5 Popular Nigerian Snacks You Need to Try | VEGAN

First with the exciting news that I created my very first online course! When I tell you that I've been toying with the idea of creating a course for eons, it's no joke. A mixture of procrastination and not fully knowing where to start (kinda...not really...I mean, everything is a Google search away, right?), I finally put my head down and set myself this exciting project, especially with the latest lockdown and having more time on my hands. 

The course features 5 Nigerian snack recipes that are all mouthwateringly delicious. Every single Nigerian (and those from neighbouring West African countries) will be totally familiar with them. In which case, the course is a great refresher and a chance for you to learn how to make these popular snacks at home from scratch, if you don't already know how. For non-Nigerians, the course is perfect for getting acquainted with our snack culture and dipping your toes into the wonderful world of Nigerian cuisine.

The great thing about the course, which I've chosen to host on Udemy, is that you can buy it for yourself OR as a gift for your loved ones. With the holidays just around the corner, it makes for a unique virtual Christmas gift for the foodies in your life. Beyond that, it's an excellent birthday gift for any season!

If you would like to explore or buy a spot on the course, you can do so by clicking HERE.

Now let's get on to listing the top five Nigerian snacks that YOU need to try. If these photos whet your appetite and make you drool even the tiniest bit, then you can take that as a sign that this course is for you ;)

1. Akara

Fried fritters made from brown beans or black-eyed beans. Variations can be found across West Africa and parts of Brazil (due to the slave trade) where it is known as acarajé. Akara is popular amongst the Yoruba tribe, eaten not only as a snack but as a breakfast served alongside ogi or eko. In the northern parts of Nigeria, it is known as kosai.

2. Chin Chin

A crunchy fried biscuit made from a lightly spiced dough that is cut into tiny squares or short batons. The vegan version in this booklet excludes the eggs, butter and milk that you would normally expect in the traditional recipe. The baked version also deviates from the deep-fried cooking method that is normally used.

3. Kuli-Kuli

A crunchy spiced peanut snack that is popular across West Africa. It is made by grinding roasted peanuts into a paste, mixing it with spices and stripping the excess oil from the paste. Stripping the oil guarantees that the kuli-kuli holds its shape and does not disintegrate when fried. It is excellent eaten alone but is often paired with soaked garri (cassava flakes and sugar soaked in cold water). Kuli-kuli can be ground and used for making suya spice which you can use to season grilled or roasted vegetables. 

4. Puff Puff

A fried doughnut that is made with a yeasted batter. The sweet, fluffy morsels can be made plain or seasoned with warm spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg.

5. Yamarita

Also known as dun dun oniyeri among the Yoruba, this is a fried yam snack that is traditionally coated in an egg mixture. In this vegan version, non-dairy milk is used to create the spicy batter that will coat the yam pieces. The yam is often boiled first, guaranteeing a soft and fluffy interior to complement the crispy exterior.

I hope you enjoyed finding out a bit more about these snacks and that they make their way onto your dinner table soon! When you've completed the course, I'd love to hear your feedback so be sure to leave a review!

Ginger Nut Biscuit Cake | Vegan Ginger Cake Recipe

To celebrate my sister's birthday over the weekend, I baked the ultimate ginger nut biscuit cake, incorporating her favourite biscuit - ginger nuts - with two layers of scrumptious fluffy ginger sponge cake. I meaaannn... If you're a ginger nut biscuit fan then this recipe is made just for you.

Ginger Nuts is a brand of biscuits by McVitie's which happen to be accidentally vegan. The biscuits are essentially what most people know as ginger snaps, with a fiery ginger flavour and a hard, crunchy texture. You can get it here for 90p.

The recipe below makes a two-layer cake that's big enough to serve about 8-10 people. It is baked in such a way that you get the illusion of multiple layers (8 in total!) and I will show you exactly how to achieve this.

As always, if you make this recipe, please share it with me on Instagram for a repost! :)

A Few Notes

- If you do not have access to this particular brand of ginger biscuits, by all means use an alternative brand.

- Unlike my basic vanilla sponge cake recipe, I have used the creaming method (vegan margarine whipped with sugar, as opposed to using vegetable oil) for this cake as I find that it provides a much sturdier cake that's easier to ice and decorate.

- I recommend using an electric hand whisk for several of the steps in this recipe. Click here to see the brand I use. If you don't have access to an electric whisk, use a manual whisk or wooden spoon and be prepared for a good arm workout :)

- If you struggle to find self-raising flour, you can use a blend of all-purpose flour and baking powder. For 4 cups of all-purpose flour, you will need to add about 4 teaspoons of baking powder.

- Non-dairy milk such as almond, soya and cashew add moisture to the cake that you would normally get from eggs.

