Hibiscus: Discover Fresh Flavours from West Africa with the Observer Rising Star of Food 2017

In Hibiscus, you’ll find a few exotic ingredients that you may never before have associated with Nigeria. I’m hoping (and happy!) to introduce you to some new ingredients, too. I love to experiment with novel flavours and find it incredibly rewarding, particularly when I serve something and an inquisitive look comes across everyone’s face – tasting something they’ve never experienced, something they can’t quite put their finger on. Below are my go-to ingredients and I’ve provided a description of the slightly more unusual ones.

FRESH INGREDIENTS

1. YAMS

2. CASSAVA

3. SWEET POTATO

4. SHALLOT

5. GINGER

6. MANGO

7. PEPPERS

8. TURMERIC

9. LONG RED CHILLI

10. GARLIC

11. SCOTCH BONNET CHILLI

12. LIME

13. AVOCADO

14. OKRA

15. GARDEN EGGS

16. PLANTAINS

YAMS are tubers with an inedible dark brown bark and a white flesh that should be completely soft before being eaten. When cooked, yams are very similar in texture to Maris Piper potatoes, but with more natural sweetness. Typically, they’re eaten boiled but you can cook yams just as you would cook potatoes. They’re also dried out in the sun and processed to make a flour (labelled elubo isu in African grocery stores), which can be used for Okele (#ulink_79c6b627-5cd6-59d6-9208-aac43750e0e1) or to make dumplings (Beef and Amala Stew Pot (#litres_trial_promo)) and muffins (Amala Chocolate Muffins (#litres_trial_promo)).

CASSAVA is a large tuber with brown bark and hard, white flesh. When cooked, it has a somewhat tangy, sourdough-like taste. Like most tubers, it can be eaten boiled, steamed, roasted or fried. It’s also milled into a flour that is typically used for making Okele (#ulink_79c6b627-5cd6-59d6-9208-aac43750e0e1), or processed to make garri.

SCOTCH BONNET CHILLI is an essential aromatic used in Nigeria, where many people like their food extremely spicy. It’s fine, however, to use regular long chillies if you’re not keen on extra-spicy food.

OKRA, also called lady fingers, are green pods with white seeds, generally no bigger than the size of a finger. They can be eaten raw and turn slimy when overcooked. Quite plain in taste, okra are great at absorbing flavours from herbs, spices and other vegetables.

GARDEN EGGS are not to be confused with eggplants (the American name for aubergines), although they belong to the same family and are similar in texture, albeit slightly softer. They’re round and white in colour (hence the name), and are best eaten cooked. I enjoy them roasted and eaten with other vegetables, such as in my Nigerian Roasted Veg (#ulink_5cef8edb-ae80-5c36-94d4-04526d19b6e9).

PLANTAINS look similar to bananas (they are a member of the same family), but are much larger and also have squarer ends. They’re also less sweet, which makes them incredibly versatile, and they can be used in sweet and savoury dishes.

HERBS AND SPICES

1. CAYENNE PEPPER

2. EFIRIN

3. EGUSI SEEDS

4. DRIED BIRDSEYE CHILLIES

5. DRIED OREGANO

6. CLOVES

7. COCONUT FLAKES

8. HIBISCUS

9. PAPRIKA

10. BAOBAB

11. PEPPERCORNS

12. NUTMEG

13. DRIED BAY LEAVES

14. CUMIN SEEDS

15. CASSAVA FLOUR

16. CHILLI FLAKES

17. FINE-CUT DRIED HIBISCUS

18. DRIED THYME

19. CINNAMON

20. GARLIC GRANULES

21. UDA

22. GARLIC

23. GROUND GINGER

24. GROUND TURMERIC

25. CELERY SALT