Steamed Beans Pudding (Moi-2.0)
Moi Moi on a Green Salad Bed with Avocado and Grilled Plantain
This is a savory pudding which is very popular along the western coast of Africa. It goes by a lot of names such as Moi-Moi and Alele, depending on the locality where it is being prepared. It is rich and can be dressed up or down. One of the great things about this pudding is that it goes well with a lot of different toppings and fillings ranging from hard boiled eggs to fresh prawns, fish and beef. It can also be stuffed with vegetables.
INGREDIENTS:
(1) 1-1/2 Cups Black Eyed Peas (Will give you about 2-1/2 cups after peeling and soaking) (See Note 1)
(2) 1 Red Bell Pepper
(3) 2 Scotch Bonnets (To taste)
(4) 1 Large Onion
(5) 1/4 Cup Crayfish
(6) 1 Bouillon Cube
(7) 4 African Nutmegs or 1/2 Teaspoon Grated Nutmeg (Optional) (See Note 2)
(8) 4 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
(9) About 2 Cups Water (See Note 3)
(10) Salt and Pepper to Taste.
Toppers and Fillings (See Note 4)
(1) Hard Boiled Eggs
(2) Corned Beef
(3) Boiled Fish
(4) Fresh Shrimps
(5) Sardines
NOTES:
(1) You can use any type of beans you like here. Brown beans works pretty well.
(2) This recipe calls for African Nutmeg. Other names for this spice is Calabash Nutmeg or Jamaican Nutmeg. Trust me on this one. It makes a whole world of difference. If you cannot find African nutmeg, any regular nutmeg would work.
(3) Use as much water as you feel is necessary. You want the mixture to look like heavy cream and not too thin. To add more flavor to your beans pudding, use chicken broth in place of water.
(4) You can use whatever topper you like. Apart from the corned beef and fresh shrimps, the toppers should be pre-cooked before using.
Calabash Nutmeg
PROCEDURE:
(1) Peel and soak beans. Learn now to do this here.
(2) Combine peeled beans, red bell pepper, scotch bonnet and half of the onions together.
(3) Blend all of these together using as much water as needed until a smooth paste forms. You can use either a blender or a food processor for this. The advantage a food processor has over a blender is that you can blend all your beans at once. A food processor will however not give you a very smooth paste. With a blender, you will have to blend it in batches. You also do not need as much water when using a food processor as you would with a blender. The choice really is yours. I used a blender here.
The moi moi paste below was blended with a food processor.
Note: Be careful not to add too much water. While you can add more water while mixing the paste later on, you cannot reduce the water quantity from the paste after adding it.
(4) While the beans is blending, bring some water to boil in a large pot. This will be used to steam the puddings. If using a pot, be careful not to fill it with too much water so as to prevent water from getting into the puddings during the steaming process. If you have a steamer, use it. I use a bamboo steamer which impacts more flavor into the puddings.
(5) If using eggs or fish as your toppers, boil them at this point. Peel the eggs and remove the bones from the fish. The fish should be cut into tiny bite sizes. If using fresh shrimps, remove the shell and set aside.
(6) Blend your crayfish. If using calabash nutmeg, blend it together with the crayfish.
(7) Chop the remaining onions.
(8) In a frying pan, heat the oil and saute the onions until soft, about 4 minutes.
(9) Add the crayfish to the onions and saute for another 1 minutes. This brings out the flavor of the onions and crayfish. Do try this out.
(10) Pour the blended puree into a large bowl. Add more water if needed to bring it to the consistency of heavy cream.
(11) Next, add the sauteed onion and crayfish to the puree along with a crushed seasoning cube and some salt. Stir to combine.
(12) If using corned beef or sardines, they can be added at this point or after filling the molds.
(13) Grease pudding molds with vegetable oil. This pudding can also be steamed in banana leaves, aluminium foil or any other vessel of choice.
(14) Pour the pudding mixture into the molds. If topping with boiled eggs, fish or prawns, this is the time to add them into the molds. If using eggs, you can add them in whole or sliced. To re-create the puddings on this page, add the eggs in whole.
(15) Steam the pudding for about 45 minutes or until it solidifies. If steaming the pudding directly in water, you might need to cover the molds so as to ensure water does not get in. This however is not necessary if you can control the water level.
(16) When the puddings are ready, allow them to cool down for a few minutes before unmolding. The puddings solidify more as they sit out at room temperature.
(17) This pudding can be enjoyed as it is or with a side of vegetables.
Moi Moi with Egg, Avocado and Veggies
Moi Moi with Corned Beef and egg.
