Some of the most popular things in Nairobi are Nigerian. Nigerian movies rule the TV stations, and Nigerian pop musicians like P-Square’s songs are played frequently on the radio.
Any tailor worth their salt has a portfolio showcasing the latest fashion from Nigeria, via Nollywood starlets, for their clients to copy.
I set out to try and find the one aspect of Nigerian culture I rarely hear mentioned in Nairobi, Nigerian food. Nairobi, being a cosmopolitan city, I am sure Nigerian food will be easy to find.
I ask a few friends where to find Nigerian food, and get vague responses. There was a place I am told, in Kilimani, but nobody quite remembers where, or more importantly the name of the restaurant. I get general directions and set out.
By sheer luck, or serendipity, a man I randomly ask gives me good directions. He also just happens to be Nigerian, which I consider a good omen. Call it superstition from all those Nigerian movies I watch.
Across from Roshanmaer Place on Lenana Road, there is a dirt road. The third gate on that road will lead you to Ngufami House, on Turbo Road, that hosts Didi’s restaurant, where my search ends.
The restaurant has been converted from a house. The décor is sparse, with five tables draped with African fabric, and African pictures on the mantelpiece.
No marks for ambience, so I hope the food does not disappoint. A mounted TV is showing Nigerian movies.
Tom, one of the staff members gives me the menu and informs me what each dish contains.
“Assorted” is a meat stew with cow leg, oxtail, beef chunks and offal. It is also the most requested dish at the restaurant. I pass, as offal has never been my preference.
I ask for fufu, egusi and fish stew and a small serving of jollof rice. Fufu is pounded yam; it has a gummy texture. It is an acquired taste, and I see why it is a popular dish. It fills you up quickly.
Egusi is like nothing I have eaten before. Tom tells me it is made by blending seeds into a stew. It looks like scrambled eggs with cilantro and has the same texture, but tastes nutty. I enjoy the dish which tastes like peanut butter-flavoured scrambled eggs.
The fish stew is hot! It is a thick sauce of blended tomatoes, onion, stock cubes and pepper. The Nigerians love their pepper; Tom presents a small dish of raw blended pepper that he says Nigerians add to their food, much like we add salt.
I take a small taste and regret it immediately. This is not my normal bullet chilli. It is fiery hot and has my insides burning even after drinking a bottle of water.
On to the jollof rice. The rice is reddish and has tomatoes, onions and rosemary added to it. It is tasty and reminds me of the Kenyan dish pilau; a great accompaniment to the rich fish stew.
Tom is Kenyan, and has learnt to cook Nigerian food from the owner of the restaurant. He says most ingredients can be sourced locally, but a few, like the peppers for the stews, are imported from Nigeria.
I ask him if he prepares these dishes for his family. He says his wife does all the cooking at home.
He reminds me of the cook in Chinua Achebe’s A Man of The People, who while proud of his ability to make Western food, does not cook at home as he has a wife to do the cooking there.
Source: Theeastafrican
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