The concept of Starters may be foreign, but starters already exist in Nigerian Cuisine, we don’t just call them that, or we call them Appetisers. For Starters – you just need two, max three, and the third one should be related to one of the other dishes, so it doesn’t feel like you have to cook three different foods.
Batter/Grill. e.g. – ‘Prawn Tempura a.k.a battered prawns’. If you are going to scoff your nose at the price of prawns especially for people who won’t respect themselves and take two or three, how about using cheaper cuts of ‘Fish or Yamarita Fries‘.
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Grill a whole chicken/a big slab of Meat (lamb, beef, ham etc)’, and cut into slices. Serve with an easy salad at the side. Think about it, you can marinade the animal the night before, throw in the oven for 45 minutes (or more depending on the size) on the d-day. The entire cooking process is done in the oven, while your energies are directed elsewhere. Perfect! Better still, if the weather permits assign the men in the family to barbecue. Make them contribute too.
For guests who arrive pretty early (there are always some), just serve them dips with chin chin, plantain chips, crackers to get out of your hair while you cook. Examples of homemade dips are my homemade ‘Ube and Corn Guacamole‘, ‘Ata din din‘ and ‘Mayonnaise‘. Make them days before, and refrigerate. Zobo or lemonade for the kids and Zobotini for adults.
Main Course – The same 2 or maximum 3 rules applies. I am recommending one rice dish, a native soup served with one starchy solid plus one wild card dish thrown if you have the bandwidth for it.
Stew or Curry and Rice based. Have you thought of serving rice and stew? Hold your horses, this is not just your average home cooked stew, but ‘Seafood Stew‘. We have our own native variation called ‘Fisherman’s Stew‘cooked with Palm oil. Nothing says special or festive like a stew made from an array of seafood. Go extra special and serve a fragrant rice like Basmati or Jasmine rice rather than regular long grain rice. You want to be brave, serve Wild Rice. Trust me, your friends and family will be talking about your party for weeks to come.
If you can’t have a party without Jollof rice. Okay, okay. How about Native Jollof rice made with Palm oil called ‘Iwuk Edesi‘. I call this Jollof Rice 2.0. Deeelicious and rememberable.
Native Soup – I will usually advice one soup, but if you feel you have to serve two types, ensure one is a creamy soup and the other is vegetable based. Why? Creamy soups usually “cook themselves”, while you focus your attention on the vegetable based one. Examples of special/festive Creamy soups are ‘Banga Soup‘, ‘Groundnut Soup‘, ‘Owo Soup‘, ‘Miyan Taushe’, ‘Ofe Nsala‘, ‘Egusi Ijebu‘, ‘Ewedu served with Buka Stew or Alapa stew‘.
Examples of Vegetable based soups that haven’t be served ad nauseum at parties are: ‘Edikang Ikong’, ‘Ukwogho Etidot’ (bitter leaf version of afang soup), ‘Black Soup’, ‘Otong Soup’ and ‘Oha Soup’. I’m sure there are lots of examples, if you dig deep into your culture.
Wild card. i.e. something unexpected. Which can be something like ‘Yam Porridge with shredded Efinrin/basil‘. ‘Ukang Ukom – plantain porridge’ or ‘Ekuru’.
Dessert – if your guests still have the stomach for it, serve a simple dessert that will wow them. Cake and Ice cream has been served so many times. Even if you bake it yourself, it’s still Cake and Ice cream. ‘Crepés Suzette‘. These are simply thin pancakes drenched in an orange caramel sauce. You can make your crepés a day or two before, as they keep well in the fridge, or on the day if you have multiple frying pans and lots of help. Make the batter in the morning and store in the fridge. Or buy from a good pastry shop. One thing truly special about Crepés Suzette is that you flambé the sauce. So, if your guests are adults, you can put on a show for them by flambéing the sauce right in their presence. Google videos on Crepés Suzette to see what I mean. I’ve had this done for me at a restaurant on my birthday and it was a beautiful performance.
…………….and that’s a winning Party Menu
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A soup. E.g – ‘Fish peppesrsoup‘. A quick and simple fish soup, you can throw together and let it simmer away on low heat. Start on the fish soup, just before you deep fry the prawns. Or a meat based Peppersoup. Not your everyday variety but ‘Ukodo – Urhobo Peppersoup‘. Not so familiar eh? That is the idea
For guests who arrive pretty early (there are always some), just serve them dips with chin chin, plantain chips, crackers to get out of your hair while you cook. Examples of homemade dips are my homemade ‘Ube and Corn Guacamole‘, ‘Ata din din‘ and ‘Mayonnaise‘. Make them days before, and refrigerate. Zobo or lemonade for the kids and Zobotini for adults.
Main Course – ‘Thai Chicken Curry‘ or a ‘Goat Curry‘ with Jasmine or Basmati rice. That’s also special isn’t it, and definitely not common plus quick and simple to prepare. Don’t forget the lemongrass. It will take this dish from simple to sublime.
If you are still not sold on the idea to serve plain boiled rice. Okay then, stay away from the staple Jollof and Fried rice and serve ‘Coconut rice‘ instead, which will take about the same time as the other common two. Think, when was the last time you eat Coconut rice at a party, if ever? Watch as this goes down very well with your guests, with many people asking for seconds.
