Notes about Recipes in this book

• Benne miso noodles with ground beef

  • anya_sf on May 25, 2025

    I substituted red miso for benne miso, ground turkey for beef, used less oil, and 2 bunches of broccolini. My nonstick pan was not big enough to fit everything, so I had to transfer it all to a very large pot. Next time I will reserve more noodle cooking water as I needed more liquid to coat everything. Would also use less (maybe 12 oz) noodles as that was a lot. My family loved this super flavorful dish and my husband (who rarely cooks) asked me how to make it.

• All-day seasoning blend

  • anya_sf on May 20, 2025

    Flavorful, easy to make and scale up or down.

• Piri piri rub

  • anya_sf on June 18, 2025

    Easy to make and scale up/down, especially if you don't bother grinding the oregano. I used roasted Thai chiles instead of piri piri.

• Green shito (Kpakoshito sauce)

  • anya_sf on May 25, 2025

    Unable to find green kpakpo shito, green Scotch bonnet, or green habanero peppers, I used red pepper flakes, as suggested in the note for regular shito. So I suppose this wasn't really green shito, but it was a delicious condiment with bright, herbaceous flavor and medium heat. Half the recipe still made a lot. Fairly rich, next time I would try reducing the oil by 1/3.

• Tom Brown porridge (Ablemamu)

  • anya_sf on May 30, 2025

    It didn't seem like nearly enough water; the mixture became very stiff after only a couple of minutes. Since the flours had already been oven-toasted, at least the porridge didn't taste raw. I used lowfat milk instead of evaporated. The flavor was enjoyable, but I didn't care for the pasty texture, even after adding extra milk to my bowl.

• Spiced fonio porridge with coconut

  • anya_sf on May 25, 2025

    Pretty good, somewhat like farina but with a sandier texture. Quite loose - use less liquid if you prefer firmer porridge. I used reduced fat coconut milk to save some calories. My family doesn't always love porridge, but they liked this OK, topped with agave syrup, shredded coconut, fresh peaches and strawberries.

• Egusi and coconut granola

  • anya_sf on May 25, 2025

    I made 1/2 recipe, substituting pepitas for egusi seeds, unblanched almonds for blanched, and dried thyme for fresh. Thyme - especially together with cinnamon - was an unexpected flavor, but I really enjoyed it in this lightly sweet granola. I'm not a huge granola person, but would definitely make this again.

• Grilled corn with garlic piri piri butter

  • anya_sf on June 18, 2025

    Tasty way to dress up corn on the cob. I only made enough piri piri rub for this recipe, using roasted Thai chilies instead of piri piri, not bothering to grind anything further. Half the flavored butter was enough for 3 ears of corn.

• Aburoo and fonio salad with honey jalapeño vinaigrette

  • anya_sf on May 20, 2025

    Delicious salad! We'd never had fonio before and really liked it, but couscous or quinoa could be substituted. As suggested, I doubled the vinaigrette and used half as a marinade for chicken thighs, which I grilled alongside the corn.

• Arugula salad with egusi granola, sorghum, and sherry vinaigrette

  • anya_sf on May 25, 2025

    Delicious salad with a nice balance of tart and sweet and pleasant crunch from the granola. I only needed half the dressing. I wasn't sure if the coriander seeds from the pickled onion were supposed to go in the salad - it was difficult not to include them, so next time I would use maybe half as I didn't like bites with too many.

• Collard greens with coconut milk

  • FunkyViriditas on April 13, 2025

    I tried to make this without the smoked turkey and instead used bouillon. The result was a little too tart for my taste. I think the turkey fat cuts down the vinegar flavor. And the smoked turkey probably gives it a completely different taste.

  • rmardel on November 28, 2025

    I thought this was absolutely delicious. The vinegar help cut down on the fat from the coconut milk, and it was a nice blend of flavors. I did use a smoked turkey leg during cooking, but I did not add the meat back into the collard greens. It didn't need the meat, the dish was complex, filling, and satisfying. My collards took longer to cook than specified, but that probably depends on the collards.

