Top 10 Nigerian Dishes for Dinner and How to Prepare Them

Delicious Nigerian dishes for dinner that can make any family full and happy.

There is a common saying that we Eat to live and not live to eat. This saying reflects on how important food is to the human body, if we do not eat properly, we are endangering our lives and its only a matter of time. Thus, a list of Top 10 Nigerian food has been put together below and how to prepare them.

See Also: List Of Grocery Items In Nigeria – Provision Items In Nigeria

There is no particular order in our selection of Nigerian food good for dinner. These are just 10 best dishes many Nigerians love to eat during the week and on weekends.

1. Local coconut Rice and smoked fish
2. Egusi soup and Eba
3. Bitter leave soup
4. Masa
5. Ewedu soup
6. Yam and fried egg sauce
7. Ukwa
8. Moi moi
9. Akara
10. Oha soup

Top 10 Nigerian Dishes for Dinner and How to Prepare Them

• LOCAL COCONUT RICE AND SMOKED FISH

This delicacy is very easy to prepare and there are various ways by which it can be prepared but for the sake of this article, i will be showing you the style that is indigenous to the Nigerian culture and tastes deliciously well. Basically, we will be replacing the usual chicken with smoked fish to give it that Native aroma and taste. Here are the ingredients needed :

1. Rice (5 cups)
2. Tomatoes (1/2 – 1 cup)
3. Pepper (1/2 -1 cup)
4. Smoked fish ( Preferably Panla)
5. Vegetable oil
6. Two big coconuts
7. Salt
8. Seasoning
9. One big onion

How to prepare:  First, we are going to have to break the coconuts to extract its juice, we do not need the water so you can pour it away. Cut the coconuts into bits and then proceed to blend it to take out the juice, Once that is done, pour in a sieve to separate the chaff from the juice.

Slice the Onions and then proceed to blend the tomatoes and pepper, heat the pot on medium heat and then add some vegetable oil. Put in the Onions first and stir for about 2 minutes. Add the blended tomatoes and pepper and leave to fry for about 5 minutes, you can then proceed to wash the smoked fish while frying the tomatoes and pepper mix. You can then proceed to add the coconut juice in the pot of tomatoes and pepper.

While this is heating up, wash the rice thoroughly and then add it into the pot. Add the washed smoked fish, add salt and seasoning and allow to cook for about 30- 40 minutes while checking at intervals. Your Local coconut rice is ready!

• EGUSI SOUP AND EBA

Below are the ingredients you’ll need

1. Grinded Egusi
2. palm oil
3. Garri
4. fish and meat (whichever you prefer)
5. Leave of your choice
6. Salt
7. Seasoning

How to prepare: In a large pot, heat the palm oil on medium for a minute, slowly add the stock and set on low heat to simmer. Scoop teaspoon size balls of the egusi paste mixture into the stock. Be sure to keep ball shape. Leave to simmer for 10 – 20 minutes so the balls cook through. Add the meat and fish and other bits which you’d like to use.

Add the leave of your choice, add seasoning and salt to taste Stir and put a lid on the pot and allow cook for 7–10 minutes.

Heat water in a kettle, leave to boil and then get a large bowl and put the quantity of boiled water u need and add the Garri and turn till its moldable. Your favourite egusi and eba is ready!

• BITTER LEAVE SOUP

Ingredients:-

1. Washed and squeezed bitterleaf – A handful
2. 10 small Cocoyam
3. Palm Oil
4. Assorted Beef: Includes best cut, shaki (cow tripe)
5. Assorted Fish: Dry Fish and Stock Fish
6. Pepper, salt and ground crayfish (to taste)
7. 3 stock cubes
8. 1 teaspoon Ogiri Igbo (traditional seasoning)

How to prepare: Boil the shaki, stock fish and dry fish in 1 litre of water till they are well done. First sign of a done shaki is that the cuts will start curling on itself.

Wash the beef and add to the pot of shaki etc. and continue cooking. When the meat is done, add 3 cubes of Maggi/Knorr and cook for 5 minutes.

Add pepper, ground crayfish, bitter leaves (if they have not been parboiled) and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the cocoyam paste (in small lumps) and the palm oil then go to step 5.

Note: If the bitter leaves were parboiled to remove the bitterness, then for step 3; add pepper, ground crayfish, the cocoyam paste (in small lumps), the bitter leaves and the palm oil. In other words, add all the ingredients at this stage.

Cover the pot and leave to cook on high heat till all the cocoyam lumps have dissolved. You can add more water if you feel that the soup is too thick.

Add salt to taste and the soup is ready. You can eat this with any swallow of your choice.

