You’ve probably heard it’s very healthy to incorporate more veggies into your diet, and you want to start making more Nigerian vegan dishes. I’ll share some vegan dishes in Nigeria that can be eaten by vegans and non-vegans alike.
1. Oto Mboro
Ripe bananas tend to come up among many people’s top five fruits. Impressive as that is, there’s an even healthier option, and that’s using the unripe banana to make porridge. It’s a native Nigerian commonly eaten in the South-South region. It’s perfect for babies because it gives the necessary vitamins and minerals for development and is also great for diabetic patients.
It would be best if you had a couple of ingredients to whip up this wonderful meal, like seafood like crayfish, periwinkles, veggies, spices, and your unripe banana.
You’ll have to grate your banana, prepare your veggies and seafood and proceed to follow cooking instructions.
2. Fruits and Vegetables
You can certainly not go wrong eating any fruit and vegetable. They’re rich in vitamins and minerals and can work wonders for your body and skin.
You can opt to take fruits for dinner instead of any of the heavier alternatives. Just chop up the fruits of your choice and serve them on a plate.
3. Beans
Beans porridge is a top-tier meal in terms of its nutritional value, and I’m sure we can all agree on that. Apart from the myth we all believed as kids that beans are all we’ll ever need if we want to cross the 5’5″ benchmark and become like the NBA players we admire, it has a lot of other nutritional benefits.
Beans contain fiber and a decent amount of protein which is perfect for anyone looking to boycott meat and dairy products. It’s very affordable and easy to prepare. It would help if you had some spices, beans, salt, and pepper to taste, onions, and some veggies. Many people don’t bother with the veggies, but you couldn’t get away with committing such an atrocity in my childhood home.
4. Moi Moi
Variety is said to be the spice of life, yes? This must have been coined after looking at how many ways beans can be eaten and prepared. When you are not in the mood for some whole peas, you can try its sister moi moi.
Moi moi is just as healthy and good as beans; you need to wash the beans and get the black-eyed skin off, add onion and pepper, and grind it to puree, then mix in the spices as you please and follow cooking instructions to get the goodness out. Your body will certainly not complain from all the stimulation and pleasure your taste buds will be getting, and if you think that’s all, then it’s equally rich in minerals, vitamins, and fiber and has low-fat content.
5. Melon Soup
The king of soups, my personal favorite; I could eat it every day of the year and still want some more. Taking melon Soup reduces diabetes, cancer, and heart disease risk. It’s great for the bones and is safe for ulcer patients. It also provides the protein you might need as a vegan and helps boost your immunity. What more can you ask for?
All you need is some grounded melon seeds, seed foods like crayfish or periwinkles, spices, and seasoning, salt and pepper to taste, palm oil, vegetables like pumpkin, waterleaf, bitter leaf, and any other veggie, and mushrooms that can be used in place of meat and good to go.
6. Groundnut Soup
When I first heard about this soup, I was as stunned as some of you might be. All I could wonder was, who on Earth uses groundnuts to make soup?
Well, I tried it, and I enjoyed it. It’s perfect if you want your skin glowing like Riri and Jenny from the block and you are trying to lose some excess weight. It is excellent for pregnant women and has a significant mineral and vitamin content. Word on the streets also says it’s great for the swimmers.
You’ll need properly blended groundnut puree, tomatoes, onion, salt, and pepper to taste, soy sauce, garlic, and pumpkin. Follow the cooking instructions, and your meal is ready to be served.
7. Nigerian Buns And Puff-Puff
When we’re thinking of vegan meals, it seems like an all-serious affair so let’s lighten it up with some snacks, I YOLO, and all. The good thing is we still get vitamins, minerals, fiber, and the necessary fats while having fun.
The ingredients needed for this are easy to acquire and pocket-friendly. Buy some flour, water, yeast, sugar, salt, and cooking oil for puff puff. Then we’ll go with baking powder, flour, sugar, salt, nutmeg, vegan butter, or sunflower oil.
8. Okra Soup And Eba
Well, I hear a lot of people like this slimy goodness. Sadly I have excluded myself from this one. Okra is rich in protein, unlike most vegetables, minerals and vitamins, and antioxidants, which help in many bodily functions. It has a fabulous taste, and it’s one of the richest soups nutritionally.
All you need to cop is onions, mushrooms in place of meat, garlic, onions, salt, thyme, pepper, some spices for flavor, and veggies like pumpkin. Follow the cooking instructions, and once you’re done, pair it up with hot Eba and enjoy.
9. Vegetable Soup (Edikang Ikong)
Ladies and gentlemen, this soup is everything. I even read a book in elementary school, and it was titled Edikaikong, and apparently, we can win a Prince’s heart with this soup, according to the author.
Well, why won’t the Prince’s heart belong to the chef when it’s great for the bones, encourages bowel movement, boosts blood circulation, and helps the skin glow?
It would be best if you had pumpkin, waterleaf, crayfish, periwinkle, spices and seasoning, onions, salt and pepper to taste, and palm oil. Follow the cooking instructions and eat this with some fufu.
10. Rice And Pepper Soup
This dish is one of the yummiest dishes on this list. You can make it as spicy as you want; stretch it to your limit. That’s what the pepper soup is for, and non-vegans can add an assortment of meat, but we’ll be leaving that out and settling for some good old mushrooms.
You need to prepare white rice and make your pepper soup with as much pepper as you can lay your hands on, salt to taste, onions, garlic, ginger, water, vegetable oil, mushrooms, and bouillon.
