African Garden egg Sauce

Hey guys, how are you all? Today's recipe was introduced to me recently and I was skeptical about it till I tried it and then I wanted more. If this recipe is new to you too, I suggest you try it first before judging it. I loved every bit of it, and the best part is that it is very nutritious. Today, our food blogger talks about the health benefits of this meal and gives us the delicious recipe. You would want to try it; it is a great choice for a healthy addition to your diet. 

Garden egg sauce was prepared a lot in my house when I was growing up, but as I came in contact with more more people from other parts of Nigeria, I discovered that a good number of them ate garden eggs as a snack but didn't know you could make a delicious sauce with them. Whenever I meet such people, I'm always eager to share my recipe with them so they can also share in the garden egg sauce experience.

Garden eggs are high in dietary fiber which makes you feel full for long. It is because of this that people who want to lose weight are encouraged to snack on them. They help reduce cholesterol. They are rich in thiamine (vitamin B1) which helps the cells of our bodies convert carbohydrates to energy, it plays a role in the proper functioning of our nervous system and muscles. Niacin which helps in DNA repair is also found in garden eggs.

There are many types of garden eggs that can be found in Nigeria, some are very bitter and some are not. I go for the ones that are not bitter because I want to enjoy what I'm eating. If you are nothing like me when it comes to bitter tasting things, feel free to use the bitter ones.

Ingredients

10 medium garden eggs

1 stock cube

1 medium onion

1 red bell pepper

2 red scotch bonnet peppers

1/4 cup crayfish

1/3 cup palm oil

Salt to taste

Method

Cut off the stalk of the garden eggs, wash them and boil them along with your yam, plantain or as in my case, sweet potatoes. When they are soft, put them in a mortar and pound lightly with a pestle. Set aside.

Cut onion and red bell pepper and set aside.

Pound crayfish and scotch bonnet together, set aside.

Pour palm oil into a pot and place on fire. When the oil is hot (not bleached), put in the crayfish and pepper mix, after a few seconds (when you can smell the aroma of the crayfish), add the cut onions, red bell pepper, stock cube and salt. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add the pounded garden eggs and stir properly. Add about 1/4 cup of water and allow to cook for about 3 to 5 minutes. Check seasoning and remove from heat.

I served mine with boiled sweet potatoes.