add chopped coconut into the mixture and stir. The finished ganache should be smooth and shiny.
  • Cover with cling film and let it set at room temperature overnight. If you are in a hurry, place in a refrigerator till firm.
  • With an ice cream scoop, scoop out the firm ganache and place on a parchment paper lined tray.
  • Place back in the refrigerator for 5 minutes
  • Roll the ganache by hand to create nicely rounded balls. You want your balls to be about 1.5 inches in size.
  • *Chocolates are very messy and will melt very fast. I recommend wearing gloves to roll the ganache. *
  • Place the ganache back in the refrigerator for another 5 min to firm up, as the heat from your hands will make them soft.

Note: You will have to work very quickly for the next two steps

  • With your dipping fork, dip the chocolate into your tempered chocolate (read how to temper chocolate below
  • Coat immediately with coconut and strawberry and place on parchment paper to set.

How to temper chocolate:

  • Place 75% of 4oz. of tempered chocolate in a stainless steel bowl.
  • Using a double boiler method, place stainless steel bowl over your stainless steel pot in medium heat, making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.

Note: be careful that water or steam doesn’t go anywhere near your chocolate. One drop and your chocolate will seize.

Melt the chocolate to 45 °C. Let cool down for 10 min and then slowly add the remaining 25% of your 4 oz. of chocolate until you get your chocolate to 31 °C

Note: If your chocolate has lumps, use your immersion blender to mix the chocolate. This will cause the lumps to melt. In absence of an immersion blender, put your chocolate back on the double boiler for 10-20 seconds

  • Test to see if your chocolate is tempered by dipping the tip of a knife into the chocolate and letting it sit for two to three minutes. If its smooth and firm to touch after a few minutes then you have just tempered chocolate correctly and should give yourself a pat on the back

Serve your homemade chocolates at a dinner party or amongst friends… No one will ever believe you made these yourself. Better still, give them as a gift and make someone special very happy.

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Best served with Baileys Irish cream or Tequila.

Email: indulge@sokolad.com or call 08095566772 should you have any questions, comments or thoughts about this recipe or to indulge your senses in a box of our premium Belgian Chocolates.

Gourmet Cookies in Lagos by Tolu Eros – Cookie Jar

Guest Posts April 18, 2012 Comments: 2

Its spring break…

Sitting by the beach sipping on a glass of dirty martini with no worries in the world after all, it’s called a holiday for a reason. The sound of the waves crashing unto the shore of the Playa Tortugas beach, Cancun… Life cannot be any better. Just as I call unto the bartender to refill my glass, my phone rings but wait! I have no phones here….

… And its back to reality. The light is out, my room scotching hot; the sound of cars hooting and racing across the high streets of Ozumba Mbadiwe, Lagos has got me thinking… why do I still hear a phone ringing? Split second later, my brain has loaded; I reach for my phone that somehow found its way across my bedroom floor. It’s Afolabi! Why in the World is she calling me this early? Sob… That dream was soo sweet!

“Morning Afolabi”… “Morning Tolu, quick one… Am off to work now and before I walk into the building, mind sharing with me the recipe you’ve got planned for Afrolems?”… Am thinking errrr…. “It’s a Surprise, my lips are sealed” and before she can say anything else, I hold unto the off button. Sly, aren’t I?

Afrolems, hmmm… I completely forgot I had to be sending in a recipe and I told her I was done. Quick Tolu, think! What shall I indulge my readers in…

I start racking my brain and before it reaches the two-minute mark, I Think… Raspberry and Belgian white chocolate.

Of course that would be the 1st to come to mind… One of my personal Favorites growing up was the Raspberry and white chocolate chip cookies I used to pick up from the Millies Cookies stand at the Brent-cross Mall, London. Even though the large size of those cookies was somewhat of a turn off, I found a way to still grab a bite every time I walked in. But I wanted to recreate that recipe, make it even richer, less sugary and gooier. So, off to my Kitchen.