If you can’t have a party without Jollof rice. Okay, okay. How about Native Jollof rice made with Palm oil called ‘Iwuk Edesi‘. I call this Jollof Rice 2.0. Deeelicious and rememberable.
Native Soup – I will usually advice one soup, but if you feel you have to serve two types, ensure one is a creamy soup and the other is vegetable based. Why? Creamy soups usually “cook themselves”, while you focus your attention on the vegetable based one. Examples of special/festive Creamy soups are ‘Banga Soup‘, ‘Groundnut Soup‘, ‘Owo Soup‘, ‘Miyan Taushe’, ‘Ofe Nsala‘, ‘Egusi Ijebu‘, ‘Ewedu served with Buka Stew or Alapa stew‘.
Examples of Vegetable based soups that haven’t be served ad nauseum at parties are: ‘Edikang Ikong’, ‘Ukwogho Etidot’ (bitter leaf version of afang soup), ‘Black Soup’, ‘Otong Soup’ and ‘Oha Soup’. I’m sure there are lots of examples, if you dig deep into your culture.
Wild card. i.e. something unexpected like ‘Ifokore’, ‘Burabisko’, ‘Alkubus’, ‘Ebiripo’ and ‘Yam/Boiled plantain and Garden Egg Stew’.
Dessert – if your guests still have the stomach for it, serve a simple dessert that will wow them. Cake and Ice cream has been served so many times. Even if you bake it yourself, it’s still Cake and Ice cream.‘Tapioca Pudding‘. Tapioca is something many people have not eaten since their childhoods, so watch the joy and nostalgia on their faces when you serve this for dessert. We are kind of wired to see Tapioca as breakfast, especially if you are from Yorubaland. The way I make it, it is a bonafide dessert. Prepare to see empty bowls staring back at you. It is also simple and quick to prepare, plus the cooking process does not need too much of your input, so you can start on tapioca pudding, while you clear the dishes from the main course.
…………….and that’s a winning Party Menu
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Option 3 – Bread based. E.g – ‘Tuna and Crab Bruschetta‘ or ‘ Tomato and eggs Crostini‘ or Club Sandwich. Bruschetta’s and Crostini’s are antipasti’s (english for ‘before the meal’ i.e. starters) eaten in Italy. Both are just fancy Italian words for toasted bread rubbed with garlic and olive oil with a variety of toppings. You can make everyday meals party standard, it all depends on presentation. You can get creatively Nigerian and add your own toppings. Place on a platter for guests to pick up. The idea of a bread not sitting well with you, okay ‘Giz-dodo‘.
For guests who arrive pretty early (there are always some), just serve them dips with chin chin, plantain chips, crackers to get out of your hair while you cook. Examples of homemade dips are my homemade ‘Ube and Corn Guacamole‘, ‘Ata din din‘ and ‘Mayonnaise‘. Make them days before, and refrigerate. Zobo or lemonade for the kids and Zobotini for adults.
Main Course – If you can’t have a party without Jollof rice. Okay, okay. How about Native Jollof rice made with Palm oil called ‘Iwuk Edesi‘. I call this Jollof Rice 2.0. Deeelicious and rememberable.
Native Soup – I will usually advice one soup, but if you feel you have to serve two types, ensure one is a creamy soup and the other is vegetable based. Why? Creamy soups usually “cook themselves”, while you focus your attention on the vegetable based one. Examples of special/festive Creamy soups are ‘Banga Soup‘, ‘Groundnut Soup‘, ‘Owo Soup‘, ‘Miyan Taushe’, ‘Ofe Nsala‘, ‘Egusi Ijebu‘, ‘Ewedu served with Buka Stew or Alapa stew‘.
Examples of Vegetable based soups that haven’t be served ad nauseum at parties are: ‘Edikang Ikong’, ‘Ukwogho Etidot’ (bitter leaf version of afang soup), ‘Black Soup’, ‘Otong Soup’ and ‘Oha Soup’. I’m sure there are lots of examples, if you dig deep into your culture.
Wild card could be a Chinese dish – Smoked Turkey Stir Fry Noodles or Shredded beef and green pepper sauce.
Dessert – if your guests still have the stomach for it, serve a simple dessert that will wow them. Cake and Ice cream has been served so many times. Even if you bake it yourself, it’s still Cake and Ice cream. Feeling adventurous? Try my very Nigerian Pudding. Pap and Pineapple Brûlée. Think Créme Brûlée but with Pap instead of double/heavy cream. No one is going to see this coming. Make it fun by choosing your choice of sweet fruits. okay, okay you still want Cake and Ice Cream. Try making a simple Melted Butter Banana cake and serve with Ice Cream. This recipe is so simple, a child can make it. No need for a mixer at all, just melt the butter in the microwave, add the other ingredients,mix with a wooden spoon and throw in the oven. Serve with chocolate chip ice cream. Or you want to throw in something completely unexpected – Zobo and Pineapple Ice cream
…………….and that’s a winning Party Menu
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