Nigerian Beans Porridge

Nigerian Beans porridge is a one-pot dish that is cheap, healthy, very easy to cook and tastes delightful. Beans are a good source of plant protein, iron, fibre and vitamin B. It is especially important for vegetarians and weight watchers. Nigerian mothers believe beans porridge is highly nutritious and will make a child grow taller, so they make sure it features regularly on the dinner table.

In Nigeria, there are different varieties of beans, the most common being white beans (large Kano white-iron beans, small white-Potiskum beans) and brown beans (brown beans-olotu, light brown beans-oloyin). The light brown beans also called Honey beans (oloyin) is especially delicious for Nigerian beans porridge but watch out for fake packaging.

All the seeds of ordinary brown beans, olotu have the same uniform shade of brown. Honey beans, oloyin on the other hand, has no uniformity in the colour of the seeds.

Cooking beans is time-consuming depending on the age of the beans but if you use a pressure pot, it will cut down the time tremendously. Beans also cause flatulence in some people, soaking overnight or at least 8 hours helps reduce this. Click to read How to remove gas from beans.

Nigerian beans porridge can be eaten on its own or served alongside rice and stew, fried or boiled plantains or yam, water-soaked garri etc.

Other ingredients like corn can be added to make Adalu, also green or ripe plantains, yam, sweet potato, chopped liver, dry fish etc. are sometimes added to it.

Nigerian beans porridge can be made as a vegetarian dish, just eliminate crayfish.

To prepare Nigerian beans porridge

2 cups brown beans 
1 medium red onions
2 tablespoons ground crayfish 
2 cubes seasoning cubes 
2  ground scotch bonnet (fresh pepper) 
salt 
1/4 cup palm oil (1 cooking spoon)

Pick through the beans, wash and place beans in a pot.

Add half of the onions and enough water to cover it well.

Add the rest of the onions, crayfish, seasoning cubes, and pepper, taste then add salt and palm oil.

Stir and lower the heat.

Cook for about 10 minutes. Take off the heat.

Note

• If you want your beans very soft yet not broken up and mushy, add some akanwu (Kaun), boil for 5 minutes and take off the heat. Drain the water out and add fresh water, cook as usual.
• Beans contain a poisonous plant lectin. So always boil beans well, even if you want to use a slow cooker, be sure to bring it to a boil and boil for a minimum of 10 minutes before reducing the heat.

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Nigerian Beans porridge

Nigerian Beans porridge is a one-pot dish that is cheap, healthy, very easy to cook and tastes delightful

Course Breakfast, Dinner, lunch, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Nigerian, world

Keyword beans, vegetarian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author gaga

Ingredients

• 2 cups brown beans
• 1 medium red onions
• 2 tablespoons ground crayfish
• 2 cubes seasoning cubes
• 2 ground scotch bonnet (fresh pepper)
• salt
• ¼ cup palm oil (1 cooking spoon)

Instructions

• Pick through the beans, wash and place beans in a pot.
• Add half of the onions and enough water to cover it well.
• Add the rest of the onions, crayfish, seasoning cubes, and pepper, taste then add salt and palm oil.
• Stir and lower the heat.
• Cook for about 10 minutes. Take off the heat.

Notes

• If you want your beans very soft yet not broken up and mushy, add some akanwu (Kaun), boil for 5 minutes and take off the heat. Drain the water out and add fresh water, cook as usual.
• Beans contain a poisonous plant lectin so always boil beans well, even if you want to use a slow cooker, be sure to bring it to a boil and boil for a minimum of 10 minutes before reducing the heat.

If you enjoyed my Nigerian Beans Porridge, you will also enjoy my Nigerian refried beans, Adalu (Beans and corn porridge), Achicha, dry cocoyam, Fiofio pigeon peas.

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