- Resist the urge to open the oven midway through baking the cake. Doing so will affect the temperature of the oven and may cause your cakes to sink in the middle. Only check after the 20-25 minute mark.

If you like this recipe, you'll also enjoy these other cake recipes:

- Tie-Dye Rainbow Cake

- Exploding Popcorn Cake

- Orange Cake

- Basic Vanilla Sponge Cake

- Sugar-Free Cake

Ingredients

For the cake

- 1 packet Ginger Nut biscuits (250g)

- 8 tablespoons vegan margarine

- 1.5 cups caster sugar

- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

- 4 cups self-raising flour

- 1 tablespoon ginger powder

- 1 cup non-dairy milk (e.g. almond, soya - I used cashew milk)

For the buttercream icing

- 3 heap tablespoons vegan margarine

- 2 cups icing sugar

- 1 cup non-dairy milk

Method

Cakes

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C. Line the base of two 20cm (8") sandwich cake tins with parchment paper and grease the sides with a small dab of vegan margarine.

2. Place the ginger nut biscuits in a food processor and blend until you have fine crumbs. Alternatively, you can place the biscuits in a freezer bag, seal, lay flat on a kitchen counter and gently hit with  a rolling pin to crush the biscuits. Place the crumbs in a bowl and set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the vegan margarine, caster sugar and vanilla extract together until soft and fluffy. I used an electric hand whisk but you can use a wooden spoon to mix thoroughly.

4. Add the self-raising flour, ginger powder and non-dairy milk to the bowl of margarine and sugar. Work quickly to mix the ingredients together until well combined and it forms a thick cake batter.

5. Take the first cake tin and add 1/4 of the cake batter, use a spatula or spoon to spread it out evenly. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of the ginger nut crumbs over the top then add another 1/4 of the cake batter. Gently use a spatula or spoon to spread the batter evenly until it reaches the edges of the tin. Adding this layer of ginger nut crumbs in between is what gives the cake the illusion of having multiple layers.

6. Repeat step 5 for the second cake tin.

7. Bake the cakes for 25 minutes until a skewer or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in their tins for 20 minutes then transfer the cakes out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely. 

Icing

1. Place the vegan margarine and icing sugar in a large mixing bowl. Use a wooden spoon to gently beat the mixture until well combined. Then use an electric hand whisk to continue beating until light and fluffy. (If you start off using the electric whisk, you'll likely get a shower of icing all over your face and kitchen counter! So best to start with a wooden spoon)

2. Stir in the remaining ginger nut biscuit crumbs, reserving about 1/4 cup for decoration later. You will see that the icing will thicken drastically. Start to add the non-dairy milk, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, continuing to mix as you do so, in order to loosen the icing and make it creamier. You likely won't need the full 1 cup of milk to achieve this, so you do need to judge by sight. (See my carousel post on Instagram to get an idea of what the buttercream consistency should look like)

Assembly

1. Place the first layer of cake on a cake stand. Spread half the buttercream icing over the top, using an offset spatula to spread it out evenly.

2. Place the second layer on top and spread the rest of the icing over the top, using an offset spatula to spread it out evenly.

3. Decorate the top as you please. I used the remaining ginger nut crumbs to form a ring around the edge on top of the cake, then I broke up some ginger nut biscuits and arranged them in the centre, with some decorative flowers studded in as well. Feel free to be as creative as you want!

Vegan Cameroonian Okra Soup

Hey folks, hope you're having a wonderful weekend.  I'm very excited to share this guest post with you, written by the lovely Ngwafu of Gwafu Vegan. Cameroon and Nigeria are neighbouring countries and so it's no surprise that there are a lot of similarities between our cuisines. I was intrigued to note the slight differences in the preparation of this okra soup, as compared to the Nigerian version. Enjoy this post and be sure to show Ngwafu some love over on her Instagram page.

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Hello! My name is Ngwafu, I’m a vegan Chef based in Manchester. I’ve been vegan now for over 5 years and haven’t looked back. I was born in Cameroon but immigrated to the UK at the age of 5 and have lived over here ever since. My passion for food started with my mother. I didn’t grow up vegan but the bases of Cameroonian food are around fruit and vegetables, and meat is something we ate once or twice a week. I would always want to go food shopping with her and help in the kitchen to learn from her. 

I started to take my eating habits seriously at University, where I learnt that the vegan diet was the most sustainable in the world. I wanted to do what I could to help save the planet and make it a better place for future generations. Shortly after this monumental change, I started an Instagram account to document my vegan journey. I wanted to show other people - especially those in black community - that going vegan and cooking vegan meals isn’t as hard as it looks and doesn’t compromise on taste. 

