Today, I want to share with you one of our favorite Naija dishes: Moi Moi! This dish takes me right back to those Saturday mornings at home when the whole house was filled with the aroma of fresh steaming moi moi. Whether you’re enjoying it with jollof rice, akara, or even just on its own, moi moi is always a winner!
So, let’s dive into this Nigerian treasure and bring a bit of that homey Naija flavor to your kitchen. Shall we?
What is Moi Moi?
If you’re new to it, Moi Moi is a savory steamed bean pudding made from blended beans, peppers, and spices. It’s soft, fluffy, and packed with delicious flavor! Every bite feels like a warm hug from Mama!
“Moi Moi is proof that good things come to those who wait… and stir, and blend, and steam, and wait some more!”
kiki
Steps to Make Your Moi Moi:
1.Prepare the Beans: First, soak your beans in water for about 10 minutes to soften the skin. Then peel off the skins. (Trust me, this part takes some effort, but it’s worth it!) Alternatively, you can buy already peeled beans to save time.
2. Blend Away: Blend your peeled beans with the red bell peppers, habanero or scotch bonnet pepper, onions, oil and seasonings. You want a smooth paste.
3. Season the Mix: you can also season separately if you’re free styling. To do this, blend just the beans and peppers and onions then pour the blended mixture into a bowl. Add salt, seasoning cubes, crayfish, and oil. Stir it all together until everything is well combined. This is when the magic happens—taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
4. Prepare Your Containers: you can use leaf(ewe) foil, ramekins, or even small plastic containers. As long as it’s heat proof, you can make Moimoi in it. Grease your container lightly to avoid sticking.
5. Add Your Fillings: If you want to go extra, now’s the time to add boiled eggs or pieces of fish into the mixture.
6. Steam It: Place the filled containers in a pot with some water at the bottom (like a steam bath) and cook on medium heat for about 40 minutes to 1 hour depending on the size of the container. Make sure the water doesn’t dry up—keep an eye on it!
7. Serve & Enjoy!: Once your moi moi is slightly firm and cooked through, bring it out of the pot and let it cool a bit before digging in. The texture should be soft, moist, and melt-in-your-mouth!
How to prepare the beans
step one
Pick through the beans to remove stones and dirt
step TWO
After picking, rinse the beans and discard the water
step THREE
Add water to and soak for 10 minutes to soften the peel
step FOUR
Rub beans between your palms until the peel separates
step FIVE
Add enough water so that the loose peels float
step six
Carefully pour out the water along with the peels into a sieve
step Seven
Repeat step until the beans is completely or almost clean.
step eight
Ready to blend. Remember, a couple of peels left is perfectly okay.
To peel or not to peel beans?
Contrary to belief, moi moi can be made with the beans skin and no, it doesn’t affect the last one bit. We already eat beans with the skin when eating other beans cuisines like beans pottage so Peeling the beans for moi moi is mostly a force of habit. Some people like peel to avoid heartburn but the main reason the skin is peeled is to make the moi moi look more visually appealing.
Leaving the skin saves time, add more fiber and nutrients.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Ingredients
Substitutions
Brown beans
Black eyed peas, Honey beans, Lentils
Crayfish powder
Shrimp powder
Habanero Pepper
Scotch bonnet, Cayenne pepper, thai chilli
Bell Peppers
Tatashe / long finger red pepper
Vegetable oil
Olive oil, canola oil, or any other oil of choice
Cooked eggs
Tuna fish, Sardine, Corned beef, Cooked and shredded fish
Toppings
You can use any topping you like for moi moi. Popular toppings include: Boiled eggs, cooked and shredded fish, corned beef, of a combo of the above.
If using fish, mackerel fish works best. Clean, season with salt and or bouillon cube and boil, grill or fry the fish until fully done. Debone and shread.
If using eggs, carefully add the eggs to boiling water and boil for 6 minutes.(It does’nt have to be fully cooked, it will finish cooking while steaming with the moi moi). Remove from heat, crack the egg and return to bowl filled with tap water (this will make it easier to peel.) When egg has cooled down, peel. Use whole or divide in parts.
What to cook moi moi in?
The beauty of Moi moi is that it can be cooked in just about anything.
Traditionally, moi moi is cooked in leaf(ewe), Moi moi leaf is safe, non toxic and gives the moi moi a unique and distinct flavor. I’d make a separate post about moi moi in leaf soon.
Unfortunately moi moi leaf is not easily available everywhere so the next best thing to use are ramekins(my favorite), glass containers, nontoxic baking pans and mason jars.
Back in the days and still happening today, moi moi was/is also cooked in aluminum containers, pouches, tin cans and cellophane. Because of the information we have now on the high toxicity of these items, we’ve stirred away from cooking those and we’re using safer materials to cook moi moi.
How to serve Moi Moi
Moi moi can be served as a main dish or enjoyed as a side.
As a main dish, moi moi is typically served with soaked garri, akamu(pap), etc. I’ve heard some people eat it with bread (cultist behavior, but no judgement 🤭)
As a side, moi moi is mostly served with Jollof rice or Fried rice.
