9

I came to Lagos over 20 years ago as a young sisi.

Lagos was loud, too fast and kind of rough for my omo ilu oke kind of person.

Over the years, I have fallen in love warts and all. I married omo eko from ile aroloya Lagos Island. My children are omo eko, and when I needed to make my passport I had to naturalize to become omo eko gangan! This is possible since it is allowed for a woman who marries a lagosian to naturalize and become a lagosian legally.

My dream started in Lagos, the realisation in Lagos. I became a mother here in Lagos, fostered a beautiful relationship in Lagos. I have spent half of my lifetime here in Lagos and I have come to love this state as mine.

For those who want to destroy our Lagos, oba Allah o ni fun yin se. Lagos has opened her arms wide like a mother who always put her children in her heart and blossom.

Whoever strives to break our Lagos, may Allah break your back!

We will work together to rebuild our home.
Let us come together to give back to a state that is most welcoming, a state kind to her people and visitors.

Emi ni Shariifah Yunus,
Aya won leko,
Iya won leko,
Omo won leko,
Awa la leko,
Eko o ni baje ooo…

6

What Are Cardamom Pods?

Cardamom is a spice made from the seed pods of various plants in the ginger family. Cardamom pods are spindle-shaped and have a triangular cross-section. The pods contain a number of seeds, but the entire cardamom pod can be used whole or ground. The seeds are small and black, while the pods differ in colour and size by species.

Though an expensive spice, grounded cardamom is used in the SMD Multipurpose, Curry (no wonder the SMD is so curry so rich in flavour, fragrance and different to another curry in the market!), Seafood and Native pot spice mix for its wholesome flavour!

Cardamom is found in Indian cooking as well as Middle Eastern cuisine. In Indian recipes, whole cardamom pods are used in preparing basmati rice and various curries. In Middle Eastern recipes, ground cardamom spices certain desserts.

Cardamom has a strong, sweet, pungent flavor and aroma, with hints of lemon and mint. Black cardamom has a smoky note and a cooling menthol one as well

BENEFITS
1. Cardamom seeds or pods are sometimes chewed to refresh the breath and as a digestive aid.

2. Cardamom has various uses ascribed in traditional medicine.

3. Cardamom may help lower blood pressure, most likely due to its antioxidant and diuretic properties.

4. May fight cancer and stop the growth of tumors in mice and test tubes

5. May Protect from Chronic Diseases Thanks to Anti-Inflammatory Effects

6. May Help with Digestive Problems, Including Ulcers

7. May Treat Bad Breath and Prevent Cavities

8. May Have Antibacterial Effects and Treat Infections

9. May Lower Blood Sugar Levels

10. Liver Protection

11. Anxiety

12. Weight loss

Do you see why you should use the smd spice mix?

Let Your Meal Be Your Delicious Medicine!

 

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FOR OUR SPICES

SMD Sea Salt

Our sea salt carefully source with 3 things put in mind!

1. 💯 natural, not chemically produced as the usual table salt is. No anti-caking/clumping additives, no preservatives!

2. Has the addition of iodine, due to the fact that the body does not get adequate iodine from food.

3. Smaller granules, clean, white& appealing to the sight!

Do you notice that most locally sourced seasalt come in big ununiform granules, brown and dirty looking(swipe to see our sea salt and the usual sea salt, which do you prefer?)?

Seasalt intensifies flavours of your meals and it a great addition when used with the SMD Spice mix! Definitely, Incorporating our sea salt into your meal gives completes your dish.

 

Click Here To Order For Your Seasalt

5

Cinnamon

There are two types of cinnamon,cassia and ceylon.
Ceyon cinnamon is also known as the true cinnamon.
The cinnamon you have in your kitchen cabinet is most likely to be Cinnamomum cassia, which is native to China and the most common type sold in the United States and Canada.

Cinnamomum verum, also known as true cinnamon or Ceylon cinnamon, comes primarily from Sri Lanka. It is more delicately flavored than cassia and more highly prized, though less widely used. The SMD spice mix is made from the ceylon cinnamon.
The SMD Sauce & Marinade has this amazing spice as one of the major spice(this spice mix is amazing in snacks). The sauce& marinade is wonderful in our Moroccan fried rice,Indian cuisinea,pasta and mexican diahes. The smd seafood,multipurpose and curry spice mix also has cinnamon added in varried quantities.

Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus Cinnamomum. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfast cereals, snackfoods, tea and traditional foods.
Cinnamon is a highly delicious and medicinal spice.

It has been known for its medicinal benefits before modern science confirmed it.

