• New Reader
  • About
    • Introducing Dooney
    • Meet the team
    • Press and Media
    • Work with Us
  • Contact
  • The Tribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Google+
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Dooney's Kitchen

Promoting and Redefining New Nigerian Food

  • Home
  • Features
    • Announcements
    • Corporate Collaborations
    • Product Reviews
    • Food Blogger Events
    • Business Spotlight
    • Hotel & Restaurant Reviews
    • Fitness and Nutrition
    • Market Reporting
    • Comment’s Policy
    • Copyright & Privacy Policy
  • Tricks & Cheats
    • Kitchen Gadget Tricks
    • How To’s
    • Food Plating Techniques
    • Cooking Video Hacks
  • Meal Planner
    • Meal Planner Archives
    • Hosting Menus
    • Festive Meal Planner
  • Food Diary
    • Dooney’s Food Travels
    • dooney’s shopping list
  • Recipeadia
    • Recipes by Culture
    • Recipe Collections
  • Ingredientspaedia

Entertaining

Seasons Greetings from Dooney’s Kitchen – Christmas Menu

Sorry guys that this is coming late. It was supposed to be published elsewhere, and I really don’t know why it hasn’t left to me, a Christmas Menu from me should have been published at the later 2 weeks to Christmas to help you guys plan your shopping and possibly try out some options on the Menu before the d-day. Anyway, better late than never. Here goes:

Starters/Appetisers

Your options can be either one, two or three depending on how many guests you are expecting and if you will be doing most of the cooking. You can choose from 3 cooking methods.

Frying – Prawn Tempura/Battered Prawns OR Yamarita Fries

Grilling – Beef, Chicken, Fish or Seafood. Just make a spice rub, whack in the oven to grill and continue with your other duties

Soups – Fish/Assorted Meat Peppersoup OR Ukodo (urhobo peppersoup)

Sandwiches/Salad – This is the no cooking or minimal cooking option, and not just a regular sandwich for a beach party or something but Tuna and Crab Bruschetta or Tomato and eggs Crostini. Don’t let the fancy words scare you, just get a baguette or regular slice bread, rub olive oil on it and throw it in the oven, let it grill for a few minutes and layer over slightly warmed tuna and crab meat or quick fried eggs with slices of tomato and you are done. Or you could make a simple salad and serve with chunks of bread or the Grilled meat/fish.

For guests who arrive early, you can serve chin chin or plantain chips with dips such as Mayonnaise, Guacamole, Efinrin (basil/scent leaf) infused Ata din din with cold drinks like Zobo or Zobotini for adults.

Main Course – One rice dish (trust me, you don’t need two), Two native soups served with a starchy solid, Stew with lots of meat and one totally unexpected dish if you have got the time for it, or you could go for a curry instead of stew. Your options are:

Stew – Seafood Stew or the local version Fisherman Stew. Something I know for sure that your guests will leave your house and talk non stop with the men telling their wives they must come to you to teach them how to make is Buka Stew. You can never go wrong with Buka Stew. Kick it up a notch and serve Alapa if you have mastered it, or stay in your safe zone and serve Buka stew.

Curry – Thai Chicken Curry, or Goat Curry with Jasmine or Basmati Rice. Don’t forget the lemongrass

Rice dishes – Do you really need two? Everybody eats Jollof rice and Fried rice at parties. Save yourself the monotony and serve Coconut Rice instead or King Prawn Fried Rice. If you must cook either Jollof rice or Fred rice, choose one and make the other rice dish something different.

Native Soup – Make one vegetable and one creamy option because creamy soups mostly cook themselves while you focus on the vegetable stew which needs ore of your attention. Creamy soup options include

  • Egusi Ijebu
  • Banga Soup
  • Owo Soup
  • Miyan Taushe
  • Ofe Nsala – white soup
  • Ewedu served with Buka Stew or Alapa

Vegetable soup options include:

  • Efo Riro
  • Egusi Soup
  • Afang Soup
  • Edikang Ikong
  • Black Soup
  • Ottong Soup
  • Oha Soup
  • Ofe Onugbu – bitter leaf soup

Wild Card – I mentioned a wild card option previously. This should be something totally unexpected, something most people don’t traditionally eat at Christmas parties or even prepare themselves at home. Your wild card could also be a Chinese dish. Something that has a ‘special’ tag to it. Your options are

  • Ikokore
  • Ebiripo
  • Yam/boiled plantain and Garden Egg stew
  • Yam porridge with shredded Efinrin (basil/scent leaf)
  • Ukang Ukom – unripe plantain porridge
  • Ekuru
  • Turkey noodle stir fry
  • Chinese Shredded beef

Dessert – if there is room for it, you can make my simple Banana Cake and serve with ice cream Trust me, this will go down well with your guests. if you have Tapioca at home, make a Tapioca pudding. I know we see Tapioca as breakfast, but the way I make it, it is a bonafide dessert. Another way of taking Breakfast into dessert is to serve my Crepes, and make a simple syrup with orange juice and slather over it. Feeling adventurous, you could try my Pap and Pineapple Brûlée or Zobo and Pineapple Ice cream. With this menu coming late though unless you have tried it before, don’t experiment.

One more thing to add, presentation, presentation, presentation. If you are having a large shindig, you can still be mindful of how the food you have worked so hard to prepare is presented. Use large fancy serving bowls. If you look around, I am sure you have or your friends or family coming over will have. After all, you are doing all the cooking and hosting, let them contribute something. They can always take their dishes home in the evening. If you are having a small intimate do, then earn your Martha Stewart stripes and get inspired by some of the dishes you have seen me plate. it doesn’t have to be Food Network perfect, but you should be proud of the plate you serve, so put your best foot forward this year and be the Hostess with the Mostess.

