Mọin-Mọin for a Gathering (Savory Bean Pudding)
Thick and soft, this pudding of ẹ̀wà olóyin (a mildly sweet bean), onions, bell peppers and chiles gently cradles boiled eggs and smoked fish. In Yorùbá, one of the languages spoken across West Africa, the garnishes for this dish are often called ẹmi (lives or spirits), and can range from three to seven add-ons, such as chopped bits of cooked meat or fresh prawns. Wrapped in fragrant ewé mọin-mọin (banana leaves are a good alternative) and steamed, the bean batter and garnishes hold their robust flavors like a surprise gift. Dried crayfish and red palm oil are folded into the batter to add richness, and a whisked egg ensures a firmly set texture for this large-format version of mọin-mọin, which sometimes come in smaller cone-shaped, leaf-wrapped packages. Serve cut into wedges or scooped alongside jollof rice and èfọ́ rírò or any leafy green stew.
Course
Makes
Be the first to log a make
No makes logged yet — log yours using the button above.
You may also like
Cardamom Coffee Banana Bread
Sheela Prakash · NYT Cooking
Adding cardamom to coffee is a well-loved practice throughout the Middle East and one that plays off each ingredient's traits. Sweet, floral cardamom mellows the acidity of coffee while coffee’s inherent bitterness keeps the peppery, menthol-like notes of the spice from overpowering. Here, the couple transforms a humble banana bread, perfuming it with extra warmth, while chopped dark chocolate adds richness. An optional coffee drizzle ensures this loaf is eye-catching but if you’d rather keep things simpler, sprinkle it with coarse turbinado sugar before baking to lend a touch of sparkle as well as pleasant crunch.
Fresh coriander sauce (Salsa de Cilantro)
Zarela Martinez · NYT Cooking
Fish tamales (Tamales de Pescado)
Zarela Martinez · NYT Cooking
Zarela Martinez's Ropa Vieja
Regina Schrambling · NYT Cooking
Sometimes the most humble ingredients make for the finest of meals, as Regina Schrambling wrote in 1988. Growing up in a tiny Arizona town among many Mexican neighbors, Ms. Schrambling learned early on of the rich flavors that can be coaxed from the simplest food. This ropa vieja, from the chef Zarela Martinez, embodies that philosophy. Garlic and peppercorns infuse a flank steak with flavor, which is then cooked shortly with a mixture of sautéed garlic, onions and poblano peppers. Hot, tucked into a tortilla, it’s a testament to the power of a long cook. Regina Schrambling
Oaxacan Yellow Mole Filling
Molly O’Neill · NYT Cooking
Oaxaca is the place where they invented mole sauce, "that perfect specimen of Mexican cooking," according to Ana M. de Benitez in "Pre-Hispanic Cooking." This is also where the natives carve wonderful mythological creatures and eat their tamales steamed in banana leaves (unlike anywhere else in Mexico). Molly O'Neill
Basic Tamales
Molly O’Neill · NYT Cooking
Molly O'Neill