RECIPE .......................................... ....80....
RECIPE .......................................... Yomi’s tomato stew Yomi Sode performs a show on identity and belonging, while cooking up a traditional Nigerian stew My grandmother has died. My mother has come round to my new flat to tell me that we’re travelling to Nigeria to go to her burial. She already knows that I’m not too keen on going because the last time I was there I didn’t have the best experience… I was nine when we moved to England, but I’ve been raised to think of Nigeria as home. When I was there, though, that was the last feeling that I got. I am Nigerian, but I’m also very much British: I very much have this style, I very much talk in this way. In Nigeria I was made to feel very aware of myself and I think it’s natural for any person who goes into a situation where they don’t feel wanted or feel welcomed to build some kind of resentment towards it. It can be a country, it can be a person’s home, it can even be work. My show, COAT, deals with some of these ideas of displacement, belonging and identity. I don’t feel that resentment now, far from it, but there’s a very interesting intergenerational conversation that comes out of it in terms of how much we really need to know about the people who are close to us. I’m a father now – I’ve got a three year old, soon to be four – and I’m thinking about what things will be in his best interest to know, to ensure that he grows up without any stress or anxiety. Will I consider not necessarily being as free with the information as I thought I would? This is what this battle is about between me and my mum: on one side, she is protecting me from certain things, and on the other side, I’m holding things back from her. So here we are; we love each other to bits, but we’re hiding things from each other at the same time. So my grandmother has died. My mother has come round to my new flat to tell me that we’re travelling to Nigeria, and all of these conversations are coming up. Meanwhile, I’m preparing this lovely meal for her, a nice traditional dish from Nigeria, from scratch… Ingredients*: Oil, 1 tin of plum tomatoes, 1 red sweet pepper/tatashe (chopped), 1 medium onion (chopped), 2-3 Maggi cubes, 1 chicken stock cube, thyme, half scotch bonnet pepper/ rodo (optional), fresh garlic (optional), tomato purée, boiled water. (*There might be a secret ingredient. You might have to come to the show to find out what it is.) Method: Put pepper, onion and Scotch bonnet into a blender with a little water and blend until smooth. Heat oil in the pan and boil the kettle. Carefully add the blended ingredients into your pan. Use a small amount of water to rinse the blender and add this to the pan also. Leave it to fry off for between 5-7 minutes or until it has settled and pour the plum tomatoes in. Add your seasonings. Add some purée (depending on how thick you want it) and add some more water if desired. Stir all of the ingredients to ensure that it is mixed well and leave to simmer, checking on it from time to time. Taste as the stew is cooking and add more seasoning if needed. Once all of the oil has risen to the top (approximately 45-60 minutes), your stew is ready. As told to Rebecca Cunningham COAT, <strong>Brighton</strong> Festival. Brighthelm Centre, 10th & 11th <strong>May</strong>, 7.30pm, £12.50 ....81....