Margaret Ibatereh, Founder of Maes Soup, is creatively mixing Nigerian foods to provide uniquely refreshing takes. 

By Ololade Bamigbola

It could sometimes be a struggle to find the perfect combination of an all-Nigerian three-course meal to serve at festivities or when hosting friends and family members. Short of the usual jollof rice, many people will be bereft of choices.

Maes Soup, a Nigerian cuisine food service that delivers freshly made, hygienically prepared cuisines and sauce mix to doorsteps and events, is mixing various Nigerian dishes and offerings to overcome the aforementioned dilemma. Founded by Margaret Ibatereh, a graduate of Geology from the University of Calabar, with work experience in human resources as an international certified HR professional in the advertising industry as well as facility management sector, the company brings considerable process expertise to bear on its food deliveries. She provides refreshing new takes on Nigerian dishes.

“Cooking has always been my passion and I know I’m good at it.  So, when it was time to leave paid employment and start a business, I knew providing people with good, hygienically prepared food was one of the things I wanted to do. When Maes Soup was birthed, I brushed up, went to culinary school, and here I am today, catering to the needs of busy executives, mothers, and corporate organizations,” says Mrs. Ibatereh.

Her vision is to become the go-to brand for quality Nigerian cuisines across the country and internationally.

Below is the how-to of Maes Soup’s three-course delight.

Starter – Plantain Mosa

 Recipe

• 2 cups of flour
• 2 over-ripe plantain
• 1 teaspoonful of active yeast
• 1 teaspoonful of baking powder
• 1 cup of warm water
• Pinch of salt
• Vegetable oil for frying

Direction

1. Peel plantain and mash very well
2. Pour flour, yeast, baking powder, and salt into a bowl
3. Add mashed plantain into the above and mix well
4. Add water at intervals till the mixture becomes thick; cover and set aside for 30 minutes
5. Deep fry and mosa is ready

Main Course – Afia Efere

 Afia Efere is a broth popular among the Efiks and the Ibibios of Cross River and Akwa Ibom states in southern Nigeria. Afia Efere loosely translates to the white soup because it is devoid of oil. It is slightly different from the Igbo version, ofe nsala, which uses a different combination of spices.

Ingredients

• Uyayak (Aidan fruit) – 1½inches
• Uda pods – 2 (seeds removed and discarded)
• Goat meat, smoked fish, and chicken
• 2 seasoning cubes
• ¼ cup of crayfish powder
• Onion
• Salt – to taste
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper (hot pepper – Atarodo)
• Cameroon pepper 1 teaspoon (dry ground)
• Pounded yam paste (¼ cup) (substitute ½ cup of yam powder)

Preparation

1. Place half of the uyayak and uda pod on an oven tray – toast at 525⁰F for five minutes or until just smoky, then mash uyayak only to a fine powder in a little mortar, using a pestle.
2. In a large pot, combine goat meat, chicken, onions, peppers, salt to taste, seasoning cubes, uyayak powder, remaining fresh uyayak, and smoked fish.
3. Add enough water to just cover the ingredients.  Stir to combine. Set on high heat and bring to a rolling boil.
4. Add crayfish.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and leave to simmer for 25 to 30 minutes till meat is soft.
6. Add in yam paste. Stir well until paste is loose and thoroughly combined with the broth. The paste makes the broth thicker.  Leave the thickened broth to simmer uncovered for another 4 to 5 minutes.
7. Remove and discard uyayak and uda pods before serving.
8. Enjoy with pounded yam as it is traditionally eaten by the Efik and the Ibibio.

Dessert – Zobo (hibiscus/red sorrel)

Directions

1. Wash zobo leaves thoroughly.
2. Pour in a pot and add peeled pineapple skin, grated ginger, cloves, and water then leave to boil for 20 minutes.
3. Blend pineapple and set aside.
4. Allow zobo to cool down a bit; then add blended pineapple, mix very well and sift into another bowl.
5. Add sugar and flavour of your choice immediately so it can melt. Leave to cool.
6. Serve with ice or put in a fridge to cool.

There goes the three-course meal that you can easily prepare all by yourself!

• Ololade Bamigbola is a PR practitioner advising multinational brands, a writer, and an avid follower of Nigerian fashion and arts. She is based in Lagos. The article was originally published by Four Points Communications in NCDMB’s Local Content Digest magazine.

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.