Banga Rice. Palm Nut Goodness
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 9
 
Ingredients
  • 3cups of medium to long grain rice
  • ⅓ cup of whole dry prawns(washed and soaked in warm water to soften)
  • 2crushed Habanero peppers or ata-rodo
  • 1tbsp of dry grinded pepper or red chili flakes
  • 1bouillon cube
  • 1tsp Banga soup spice(Optional)
  • 2 tbsps. crayfish
  • ½lb fresh shrimps
  • 3 cooking spoons palm nut cream(you may use the cream in a can like I did)
  • 4 tbsps scent leaves(Nchawu) or Basil
  • 1 smoked chicken( washed, chopped and soaked in hot water to soften)
  • 4 cups of hot water or meat stock
  • 1 Oburunbebe Stick(optional)
Instructions
  1. Wash rice with warm water until clear; then drain
  2. in a pot mix the palm oil cream along with the water and bring to a boil. Once the oil starts to separate from the cream, add the dry pepper, bouillon cube, prawns, cray fish, one of the crushed habanero pepper and smoked chicken. Bring to a boil; then stir in the rice and reduce the heat. Season with some salt to taste, drop in the stick and cover with a foil paper and a tight lid; Cook for about 15 minutes. Stir in the fresh shrimps along with the remaining crushed habanero pepper and basil. If the rice is still a little hard Turn the heat down to the lowest heat or totally off and cover with the foil and lid for another 10minutes. This will give opportunity for the steam to cook the rice. After about 10minutes the rice will soften, but it will still have a little bite to it; then let it rest before serving
Notes
If using palm nuts, Cook them until soft, drain and pound the nuts with the flesh in a mortar; using a mortar and a pestle. Once all the flesh is crushed, pour in water in little increments and drain while squeezing; then use the fresh oil for the rice. Boil the fresh oil for a few minutes to thicken before adding water.

If making the Igbo version, you could leave out the Banga soup spice and the Oburunbebe stick
Recipe by Nigerian Lazy Chef at https://www.nigerianlazychef.com/2015/07/banga-rice/