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palm oil — Quality Selection and Traditional Use

Red palm oil (Elaeis guineensis) is the most important single ingredient in Nigerian cooking — the fat that defines the flavour, colour and character of Nigerian soups and stews. Without palm oil, Nigerian cuisine as it exists would be impossible.

palm oil — Quality Selection and Traditional Use, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • Deep orange-red colour — the deeper and more vivid the orange, the higher the beta-carotene content and the better the quality
  • Solid or semi-solid at room temperature — Nigerian palm oil solidifies in cool conditions. This is normal and correct
  • Clear and clean when melted — cloudy palm oil may have water or impurities
  • Fresh, nutty smell when warmed — a rancid or sour smell indicates poor quality or old palm oil
  • No added colour, preservatives or bleaching — premium palm oil is purely pressed from fresh palm fruit FOR HOME EXTRACTION (if using fresh palm nuts):
  • A big pot of fresh red palm nuts
  • Water for boiling
  • A large mortar for pounding

Method

  1. 01

    Understanding palm oil Quality Grades. The finest palm oil is Grade 1 red palm oil — pressed from fresh, fully ripe palm fruit within hours of harvest. It is deeply coloured, rich in beta-carotene and has a clean, nutty flavour. Grade 2 palm oil is from slightly older fruit and is still excellent. Bleached, deodorised or refined palm oil has had most of its beta-carotene and flavour removed — avoid this for Nigerian cooking.

  2. 02

    Home Extraction from Fresh Palm Nuts. Wash the fresh palm nuts. Boil in a large pot of water for 20 minutes until the flesh softens. Drain and transfer to a large mortar. Pound vigorously to break up the flesh and release the oil. Add warm water to the pounded mass and knead thoroughly with your hands to further extract the oil. The water-and-oil mixture will be bright orange-red. Pour through a sieve into a pot. Boil the strained liquid for 20 to 30 minutes — the oil will rise to the surface and separate from the water. Skim the pure red oil from the surface.

  3. 03

    How to Use palm oil in Nigerian Cooking. For soups: Heat palm oil in a pot over medium heat until it melts and becomes liquid. Do not overheat or it will lose colour and flavour. Add iru or onion and fry. Then add the fresh pepper mix and fry deeply. For stews: Use in the same way as for soups. For Moin Moin or Ekpang: Add raw palm oil directly to the batter.

  4. 04

    How NOT to Use palm oil. Never use palm oil that has turned yellow or brown from overheating — this destroys its nutritional value and creates an unpleasant taste. Never use hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated palm oil — this is a different, inferior product.

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