I hope this blog has inspired your Christmas Menu, and my apologies for it coming late. I was hoping to reach a wider audience. Oh well, lesson learned. Prepare for a very romantic Valentines inspired Menu. If you’ve always been going out, well dining in is the new eating out.

Merry Christmas to You guys and Yours. Thank you for being a huge part of my 2013, I hope we do more and be more in 2014. Seasons Greetings from Dooney’s Kitchen

 

 

 

 


6 Comments

Subscribe

Get all the latest recipes straight to your inbox

FILED UNDER: Entertaining
TAGGED WITH:
Dooney

About Dooney

Dooney is the blogger, recipe developer and photographer for Dooney's Kitchen. I spend my days trying to figure out creative ways to redefine Nigerian food, either by creating a new dish itself using ingredients in ways that have never been used before, or changing the approach to Nigerian cooking using kitchen gadgets.

Related

If this is your first time commenting on Dooney's Kitchen, please take a moment to read our comment policy.

« More ways to make a Zobo Cocktail – Dunni’s Zobogarita and Zobo CC2
Akara ‘Pancakes’ – eating Akara the healthy way »

Comments

  1. Avatarifemide2012 says

    December 24, 2013 at 7:56 pm

    Thank you for this!!! I’ve been refreshing your page all week waiting for a menu! Have a wonderful Christmas!

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      December 24, 2013 at 8:30 pm

      Sorry it came late. I hope it helps your Christmas Menu

      Reply
      • AvatarGloria Lawson says

        December 27, 2013 at 9:48 pm

        Merry Christmas DooneyRooney! Wishing you all the very best for 2014. May you continue to grow from strength to strength. I have already told you enough times that you simply rock! Keep on rocking!
        Love, G

        Reply
        • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

          December 28, 2013 at 12:11 am

          Amen Gloria. Thanks for that. I wish you the same

          Reply
  2. AvatarDamilola says

    December 24, 2013 at 8:14 pm

    Merry Christmas to you too Dooney. Thank you also for being part of my 2013 cooking inspiration. God bless you real good.
    I was grinning from ear to ear as I read your Christmas menu as I each item I am preparing for Christmas was mentioned in your menu. Amazing.
    I wish you a very happy holiday dear and a fantastic dream-fulfilling new year.
    Lotta love

    Reply
    • dooneyrooneydooneyrooney says

      December 24, 2013 at 8:30 pm

      You are welcome Damilola. Thank you for being part of my 2013 too. I hope your Christmas Lunch goes well. Happy Holidays to you and yours

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ATTENTION: Please do not include links in your comments. Any comment that has a link in it will be destroyed on sight.

Oh Hi There

Hi, my name is Dunni Obata, and I am what you would call the poster child for redefining Nigerian food. Welcome to Dooney's Kitchen, the home of Nigerian centric food, detailed recipes and sharing personal stories. Read more...

Stay updated!

Get all the latest tasty goodness straight to your inbox!

Dooney's Kitchen
Dooney's Kitchen

Recent Comments

  • Margery on Alapa – my Grandmother’s Palm Oil Stew
  • Sean on The famous Ewa Aganyin – my journey to getting it right
  • Dooney on Puff Puff and Cocktails – a new era for our national favourite chops
  • Dooney on Edikaikong – A traditional Calabar recipe
  • Dooney on The Orange Eba

Must Reads

Introducing Our Thoughts and You

Meal Drop Off and Pick Up service

Sponsor

Popular Categories

  • Rice Dishes
  • Traditional Nigerian Soups
  • Stews
  • Yam, Plantain and Pottage Dishes
  • Snacks
  • Healthy Nigerian

Most Popular Recipes

Etinkeni Mmong Ikong

Ayamase – Ofada Stew

Party Jollof rice

Ogbono soup redefined!!!!

Buka Stew

Latest Recipes

The Battle of the Saucepans Begins on Knorr Taste Quest 4

Tomatoeless Stew

Yajichurri Meatballs Sauce and Linguine

Schwartz Uk Ebook – Jollof rice and Chicken Ayilata made the cut

STAY CONNECTED


@Dooneyskitchen

@DOONEYSKITCHENTRIBE

The Official Instagram page of the online community, Dooney's Kitchen Tribe. To showcase a collection of the best and yummiest pictures of our Tribers

FEATURED

myTaste.com myTaste.ng alldishes.co.uk Tasty Query - recipes search engine
Foodies100 Index of UK Food Blogs
Foodies100

Konga Verified Blogger

Get all the latest recipes straight to your inbox

Dooney’s Favourites

Asun (spicy smoked goat meat)

Vanilla Honeybean Milk

The Dooney’s Kitchen guide to amazing Puff Puff

Ugu Smoothie

Surf and Turf Otong Soup

Nigerian food, is bold, multi faceted, rich, colourful, spicy and with varied nuances, as you move from tribe to tribe. To describe Nigerian cooking, one would say it is fiercely traditional and somewhat dogmatic, but Dooney’s Kitchen proposes to simplify methods and steps that have been passed from generation to generation whilst also challenging some of these methods using Technology. The New Nigerian Cookery isn’t just about creating a New Nigerian Kitchen, or should we say a more technology aware Nigerian cooking experience, but it encompasses redefining recipes too. Come along on the journey, and welcome to one of the best online resources for Nigerian food.

Copyright © 2019· UNAUTHORISED USE OF ANY IMAGES OR CONTENT IS NOT ALLOWED. LEGAL REDRESS WILL BE SOUGHT AND I ALWAYS WIN

Copyright © 2019 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in