A Simple Way To Cook The Delectable “IRESI EYIN” (Jollof Rice)

Iresi Eyin is a special Yoruba adaptation of the commonly served jollof rice. It is a delectable Yoruba food that can be traced back to Yoruba culture and ancestry. This dish is peculiar to the Yorubas; just as pepper-soup rice is to the Igbos. Iresi means rice in Yoruba while Eyin is Palm nut fruit (although it does also translates to egg too). This Yoruba food is very easy to prepare and also nutritious to boot. All that is required is that you mix all the ingredients in one pot, and then wait for it to simmer beautifully. It takes ten minutes to prepare ingredients and thirty-five minutes to cook which makes a total of forty-five minutes. Cooking this meal with a combination of smoke – if you want to go full-throttle traditional – from the firewood and locust beans (Iru) makes it a meal to be anticipated. Below are ingredients that would be needed and are not difficult to come by in Nigerian open-markets.
Ingredients
2 cups of rice
1 cup palm nut cream (I usually use Ghana Fresh)
2 heaped Tablespoons Iru (Locust Beans)
1 Handful of Ede (Dried Crayfish)
2 Large Dried Catfish (Cleaned)
1 teaspoon dried pepper powder
1 Handful of Chopped Onion
Salt to taste
1 cube of Maggi Crayfish (Optional)
Jollof rice ingredients
Chopped vegetables (carrots and peas)

Directions
Wash rice and parboil for 6 minutes. Combine all the ingredients in a large pot with 3 cups of water then place on high heat. Cover the pot then leave to boil. Reduce heat to medium so it does not get burnt. Simmer the rice and make sure that the food is cooked. This takes 35 minutes to cook. It is usually better when eaten with fried plantain popularly known as “DODO”. So you can add that and enjoy your mel. Your world just got better!Photo Credit: Getty

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