Heys it’s me again and once again I wanted to try out a new recipe. Again I wanted something nice hot spicy and tasty. This can either be a side dish like I did tonight or as a main course so take your pick. It is 1 lb or 1 kilo meat of choice that would turn just plain banga rice at this state from a side dish in to a main course. I had this for a side dish tonight because my main course with it being Eid Mr. Riaz requested me to make him some asun, Also just like jollof rice in particular you can eat it with suya.
Now with it being a main course if you want to add liver or kidney just be sure you clean them and remove every trace of the cortex which is the fatty part at the core of the kidney itself. Take a handful of kosher salt and 1 medium mixing bowl of water let soak in frige if you are not in a hurry for 20 minutes. Otherwise the fast method, both methods really for cleaning liver and kidneys is by throwing away the bloody water and keep rinsing about 6 times and then fill the bowl up again and add 1 oz of white vinegar and rinse about 6 or 7 more times until the water turns clear. This way you know that the kidneys and livers are ready to be fried. They are from beef, lamb or goat. Chicken livers can be used too which by the way are my favorite.
Fry unseasoned in a wok or cast iron skillet with 1 tsp of olive oil until they are done and the water has dried up. For pieces like beef, chicken, chicken gizzards, lamb, goat, oxtails, turkey, smoked turkey in a pressure cooker unseasoned with 5 cups of water and on high heat let the safety button pop up and cook for 30 minutes and then turn the heat off and let the pressure escape. This gets set aside because then you need the stock for later, so do not throw away ok.
Other protein of choice is fish and various shell fish such as clams, oysters, shrimp, scallops, mussels, catfish, perch, tilapia, mackeral and salmon. Here in a skillet gets sprayed with cooking spray and gets cooked until it is done. You can use canned shellfish if you want to also this gets put in at last minute. Also 1 can of fish in tomato sauce like sardine’s and mackeral can be added in at the end of cooking time.
First I boiled 1 piece of smoked dried fish and 6 pieces of stockfish pieces and let them boil to remove the salt from the dried smoked fish for 20 minutes. When they are soft, drain the water.
In a mortar and pestle I added 1 bullion cube and crushed it because it was kind of hard. I added 1 half of an ehru which is the African calabash nutmeg, 1 small broken piece of perkese, 1 pinch of uziza seeds which I had ground and set this aside.
My banga rice tonight as a side dish went like this. I added 1 small can of palm nut cream to a pot. In a blender I added 1 onion or shallot with 2 cloves of garlic and 1 habenero or scotch bonnet deseeded and pureed it. After this I added this to the pot. I readded the the smoked dried fish and the stockfish pieces back after I added this in to the palm nut cream in my pot. I added 1 pinch each boni bonga fish powder, crayfish, of bitterleaf, sent leaf or alternatively add either mint or basil, banga spice powder, red chili powder or African yellow chili powder, 5 smoked dried shrimp, I added the African yellow chili powder this time with a scotch bonnet to really wake up my taste buds. Normally I would not add the two together but tonight I was being very brave. I was also finally lucky that I can find besides the perkese some dried sent leaves. I hurried up and snatched two bags of this.
I added the contents from my mortar and pestle including the bullion cube I had broken up with 3 dashes of maggi or knorr aroma. This is for both main course and side dish options. I stirred and added my one of my proteins of choice if I want a main course and the stock that comes with it except for liver, kidneys, fish and other seafood. This goes in when the rice is done.
Now the rices of choice can be white or brown so take your pick. It is basmati, jasmine, Ofada, short or even long grain rice. Also if you want to make it like a risotto this is fine too then use aborio type. Wash the rice and rinse until the water is clear and the starch removed. Add to pot for both side and main dish options.
For main dish only if you are using any type of meat cooked in a pressure cooker add the stock to the palm nut cream mixture along with the meat. Stir and add rice. If using kidneys, livers, fish or other seafood, wait until rice is done cooking and add in last minute which is similar to side dish option that is simply just adding the rice and then 5 cups of water. Stir and place 1 sheet of aluminum foil or banana leaf under the lid of the pot while waiting for the rice mixture to boil in both main and side dish options on high heat. Just as soon as it is boiling turn the heat down to low and place this foil or banana leaf covered lid on the pot.
Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is done and water absorbed. Turn off heat and at this stage for liver, kidney, fish or other seafood, readd or add 1 can of fish sardines or mackeral also titus sardines can be used too in oil. Do not discard oil. Add to the rice if using and stir gently making sure you do not break up the pieces of fish, which is also a main course option. If you want just plain banga rice as side dish for eating asun or even suya then just stick with the stockfish bits and smoked dried fish for this option.
Enjoy with any icy cold non alchoholic brew of choice whih makes this dish even more yummy.
