Savour every bite of this rich and delicious Moin Moin (Nigerian Bean Cake). It is made with a blended mixture of peeled black-eyed beans, onions, red bell peppers, and Scotch bonnets. Serve as a tasty side with jollof rice and more.
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Moin moin is a tasty, popular Nigerian side dish. To make moin moin, blend staple Nigerian ingredients into a smooth batter, then pour it into foil packs or elewe leaves along with add-ins like boiled eggs, corned beef, or smoked fish. Steam the packs in a pot with hot water until the moin moin is firm and cooked through, creating a delicious savoury dish.
If you are a fan of beans, you may also enjoy this Ewa Agoyin, Nigerian Stewed Beans, and Akara recipe.
Why This Recipe Works
- This moin moin is flavorful and has a delicious creamy texture, making every mouthful a savory delight.
- Moin moin is rich in protein thanks to its bean base, and it's extra nutritious because it's steamed, not fried.
- It can be served with an array of dishes like Coconut Jollof Rice, Nigerian Fried Rice and Creamy Red Cabbage Coleslaw.
- It is easy to double or triple this recipe to feed a larger crowd.
Moin Moin (Nigerian Bean Cake) Ingredients
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Peeled beans: Select good-quality peeled beans for this recipe and ensure they soak in water for a sufficient amount of time to become soft enough to blend.
- Red bell pepper: Remove the stem from the pepper before blending.
- Onions: Use white onions for this recipe.
- Crayfish: Use ground crayfish for this recipe.
- Maggi: Use Maggi or Knorr to flavor the moin moin.
- Dried pepper: Use ata gun gun or cayenne pepper to add a delicious spicy flavor to the moin moin.
- Oil: Use sunflower or vegetable oil for this recipe.
Tips and Substitutions
- Consistency: Ensure the moin moin batter is smooth and free of lumps. Blend thoroughly for an even texture.
- Taste: As you mix, taste the batter. Adjust the seasoning as needed before cooking.
- Cooking Options: This batter can also be cooked in elewe (banana or uma leaves), foil or in small oven-safe dishes.
- Scotch bonnets: I use three scotch bonnets for this recipe however, you can use less or more
- Oil: Make sure you allow the oil to cool before pouring it into the batter. This will prevent the moin moin from cooking before it is steamed.
How to Make Moin Moin
Step 1: Start by soaking the beans in enough water to cover them for one hour. Then, heat oil in a pot or pan. Set aside. If you haven't done so already, add three eggs to a pot of cold water and boil for 10-12 minutes. Once done, drain the water, peel eggs and set aside for later. Next, drain the water from the soaked beans. Then, add the beans to a blender along with red bell peppers, scotch bonnets, onions, tomato puree, ground crayfish, salt to taste and pepper.
Step 2: Blend the mixture until it is smooth and evenly combined.
Step 3: The batter should be as smooth as shown in image 3.
Step 4: Pour the blended mixture into a large bowl. Taste the batter and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Pour the cooled oil into the batter.
Step 5: Stir the batter until evenly combined.
Step 6: Pour the moin moin batter to fill ⅔ of a square foil pack as shown in image 6. Be careful not to overfill the moin moin to avoid spillage.
Step 7: Next, add sliced boiled eggs and smoked fish as shown in image 7.
Step 8: Seal the foil pack and repeat steps 6-8 for the remaining batter.
Step 9: Pour ⅓ of water into a large pot. Then, gently place the foil packs in the pot as shown in image 9.
Step 10: Then, cover the pot with a lid and let it cook on low to medium heat for 40-50 minutes. Check the doneness by removing the cover and poking a knife into the middle to check the firmness of the moin moin.
Step 11: Serve this tasty moin moin as a side with Nigerian Jollof Rice, Coconut Fried Rice and Nigerian Chicken Gizzard.
Recipe FAQs
Moi Moi is a much-loved Nigerian bean pudding. To make Moi Moi, blend peeled oloyin or black eye beans with onions, peppers, tomato paste, and seasoning, then steam the mixture in foil or elewe (banana leaves).
To make Moi Moi, combine peeled oloyin or black-eyed beans with onions, red bell peppers, scotch bonnets, tomato paste, and your choice of seasoning.
Let the moin moin cool completely, then wrap it in the foil or leaves it was cooked in and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
More Tasty Nigerian Recipes
Moin Moin (Nigerian Bean Cake)
Equipment
- 8-10 Small foil packs
- Blender
- Large Bowl
- Large Pot
Ingredients
- 2 cups of peeled beans soaked
- 4 cups water
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 onions
- 2.5 tablespoon puree
- 3 teaspoon of salt
- 3 teaspoon if cray fish
- 2 maggi
- 2 tablespoon of dried pepper
- ½ cup oil
Instructions
- Soak the beans in a bowl with four cups of water to cover them for at least one hour.
- Then, heat oil in a pot or pan. Set aside.
- Next, add three eggs to a pot of cold water and boil for 10-12 minutes. Once done, drain the water, peel eggs and set aside for later.
- Drain the water from the soaked beans. Then, add the beans to a blender along with red bell peppers, scotch bonnets, onions, tomato puree, ground crayfish, salt to taste and pepper. Blend the mixture until it is smooth and evenly combined.
- Pour the batter into a large bowl. Taste the batter and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Then, pour the cooled oil into the batter. Stir the batter until evenly combined.
- Pour the moin moin batter to fill ⅔ of a square foil pack. Be careful not to overfill the moin moin to avoid spillage. Next, add 1-2 boiled egg slices and smoked fish. Seal the foil pack and repeat this step with the remaining batter.
- Pour ⅓ of water into a large pot. Then, gently place the foil packs in the pot.
- Then, cover the pot with a lid and cook on low to medium heat for 40-50 minutes. To check for doneness, insert a knife into the center of the moin moin. It should come out clean and the texture should be firm.
- Serve this tasty moin moin as a side.
Notes
- Batter: Blend the moin moin batter until it's smooth and free of lumps. The batter should be even.
- Seasoning: Taste the batter as you mix and adjust the seasoning to your taste before cooking.
- Cooking Options: You can steam the batter in elewe (banana or uma leaves), foil wrappers, or small oven-safe dishes, depending on your preference.
- Scotch Bonnets: I typically use three scotch bonnet peppers for this recipe, but feel free to adjust the quantity to suit your heat tolerance.
- Oil Temperature: Let the oil cool completely before adding it to the batter. Adding hot oil can begin to cook the batter prematurely, affecting the final texture.
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