Download the Yam & Egg Recipe HERE: https://downloads-accent-explorer.pages.dev/recipes/Yam+Eggs_Recipe_TAE.pdf What happens when Sergio, Mimsy, and a new friend cook up one of Nigeria’s favorite dishes? You get laughter, sizzling sounds, and a plate of yam & egg so tasty it might just blow your mind. Along the way, you’ll learn how to say “hello” in Igbo, discover why Nigerians love spice, and find out what makes this dish a breakfast-lunch-dinner superstar. Get ready to chop, stir, laugh, and taste along with us…a delicious adventure you won’t want to miss. And don’t forget to yell with Mimsy: ‘Chop, chop, chirp!’ 🐦
Download the Yam & Egg Recipe HERE.
What happens when Sergio, Mimsy, and a new friend cook up one of Nigeria’s favorite dishes? You get laughter, sizzling sounds, and a plate of yam & egg so tasty it might just blow your mind. Along the way, you’ll learn how to say “hello” in Igbo, discover why Nigerians love spice, and find out what makes this dish a breakfast-lunch-dinner superstar.
Get ready to chop, stir, laugh, and taste along with us…a delicious adventure you won’t want to miss. And don’t forget to yell with Mimsy: ‘Chop, chop, chirp!’ 🐦
SERGIO: Hi there. It’s me, Sergio. The Accent Explorer. You know, accents are the special ways people talk in different parts of the world. When we try out someone’s accent, it’s not just for fun…it shows we’re listening, and it helps us understand them better. It’s like saying, “Hey, I hear you, and I care about your way of speaking.” And the coolest part? It makes the world feel a little closer, like we’re all friends on the same team. Speaking of friends, look who’s here…my best pal, Mimsy!
MIMSY: Howdy-howdy!
SERGIO: We’re back with another delicious cooking episode for you. This week’s recipe comes from Ms Nkiru, who is from Nigeria. Do you know how to say “Hello” in her language, Mimsy?
MIMSY: Ndewo!
SERGIO: Exactly. Can you say “ndewo” with me? Ready? NDEWO [BEAT] Great job, Explorer! Before we get cracking with the cooking, let’s hear from Ms Nkiru, who’ll introduce us to the dish that we’ll be learning about today.
NKIRU: Ndewo. I’m Ms Nkiru. I can’t wait to teach you about Nigeria and one of the most popular and delicious Nigerian dishes; yam and egg.
SERGIO: Mmm…Yam and Eggs. Sounds delicious. Have you ever had yams before, Mimsy?
MIMSY: No, but I’m excited to try it!
SERGIO: Me too. And guess what? This dish is super easy to make too. It’s one of the very first dishes that young Nigerians are taught to cook. Let’s get right into it shall we? Take it away Ms Nkiru, and joining us is our special helper for the day, her son TJ.
MIMSY: Ooooh, a new friend! Hi TJ!
[MUSIC STING]
NKIRU: So today, we're going to be making Nigerian yam and egg. So this is called basically Nigerian yam and it’s grown in Nigeria. It's just like potatoes, but it’s a little different.
SERGIO: Ms Nkiru gets her Nigerian yams from a local Afro-Caribbean store here in Green Ridge. If you have a store like that near you, that’s the best place to find the yummiest yams. They look like brown potatoes. Only slightly bigger. Sometimes they even come with grains of sand and dirt still on them. So once you buy them, you’ll need to peel the skin off, give it a big scrub-a-dub-dub in clean water, and then slice it into thick pieces before it’s ready to use for this recipe. Okay, Ms Nkiru, what else do we need?
NKIRU: And then we have onions, and we’re going to make some egg sauce with that so that’s egg, tomatoes, and half of a bell pepper.
SERGIO: For this recipe, we’re using a RED bell pepper…the big crunchy kind that adds a hint of color.
NKIRU: And then I just have some seasoning, so this is like a little bit of chicken seasoning, and curry. This curry specifically is made in Nigeria too as well. And this is also thyme.
SERGIO: Oh, and by the way Explorer, some families add what traditional Nigerians call “atarodo peppers.” They’re just a little fiery… enough to make your tongue flap around wildly in your mouth. But if a little spice is too much spice for you, no worries, you can just skip those.
NKIRU: Okay, so should we get cooking?
SERGIO: Cooking! Sorry…I’m just very excited!
NKIRU: Typically we start with boiling the yams first. We start off with boiling some water and then putting in a little bit of salt. So another thing with Nigerians is we tend not to measure out our ingredients. We kind of figure it out as we get older. So if you ask me how much salt is in there to write a recipe, I can tell you two pinches or a pinch, I can’t say half a teaspoon, so we just kind of figure it out, and most of us as we get older, we just know how much is in there and it’s usually right.
SERGIO: Did you hear that, Explorer? She doesn’t even need measuring spoons. Just a pinch here, a pinch there, and boom! Perfect flavor.
After 10 to 20 minutes, you’ll know your yams are ready when you poke them with a fork and they feel soft. Can you pretend to poke with your fork in the air? Poke, poke!
