Moi-moi is a very popular food in Nigeria, it could be eaten alone or eaten along side, rice, akamu (pap) and several other food in Nigeria.

Procedure to making Moi moi

1. Segregate three cups (peak milk cups) of beans(remove sand and impurities) and soak in cool water for 5 minutes then begin washing.
2. Wash and squeeze hardly to remove the shell, this may take up to 20 minutes. You just keep washing and squeezing and sieving till the shell is totally removed(it’s not too hard).
3. Transfer into a container and add the crayfish, onions, tatashe (without seeds) or 5 five balls of red tomatoes and pepper (red) then grind

Ingredients for Preparing Moi Moi

• 3 cigar cups or 750g Beans (Brown/Black eyed)
• 5 tablespoons ground crayfish
• 4 big stock cubes
• 1 habanero pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 3 tatashe peppers or 500g watery tomato puree
• 2 big onions
• 20cl vegetable oil
• 2 litres of cool or warm water Salt (to taste) –
• Spring onions or curry leaves(its optional)
• Nutmeg

Moi Moi Accessories

Add any of the following to the Moi Moi:

1. Hard boiled eggs: Cut the eggs into small pieces.
2. Bone Marrow: Cook the bone marrow with spices and herbs till done then add to the Moi Moi at the mixing stage.
3. Corned beef: separate into small chunks and add to the moi moi during mixing.

Wrapping sheets:

Containers, Aluminium foil or Plastic Bowls or Uma Leaves (Thaumatococcus Daniellii) Santana leather.

The tomato puree gives the Moi Moi its classic peachy colour. If you are in Nigeria, the best ingredient to use is tatashe pepper to make it colourful.

Nutmeg gives the Moi Moi its classic taste. If you’ve ever eaten Nigerian Moi Moi at a party and wondered why it tastes better than the ones you make, it is probably because you do not add nutmeg to your Moi Moi.

If you are using bone marrow, the quantity of stock should be part of the 2 litres of liquid you will use in mixing the Moi Moi. If after using this quantity and you are not happy with the texture, adjust the quantity of water accordingly. It is best to use cool or warm water when mixing Moi Moi.

Using the right amount of groundnut oil in your Moi Moi ensures that it has a good texture and rolls off the tongue when you eat it but feel free to use any amount of oil you want. And it is advisable to use tasteless and odourless oils in your Moi Moi

Directions for cooking Moi moi

1. Blend the beans, tatashe or tomato puree, onions, crayfish, habanero pepper and ground nutmeg together with some of the water and pour the mix into a bigbowl.
2. Add the vegetable oil and the bone marrow stock (if this is what you have chosen to add to your moi moi).
3. Slowly add the remaining water and stir the mixture at the same time till you get a good mix of all the ingredients.
4. Add salt to taste and stir very well. All the mixing and adding of ingredients is done off the stove. That is to say, once you start cooking, there is no going back! You cannot decide to add more salt or seasoning or a new ingredient later. So getting it right at the mixing stage is very important.
5. Pad the base of a big pot, pour some water and set on the stove. The depth of the water should be at most 1 inch.
6. Dish the Moi moi mix into containers of your choice, add egg/bone marrow/corned beef to each container, seal/cover and set them in the pot.
7. Add as small quantity of water as possible at a time while cooking the Moi Moi as detailed in preparation and use of moi moi containers so that the moi moi will not become watery when done. This is the case especially when using aluminium foil or uma leaves. The length of time you will cook your Moi Moi depends on the quantity and the Moi Moi container you used. The Moi Moi that gets done quickest is the one wrapped in Uma or Banana leaves, followed by Moi Moi wrapped in aluminum foils then the one that takes the most time is Moi Moi cooked in aluminium or plastic plates. But whatever Moi Moi container you use, it is advisable to cook your Moi Moi for at least 1 hour, before checking it. Confirm that it is done by putting a knife through it, if the knife is stained with Moi Moi paste, then the Moi Moi is not done, but if the knife just has a slight smear of Moi Moi, then it’s done. Also, when you cut through the Moi Moi, the insides will be set and not watery. If you are cooking a few wraps of Moi Moi in a small pot on high heat, then it will only take about 45 minutes to get done, butwhen you are cookinga large pot of Moi Moi, it will definitely take more than one hour.
8. Serve with chilled fruit juice or Smoothie, or coconut juice.