Week 8: Nigeria

DEAR READERS,

CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS PROPOSAL

HAVING CONSULTED WITH MY COLLEAGUES AT GEOGRAPHY OF THE DELICIOUS, AND BASED ON THE INFORMATION GATHERED FROM THE INTERNET ABOUT NIGERIAN PRINCES, I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO REQUEST FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE TO TRANSFER THE SUM OF $47,500,000.00 (FORTY SEVEN MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS) INTO YOUR ACCOUNTS.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO INFORM YOU THAT AS OFFICIAL BLOGGERS, WE ARE FORBIDDEN TO OPERATE A FOREIGN ACCOUNT; THAT IS WHY WE REQUIRE YOUR ASSISTANCE. THE TOTAL SUM WILL BE SHARED AS FOLLOWS: 70% FOR US, 25% FOR YOU AND 5% FOR LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL EXPENSES INCIDENT TO THE TRANSFER.

THE TRANSFER IS RISK FREE ON BOTH SIDES. IF YOU FIND THIS PROPOSAL ACCEPTABLE, WE SHALL REQUIRE THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS:

(A) YOUR BANKER'S NAME, TELEPHONE, ACCOUNT AND FAX NUMBERS.

(B) YOUR PRIVATE TELEPHONE AND FAX NUMBERS -- FOR CONFIDENTIALITY AND EASY COMMUNICATION.

(C) YOUR LETTER-HEADED PAPER STAMPED AND SIGNED.

PLEASE REPLY URGENTLY.

BEST REGARDS,
PRINCE JEAN

Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is located in west Africa with its coast lying on the Gulf of Guinea, part of the Atlantic Ocean. The capitol city is Abuja. The country is slightly more than twice the size of California. Nigeria is 50% Muslim and 40% Christian. English is the official language.

Nigeria gained independence from Britain in 1960, but it wasn't until 1999 that a peaceful transition from military rule to civilian government occurred, and it wasn't until very recently that Nigera saw its first civilian-to-civilian transfer of power.

It was very recently that we, at Geography of the Delicious, saw a successful and peaceful plate-to-face transfer of delicious Nigerian food. This week we put together one our best dinners yet: Jollof Rice and Suya. A broad class of rice dishes, Jollof Rice is characterized by tomatos, onion and spices including red pepper and ginger. It is a major staple in West African countries and eaten on a daily basis by many. Suya is skewered meat prepared in a variety of ways. Typically consumed in the evening it is available from street vendors and in many gathering places. As a first class animal protein, it is expensive and considered a food of the middle class and rich.

Both dishes can be made in many ways so we created our own preparations based on our reading.

Suya

1.25 lbs chicken breast tenders 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts 1/2 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 1/4 tsp red pepper (cayenne)

We put the peanuts and all spices into a food processor and chopped until the peanuts were roughly ground, but not paste. Then dipped the chicken in an egg wash and rolled them in the peanut mixture. Next we skewered and broiled them about 5-6 minutes on a side.

Jollof Rice

2 cups brown long grain rice, cooked 1 red bell pepper 1 tomato 1 onion, diced 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated 2 cloves garlic 1 tsp. smoked paprika 1/4 tsp red pepper (cayenne) 1 cup vegetable broth 2 tbls tomato paste salt to taste

First, we browned the onions, garlic and ginger. Then, added everything else and cooked off the liquid, about a half hour.