What it is
A steamed pudding of peeled brown beans blended with pepper, onion and oil, poured into leaves, tins or moulds and cooked until firm. Fillings of boiled egg, fish or corned beef are common.
Key ingredients
- Peeled brown beans
- Red bell pepper and scotch bonnet
- Onions
- Vegetable or palm oil
- Crayfish
- Boiled egg, sardine or fish
- Uma or banana leaves for wrapping
A list of what goes in, not a recipe. Quantities and method vary by household.
How it is eaten
Eaten on its own, with jollof rice, with pap (ogi) at breakfast, or with garri.
Cultural significance
Moi moi is the standard companion to jollof at any Nigerian party and a staple of school and office lunches. Wrapping it in leaves rather than plastic or tins is the older method and is generally agreed to give a better flavour. Because it is bean-based it has long served as the protein element of a meal in households where meat is occasional rather than daily.
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