Moi (also Moin Moin) is a great dish accessory in
Nigeria. It is commonly seen accompanying Jollof
Rice, Fried Rice, Fried Plantain, Custard, Akamu
(Pap, Ogi) etc. It can even be eaten alone as a
snack with a soft drink to wash it down..
Ingredients
I usually cook Moi Moi in a large quantity and store
in my freezer so the following quantities of
ingredients make 12 aluminium bags of Moi Moi.
Each bag weighs 420g.
3 cigar cups or 750g Beans (Brown/Black eyed)
5 tablespoons ground crayfish
4 big stock cubes
1 habanero pepper
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
3 tatashe peppers or 800g watery tomato puree
(sold outside Nigeria)
2 big onions
20cl vegetable oil
2 litres of cool or warm water
Salt (to taste)
Moi Moi Accessories
Add any of the following to the Moi Moi
Hard boiled eggs: Cut the eggs into small pieces.
Bone Marrow: Cook the bone marrow with spices
and herbs till done then add to the Moi Moi at the
mixing stage.
Corned beef: separate into small chunks and add to
the moi moi during mixing. You can also a
add to the
moi moi after dishing then into cooking bowls or foil
bags.
Containers
Aluminium foil or
Plastic Bowls or
Uma Leaves (Thaumatococcus Daniellii)
Containers
Aluminium foil or
Plastic Bowls or
Uma Leaves (Thaumatococcus Daniellii)
Tools I used
Cooker
Deep Pot
Spatula
Chopping board
Blender
Knives
Notes about the ingredients
1. The tomato puree gives the Moi Moi its classic
peachy colour. If you are in Nigeria, the best
ingredient to use is tatashe pepper. I do not like the
taste of red bell peppers in my Moi Moi hence I do
not recommend it but you can try it and see if you
like it.
2. Nutmeg gives the Moi Moi its classic taste. If
you've ever eaten Nigerian Moi Moi at a party and
wondered why it tastes better than the ones you
make, it is probably because you do not add
nutmeg to your Moi Moi.
3. 2 litres of water is the exact quantity of water that
gives me the perfect texture of Moi Moi that I and
my family love. Please note that this qauntity
includes the water used in blending the beans. If
using bone marrow, the quantity of stock should be
part of the 2 litres of liquid you will use in mixing the
Moi Moi. If after using this quantity and you are not
happy with the texture, adjust the quantity of water
accordingly.
4. It is best to use cool or warm water when mixing
Moi Moi. You do not want to use hot water for this
purpose as it may cause the mix to be lumpy.
5. Using the right amount of oil in your Moi Moi
ensures that it has a good texture and rolls off the
tongue when you eat it but feel free to use any
amount of oil you want. And it is advisable to use
tastless and odourless oils in your Moi Moi so that
rules out olive oil.
Before you cook Moi Moi
1. About three hours before cooking the moi moi, soak
and wash the beans to remove the coat. When the
entire coat has been removed, place the beans in a
bowl and pour enough water to cover it. Leave to
soak for three hours. This is so that the best
consistency will be achieved when you blend the
beans.
2. It is advisable to use one of eggs, bone marrow or
corned beef, not the three at the same time. If you
will use eggs, cook till hard boiled, cut into small
pieces and set aside. If you prefer bone marrow,
cook it with salt and Maggi / Knorr cubes and set
aside the stock. If it is corned beef you will go for,
open the can and separate the beef into small
lumps.
3. Now go ahead and prepare the moi moi containers.
Next ...
1. Wash the tatashe pepper (if using it). Ensure you
remove the tatashe seeds as they have a tendency
to give meals a bitter taste.
2. Cut the onions into pieces, grind the crayfish with a
dry mill. If using the heavy duty grinder in Nigerian
markets, these won't be necessary.
3. Crush the stock cubes and set aside. Wash the
habanero/scotch bonnet peppers and set aside.
4. Now that the beans is soaked (the bean seed is
tender when you pinch it), it is time to blend it. It is
very important that you use a very good blender for
this purpose. The taste and feel of your Moi Moi
depends so much on the consistency of the blend. If
in doubt, put a small quantity of bean seeds in your
home blender and grind to the best of its ability
using as small quantity of water as possible. Feel
the resulting paste with your fingers and if you
notice any tiny pieces at all, then the blender is not
good for Moi Moi. At this time, you may consider
using the commercial heavy duty mills at your local
market if you are in Nigeria. Yes, you have your
health and hygiene concerns but most of the mill
operators actually keep their mills clean. And they
let you bring your own water and containers. So
there you go!
Cooking Directions
1. Blend the beans, tatashe or tomato puree, onions,
crayfish, habanero pepper and ground nutmeg
together with some of the water and pour the mix
into a big enough bowl.
2. Add the vegetable oil and the bone marrow stock (if
this is what you have chosen to add to your moi
moi).
3. Slowly add the remaining water and stir the mixture
at the same time till you get a good mix of all the
ingredients.
4. Add salt to taste and stir very well.
Note: Moi Moi is one of the Nigerian food recipes
that is prepared cold. All the mixing and adding of
ingredients is done off the stove. That is to say,
once you start cooking, there is no going back! You
cannot decide to add more salt or seasoning or a
new ingredient later. So getting it right at the mixing
stage is very important.
5. Pad the base of a big pot, pour some water and set
on the stove. The depth of the water should be at
most 1 inch.
6. Dish the Moi moi mix into containers of your choice,
add egg/bone marrow/corned beef to each
container, seal/cover and set them in the pot.
7. Add as small quantity of water as possible at a time
while cooking the Moi Moi as detailed in preparation
and use of moi moi containers so that the moi moi
will not become watery when done. This is the case
especially when using aluminium foil or uma leaves.
8. The length of time you will cook your Moi Moi
depends on the quantity and the Moi Moi container
you used.
The Moi Moi that gets done quickest is the one
wrapped in Uma or Banana leaves, followed by Moi
Moi wrapped in aluminum foils then the one that
takes the most time is Moi Moi cooked in
aluminium or plastic plates.
But whatever Moi Moi container you use, it is
advisable to cook your Moi Moi for at least 1 hour,
before checking it. Confirm that it is done by putting
a knife through it, if the knife is stained with Moi
Moi paste, then the Moi Moi is not done, but if the
knife just has a slight smear of Moi Moi, then it's
done. Also, when you cut through the Moi Moi, the
insides will be set and not watery.
If you are cooking a few wraps of Moi Moi in a
small pot on high heat, then it will only take about 45
minutes to get done while when you are cooking a
large pot of Moi Moi, it will definitely take more than
one hour.
Serve with chilled fruit juice, or coconut juice....
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