Our fore mothers, though majority of them with no formal education, understood the concept of balanced diet...Combining (corn) maize with beans is one of the simplest, nutritionally balanced dishes eaten in virtually every Nigerian household.
Aside from combining them simply as maize and beans, these two food ingredients are a match made in foodie heaven, and often times even when they undergo individual processes to transform them into other foods, they still come together as a winning combo......examples:
- Moin moin & Eko
- Ogi & Akara
- Ewa Alagbado
My Maize & Beans stir fry brings together these two friends again, in combination with a few other ingredients, to create a balanced and delicious food idea that can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
What you need
- Pre-cooked maize on the cob (you can use canned sweetcorn as an alternative)
- Pre cooked oloyin beans
- Pre cooked tete (amaranth greens) (you can also use fresh ones or other vegetables like spinach as a substitute)
- Handful of chopped onions
- Pre made red pepper sauce
- Fresh cayenne chilli pepper(optional)
- Coconut oil
- Salt to taste
What to do
Prep the maize: boil the maize in some salted water until soft, then with a sharp knife shave off the kernels from the cob and set aside until needed. Alternatively you can use sweetcorn kernels directly from the can/tin.
Prep beans: remove all chaff and debris from the beans then cook in some salted water, preferably using a pressure cooker. When cooked, cool and set aside until needed.
Heat some oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the onions and chopped chilli pepper if using. Allow the onions to brown slightly then add the maize kernels. Continue stirring all ingredients around to avoid burning.
Add a couple serving spoons of some pre cooked red pepper sauce. Keep stirring and if required add some sprinkling of water to avoid drying out.
Then add some cooked beans and lastly some blanched tete. Turn heat down and taste for salt. Adjust as required. Allow all ingredients to simmer and heat through for a further 2-3 minutes. Serve hot.
