West African miyan geda and tuwo shinkafa recipe | Sainsbury`s Magazine (2024)

This northern Nigerian dish, also known as miyan geda and tuwo shinkafa, is a rich, hearty, spicy stew

Lopé Ariyo

Food writer Lopè first began cooking seriously at university, where she drew comfort from recreating dishes that reminded her of her Nigerian heritage. While at uni, she won a cookery competition landing a book deal with HarperCollins. Hibiscus was published in 2017 – the same year Lopè was crowned The Observer’s Rising Star in Food.

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Ingredients

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Step by step

1. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a casserole and brown the beef in batches on a high heat, for about 5 minutes per batch. Set the browned meat aside.
2. Put the onion, red pepper, Scotch bonnets and ginger in a blender or food processor along with 100ml of water and blitz for 2 minutes or until smooth. It should look like a tomato smoothie when it’s ready. Using the same casserole that the beef was browned in, add the remaining oil and turn the heat down to medium. Add the blended onion and pepper mixture to the oil – it should sizzle when you pour it in. Fry the pepper mixture for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is reduced and there is no excess moisture.
3. In a small bowl, mix the ground dried crayfish (or alternative) and peanut butter together. Add this to the casserole and stir until well combined. Slowly add the stock, whisking continuously until well incorporated and creamy. Return the beef to the casserole, stir in the lemon juice and check the sauce for seasoning. Partially cover and cook gently for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the beef is tender. In the last 3-5 minutes of cooking, add the shredded spinach and leave to simmer.
4. To make the tuwo shinkafa, fill a pot with 600ml of boiling water, add the salt and place over a medium heat. Slowly pour in the ground rice, stirring fast and continuously using a wooden or silicone spoon. Once the ground rice thickens add another 300ml water and turn the heat down to low. Cover the pot and let the mixture steam for 8 minutes. Fold the tuwo once more until there are no visible lumps and all the water is gone. The tuwo should be soft and easily mouldable.
5. To get a perfectly round shape for the tuwo, put a little water (less than a tablespoon each) into 4 bowls. Divide the cooked dough between the bowls then carefully flip, continuously, until a ball is formed. Alternatively, scoop a quarter of the dough onto a square of clingfilm; gather the corners together then twist to shape into a round dumpling-like ball. Ladle some soup into each bowl with the tuwo, top with the meat and scatter over the crushed peanuts.