• MASA

This delicacy is known to originate from the north and tastes wonderfully well. Here are the ingredients you need :

a.3 cups of tuwo rice.

1. 2 Table spoons of sugar.
2. Teaspoon of yeast.

d.Teaspoon of potash.

e.Table spoon of oil

1. 50ml of vegetable oil
2. Salt to taste.

You will also need the masa baking pan as well as basic cooking utensils.

How to Prepare: This is what you should do; soak a teaspoon of ground potash in half cup of water, allow to settle. Then pour into the first part in a bowl, don’t add the residue. Add more water and allow to soak for 8-10 hours. It is best if you soak it overnight. When you are ready to prepare the masa, get the second part of the tuwo rice. Wash and boil it with just water. Boil it until it is very soft. Go ahead and mash it to pulp. Mix the ground rice with the mashed rice together. Add sugar and salt to taste. Add teaspoon of yeast, stir and allow frothing for 30 minutes. The batter should be running not thick.

Grease your masa pan with vegetable oil and scoop your batter into the pan. Allow to cook until it is golden brown. Turn the other side with a spoon and also observe as it cooks and turn golden brown.

• EWEDU SOUP

Ingredients:

a.Ewedu leaves (corchorus olitorius) 300g

1. 1/2 teaspoon of powdered potash
2. 1.5 cups of water
3. Ewedu Broom or a blender
4. Salt to taste
5. Maggi (1 or 2 cubes)
6. Chilly Pepper to taste
7. 4-5 spoons of ground crayfish

How to prepare: Pick the leaves (no stem allowed), then go ahead and wash properly with a lot of water to remove any sand left on it. Pour 1.5 cups of water to a cooking pot and heat to boiling point, add the washed ewedu leaves, soak the half teaspoon of potash in half cup of water and filter into the pot (to soften the leaves), cook for 7-10 minutes. Then use the cooking broom to mash (more like pound) continuously inside the pot, this will turn the leaves to tiny bits after mashing for about five minutes.

Alternatively, You can also transfer into a blender and pulse a couple of times, This way is easier and better. Transfer back to the pot and add the ground crayfish, maggi, salt and pepper to taste. Allow to simmer for just five minutes and you are done with making ewedu soup.

• YAM AND FRIED EGG SAUCE

Ingredients

a.10 pieces of Yam (Chopped)

b.2 eggs

1. 1 small sized tomato
2. 1 scotch Bonnet pepper (ata rodo)
3. Handful chopped spring onion
4. Handful chopped carrots
5. 1 seasoning cube
6. 1/4 teaspoon curry
7. A Pinch of thyme
8. 2 tablespoons of Vegetable oil
9. Salt to taste

How to prepare: In a pot of boiling water, peel and chop your yam and bring to boil. When yam is soft, season with salt and drain the water.

In a pan, heat up the oil and stir fry the onions and chopped pepper. Add the tomato and carrots after a minute of frying the onion and pepper on medium heat. Add the seasoning and stir fry for another minute. In a bowl, whisk your eggs and pour into the frying vegetables. Reduce the heat and allow the eggs cook while stirring it. Increase the heat after a minute and properly stir fry the egg and serve with the yam.

• UKWA(BREAD FRUIT MEAL)

This delicacy originates from the Eastern part of Nigeria.

Ingredients:

1. 1 derica of peeled ukwa
2. Potash
3. Pepper
4. Salt

How to prepare: It is very easy to prepare this meal, first wash the peeled ukwa and then add a little bit of potast till its very soft. Transfer to a motar of pounded fresh pepper, mix together with a pestle and then add salt to taste. Do not add any other seasoning asides salt. Your ukwa is ready!

• MOI MOI

Ingredients:

1. 3 cigar cups or 750g Beans (Brown/Black eyed)
2. 5 tablespoons ground crayfish
3. 4 big stock cubes
4. 1 habanero pepper
5. 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
6. 3 tatashe peppers
7. 2 big onions
8. 20cl vegetable oil
9. 2 litres of cool or warm water
10. Salt (to taste)

How to prepare : Blend the beans, tatashe or tomato puree, onions, crayfish, habanero pepper and ground nutmeg together with some of the water and pour the mix into a big enough bowl. Add the vegetable oil and the bone marrow stock (if this is what you have chosen to add to your moi moi). Slowly add the remaining water and stir the mixture at the same time till you get a good mix of all the ingredients. Add salt to taste and stir very well. Pad the base of a big pot, pour some water and set on the stove. The depth of the water should be at most 1 inch.

Dish the Moi moi mix into containers of your choice, add egg/bone marrow/corned beef to each container, seal/cover and set them in the pot. Add as small quantity of water as possible at a time while cooking the Moi Moi as detailed in preparation and use of moi moi containers so that the moi moi will not become watery when done. This is the case especially when using aluminium foil or uma leaves.

