The title probably has you like whoa…but just roll with me here….
Having a father from Nigeria, I grew up with a love of Nigerian food. I built up my intolerance to spicy foods pretty quick and as I am older, I love a good spice. One of my dad’s dishes happens to be Rice & Stew. Sounds simple enough but the flavor is AMAZING! It is perfect meal for cold days or when you are craving a flavor explosion. He uses a mix of spices, pastes and oils to create this family one pot meal.
He has always used palm oil as a variety in cooking his recipes. My favorite and most popular “side dish” is fried plantain. An item that transcends cultures and is the perfect side dish to most Nigerian meals. After receiving the Malaysian Palm oil I decided to try my hand at some of his quick dishes to see if the taste would be the same using Malaysian Palm Oil.
Here’s a quick recipe on how we fry “dodo” or fried plantain.
Ingredients: 4 Plantains, 1 1/2 cup of Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil, Chopped Onions, Minced Garlic
1. Pour Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil into frying pan and allow to heat up. You should see bubbles forming along the edges.
2. You can test the heat by placing a few onions to see how quickly they begin to cook.
3. Dice or slice your plantain in whatever shape you find easiest. Normally, I will slice mine but they can also be cubed or shredded.
4. Delicately place your plantain into the palm oil and allow it to fry. It may put off a lot of smoke so you can turn the heat level down a bit as to not burn the plantains.
5. Cook for approximately 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
6. Place cooked plantain on an absorbent cloth to soak up any excess oil.
7. Enjoy this sweet on the inside but crispy on the outside treat.
Freebie Extra Recipe – Tomato stew base
After frying your “dodo” you can re use the palm oil by sautéing your onions and garlic and throw some peppers in the pot. After cooking thoroughly (the onions will be a nice yellow color and the garlic darker)
I then use one cup of tomato paste and one cup of crushed tomatoes and allow the mixture to blend and continue to sauté. I will add cumin, lemon pepper, pepper, curry powder, a dash of cayenne and onion powder. I allow this to blend. If it seems to dry up a bit, add one cup of water to the mixture.
This is your tomato base for any stew you would like to create. I personally add chicken breast chunks (pre-cooked) and allow the base flavor to marinate into the meat. How would you kick this up a notch?
I was pleasantly surprised at how savory the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil was. I will test out this product again especially as an alternative to the butters I have used in the past.
Here are a few pictures of the final Chicken Stew recipe. ENJOY!
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