Simaseng Place is a project in which Zina Saro-Wiwa re-imagines West African cuisine, presenting her work in curated, pop-up, feast “performances”. Inspired by her family garden in Nigeria, Zina has used this as a jumping-off point to explore West African foodways and the implications of its reinvention. “I am obsessed with food – all food – and I have always suspected that food could play a big part in telling new stories about Africa. Not only telling stories to the outside world but to other Africans. Because even among West African countries, it seems that there is very little sharing of culinary ideas, particularly between Francophone and Anglophone cuisines. And when it comes to the outside world, there is no doubt that West African cuisine is one of the least experienced and least understood on the planet. This is a shame because West African food is amazing and I feel like a powerful exchange occurs when you eat another culture’s food. West Africa misses out on this exchange. So my pop-up feasts act as major rewiring sessions that engage the heart, the mind and the belly.”Zina captures my heart. Soul. Mind for African food. Its why I want to publish a magazine. To tell our stories. To get us to know who we are…and where we’re coming from. To understand our cuisine. For ourselves. And to find the words and build the vocabulary we need to do so. When I read the menu for Zina’s feast, I am weak-kneed. The creativity, the recipes, the presentation. They totally wow me. The first thing I bookmark is the ‘Egusi Devilled Eggs’.
Deviled eggs (US) or devilled eggs (UK) or eggs mimosa are hard-boiled eggs, shelled, cut in half, and filled with the hard-boiled egg’s yolk mixed with other ingredients such as mayonnaise and mustard, but many other variants exist internationally. Deviled eggs are usually served cold. They are served as a side dish, appetizer or a main course, and are a common holiday or party food; Source – WikipediaFor one, the entire recipe was, is ingenious…and two, I’d never had Egusi anyway else but in ‘soup’.
The term “deviled”, in reference to food, was in use in the 18th century, with the first known print reference appearing in 1786. In the 19th century, it came to be used most often with spicy or zesty food, including eggs prepared with mustard, pepper or other ingredients stuffed in the yolk cavity. In some parts of the Southern and Midwestern United States, the terms “stuffed eggs”, “salad eggs” or “dressed eggs” are used, particularly when the dish is served in connection with a church function—presumably to avoid dignifying the word “deviled”, in reference to “The Devil”; Source – WikipediaThis is what I’m aspiring to – developing creative dishes that recreate familiar flavours and textures in new, admirable ways in My New Nigerian Kitchen. And find uses for my devilled egg plate. Specially created and purchased, via a jumble sale for this very purpose!
How to Hard Boil an Egg There are many waysOn the stove. In the ovenThe aim not for green-grey yolksBut for perfect yellow, unhaloed onesPersonally, I like to set my eggs in a pot, with cold water covering them by at least an inch. Then I turn on the heat, to medium. Once they come to the boil, I cook for 7/8 minutes after which I strain the hot water out, run them under the cold tap, decanting the water 2 or 3 times. Once the ‘heat’ is taken off, I leave them to cool down, still soaked in cold water before I gently crack the shells and peel.
Plantains
Dice and fry plantains if using.
Set aside once ready.
Egusi Soup
If you have ready made Egusi soup, move on to the next step ‘Egusi Devilled Eggs’. Otherwise, continue below:- Pan fry some chopped onions in groundnut oil, purée fresh tomatoes and half a scotch bonnet pepper together and add this to the simmering onions.
- Flavour the simmering ingredients with a large spoonful of dried shrimp, a couple of fermented iru seeds, a squeeze of concentrated tomato paste, then some vegetable or meat bouillon.
- Add bitter leaf, which gives egusi its trademark dark specks and strands. Some people add spinach, but bitter leaf has a slightly medicinal taste and property that is wonderfully West African.
- Add the ground melon seed – a spoonful at a time – which will instantly thicken the soup. Stir in a generous dollop of palm oil, then add a cup of water, cover and let it simmer. Take the cover off and let the soup simmer and concentrate down some more.
- The ‘soup’ should be not-too-wet and fairly intense in flavour. This should make way more than you need for the recipe but you can store it and use it to make more devilled eggs in the future.
Scoop out the yolk with a spoon and place the hard yolks in a bowl.
