Batch Cooking — Ancestral Staples That Feed All Week

Each staple is versatile enough to appear in 3 to 4 different meals.

The 8 Ancestral Batch Cooking Staples

Staple 1: Jollof Rice Base

The tomato and pepper sauce can be made in a large batch and used to cook rice or any grain, or added to soups and stews. Blend tomatoes, red bell peppers, scotch bonnets, and onion until smooth. Fry in oil until the raw tomato taste cooks out and the oil separates.

Staple 2: Black-Eyed Pea Stew

Build your base: palm oil + onion + garlic-ginger paste + scotch bonnet. Add blended tomato. Cook base 15 minutes. Add cooked peas and cooking liquid. Simmer 20 to 30 minutes until flavors meld.

Staple 3: Peanut (Groundnut) Stew Base

The backbone of West African groundnut soup. Whisk peanut butter and vegetable broth. Cook a base of palm oil, onion, garlic-ginger paste, scotch bonnet, and tomato paste. Add peanut-broth mixture and simmer.

Staple 4: Coconut-Based Curry Sauce

A Caribbean and African diasporic staple. Coconut oil + aromatics + curry powder + turmeric + thyme. Cook until fragrant. Add coconut milk and simmer. Add protein and vegetables per batch.

Staple 5: Fermented Moringa Grain Porridge

The ancestral breakfast. Ferment millet flour and water overnight. Cook into a thick porridge. Stir in Moringa powder, sweetener, and salt.