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Christmas is two weeks away. Are you travelling down to the village? Or are you going to be part of the no leave, no transfer crew, ndi ala bu otu, from January to December? Either way, the question I want to ask now is for everyone to answer. So, tell me, have you done your Christmas foodstuff shopping or are you still planning to do it? If you’ve shopped, what and what did you buy? And please don’t look at me like that, I’m not that amebo neighbour of yours who wants to know everything that’s going on in your kitchen. I’m asking because even though the foodstuff markets will be open through the festive period, you and your family need your rest and fun.
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It’s not every time you want to cook, you’ll either rush to the market or look for who to send. It’s for this reason that I have taken it upon myself to tell you the ingredients your kitchen needs as a matter of necessity. There are eleven of them; but, all will not be discussed today. Go through the list and if any of the under-listed ingredients are missing or low in supply, please stock up.

Stockfish and (or) Dry fish

Most Nigerians are soup lovers and stock fish and dry fish add flavour to our soups. Thus, if you can afford to, buy the two. If not, buy at least one of the above. Besides, Nigerians are not known for naked soups. We dey like make our mouth dey whine as we dey chop our Soup and Swallow.

Crayfish

This is the isi afulu kwaba okpu, one of the most important ingredients of all seasons. Most Nigerian delicacies are incomplete without it. People sometimes cook without meat or fish and the food comes out tasting good because they were generous with crayfish. Therefore, no matter how tight your budget is, you need to have crayfish in your kitchen.

Onions

This ingredient is the new gold; as in, the price no be here. Three tiny onion bulb wey dey insignificant before is 200 naira now. But it still a very important ingredient, thus, just buy the little that you can afford and keep at home.
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Meat

Chicken, turkey, beef even goat meat dey move market this period. That’s because no one wants it to look like na their family suffer pass. You need meat to cook your soups, stews, sauces and other meals. The meat will become more expensive as Christmas draws near. Thus, if you have a constant power supply, this is the time to stock your freezer.

Stock cubes

The Nigerian love for a communal living is more visible at Christmas; this is more so at the village level where members of the extended family spend time in the homes of one another. As a result, cooking is usually done in large quantity. This is why you need stock cubes. So, gently open those tight fists of yours and bring out money to buy at least one pack of your preferred brand of stock cubes. It will enhance the taste of your cooking.

Tomatoes and Shombo

Before you crucify me oh!  I know tomatoes are very expensive now.  But as the Igbo say, “anyi aga ekwo mgbagbu yalu ogu?” This rhetorical question can be literally translated as “will the fear of death stop us from going to war?” The answer is no. No matter how costly tomato is, we will still buy it because this is the Jollof season. Those who are not cooking jollof rice will make tomato stew or spaghetti at the very least. Tomatoes and shombo is needed for all this cooking. Thus, buy, blend and store yours for later use. If you found this article useful, please watch out for the continuation.   Featured Image Source: World Food Programme Insight
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This article was first published on 10th December 2020

udevi-obiamaka-angela

Udevi, Obiamaka Angela holds a Master of Arts degree in History & International Studies. She's a freelance writer with a passion for food and healthy living. She can be contacted through her email address, obiudevi@yahoo.com

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