In Nigeria, moi moi, whose English name is beans cake, is a very delicious and proteinous food. While many love to eat this food, not many people know how to cook it. Cooking this food requires attention and experience, but if you are a first-timer, you have nothing to worry about.
This piece will highlight the steps needed to prepare moi moi the right way.
What is moi moi?
Moi moi is a very popular Nigerian delicacy made from beans, onions, pepper, and other ingredients. Some people pronounce it as Moin moin, moy moy, mai mai, moyin moyin. But irrespective of the pronunciation, it is still the same ground beans cooked into a delicious solid form.
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One of the unique things about this meal is the fact that it can be eaten as a whole meal or as a side dish. It is common to see it served as a side dish at weddings, parties, and any kind of ceremony. It can be served with fried rice, jollof rice, coconut rice, white rice and stew, amongst other meals. As a whole meal, it can be eaten with garri and pap (ogi or Akamu).
Out of 10 people, you will always find at least seven people who love to eat this wonderful meal because it is rich in protein and other nutrients. Moi moi is traditionally steamed inside a pot using leaves. Scientifically, this leaf is known as Thaumatococcus daniellii. In the Yoruba language, it is called Ewe eran. It can also be cooked in a pot using a small heat-proof bowl. You can use small bowls like ramekins, baking pans and aluminium and foil.
Preparing moi moi
Moi moi can be cooked in a pot on fire or it can be baked, although most people opt for the former method. Whether you are cooking it on fire or getting it baked, you are at liberty to add boiled egg, meat, fish, liver and chicken to make it more sumptuous. Both methods are great, as long as you cook the meal properly.
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So, to get it right, it is important to know at least one method of preparing this dish. So, here is how to prepare moi moi.
Tools
- Bowls
- Tablespoon and cooking spoon
- Deep pot
- Blender
- Knife for slicing
- Cooker
Moi moi container
- Ramekins
- Baking pan
- Aluminium foil
- Nylon
- Leaves
Moi moi accessories
- Egg: Get your eggs and boil them till they are cooked. Remove the shell and keep them in a bowl.
- Fish: If it is smoked fish, wash the fish and remove all the bones. If it is ice fish, wash the fish and boil for seven minutes. Then remove all the bones and put them in a bowl.
- Chicken/Liver: Wash the chicken and cook it in a pot. Put seasoning to add taste.
- Corn beef/Sardine: Open and scoop your desired amount and put it in a bowl.
Conclusion
Cooking is fun and you get much joy when the food you cook comes out tasting very delicious. Moi moi is a very nutritious meal that is good for both old and young people.
So, what do you love eating moi moi with?
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How to make Moi Moi
In Nigeria, moi moi, whose English name is beans cake, is a very delicious and proteinous food. While many love to eat this food, not many people know how to cook it. Cooking moi moi requires attention and experience, but if you are a first-timer, you have nothing to worry about.
Type: main dish, side dish
Cuisine: Nigerian
Keywords: Moi Moi
Recipe Yield: 2
Calories: 225
Preparation Time: PT2H00M
Cooking Time: PT0H30M
Total Time: PT2H30M
Recipe Video Name: 3 Quick Ways to Make Moi-Moi - Naija Style - Zeelicious Foods
Recipe Ingredients:
- 700g of beans or 1 derica of beans (most people prefer white beans because it is easier to wash, but any kind of beans will do.)
- 4 tablespoons of grounded crayfish
- 2 Tatashe (red bell pepper)
- 2 large onion bulbs
- Scotch bonnet pepper (also known as atarodo, fresh pepper)
- Corn beef or boiled eggs or meat or deboned smoked fish or deboned boiled fish or chicken.
- 2 cooking spoons of vegetable oil
- 3 stock cubes for seasoning (Maggie or Knorr)
- Salt
Recipe Instructions:
How to prepare moi moi:
- Soak the beans in water for 30 minutes. Or if you do not want to soak it for long, you can start to wash the beans immediately after you put it in water.
- Wash the beans. Make sure to remove all the bean coats until you are left with the white coat-less beans.
- After you have all the bean shaft out and you are left with your white coat-less beans, put it back in the water and let it soak for like 30 minutes. (This helps to make the beans swell and become softer)
- After 30 minutes, remove the beans from the water and put it in a bowl with a cover.
- Wash your fresh pepper (tatashe) and onions. Then add them to the bowl of beans.
- Then grind everything together. If you are using a blender, you won’t need to use a grinding machine. Whichever equipment you are using, the goal is to get the beans grounded into a smooth pudding.
- Note: When grounding the beans, ensure not to add too much water. Adding too much water will prevent the beans from taking shape when it is done. So add as little water as possible.
- After grinding, pour the bean pudding into a wide bowl.
- Get your desired moi moi accessory and pour it into the bean pudding.
- Note: There is no strict rule that says you must add only eggs or fish. You can add one or more of the proteins above as you desire.
- 9. Mix everything. If it is too thick, you can add a little water.
- Add the vegetable oil. (Adding vegetable oil to moi moi makes it have a good outlook when cooked. Vegetable oil also helps to make the moi moi moist.)
- Take the stock cubes and melt them with warm water, then pour them into the bowl of beans.
- Add salt for taste.
- Mix everything and taste, add water or salt again if needed. Once again, note that if you put too much water in the moi moi, it will not bind together when cooked.
- Get the moi moi containers. If you are using aluminium bowls or foil paper make sure to grease them. If you prefer to use leaves, wash them very well and dry them.
- Take a deep cooking spoon and scoop a small portion of the bean pudding into the container, be careful not to fill it to the brim because the moi moi will still rise when on fire. If you are using leaves, tying them properly is very important or else, they will leak out and pour into the pot. So, make sure you know how to tie leaves before opting to use them.
- Put a big pot on the fire and add little water. The number of moi moi wraps/containers you have determines the size of the pot that you will use.
- Put the packed beans into the pot of water. Be careful so the water does not cover the bean pudding in its container.
- Cover and leave to boil for 45 minutes. But make sure to check every 10 minutes so the water does not dry up. (The length of time you use to cook moi moi is determined by the quantity and container used for the moi moi. For instance, moi moi cooked using nylon will cook faster than moi moi cooked in a container.)
- To know when it is cooked, take the tip of a spoon and scoop from the moi moi. If it comes out without any stain, then it is cooked.
- When cooked, remove from the fire and remove from the pot, if there is still water.
- You can serve it as a side dish or as a whole meal.
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