The key to baking delicious cookies is to get comfortable with some basic techniques, have the right utensils and use the best ingredients your hands can reach.

When baking cookies, make sure that all your ingredients are brought back to room temperature, as either cold or hot ingredients would hurt the batter.

Returning butter to room temperature is easy, you can either cut the butter into cubes and let sit for 15 – 20 minutes or if you are a tad bit impatient, Put the butter in a glass bowl, set your microwave to defrost and microwave at 15second interval until butter is slightly melted, then stir with a spatula till you get an even colored butter.

gourmet_cookies_tolu_erosUtensil required

Electric Mixer

Large bowl mixing bowl

Large glass bowl

Large sieve

Small Sieve (optional)

Small bowls

Measuring cups

Measuring spoons

Cookie Sheet

Cookie Lifter

Parchment paper

Cooling Rack

Ingredients

 1 cup (200g) Unsalted butter

2½ cups Plain flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp Kosher salt

½ tbsp Cocoa powder

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup white sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extracts

¼ tsp brandy essence

¼ tsp Raspberry flavoring

½ cup white chocolate chips

½ cup chopped dried raspberries

Procedure…

  1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius
  2. In a large bowl, sieve flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa powder. Set aside.
  3. In the mixing bowl of your electric mixer (if you don’t have one, you can mix using a whisk), mix butter, brown sugar and white sugar together at medium speed until creamy.

gourmet_cookies_lagos
Whilst this is mixing, separate your eggs. If you don’t know how to do this, don’t panic, its pretty easy (you will mess it up the 1st few times but, practice makes perfect). Hold Large egg Horizontally, with a sharp knife, crake the egg open as close to the middle as possible. With your thumbs, carefully separate the shell into equal halves (don’t worry if they aren’t exactly equal). As you do this, some egg white would fall through so make sure you have a small bowl underneath to catch it. Then tip the egg yoke from one shell to the other allowing the rest of the egg white fall through. Place the egg yoke in another small bowl and Voilà!
Reduce you mixer speed to low and add one large egg then vanilla extracts, brandy essence and raspberry essence. Mix for a few second and add the large egg yoke.
Whilst still mixing, pour in the raspberries and then gradually incorporate your flour mix stopping a few times to scrap the sides of your mixer bowl with a silicon spatula. Once well mixed, its time to put in the delicious Belgian chocolate.
My preference is Sokolad White chocolate chips (can be purchase by calling 08095566772). Reduce the speed of your mixer to minimum and gradually pour in chocolate chips. Feel free to add more chips for extra gooeyness but try not to over do it as the white chocolate adds an extra layer of sweetness to your batter.

  • Pour your goowey batter into a glass bowl and set into the fridge overnight or for 12hour to set (ok, again if you are impatient, an hour would do).

cookie_batter

  1. Once nicely set, scoop batter either using a tablespoon scoop or a regular tablespoon unto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Be sure to allow about 2 inches between each scoop for optimum heat circulation.

buy_cookies_lagos

10. Set you timer to 10 minutes, place the tray in the lower shelve of your oven and bake until light brown and cookies have a crusty edge. Be careful not to over bake.

11. Remove from the oven leaving the cookies on the tray to cool for 3-5 minutes. Cookies continue to bake after being brought out of the oven and left to cool on the tray so, don’t worry if it still looks unbaked in the middle.

12. Once cooled, transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool for another 5 minute or serve Warm…. DONE!