Some of the health benefits are:

– It is loaded with antioxidant
– Cinamon has the potential to stop the risk of heart diseases
– It has anti-inflamatory properties.
– Cinnamon may protect your body against the growth of cancer.

– It help fight bacterial and fungal infection

– Cinnamon can increase sensitivity to the hormone insulin.

– Cinnamon Lowers Blood Sugar Levels and Has a Powerful Anti-Diabetic Effect

Please read and feed your soul with the healing power of cinnamon spice.
With the SMD range,you are not only using our spice for our delicious fragrant flavours, but you’ve turn your meals to medicine with SMD spice mix while nourishing your body!

3

I have spent about 8/9 years mixing spices

I have spent about 8/9 years mixing spices and herbs to suit the Nigerian palate.
To make amazing flavours, you need to understand certain things;

1. Understand the flavour profiles of each spice and herb,
know which spices& herbs work well together,

2. What spices and herbs works in different dishes!

3. How to cook naturally using these mix.

I try to understand the fear of the average Nigerian who worry over the cost cooking naturally. The cost of cooking with our spice mix for three times a day cooking, is just about #60 per meal! And that is if you use the mix every time you cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for 2months, with an average of 6 members in a family!

Can see it would last longer if you dont cook that often and your family is smaller?

I tell people that the value we place on our health and well being is decided by the actions and priorities we make over it.

Ill health is so much more expensive. The best we can do is to ensure healthy cooking and eating habits,(removing artficial additives in our meals is one of the ways).

Spices and herbs are rich in antioxidants that boosts your immunities and protects you from common and not so common ailments.

Cooking healthy isnt as expensive as people think,lets take care of our bodies now so it can take care of us in our older years.
Best wishes…
Xoxo

1

Asaro Oloyin

What’s cooking this morning?

So instead of the regular Yam and sauce for weekend breakfast, why not asaro oloyin?

There is absolutely no meal you can’t use our spice mix to cook! From local cuisines to intercontinental, our spice mix is the special ingredient that makes it “bang”!

Have you tried to prepare asaro oloyin elemi meje (porridge with 7 lifes) using SMD spice mix? Add fish, a little ugu at the end of cooking for more health benefit, and i promise you a finger licking dish.

I use yam and sweet potates for my Asaro oloyin! Make the starter exactly as you would start your jollof, add the fish into the sauce. Use SMD Multipurpose, seafood, curry and a bit of sauce & marinade spice mix and ofcourse seasslt to taste!

This particular dish taste heavenly, the aroma is nothing like the regular Asaro (porridge). I cant promise you your neighbours wont come knocking, with the aroma from your kitchen lol…. It’s on point, without a single cube of MSG bullion cubes, and proteins included, this is a complete meal with your nutrition taken care of. Even your babies will love this meal.

Kindly give it a try and give us a feed back. How do you cook your asaro?

oven

Do you know that the oven part of your cooking gas stove could be a silent? killer!

Some time ago, I filled my gas cylinder &it finish in 3 days maximum! I was shocked, I suspected that the filling station had been mischievous with their gauge.

I changed where I refilled and the same thing happened 2 other times with different gas stations. I was worried, something was definitely wrong. I spoke to the man who had been servicing my cookers and the first thing he asked me was to go confirm if my oven control switch was on or off! Behold, I had been using the stove burner while the oven burner was on! Apparently because its the oven and the door is closed we do not smell the gas leaking. I was fortunate that I rarely use my home gas oven to bake. Can you imagine the scenario? If I had tried lighting the oven it would have exploded(see how God saves us while we do not know the harm lurking somewhere around us!)!

I have 3 people who have had from mild to severe burns from a gas oven explosion. All 3 didn’t realize the gas had been leaking due to the burners being switched on. Once the strike the lighter, boom!

For people who have young kids who don’t understand don’t touch the gas burner switch how do you protect yourself?

I do these ;
1. I always try to switch off the from the gas cylinder after every use.

2. I have removed the knob of the gas oven burner as seen in the picture. I rarely bake with my home oven so no need to keep it there. If I need it I will put it on.

3. Do not light the burner immediately if you notice the fire has been extinguished through the burner knob is still on. Switch it off and give ample time before putting it on again.

4. Give your children adequate gas safety rules irrespective of their age.

5. Let the younger children use the back burners to cook. This is such so that if there is an accidental spilling of what’s on the stove, it doesn’t pour directly on them but on the front burners.

6. Let younger children cook with adult supervision. My 10 years old cooks a lot, so I needed to read to her the gas cooker riot act!
Please keep safe!

What other methods do you use to keep safe?
Tag someone who this will benefit and share your experience.