The length of time you will cook your Moi Moi depends on the quantity and the Moi Moi container you used. The Moi Moi that gets done quickest is the one wrapped in Uma or Banana leaves, followed by Moi Moi wrapped in aluminum foils then the one that takes the most time is Moi Moi cooked in aluminium or plastic plates.

But whatever Moi Moi container you use, it is advisable to cook your Moi Moi for at least 1 hour, before checking it. Confirm that it is done by putting a knife through it, if the knife is stained with Moi Moi paste, then the Moi Moi is not done, but if the knife just has a slight smear of Moi Moi, then it’s done. Also, when you cut through the Moi Moi, the insides will be set and not watery.

 

• AKARA

Ingredients:

a.2 Cups black-eyed peas

1. 1 Habanero Chili
2. 1/4 Cup Red bell pepper measured out when diced
3. 1 Onion small sized
4. Salt to taste
5. 1 Stock Cube
6. 1/4 cup Water for blending
7. Vegetable Oil Enough for deep frying

How to prepare: Soak the beans for about 30 minutes till the skin is swollen and peel off the skin by rubbing it between your palms or simply use a blender by pulsing it a couple of times till the skin falls off.

Put the beans into a large bowl and separate the skin from the beans by adding enough water and gently swirling the beans around so that the skin can float.

Pour off the skins, into a colander. Repeat this process until the beans are clean.

Pour the clean beans inside the blender, add the water and blend into a paste.

Pour the batter into a large bowl and whisk together until it’s light and fluffy.

Hand whisk for about 3 to 4 minutes or an electric hand mixer for about a minute or two.

Blend the Habanero, bell peppers and Onions in a separately and mix it together with the Beans paste.

Add the stock cube and salt to taste (this recipe is very sensitive to salt so be careful a little goes a long way) then mix everything together. Preheat some oil in a pan (enough to deep fry the Akara).

Drop heaping tablespoons of fritter batter into the hot oil, frying a couple at a time to avoid overcrowding. Turn once or twice in between for even browning.

Fry the fritters for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until golden brown on all sides.

It’s good to press down the Akara balls a little bit just before taking them out of the oil to get rid of any excess oil that might have been absorbed during the frying process.

Remove fritters from the pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. This can be taken with pap or bread.

• OHA SOUP

Ingredients:

a.Assorted meats (Beef, goat meat, Ponmo, Shaki are ideal)

1. Palm oil
2. 1 Bunch Oha leaves
3. Handful Uziza Leaves or 1 Teaspoon ground Uziza seeds
4. 3-4 Medium size Cocoyam (Ede)
5. Smoked Fish
6. Stockfish, the head especially (Okporoko)
7. 4 Tablespoons Ground Crayfish
8. 1 Tablespoon Ogiri Igbo
9. 2-3 Yellow Scotch Bonnet
10. 2 Maggi Crayfish
11. Salt to taste

How to prepare: Soak and wash your Stockfish and Smoked fish with hot water to remove all traces of dirt, then set aside. Start by boiling your meats, start with the tougher meats like Cow leg, Shaki first, also add the Stockfish.

Add the Maggi crayfish and salt to taste, leave to cook till soft. While the meats are boiling, boil the Cocoyam with the skin on, do not add salt, boil till tender.

This should take roughly 20 minutes on medium heat.When the cocoyams are soft, gently peel the skin off and pound till smooth in a mortar, alternatively, chop them into small chunks and purée in your electric blender till smooth, then set aside.

Blend your yellow scotch bonnet peppers and set aside.When the meats are soft, add the smoked fish and blended pepper, leave to combine for 5 minutes.

You should end up with at least 4 cups of rich stock, if you don’t, add more water and seasoning if needed.

Add palm oil and cray fish,Allow to boil for 6-8 minutes or until the oil is fully incorporated into the stock, then add the blended Cocoyam into the stock in small dollops, be careful not to add too much. The consistency should be semi fluid, though I prefer my slightly thick.

Taste for salt/seasoning and adjust if necessary.  The Cocoyam will dissolve; thickening the soup, leave to fully dissolve and combine for 5-6 minutes, then add the Ogiri, leave for a minute then add the washed and chopped Uziza leaves or Uziza seeds, leave for a minute then add the Oha leaves, switch the heat off and leave to simmer with the residual heat for 2-3 minutes.

See Also: How To Prepare The Best Spicy Party Jollof Rice

This can be eaten with any swallow of your choice.

We have shared the top 10 Nigerian food dinner ideas, and you can make any of the meals described in our post at home on weekends or in the evening.

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