I am so hungry I could eat a...

So for the past month we have been hearing about certain foods being 'contaminated' with horsemeat and later it transpires that some food is actually horsemeat

It made me start thinking about what I actually do eat...

In the past month I have been more or less confined to my flat and I have only been shopping once (I did a big shop before my confinement!). I have managed to eat three meals a day and some fruit. I have mainly been drinking water and fruit juice. I have eaten breakfast every single day for the past 18 days - that has to be a record on my part. I have returned to the childhood favourite/staple of Weetabix (but no added sugar to my bowl and covered in semi-skimmed milk). I have had limited access to chocolates, sweets and cakes...and I don't miss them. I seem to eat mostly salmon and salad, salmon and rice, salmon and noodles or salmon and potatoes. Am I sick of salmon yet? No - it is delicious baked, fried or grilled. I guess when the salmon runs out I will have to start on the chicken. From time to time I dip into a pot of Rachel's organic low fat vanilla bio-live yogurt. I am not sure if it is doing me any good but it passes the time and fills the stomach! I have had the privilege of eating freshly cooked moimoi - heavenly!

I am not sure when I will be able to make it to the supermarket next. However when I do, I am going to have to completely revise my shopping choices. Of course, other people have talked to me about this before but I think perhaps I have been too stubborn for my own good.

Now I need to think about dinner for tonight...

Akara!

It may seem like all I do is eat!

This is akara - one of my favorite Nigerian dishes. I am still working out how to make the perfect 'beanball' but after years of watching my mother I am still unable to recreate that perfect crunchy spicy taste. I think the key lies in having just the right ratio of fluid and black-eye beans, the right amount of oil and the right amount of frying time...easier said than done.

I must have weird tastebuds - because for me this dish is only complete with a bowl of custard! The combination of savoury and sweet is mouthwatering.

My favourite memories...? Why Christmas, of course!

Coffee, vanilla and walnut cake

Today is the August Bank Holiday. I baked another cake!

Walnut, vanilla and coffee. It tasted nice but the icing somehow did not work! Not as thick and fluffy as I expected. Maybe because I ran out margarine and used only half the ingredients to make the butter icing.

Anyway it tasted delicious. I am not sure what I will do with the rest of the cake. Perhaps take it to work tomorrow.

We shall see.

Banana Cupcakes

What can I say about this?I am not sure...

My love for baking continues.

Food for thought

This picture marked the beginning of pleasant evening of food and music. The only home cooked food is the akara (in the corner). This was kindly cooked by my mother. I think making this food is an art form, as I can never cook it quite like my mother. Also I wonder if am not just a little lazy! The whole process is rather time consuming. You start by soaking the black-eye beans. Then you have to remove the black eyes( I have been told by one of the social workers at work, that there are shops in Dalston market that sell blackeye beans with the eyes removed). Then puree with some pepper (scotch bell peppers) and onion and a little bit of water. The you have to fry the mixure to create little beancakes. This is the bit that requires experience. I can never make the akara to be just the right texture and taste but it is fun trying. And the best way to eat akara...? With custard of course! I think I perhaps have a peculiar palette because I have never met any other Nigerian's outside my family that appreciate this combination. But it is the most heavenly dish!

Since then I have cooked a Mother's day meal. Gelloff rice, salmon and plantain. It is a strange mix of foods. However the gellof rice and the plantain washed down with Supermalt is very comforting. Suffice to say, the meal was enjoyed by all. It is in fact the birthday meal that I have at home, except the salmon is replaced with chicken!



Got sent an e-mail from a friend about sharing reciepes. It is a funny chain type thing but of the nice kind. Realised that the dish I could make without too much fuss and bother was gelloff rice. It is so simple to make and rather delicious. So  I have e-mailed my 'Westernised' verson of this rice and I hope that the other peron (who I do not know) enjoys making the rice and eating it. I wait for other people to send me recipes. The instructions were to send it to 20 friends but I soon realised that I did not have 20 friends! Five at the most and that was pushing it. Bit of an eye opener for me...