Notice that only 7 of the cookies made it to the rack? Yeup! That’s anticipated…

These delicious cookies can be enjoyed over a glass of milk, baileys cream, vanilla ice-cream or simply on their own. They make real life feel like a dream.

tolu_eros_for_afrolems

Email: bitem@iamcookiejar.com or call 08095566771 should you have any questions and thought on this recipe or to order a box of freshly made cookies from our Gourmet bakery

Prepared by Tolu Eros

Founder & Executive Chef

Cookie Jar – Premium Gourmet Cookies

Spaghetti with spicy thai tuna(canned) by Demilade Adeniyi-Taiwo

1, Guest Posts February 9, 2012 Leave a comment

Love it when men send in recipes. Enjoy this beautiful meal from Demilade Adeniyi- Taiwo

Dish: Spaghetti w/ spicy thai tuna(canned)

Ingredients
(Serves 1)

Spaghetti(enough for one)
1 clove of garlic
2 tablespoon Olive oil
1 can Spicy Thai tuna
Parsley/Basil (optional)
1 teaspoon dried chili flakes(if you’re a chili person)
Salt and pepper

Recipe:

  1. Put your spaghetti in salted boiling water and cook to your liking
  2. 5 mins till its ready, put a frying pan on medium heat and add your olive oil
  3. Fry up your garlic, parsley(if using it) and chili flakes(do not let garlic brown)
  4. When your spaghetti is ready, transfer to the frying pan
  5. Add the tuna and toss
  6. Add a little of the spaghetti cooking water to the frying pan to stop pasta from going dry
  7. season with salt and pepper according to taste
  8. drizzle extra virgin olive oil and garnish with basil/parsley(optional)

afrolems_food

Almond Bark Recipe – Renee Charles of Four Weddings Canada- Celebrity Chef of the week

1, Dessert Recipes, Guest Posts January 29, 2012 Leave a comment

Almond Bark Recipe by Renee Charles of Four weddings Canada

Ingredients

1 Cup Butter

1 Cup Sugar

1 Tbsp of Corn Syrup

3 Tbsp of Water

6oz Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

¾ Cup of Slivered Almonds

Ground Almond

1 Candy Thermometer

Take a baking pan and skim surface with butter so your bark won’t stick to the pan.

On medium heat, melt 1 cup of butter. Once butter is melted add sugar, water and corn syrup. Stir often

Once the thermometer reads 275 degrees add slivered almonds and stir really quick (as it hardens). Spread candy bark on pan; then sprinkle chocolate chips on top and spread evenly as they melt.

Sprinkle ground almond on top as desired. Refrigerate until hard, then break apart bark and serve!!

christmas candy bark recipes

Almond Bark

Afrolems Chef of the week: Rachel Albert – Sweet chili and pepper salmon with Couscous and vegetable sauce

1, Fish Recipes, Guest Posts December 8, 2011 Leave a comment

Chef of the Week: Rachel Albert

albert rachel

Chef of the week Rachel Albert

For the health conscious people :)

Sweet chili and pepper salmon with Couscous and vegetable sauce

Ingredients
Couscous (@ your discretion)
Salmon or Tuna steaks (100g)
Thai sweet chili
One Knorr cube
Cayenne Pepper
4 fresh tomatoes
½ red bell pepper
½ yellow bell pepper
½ green bell pepper
2 carrots cut thinly
Broccoli (Prawns)
Cauliflower (fresh or frozen)
Chili pepper paste
Dry pepper
2 tablespoons of oil
½ an onion
dash of mixed herbs or thyme
Method
1)   Season your salmon with thai sweet chili and cayenne pepper, use the cayenne according to how hot you want it. Put it in the oven for 25 mins at 140
2)   Chop up all your vegetable into little diced pieces.
3)   Heat up your oil 1 tablespoon and add your onions first, then tomatoes and mixture of red bell peppers, let it caramelize to a nice sauce.
4)   Add in your thinly slice carrots broccoli and cauliflower, let it cook make sure it is soft (for the broccoli and cauliflower you can steam it first)
5)   Add in your prawns and ½ of the knorr cube, chili pepper paste and dry pepper, let it simmer and come together. Reduce the heat till salmon is ready and put in your saucepan with your sauce in the oven for 3 mins.
6)   Put you couscous in a pot of boiling water and a tablespoon of oil (No salt in mine but you can add some if you wish) let it cook till soft should take about 5 mins.
7)   Serve couscous with mixed herbs on top.

Bon Appetit

salmon dishes

Sweet Chili and Pepper Salmon with CousCous

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