Good Living

Palm Nut Soup 12 cups of palm nuts 1 large onion 500g meat 500g smoked fish 3 graden eggs 4 crabs or snails Salt and pepper to taste 3 tomatoes 1) Wash palm nuts, cover them with water in a saucepan and boil until they are soft. 2)Wash the meat. Cut into neat pieces, add half the onion, a little salt and a little water. Cook slowly in a separate pot. 3)When the nuts are soft, pour out water and beat the nuts in a mortar until the skins are crashed. Put them into a bowl and...

1 chicken 1 liter of water or stock 1 large onion Salt and pepper 3 tomatoes 1 tin tomato paste 1)Pluck, and wash the chicken. Cut into joints, remove entrails and wash thoroughly. Squeeze half a lime on the pieces of the chicken. Rub well and rinse. This assists in removing the characteristic smell and slime of the chicken. If no lime is available, rub vinegar into the rinsing water. ...

500g fresh or smoked fish (thick cuts or head of large fish) 3 tomatoes 2 garden eggs(optional) 3 small okras(optional) 1 large onion Salt and pepper to taste 1 desserspoon tomato paste 1) Clean, wash and prepare fish. Cut in neat pieces, or flake smoked fish and add salt. 2) Put fish into saucepan and add some water with some grated onion. Bring to the boil and simmer for 4 minutes. 3) Remove the pieces of fish. Add the remaining water to the fish stock. Wash vegetables and add sopu. Bring to the boil and simmer gently until vegetables are tneder. 4) Remove them and grind or mash. Strain and return to soup. Add tomatto paste. Season. Continue simmering with the lid on for about 15 minutes. Add the fish and simmer for another 5-10 minutes

Meat Soup 250g meat 1 1/2 liters cold water 1 large onion salt and pepper 3 tomatoes 1 tablespoon of tomato paste 6 garden eggs (optional) 1) Trim, wash and cut the meat into small pieces. 2) Put the meat into a sauce pan, add water and a little salt, and allow it to cook for 5–12 minutes, stirring occasionally. 3) Wash the garden eggs and pepper, add the meat, and cook slowly until the vegetables are tender. 4) Add the chopped onion and tomatoes. Continue to simmer. 5) Remove and grind the vegetables, mix with liquid and strain. Return to the soup and add tomato paste. 6) Allow to simmer until the meat is tender.

1) Make use of stock; it adds flavor and nourishment to soups. 2) Cut the ingredient into small pieces a) To expose enough surface b) For ease in eating. 3) Simmer with a little onion and very little water to draw out the flavor. 4) Cook in a tightly covered pot to prevent evaporation. 5) Season carefully. Add salt at the beginning of cooking to draw out the flavor. 6) Serve hot. 7) Serve with correct accompaniments.

  Soups  are served rich and nourishing. It includes fish, vegetables and/or meat. Light Soups The ingredients for light soups determine their nutritive value. Light soups are easily digested, when the meat or fish used and served with them are tender. Thick Soups Thick soups are made with ingredients such as palm nuts, egusi, yam, cocoyam, or cassava. In soup making : 1) The flavor must be full and good. Make sure that the ingredients are in the correct proportion. 2) Soups must be well seasoned. 3) Make use of thickening medium to; a) Give the soup correct consistency. b) Hold ingredients in suspension  and so prevents them from separating and settle at the bottom of the dish.

  This stock includes green vegetables or root vegetables. The water used to cook these ingredients as stock for soups, gravies and sauces. Fresh and scrubbed vegetables are used to make vegetable stock. Shred greens or cut roots into small pieces, cover with water and cook gently.

  The head, bones and skin are used. Break up the bones and wash them together with the skin.  Soaking with cold water, add some salt, allow it to boil and leave to simmer until the goodness is extracted.

  The stock constitutes liquid in which bones, fish, meat, vegetables or cereals are cooked to extract the flavor and soluble food substances. It is the foundation of soups and sauces which give a good flavor and extra nourishment.

  Foods that are pressure cooked are cooked in steam under pressure. The temperature is above the boiling point of water. The food cooks very fast, this ensures that more of the valuable nutrients are retained. Also, cooking time, is saved to a very great extent.

  Baking is a way of cooking through heat in an enclosed space.  The enclosed air is heated and the hot air cooks the food. In most cases, an oven is used for baking. General Rules for Baking 1) Heat the oven to the right temperature before putting food in. 2) Do not congest the oven. This would prevent the hot air from circulating. 3) Do not bake foods that give out moisture, e.g. meat, with foods that should be crisp when baked, e.g. pastry. The moisture softens the pastry and this negatively affects the end result. 4) Close the oven door gently, to prevent cold air from getting in.

  Roasting is a method of cooking food: 1) In an open pot over a glowing fire, e.g. roasted groundnuts. 2) On a grid over smokeless cinders or charcoal, e.g. roasted plantains. 3)In hot ash or sand, e.g, toasted sweet potatoes or cassava. 4) In a little oil in a pot(pot roasting, e.g. chicken, whole piece of meat. Grilling Grilling is a method of cooking under, in front or over an open smokeless fire, from an electric element or gas burner directed down on to the food. It is a quick way of cooking. Grilling is mostly used for meat and fish.  General Rules for Roasting and Grilling 1) Only the best quality food should be used. 2) Use only tender cuts of meat and pieces of fish. 3) Using a hot, glowing, smokeless fire to brown the food quickly. 4) Heat the grid before using it; this helps to brown the food quickly. 5) Grease wet food before placing it on the grid, e.g, fish and meat. This prevents them from sticking  and also drying up. 6) Turn foods repeatedly to prevent o...