“Awojoh” Feasting

Spread of delicious West African party food

Hello Readers, it’s been awhile since my last post and I feel like I have neglected you guys. My apologies. I am sure you are all doing fantastic. So I did my first catering gig this weekend and it was a very good experience and I am happy I took up the challenge as it was an impromptu request and I was a bit hesitant to accept it.

I had a week to sort out shopping and prep for 4 main dishes and 3 accompaniments for about 100 guests. With the help of my amazing family and friends I pulled it off.

“Awojoh” - loosely translated, community feast to celebrate the life of the deceased.

In Sierra Leone, as a tradition, an Awojoh takes place after the 40^th day or the one year anniversary of a deceased person. The common dishes for this sort of occasion are “aborbor” (Black eyed beans stew) with fried plantain, sweet potato fried in palm oil, beans akara, olehleh, foofoo with a vareity of soups and palm oil fry stew. Some of the recipes of the above could be found by clicking here. 

Nina's Cookery Corner 

On this occasion however, most of the traditional dishes were not prepared as the client opted for the more common party dishes.
The menu was;

Jollof Rice

Fry Stew

Fried Rice

Rice Sticks (Vermicelli)

Pepper Chicken

Fried Plantain and

Akara

All the recipes for the above dishes can be found on my blog by following the link below. http://ninascookerycorner.blogspot.co.uk/

Feast your eyes on the dishes and hope you get to replicate them.

If you’re planning an event, dinner party and want the burden of cooking off your hands, why not let me be your super hero and cater to your needs. Enjoy reading try out the dishes and send me your feedback. Aprons on!

Spread of delicious West African party food

Pepper Chicken and Rice Vermicelli (Rice Sticks)

Rice Vermicelli and Pepper Chicken

Hi Guys! It’s another bank holiday weekend woohoo! Hope you made most of the sunshine yesterday. This weekend, I made Pepper Chicken and Rice Vermicelli (Rice Sticks) West African style. I was told my 11 month old nephew craved pepper chicken and Rice sticks *side eye* so I entered my Cookery Corner and worked magic. Vermicelli is very fine, long strands of pasta – like a skinny spaghetti – often used in soups. The name means ‘little worms’ in Italian (though in America, it is described more ethereally 'angel hair' pasta). It is available fresh or dried. Follow the simple steps below and bring a party to your taste buds. Aprons on!

Ingredients for Rice Vermicelli

Ingredients for Vermicelli and pepper chicken

1. Pack of Rice Vermicelli
2. Pack of cooked prawns
3. 1 tin of chopped tomato
4. 4 medium size onions
5. 3 bell peppers (green, red and yellow)
6. Mixed vegetable
7. 4 scotch peppers
8. Seasoning
9. Oil
10. Tomato puree  

Peanut butter mixture being smeared on chicken

Ingredients for Pepper Chicken

1. 2 rooster chicken
2. 4 scotch peppers
3. Peanut Butter
4. Tomato puree
5. Maggie Season
6. 3 lime

Cooking Instructions

Prawns added to vermicelli

Rice Vermicelli

1.      Slice onions and chop bell peppers and spring onions.

2.      Blend one onion with scotch peppers

3.      Pour oil into hot sauce pan and heat to cooking temperature.

4.      Once oil is heated, fry onions, bell peppers, spring onions and chopped tomato.

5.      Add bits of blended pepper and onions into the stew whilst the above is cooking.

6.      Add season and salt for flavour and 2 squeezes of tomato puree to give the stew colour.

7.      Open pack of rice vermicelli and break into 3 or 4 pieces and put in a large bowl.

8.      Add boiling water to the rice sticks and once it’s gone soft, strain the water.

9.      Add vermicelli and mixed vegetables to the pot with fried stew and turn the heat low.

10.  Leave to cook for a further 10 minutes

11.  Finally add cooked prawns and mix in together with stew and leave to simmer for a further 5 min.  

Pepper Chicken

1.      Wash and cut chicken into medium pieces.

2.      Season over night and put in fridge.

  3.      Once Chicken is well seasoned bring to boil until its mid tender.

   4.      Blend one onion with scotch peppers to your tolerance level.

  5.      Mix 4 scoops of peanut butter with 50ml of water in a large bowl so it is slightly watery then squeeze lime juice into the peanut butter mixture.

6.      Pour blended onions and pepper into the peanut butter mixture.

7.      Add the chicken into the bowl and smear the mixture all the chicken.

8.      Preheat the oven to 180C, Gas mark 4. Put Chicken in the oven and roast for 20 - 30 min.

9.      During cooking turn chicken pieces around so both sides are brown.

Voila! Dish is done!  

West African Style Vermicelli (Rice Sticks)