Learn To Make Your Own Ketchup! Costs Less Than Excess Luggage:

Hello:  Just sitting here and thinking of how friends/family who come to visit from Naija tend to stuff their suitcases with 'common' foods in addition to their outrageously expensive 'baffs' and 'iteles'. 

To that end I figured, I would provide simple recipes with easily accesed ingredients.  This for both common condiments and foods whilst also providing substitutions for not so common western ingredients in popular recipes. 

I hope this will conserve precious 'forex' for your next trip out whilst wowing your dinner guests with your table fare.

Let us get things going with a common condiment: Ketchup and a killer mango pie which is a delicious alternative to apple pie.

Ketchup:
1 Can De Rica Tomato Paste
1/4 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp Ground cloves
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (Ground dry pepper) - Optional
2 Tablespoons Vinegar
Mix all together in a jar with a tightfitting cover and refrigerate.

Please note: This contains vinegar and sugar as its only natural preservatives, consequently should be used up within two months.  As you get more comfortable making your own ketchup, feel free to experiment by adding different spices to the basic recipe above.  I will like you to share your culinary adventures.


Mango Pie.
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ginger (You may use minced fresh ginger)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 a lemon/lime
2 tbs Cornstarch (uncooked pap), for thickening
10 avg sized Mangoes (Slightly ripe yet firm.  Peeled)
Basic short crust pastry. (SCP enough for a 14 inch pie)

Preheat oven to 400f/200c/Gas mark 6

Roll out SCP into 9 inch pie pan or oven proof dish
Mix the nutmeg, ginger, vanilla, butter and 2 Tbs cornstarch into the sugars.
Slice the mangoes into medium sized wedges, toss in bowl with sugar mixture and place into pie crust.
Pack mangoes tightly in a concentric (circular)pattern
Squeeze lemon/lime over mangoes
Roll out pie cover with rest of short crust pastry. 
Cut 4 decorative holes in cover for venting so your pie does not explode.
Place on pie and pinch to seal tightly. 
Reduce oven temp to 375f/190c/Gas Mark 5
Brush top of crust with a mixture of 2 tbs of evaporated milk and 1 tbs of water.
Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar.
Bake for about 35 minutes. 
Serve slightly wam with Ice Cream

As you get more comfortable making this basic pie, feel free to experiment with other local fruits.  

No, just add to your basic mix.  The action of vigorously shaking along with the vinegar will cause the natural breakdown of the granules.  You may choose to adjust the sugar to taste.   Let me know how it goes!

Cheese:  Step I

Here is a simple recipe for making your own cheese. 

When I lived in Lagos I bought milk from the Fulanis at Iddo Market.  In Abuja, you may buy from Wuse(?), Market.   Since you will be making this from raw milk, Nunu(?), from our local cattle herders, we need to talk about pasteurization (The process of killing the little buggers in raw milk that can make you ill). 

Below is an adapted, Me-tested how-to from eHow.com

Boil empty milk bottles or other durable containers submerged in water for 10 minutes to disinfect them. Alternatively, you can place the milk bottles or other glass containers in an oven preheated to 212 f/100c for 20 minutes to disinfect.

1- Pour raw milk into the top of a double boiler if available or just use a regular, (not heavy bottomed), pot.  If using a double boiler fill the bottom section with water.

2- Place a metal-stem thermometer into the milk to monitor its temperature. Keep the thermometer from touching the sides or bottom of the double boiler so you get an accurate temperature reading of the milk, not the container.
   
3- Heat raw milk to 145f/62c and keep it at that temperature for at least 30 minutes. In the abscence of a thermometer, please bring milk to a steady mid simmer.  DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL.  Stir  to avoid burning and to maintain an even temperature.  (For a faster method, heat the milk to 165f/74c for at least 15 seconds, stirring constantly.)

4- Put the top section of the double boiler/ pot that holds the heated milk into a pan of cold or ice water to cool the milk. Continue to stir.

5- Cool the milk until it reaches 40 degrees F or below.

6- Pour the pasteurized milk into the disinfected containers. Cover and store in the refrigerator.

You can keep pasteurized milk stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or alternately freeze in little batches and use as needed.