Char Grilled Garden Egg Kebabs

Garden eggs are to West Africa as aubergines are to the rest of the world.......!

Garden eggs are small round vegetables (with egg like shapes; hence the name) which are of the same specie to aubergines.  Find out a little more about them here.

I love garden eggs and very keen to explore how to eat them other than snacking on them raw or stewing them, which are the most common ways of eating them in Nigeria.

They have quite a "beefy" texture which I believe is ideal for soaking up flavours.... Though they have a slight taste of bitterness to them, their nutritional profile helps me see beyond their bitterness. Plus, there are a few tricks I use to help play down this bitterness in my recipes...

Garden eggs are quite high in fibre and I have determined that they would be excellent to make dishes for calorie control / healthy eating.....so I am always exploring new ways to cook them and serve them up as a light meal....

So I decided to make kebabs with garden eggs....and the verdict: It tasted great especially when served with my ata din din style salsa and a selection of seafood. I found that the kebabs were best served with a spicy savory sauce/dip. In addition, it worked perfect served as a light meal because it was quite filling and overall, I was well pleased with myself, that I discovered yet another Nigerian healthy food idea...

See below for some directions if you wish to try it..


What you need
--Garden eggs (any variety, green, white or variegated)
--Sea salt
--Onions, tomatoes and peppers to make the salsa
--A selection of seafood of your choice

What to do
1. The entire process is quite simple and straight forward....nothing too complicated. Make this kebab just like you would make any other, but for this recipe, take note:
2. First cut the garden eggs into chunks and soak in salty water for a few minutes. This will help reduce the bitterness considerably and ensure the kebabs do not dry out when grilled.
3. Also brush the kebabs with some oil before placing them on the grill. You can use an outdoor bbq stove, a stove to griddle pan or an electric grill.
4. Serve with the salsa and a selection of grilled seafood of your choice

Check out some of my previous Garden Egg Recipes below:

1. Grilled Garden Eggs
2. Yam & Garden Egg salad
3. Plantaintuille
4. Steamed Garden Eggs
5. Yam & Stewed Garden Eggs
6. Garden Eggs Noodles