To create a steamed beans pudding platter, allow the steamed puddings to come to room temperature, take them out of their molds and slice into smaller squares with a sharp knife. Make your salad of choice and arrange on a platter along with some grilled plantain and sliced avocado. Arrange the sliced puddings on top of the salad and sprinkle some paprika over it.
You can take things a step further and create Moi Moi burger.
BONUS NOTES:
To make your Moi Moi healthier, try using other legumes like chickpea, black beans and lentils. If using lentils, soak them in water for about 3 hours and blend them like you would with beans. Peeling them is not necessary.
Below is Moi Moi made with Split Peas. Peas were soaked for 3 hours before blending.
Terry Adido is passionate about showing people how easy it is to recreate restaurant quality meals in the comfort of their kitchens. With a style of cooking he refers to as Afro-European Fusion, his meals are influenced greatly by French and Italian Cuisine with a West African twist. If you love good food, you are in for the ride of your life.
Av rilli enjoyed Y̶̲̥̅̊o̶̲̥̅̊u̶̲̥̅̊r reciepes, keep ΐτ̅ coming
Thanks Modupe.
Terry Adido! Wow you are good! Your recipes motivate me to want to be better in the kitchen.
I had to take a closer look because I actually thought it was pate not moin moin.
I’m not a fan of moin but you make it look so inviting, I especially like the way to decorated/laid out the moin moin, very professional.
Who knows I might be tempted to make some moin moin this weekend.
As Oladipo E Modupe rightly said “keep em coming”.
Thanks for the feedback Bunmi. I appreciate.
I never knew you could use African nutmeg in making moimoi. Im an addicted follower, you’ve put back the zing in my kitchen! Thanks Terry.
Thanks Stella. You are welcome.
This looks great.love the presentation(pretty moimoi) I also use a food processor,its really convenient because in Nigeria, most people would rather go to a commercial grinding place not knowing their blenders/food processors can do a good job if well managed. Nice one terry!
Thanks. Yes, we can make our own beans paste at home.
Terryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! you are the bomb.I must confess that you are too good/much. I must make this during the wkend. but can I use nylon for this?
Thanks. Yes you can.
Waohhh dis ia awesome am going to give it a try dis weekend
Thanks. Please do.
Ur such a genus wit ur hands and meals, wow am salivating already. cant wait to try dis @ home
Thanks. I am sure you will love it.
This is beautiful. Please is African Nutmeg same as those Tiny seeds Igbos pound and add to the oil used in eating Abacha?
Thanks. Yes it is.
looks great!!!
question pls–did you steam in the oven, and if so, did you put the moulds in a pan of water? thx
Hi. Thanks. No I steamed in bamboo steamer.
Hi Mr Terry, been following your baking and cooking for a while. I must confess you are very good at what you do.
I learnt something new in this moin moin post yoy made: sauting the onion and crayfish and using calabash nutmeg. Will certainly try them when i make moin moin soon.
Keep up the good work sir. Kudos!
Thanks a lot.
definitely trying it out using lentils
Hey Donald. Nice to see you here :-). Please do try it out.
Pls I love or recipe.keep it up
Thanks
hey good job. pls how do you steep with a pot.
Can you please shed more light on your question.
Wow!!!! So that’s what this spice is called , calabash nutmeg, lol, my mum calls is Benin seed, I never knew you could use it for moimoi, i love it , will definitely try this. Thank you Terry.
You are welcome Tracy.
Yuuuuuuummmmm. You are good. The presentation is on point.
Thanks Eva.
Terry, I am thinking of trying black bean moi moi.
I don’t think I need to de-shell black beans for moi moi or akara right? Have you tried the black beans version? I love Mexican style re-fried black beans. It tastes good with the shell.
Hi. I am yet to try black beans. Its on my list, after quinoa. It might need to be peeled though. I’d get back to this after I try it out.
Virtuoso! You are baaaaad!!
🙂
Interesting Moimoi recipe,will sure try the mixture
Do give it a go Sussanna.
Hi Terry, thanks a lot. Pls can you take a picture of your bamboo steamer and where did you get it from? Thanks
I got mine from Amazon. I’m certain it can also be found on Ebay. I can’t post pictures in responses. If you send me a facebook msg, I might be able to show you.
can i use a water bath in the oven to steam the moimoi
thanks in advance
I have never tried the oven method for cooking moi moi before.
This is so sweet! I can smell the aroma of the Moimoi from here. Kudos Boss.
Thanks Bardeh 🙂
Hi! liking the look of this. Just signing up to receive email notifications.
Thanks Charlotte. Glad to have you here.
i have my own recipe.. but the addition of african nutmeg here has really piqued my interest and i would be trying it… I have also used chickpea for moinmoin before and it turned out extremely nice.
Do give it a go Yinka. Eku ijo meta.