NKIRU: So typically back home in Nigeria, this is a food that most kids love. They can eat it for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner. At any point in time.
SERGIO: Whoa! Sounds like an all-day super-dooper-mega meal! And one that your grown ups will cheer for because it’s got all the right ingredients for a healthy, well balanced, delicious diet. Now, while the yams are boiling, it’s time to move on to the egg sauce. For that, we’re going to chop up the onions, the tomatoes, and the red bell pepper. Can you pretend to chop, chop, chop on your leg?
MIMSY: Chop, chop, chirp!
SERGIO: Haha perfect, Mimsy! Next, you’ll need a pan. Because this next part involves a whole lot of sizzzzzzzle!
NKIRU: So first of all, we will saute the onions first with oil. So we’re going to throw in the onions okay and then we’re going to saute them.
SERGIO: Listen to that. Mmm-mmm! The sound of flavor.
NKIRU: Alright, so I’m going to put the tomatoes in. And the peppers. [SFX OF SIZZLE]. Alright, I put the pepper in, we’ll just let this cook and then I’ll start putting in the seasoning.
SERGIO: Remember, the seasonings we’re using are chicken seasoning, curry and thyme.
NKIRU: Personally, with the kids, I found that cooking it down a little bit to make it a little bit softer, the tomatoes, the peppers, the onions, to just cook it down a little bit more to me, I’ve found my kids prefer that more and I prefer that more so that’s my own twist.
SERGIO: Okay Explorer. If you want to add protein like corned beef, sardines, chicken or sausage, now’s the time. But for today, Ms. Nkiru will skip straight to the final part!
NKIRU: Alright. I think we’re almost ready to toss in the eggs! Who's ready for the egg? Me!
SERGIO: Remember how we crack eggs? Can you try on your…head?? [SFX]
NKIRU: Awesome!
SERGIO: Egg-cellent cracking, Mimsy! Now plop that egg in a bowl and whisk, whisk, whisk! Once it’s nice and fluffy, pour it into the pan with the onions, tomatoes and peppers. While that sizzles together, let’s take a moment to learn about Nigeria. Ms Nkiru, what can you tell us about the different cultures in your home country?
NKIRU: So there are three main tribes or languages in Nigeria. So it’s Ibo, Yoruba, and Hausa. But we speak over 200 languages in Nigeria and different dialects, so even amongst the Ibo’s, you still have different dialects within that. So the Yoruba’s are on the western side, the Ibo’s are on the eastern side, and the Hausa’s are on the northern side. I’m Igbo and my husband is Yuroba.
SERGIO: Did you catch that, Explorer? Ms Nkiru is Igbo, from the east of Nigeria. And her husband is Yoruba, which means…yep! He’s from the western side! One of the biggest differences between the two tribes is that the Yoruba people love their food super spicy. I’m talking face-sweating, palm-wiping, tongue-burning spicy! But no matter the tribe, all Nigerians love three things…Food, culture, and of course, family!
SERGIO: And speaking of food, look at that! Our yams are soft and ready! Time to drain out the water, slide them on a plate, and cover them with that delicious egg sauce! Super quick, super easy. Let’s take a bite! Ms Nkiru, can we just use our hands?
NKIRU: Yes, you can use your hands to eat this. The yam is soft enough, you just break it off, put on the eggs, and go!
SERGIO: Mmm-mmm! That is a tasty dish! The yam is so soft and hearty, and the egg sauce is so flavorful. I can really taste that curry! What do you think, Mimsy?
MIMSY: It’s yam-azing!
[MUSIC SWELLS]
SERGIO: Oh boy. I can’t wait to try cooking yam and eggs at home! That was so easy! And super filling too! I only had space in my tummy for one little puff-puff - that’s a delicious Nigerian dessert.
Ok, Explorer, that’s it for today. But before we go, I want to share something really special. Every adventure helps us see the world in new ways. And since we’re getting ready for our own trip to Australia, it’s the perfect time to learn about one of the things Aussies love most…Australian football!
MIMSY: [CHANTING] Football! Football! Football!
SERGIO: That’s right! See, in Australia, they play their own version of football called “Aussie Rules”. It’s very different from the game that we play here in Green Ridge. It’s fast, it’s fun, and it’s absolutely loved in Australia. And next week is their biggest game of the year…THE GRAND FINAL. In fact, whoever wins will be the champions of the whole league!... with shiny medals, loads of trophies, and a whole stadium full of hugs from their fans!
Luckily, my friend Jack here in Green Ridge is from Australia. He told me all about how much people there love Aussie Rules. And you’ll never believe this, Jack even introduced me to someone in Australia who talks about the game on the radio! It’s the biggest week of the year for them, because the whole country is buzzing about the Grand Final. And next week, they’ll be joining us to explain what makes Aussie Rules so special. Because sports aren’t just games…they show us the heart of a culture. I hope you’ll join me. Until then …
MIMSY: Keep exploring!