image source: afrotourism.com
In Nigeria, no festivity or celebration is complete without our signature rice or stew or party jollof rice. This doesn’t have to be the case this Easter. You can still have your rice if you really want to but there is a special delicacy I think you should try out and it’s called Frejon. I’ll tell you a little about it.
Frejon which was adapted from Feijão, is the Portuguese word beans. Frejon has beans as its main ingredient. The other ingredient it has is coconut milk. When ready, it is a thick pudding which can be eaten with vegetable fish sauce. It’s a popular meal many Christians prepare on the Easter weekend. This meal is highly nutritious and is a great substitute for those trying to eat healthier and cut down on rice meals.
According to Wikipedia, “Countries where Frejon is popular include Brazil and Nigeria (especially among Yoruba who returned to Nigeria from Brazil at the abolition of the slave trade, and settled in what is known as the “Brazilian Quarters” in Lagos Island), and also Sierra Leone on Good Friday, or for functions such as weddings. Because dairy foods and flesh meat (beef, pork, goat) are strictly forbidden on Good Friday, this dish is a suitable ac-compliment to non-dairy foods such as fried fish and peppered snail.”
Frejon is often served with fish stew, peppered snail and Ijebu garri.
Ingredients
(For one or two servings)
- 1 cup dry honey beans
- 1 cup of coconut milk
- Salt to taste
- ½ tablespoon sugar or sugar substitute
Procedure
- Wash and boil beans without salt until very soft. After it cools down, blend with with half of the coconut milk until it’s very smooth, then pour into a sieve. Stir gradually until a paste is left in the sieve.
image source: afrotourism.com
- Pour the paste into a pot and place on your cooker on low heat then pour in the remaining half of the coconut milk and stir. Add sugar and little salt to taste. Cook slowly on low heat with pot open like you would dry tomatoes. Keep stirring the paste to prevent it from burning.
- When the paste is dry or as thick as you want, serve with vegetable fish sauce.
image soure: avartsycooking.com
- Sprinkle some Ijebu garri on your Frejon (optional).
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