Happy birthday, Canada! To celebrate Canada and enjoy the long weekend , we teamed up with one of our favorite Nigerian food blogger; Matsecooks to put together some recipes that are guaranteed to please your True Nigerian taste buds!

SWEET POTATO BALL

INGREDIENTS

225g Sweet potato
1 egg
100ml liquid milk or 100ml of water mixed with 2 tbsp. of powdered milk
125g starchy rice flour
15g corn flour
80g sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS

• Blend cleaned Ofada rice to powder in a dry mill blender.
• Place cooked potatoes in a bowl and mash together
• Pour in the rice flour, the corn flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, milk and egg.
• Mix together with your hands or a mixer. Mix until you form a dough and let the dough sit for 30 minutes.
• Pinch some of the dough and roll between both palms until you get a ball like a small lime. Continue until you exhaust dough.
• Fry the potato balls in hot oil until golden brown

ISHA (BEAN SOUP)

INGREDIENTS

Beef and 4 rolls of Ponmo (cut into 2)
Some dried fish (deboned)
2 Spoons of Palm Oil
2 cups of brown Beans
1/2 medium sized Onions (sliced thinly)
2 Urheri (seeds removed)
1 cooking spoon of grounded crayfish
A handful of dried shrimps (optional)
Salt to taste
Seasoning cubes ( Knorr)

DIRECTIONS

• Boil beans in water with some thinly sliced onion until it is cooked.
• When cooked, add some more water and palm oil and bring to a boil. Then add dried pepper, crayfish, dried shrimps and seasoning cubes.
• Add urheri and cook for 5 minutes. Then add dried fish, meat and meat stock and cook some more.
• Finally add salt and or cooking salt and cook for another 10- 15 mins
• Serve with Starch, Eba, boiled Yam or Plantain

ZOBONADE

INGREDIENTS

Sorrel plant
Lemons
Sugar/Honey/Sweetener
Water

DIRECTIONS

• Brew Sorrel or Zobo plant in a pot of water over medium to high heat. Strain into a container and allow to cool.
• Dissolve sugar in pot of water over medium to high heat and allow to cool.
• Cut and squeeze lemons through a sieve into the pot containing the sugar solution.
• Blend one to two cups of Zobo/Sorrel juice to four parts of lemonade.
• Chill in the refrigerator.
• Serve with ice cubes and lemon slices

CRISPY CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS

6 pieces of chicken
5 cups cornflakes
1 teaspoon of white pepper
1-1/2 teaspoon of black pepper (for spicing the chicken and for the cornflakes
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1-1/2 cups of flour
2-3 eggs
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil for frying

 DIRECTIONS

• Spice chicken with 3/4 teaspoon of Salt, Matecooks Suya spice or Everything Spice and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.
• Marinade for 6 to 24 hours depending on how spiced you want your chicken.
• Crush cornflakes coarsely with a rolling pin and spice with 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 teaspoon of white pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Mix in thoroughly.
• Pour flour into a dry bowl and whisk eggs separately in another bowl.
• Rub the chicken generously with flour, then dunk in the egg wash
• Pressed spiced cornflakes all over the chicken generously and deep fry

MEAT BALLS

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

500g minced beef meat
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 medium size onion (finely chopped)
2 eggs (beaten)
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup vegetable oil (for frying)
1 tsp. parsley leaves

 DIRECTIONS

• Place the minced meat in a bowl, add the bread crumbs and paprika.
• Blend fresh meat or minced meat. Do not make it too smooth.
• If you do not have fresh bread crumbs, see how to make it here.
• Add black pepper and salt. Then, add the onion and eggs.
• Mix it all together.
• Take some of the minced meat into your wet hands and roll to form a ball.
• Fry the balls in a pre-heated pan with oil. Cook on both sides for three minutes each or until the insides are no longer pink.
• Drain on a paper napkin

 Tip: Wetting your hands will help you to roll the balls better.

 Sounds delicious , eh? Lets know if you try any of these. Enjoy your long weekend