Nigerian Street Food

At a Glance

📍 Location: Forest Hill, London

💷 Price: £75

🍴 Cuisine: Nigerian

⏱️ Duration: 3 hours, including cooking and dining

👤 Age: 18+ (students 17 and under welcome with an adult over 21 who's also taking part)

👥 How you'll work: in pairs

🥘 Dietaries: Adaptable for vegan, vegetarian and pescatarian. Contains peanuts and shellfish – not suitable for those with these allergies.

Discover the bold flavours of Nigeria 

Fiery, smoky and bursting with spice, Nigerian street food is a feast for the senses and one of Africa's best-kept culinary secrets. Transport yourself to the vibrant streets of Lagos, Kano and Enugu by getting to grips with 4 Nigerian-style dishes in this unforgettable class.

Discover the bold, complex flavours that define this diverse cuisine as you learn to cook dishes representing Nigeria's three major ethnic groups. From grinding aromatic spice blends to mastering the art of caramelisation and fermentation, you'll gain hands-on skills and cultural insight whilst learning how to make traditional recipes in a modern kitchen.

What you'll learn:

• Toast and grind your own yaji spice blend – discover the aromatic spices that give Nigerian street food its distinctive flavour, then create your own spice mix.
• Master the art of suya – learn to skewer thin-cut beef like a Mai Suya, coat it generously with your handmade yaji, then grill it to smoky, charred perfection.
• Get hands-on with fermentation – work with tangy fermented rice batter to create sinasir, traditional Northern Nigerian pancakes with a unique sour flavour and spongy texture.
• Perfect the technique for akara – blend soaked beans into a smooth paste, whip air into the batter until it's light and fluffy, then fry golden fritters that are crisp on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside.
• Create a crunchy cassava salad – bring cassava strands to life with a palm oil dressing, watch them transform to sunshine yellow with alkaline water, then pile high with fresh herbs and sliced vegetables.

What you'll make:

• Yaji spice blend – your own batch of smoky, aromatic spice mix
• Beef suya – thinly sliced, heavily spiced with your yaji blend and grilled until charred
• Sinasir – golden, crispy deep-fried bean fritters with a fluffy interio
• Ewa Agoyin - mashed beans with spicy chilli sauce / Akara – crispy bean fritters, fluffy inside
• Abacha salad – cassava salad dressed with a spiced palm oil blend
•  which you'll season to your taste, then top with smoked fish, fresh herbs and sliced vegetables

What we'll eat & drink:

Your welcome drink:

• Sparkling Palm Wine from Manya Wines (a non-alcoholic welcome drink will be available too)

Your feast:

• Beef suya
• Sinasir 
• Ewa Agoyin / Akara
• Abacha salad 
• Sliced onions, tomatoes, and gardens for you suya and abacha salad.

Your drink with the meal:
Choose a complimentary soft drink:

• Zobo - hibiscus, ginger, pineapple
• Chapman - cucumber, orange, lemon, blackcurrant
• Bitter Lemon - lemon, bitters, mint

• Water and tea is provided throughout the class.

How the class will run:

• All ingredients, equipment and aprons will be provided.
• I'll lead you through easy to follow demos before you have a go at your cooking station.
• You'll work in pairs to recreate the dishes together.
• Once everything's cooked, we'll gather around the table to enjoy your Nigerian street food feast (or pack up a box to take home if you prefer).
• You'll receive a digital recipe pack after class with everything you need to recreate these dishes at home.

Things to know before you book:

• You're welcome to book on your own.  I'll pair you with another solo attendee on the day.
• The class includes demos, hands-on cooking, and time to sit down and enjoy the food you've made together.
• This is a hands-on cooking class, so I'm afraid I can't accommodate spectators or provide a waiting area for friends and family. Everyone attending needs to have a ticket and be actively participating.

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