By Lola Obembe
Growing up in Lagos, my extended family on my father’s side used to gather at my grandparents’ house in Alaka Estate for prayers. My grandparents were elders in the Christ Apostolic Church and day break at their house was often heralded by the ringing of the prayer bell at which my siblings, cousins, uncles and aunts gathered in the den for an hour long session of vigorous head nodding and loud shouts of “Amin!, l’oruko Jesu!”.
After this daily Yoruba lesson we were rewarded, at least during the Easter, with a warm bowl of Frejon and grilled mackerel fish. To be honest, I thought Frejon was an Obembe Family secret, until Bola pointed out that it was pretty common. It’s therefore a personal joy to have the opportunity to recreate this dish from my childhood – sans the fish, but you get the gist.
What you will need:
- Beans
- Coconut Milk
- Cloves
- Sugar
- Cinnamon Powder
Simple right?!
How to go about it
Step One:
Buy Nigerian. I’m serious; please save our Naira
Step Two:
Boil the beans till they are soft and you can press them between your fingers. I used Nigerian brown beans but you can use black beans too.
Step Three:
Blend the beans together with the Coconut Milk
Step Four:
Put the mixture in a pan and add the cinnamon, sugar and cloves. Let cook for about 15 minutes stirring intermittently.
Step Five:
Serve and Enjoy!. I add powdered milk to mine when I eat it like porridge. I actually tried to make akara with the leftover beans … but that didn’t work out lol.
I had some chicken Suya on the side. Lovely combination. Try yours with garri or the fried fish or snails if you want.
Cheers and Happy Easter everyone!
