FOR FOOD ONLY: RECIPE OF THE WEEK

By Ogunyemi Motolani

Deciding what to eat can be very tasking. When you eventually do, it is either rice, instant noodles or spaghetti. Truth is, there’s a wide variety of food, and food recipes we are yet to discover that can help boost our food game. One of such recipe is Potato porridge.

Potato Porridge is a healthy, easy to prepare and budget-friendly dish. It can be made with either Palm Oil or Vegetable Oil, so feel free to go with your choice. I prefer mine with Vegetable Oil. Let’s cook!

Ingredients

Sweet potatoes

Vegetable Oil

Red Bell Peppers (Tatashe)

Tomatoes

Onions

Scotch Bonnet (Atarodo, depends on your taste)

Cooked and Shredded Assorted Meats (optional)

Shredded smoked or fried fish

2 Heaped Tablespoons Ground or whole Crayfish

1 Ginger Root

4 Cloves Garlic

Ugu, efinrin or any vegetable of your choice (optional)

2 Knorr Cubes or your Preferred Bouillon Cubes

1/2 Teaspoon Chicken/Beef seasoning

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Blend the peppers, tomatoes, 1 Onion, the garlic and ginger to a smooth texture and set aside. Also fry the boiled meats you’ll be using and set aside.

Peel and slice your potatoes, cut into small chunks. Rinse, then boil on medium heat with salt to taste. Parboil till slightly tender, not fully soft. Remember it’ll be cooked further later.

While that’s cooking, get a fairly big pot, place on a hob on medium heat, add the vegetable oil. For maximum taste, use some of the oil you used for frying your meats. When it’s hot, add 1/2 sliced onions, sauté till fragrant. Add your crayfish.

When it’s fragrant, add the blended Pepper mix, 2 Knorr cubes, the Chicken/Beef seasoning and salt to taste. Do not add salt if you’ll be using stock later on. Add your shredded meat and fish if you’re using any. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

Check on the stew, you’ll know it is fried when the pepper reduces considerably and you can’t taste the sourness of the tomatoes any longer. Add the stock, stir and leave to cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Add the Parboiled potatoes.

Combine thoroughly, turn the heat down to low, cover and leave to cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes soften. When the potatoes soften, mash half using a wooden spoon or turning stick. If you’re using vegetables, you should add them at this point.

Switch the heat off and let it simmer for 2 minutes. Your Potato Porridge/ Pottage is ready.

You can garnish with fried beef or chicken stew if you like. Enjoy!