Elsie UdohIf you’ve been craving Nigerian dishes abroad, then you’re in luck because we’re going to teach you how to cook them.
No, we did not suddenly become chefs overnight; as a matter of fact, much of the help for the recipes contained here came from rigorous research, but then we went through the process of digging up these recipes to guide you through cooking the meals you love from home.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelIn one of our previous articles, we showed you some places abroad where you can find Nigerian ingredients, but on second thought, we realised that it might have been a while since you last prepared these meals, and you may be a little rusty or probably did not get the chance to learn to cook these meals before travelling out, so we decided to put this article together for you.
This article will provide easy steps to cooking Nigerian dishes abroad. From Jollof rice to puff-puff, we have carefully ensured that the recipes provided here are accurate and detailed in a simple to recreate way to help you easily grasp and recreate them in your diasporan kitchen.
Finding Nigerian Food Ingredients Abroad
Before we get started with our premium recipes, it’s important to ensure that you have the necessary ingredients to cook your Nigerian meals.
Finding Nigerian ingredients abroad can be hard, but thankfully, with the large migration of Nigerians to countries like the UK, US, and Canada, some local grocery stores have been set up to aid in this process.
If you live in the UK, here’s where you can find Nigerian ingredients for your meals.
For countries like the US and Canada, here are some places where you can find Nigerian food ingredients:
Where to Find Nigerian Food Ingredients in the US
- Africanavilla, Springfield
- African Groceries, Dallas, Texas
- Pepperfield African Grocery, Brooklyn, New York
- Naija Plaza, Los Angeles, California
- Afrikiko African Market, Atlanta, Georgia.
Where to Find Nigerian Food Ingredients in Canada
- Mychopchop, Ontario
- Afriflog, Canada
- Naija Pantry
- A to Z African and West Indies Market, Ontario
- African Caribbean Freshness Supermarket, Ontario.
These are some places where you will find Nigerian food ingredients in the US and Canada. They sell a mix of fresh produce, dry foodstuffs, and seasonings, which you can use to cook Nigerian meals of your choice.
Most of the stores also have online hubs and delivery options, so you can order and receive your ingredients without leaving home. You can ask around for African stores near you if you are unable to access the stores provided here.
When you find a store close to you, ensure that you buy in bulk, if you can, to lessen the trips you will need to make to the market each time you want to cook a Nigerian meal.
This is also cost-effective if you’re ordering online to reduce the delivery cost.
Cooking Nigerian Dishes Abroad
As a Nigerian, you know already that there are many Nigerian dishes that you can make. You can even choose to cook a different meal for each day of the week and not run out of dishes to prepare.
But you might not be able to do that due to limited resources or the high cost of Nigerian food ingredients abroad, so we are going to let you in on two popular Nigerian dishes that you can easily cook while you’re away—jollof rice and puff-puff.
1. Jollof Rice
This is a staple meal for every Nigerian party and household. It is also relatively easy to cook and doesn’t require a lot of ingredients to prepare.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to cooking jollof rice abroad, starting with the ingredients you’ll need:
Ingredients Needed
- Fresh tomatoes
- Bell peppers
- Onions
- Rice (long grains help in better food presentation)
- Stock cube (Maggi)
- Bay leaves (optional)
- Curry, thyme and other jollof rice spices of choice
- Salt
- Protein of choice with its stock
- Vegetable oil.
Preparation Method
- Start by precooking your protein with thyme, curry, salt, stock cubes, and onion. Allow it to cook until tender. You can know this by trying to poke it with a fork.
- If the protein is tender, separate the stock from it, then fry the protein or leave it as it is.
- Next, parboil your rice, wash, and set aside. You can leave this in a sieve to allow the water to drain.
- When that is done, blend your tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions for about 20 minutes or until they dry up and darken. Stir continuously to prevent them from burning.
- Add the protein stock to your fried tomato mix.
- Then add curry, thyme, salt, and other jollof rice seasonings available. Remember to add the seasonings gradually and taste the mixture to avoid over-seasoning or otherwise.
- Add water to the mid and allow to boil.
- Then add your parboiled rice to the boiling water, stir, and cover tightly.
- Cook until the rice softens.
- When it is ready, stir evenly and add your protein to the cooked rice.
Pro Tip: To get your fond “party jollof” taste, allow the rice to burn a little to give it a smoky flavour.
2. Puff-Puff
This is a favourite snack that is also served at parties, and you can make them at home too.
Ingredients Needed
- Flour
- Sugar
- Yeast
- Warm water
- Nutmeg
- Oil for frying.
Preparation Method
- Mix the flour, sugar, nutmeg, and yeast with warm water until you achieve a thick, batter-like consistency.
- Cover the mixture and let it rise.
- Once it’s risen, scoop small balls of the batter into hot oil and fry until golden brown.
Pro Tip: You can add pepper to the batter if you want to have spicy (peppered) puff puffs.
Additional Tips For Cooking Nigerian Dishes Abroad
Cooking Nigerian dishes abroad comes with a lot of improvisation because you might be faced with insufficient ingredients sometimes and be at a crossroads as to how to make your craving a possibility. When that happens though, you can always substitute with what will be more readily available.
Here are some substitutes available to you abroad, as well as some other tips to guide your Nigerian dishes cooking abroad:
- Use olive oil or sesame oil to fry in place of vegetable oil.
- Watch cooking videos to explore more cooking options aside from jollof rice and puff-puff, which you can easily prepare abroad.
- Cooking Jollof rice for an event abroad can be more tricky and complicated, so consider seeking the help of a professional to create the perfect Nigerian Jollof for your guests.
- Carry out your cooking experiment in small batches to get a hang of cooking Nigerian dishes abroad. Remember, practice makes perfect.
READ ALSO: How To Organise A Nigerian-themed Party In The Diaspora
Conclusion
We have provided a guide on where to find Nigerian food ingredients abroad if you are in the UK, US, or Canada, as well as how to cook Nigerian dishes like jollof rice and puff-puff abroad.
Why not get started by stocking up your kitchen with the ingredients you’ll need to cook your favourite meal from home and get cooking?
You can share your meals with friends around, whether Nigerians or non-Nigerians, to create special moments and share our tasty Nigerian dishes with others abroad.
Elsie Udoh is an SEO content writer who specialises in writing engaging stories that resonates with diverse audiences. She studied mass communication at the Lags State University.