  • jenburkholder on January 03, 2026

    Loved this. Didn’t shred the meat back in and only used about a pound of turkey wings. The sherry vinegar and coconut milk are wonderful together.

• Coconut curry chickpeas with mustard greens

  • jenburkholder on June 23, 2025

    Hearty, delicious chickpea stew. Used a store-bought Jamaican curry powder and habanero hot sauce. Served over rice with lots more hot sauce. Would make again.

  • anya_sf on November 26, 2025

    I used store-bought, mild curry powder and Tabasco, making this very simple to prepare (and probably less spicy). Used the whole bunch of mustard greens plus added some diced zucchini. Very tasty served over plain rice, rather than coconut rice (although I imagine that would be even better).

• Jollof rice

  • anya_sf on May 25, 2025

    I used half the oil as it seemed like a lot, but maybe that's why my rice cooked inconsistently. There wasn't enough liquid for it to visibly simmer. When I first stirred it after 10 min, it was already sticking to the bottom, so I reduced the heat to extra low (more like "keep warm" than "simmer"). Checked 5 min later, at least it wasn't burning. After another 5 min (20 min total), there were still uncoooked grains, so I added extra broth and ended up cooking the rice 10 more minutes, which meant some of the rice was overdone. Nevertheless, the texture was fluffy and the flavor was delicious.

• Whole fried tilapia

  • anya_sf on May 25, 2025

    I substituted Tabasco for Scotch bonnet hot sauce and opted to grill the fish, as suggested in the note. Marinated the fish 30 min at room temp. Unfortunately, the fish stuck to the grill like crazy; next time I would coat the fish in oil, which in my experience prevents sticking better than just oiling the grill grates. Even with the brief marinade, the fish was fairly flavorful. Green shito was great with it.

• Pickled red onion

  • anya_sf on May 25, 2025

    Easy to make, good flavor. Would use half the coriander seeds next time if making the salad. There was enough pickling liquid for double the onion.

• Oysters with hibiscus mignonette and pickled ginger

  • Acarroll on July 14, 2025

    I actually didnt like the ginger on this, which is weird because I love ginger. The oysters were kind of sandy/muddy, but that's probably my fault for not cleaning them well enough. The mignionette was to die for. I literally drank the leftovers. I'd make this again, skip the ginger, and figure out the oysters better.

• Crab fried rice with benne miso and scallions

  • Potawatomus on May 07, 2026

    This was really good, and it came together in less than 15 minutes. I added a squeeze of lemon at the end.

• Labadi pork ribs

  • anya_sf on June 18, 2025

    I had a 4.5 lb rack of St Louis-style spare ribs, so doubled the rub, but not the glaze. Baked the ribs the day before, making it easier to clean up the copious amount of rendered fat (some of which escaped the foil). I brushed all the glaze on the ribs and we didn't feel the need for extra. I was really worried the glaze would be too spicy (3 Tbsp red pepper flakes!) but it was fine. Since I was using the grill, I thought I'd finish the ribs there (on a sheet of foil) instead of using the broiler, but the top didn't caramelize sufficiently, so I ended up using the broiler anyway for better color. The ribs were delicious - sweet and spicy - and falling apart tender. The sauce was a little oily; would reduce the oil next time.

• Malva pudding

  • anya_sf on May 20, 2025

    More delicious than I'd imagined. I used 2 Tbsp jam as that's how much Eric used on Selena & Chef, but don't think it really mattered as the flavor isn't too noticeable. Baked in a 9"x9" glass pan, it still took 30 min. The book's recipe doesn't include the fruit topping, but I made one based on the online recipe, using fresh (not dried) apricots and strawberries, and it was the perfect accompaniment. Note: the online recipe volume for jam is incorrect (grams are correct) - should be 1 Tbsp.