A few years later, with my drive and enthusiasm to spread the joy for vegan food still alive, I started my very own business and launched a website where I share my favourite vegan recipes. I also deliver tasty West African vegan food in and around Manchester, via Get Vegan Grub.

I recently developed this recipe: Okra soup! A delicious Cameroonian dish. Traditionally made with fish. However I’ve substituting it for vegan fish sauce (can use soy sauce if you don’t have vegan fish sauce) and seaweed, ensuring you don’t miss out and still packs a punch of flavour!

Serves 4

Vegan

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Stage 1

 One medium onion – finely chopped

 2 tbsp rapeseed oil

Stage 2

 1 tbsp smoked paprika

 3 garlic cloves – finely chopped

 1 tbsp chilli flakes

Stage 3

 500ml lukewarm water

 1 tablespoon/1 cube vegetable stock

Stage 4

 2 tbsp vegan fish sauce

 2 tbsp dried seaweed – finely chopped

 1 Maggie cube (optional)

 80g Egusi

 250g Okra - fresh or frozen (ensure to defrost fully if frozen)

Stage 5

 100g fresh spinach

Stage 6 – to serve with -optional

 122g garri - dry

 240ml warm water

 120ml warm water – to add at the end

Prep work:

1. Mix stage 3 together, ensure the vegetable stock is thoroughly mixed in.

2. Cut off the tops & tails of the okra and finely chop. Chop into bigger pieces if you

don’t want your okra soup to be too thick.

3. In a blender, grind the Egusi into a powder.

Method:

1. Add stage 1 (One medium onion – finely chopped, 2 tbsp rapeseed oil) to a pan on medium heat, fry for 2-3 minutes or until translucent.

2. Reduce the heat and add stage 2 (1 tbsp smoked paprika, 3 garlic cloves– finely chopped, 1 tbsp chili flakes) to the pan and cook for a further 2 minutes.

3. Add stage 3 (pre-mixed veg stock in water) and increase the heat to a gentle simmer.

4. Add stage 4 (2 tbsp vegan fish sauce, 2 tbsp dried seaweed – finely chopped, 80g Egusi, 250g Okra, optional: 1 Maggie cube) and cook for 10-15 minutes, still gently simmering. Ensure to stir the soup every 5 minutes.

5. Next add stage 5 (100g spinach) to the pan. Cook for 1 minute, then turn off the heat, cover the pan and leave to finish cooking for 2-3 minutes before serving.

6. This dish is best served with garri. In a small bowl, mix together 122g of garri with 240g warm water (step 6). Place in the microwave for 1 minute 30 secs, remove and add the remaining 120ml warm water and mix well. Place back in the microwave for 1 minute. Mix well and serve hot with the Okra soup.

Go and check out the rest of my recipes! I post new recipes every month, giving a brief history of the dish, as well as adding my own personality to it. Click here.

CALLING ALL MANCUNIANS! Order today: vegan West African meals, cooked by me and delivered straight to your door. Click here to pre-order now.

5 Bonnes Raisons d’Arrêter de Manger de la Viande

Brushing up on my French and sharing five reasons to stop eating meat. Share with your French-speaking friends and family :)

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En consommant des animaux, nous les condamnons à une vie de misère et à une mort terrible. Aujourd'hui, il est scientifiquement établi que manger des produits animaux n'est pas une nécessité pour vivre en bonne santé. Végétaliser notre alimentation sauve des animaux, agit en plus efficacement contre le changement climatique et réduit la pollution.

Voici cinq bonnes raisons d'arrêter de manger de la viande.

1. L'élevage est responsable de 14,5% des émissions de gaz à effet de serre (GES) dans le monde, soit plus que l'ensemble des transports réunis. 

2. Les animaux sont êtres sensibles. Ils peuvent souffrir ou éprouver de la joie, et ils devraient pouvoir vivre leur vie comme ils le désirent.

3. La plupart des animaux en élevage sont enfermés par milliers dans d'immenses hangars. En séparant les animaux de force, en les entassant ou en les isolant dans des cages, ces élevages privent les animaux de liens affectifs et les exposent à des souffrances psychiques et physiques. Des activités essentielles comme courir et jouer sont tout simplement impossibles dans l'immense majorité des exploitations.

4. Dès leur naissance, la plupart des animaux sont brutalisés. Les mutilations douloureuses sont la norme en élevage conventionnel et même en élevage bio.

5. Des alimentations végétaliennes sont saines, adéquates sur le plan nutritionnel et peuvent présenter des avantages dans la prévention et la traitement de certaines maladies. Les alternatives à la viande, aux produits laitiers et aux oeufs sont de plus en plus nombreuses et facilement accessible.