FOOD FRIDAY: OLD AFRICAN SAUCE RECIPE

Hey there!

This question might pertain more to the Easteners of Nigeria, but I still have to ask it. How many of you remember travelling down to the east (village) back in the days to visit our grannies?  There is one common dish my grandmother always made for my siblings, cousins and I. It was a hot sauce with roasted yam straight from her barn.  The yams were of a different variety too. They were much more smaller than the regular sized ones I was used to seeing in the market.

For the purpose of this post, I'll be sticking with just the recipe for the sauce. Since it can be eaten with boiled, fried or roasted yam or plantain. The sauce is real simple and easy to make.

INGREDIENTS:

• Fresh, red pepper
• Crayfish
• Onions
• Red oil
• Spices (curry, thyme, seasoning cubes)
• Vegetables (pumpkin leaf or green leaf or both - optional)
• Meat or fish
• Salt  

RECIPE:

• Wash the pepper and onions,  chop the onions into big chunks and blend together. If you don't have a blender, a good old mortar and pestle would do just fine. 
• Blend into partial smoothness. Don't blend it into a paste. 
• Ground the crayfish in the same manner. (Not smooth)
• Put the grounded pepper, onions and crayfish into a pot, add a bit of the red oil and start to cook with medium heat. 
• Add your spices to taste. 
• Add your meat or fish, tastes better when they are roasted. 
• Wash and cut the vegetables. It's the last thing to add. 
• Allow the vegetables to get tender, and the sauce is done. 

Cheers..