My daughter-in-law challenged me to recreate a delicious hors d'oeuvre that she was served in London. She said it was like a mouthful of pastelle on a toothpick. Maybe there was a dip. It was delicious, not made with cornmeal but with beans. She sent me the recipe from the person who had made it. My own research led me to Moi Moi (also known as Moin Moin) a Nigerian or West African dish made from pulverised black eye peas. It is not something you can throw together and does require some planning, but well worth the effort. Your Moi Moi cake may be cut into cubes and served on toothpicks with a spicy dip.
Black-eye peas, 2 cups or less
Pimentos, 7-10, with seeds removed
Hot pepper, seeds removed
Onion, one small to medium
Garlic, 2 cloves crushed
Olive oil, half cup
Salt to taste (half teaspoon)
Boiling water, half cup
Optional:
Bouillon cubes, one or two (I left these out)
Smoked fish or hard boiled eggs (I put these on the side instead of in the mix)
Soak the peas for about an bour.
Then use a kitchen processor or blender to whisk the beans around enough to loosen the skins. The aim is to remove the skins which will float up in a bowl of water leaving the beans to settle. After you have removed as much of the skins as possible, leave the beans to soak in water overnight.
Next day, drain and blend together the peas with the seasoning ingredients to a fine paste.
Line your dish, or individual ramekins with a bit of banana leaf (which will prevent the paste from burning).
Pour the bean paste over the banana leaf. Choose to steam on the stove top or in the oven.
If you wish, you can dot the top with bits of smoked fish or hard-boiled egg.
Steam over gently boiling water for about 40 to 50 minutes.
I prepared smoked fish in a tomato sauce and served it on the side. Tomatoes should not be used in the paste since it prevents the paste from gelling.
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| Moi Moi slices served with smoked fish sauce |
Black-eye peas, 2 cups or less
Pimentos, 7-10, with seeds removed
Hot pepper, seeds removed
Onion, one small to medium
Garlic, 2 cloves crushed
Olive oil, half cup
Salt to taste (half teaspoon)
Boiling water, half cup
Optional:
Bouillon cubes, one or two (I left these out)
Smoked fish or hard boiled eggs (I put these on the side instead of in the mix)
 |
| Black eye peas, skinned, soaking |
Soak the peas for about an bour.
Then use a kitchen processor or blender to whisk the beans around enough to loosen the skins. The aim is to remove the skins which will float up in a bowl of water leaving the beans to settle. After you have removed as much of the skins as possible, leave the beans to soak in water overnight.
Next day, drain and blend together the peas with the seasoning ingredients to a fine paste.
Line your dish, or individual ramekins with a bit of banana leaf (which will prevent the paste from burning).
Pour the bean paste over the banana leaf. Choose to steam on the stove top or in the oven.
 |
| Line a heatproof dish with banana leaf. Steam for 45 minutes. |
If you wish, you can dot the top with bits of smoked fish or hard-boiled egg.
Steam over gently boiling water for about 40 to 50 minutes.
I prepared smoked fish in a tomato sauce and served it on the side. Tomatoes should not be used in the paste since it prevents the paste from gelling.
 |
| Moi Moi slices served with smoked fish |
 |
| Moi Moi, delicious addition to our Caribbean diet |
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