I usually cook moi-moi with aluminuim foil paper but the last time I wanted to cook moi-moi, I realized we had run out and hadn't restocked. I had already put my beans flour into water and most of the other ingredients I needed to cook moi-moi were around me. Most importantly, I really wanted to eat moi-moi that day, not the next day or a week later after we had gone shopping.
So I ransacked my brain as I looked around the kitchen. Questions ran through my mind as I considered and discarded various options. I did not have any nylon bags, a popular option back in Nigeria. The tupperware I used to store food in the freezer or pack lunch for Atala were just too big to fit in the pot. What else, what else?
I remembered that from a party we held in the past, we had some leftover plastic drinking cups. Would they serve, I wondered, or would they melt in the process of cooking? Well, I'm all for adventure in cooking, trials can either end in great meals or errors from which we learn.
I brought them down, and noted they were a bit taller than I remembered. That meant my biggest pot had to come into duty after months of rest. I washed the cups and the pot and to preparing the moi-moi.
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| The ground beans flour mixed in water for one hour before cooking |
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| 3 medium sized tomatoes, 2 habanero pepper and 1 onion, blended |
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| Put the blended tomatoes and pepper mixture in the beans. Add a large spponful of groundnut oil too. |
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| Pour in cups about half way. Put a finger of water in the pot and cover. Steam for an hour |
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| Your food is ready :) |
Please don't make me cook moi moi today cos I'm too busy. So yummilicious and inviting.
ReplyDeleteQuick question Myne: Did any of the cups touch the hot pot or you made sure they stood in the middle cos me I'll try this o. I have many disposable drinking cups at home that I can use.
The water level too.
Thank you, Eya. I used a cup of water because the pot is quite big. I also kept checking it to make sure the water never dried.
DeleteWould have expected the cups to melt or wilt due to the heat. Interesting!
ReplyDeleteI too found it quite an experiment :)
DeleteInteresting. I've never heard of plastic cups o....talk less of foil.
ReplyDeleteAnd they were not damaged by the extreme heat?
You've not heard of moi-moi in foil? With the cups, I tried to keep the heat average since I'm steaming not boiling.
DeleteSo, you did not add oil to it especially sunflower oil? Wonderful! I cannot cook mine without oil. I don't like palmoil in mine. Do you? I tried using plastic containers and some of them melted. Are you laughing? I prefer leaves or foil.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I added oil. You can see it in one of the pictures, let me correct that. I also prefer vegetable oil than palm oil. Your plastic melted? I'm laughing only cos I've had that experience too :)
DeleteI prefer my moi-moi in leaf wraps though. Most plastic cups, plates and wraps are quite prone to leaching some of their chemical components onto the food when subjected to heating or cooking. And we all know the long term implications of these chemicals over time in the body, don't we ?
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts exactly. This would most certainly be an amazing alternative but we have to consider the chemical composition of the cups or any plastic when we boil food in them.
DeleteThanks Myne. I pray for time to try it this weekend. Will let you know when I do.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this post, I thought "What????" Then it occurred to me that the plastic cups are even sturdier than the "Nylon bags" we use in Naija. lol
ReplyDeleteNice :)
Nice new container for moin moin, I started with tin cups, but when I couldn't find that in the market anymore (and my stash had greatly reduced thanks to borrowing family, lol), I switched to washed out caprisonne satchets (or packs or whatever they're called). They work perfectly for me and thanks to the lil tot, I never run out
ReplyDeleteoh wow so u can also use caprisone sachets? The things I learn everyday
DeleteI tried using plastic cups after I saw your post and it was a melted mess. Utter waste of beans, time and effort. To make matters worse, it was one of the most delicious moi moi I've ever made. I know because I steamed some in foil. :(
ReplyDelete