After class, a quick snap because some teaching sessions are just beautiful experiences more so with couples who cook and speak the language of food.
In this class, we explored groundnut in a way I hadn’t approached before—blending it with coconut milk and miso to build a base that was rich, creamy, balanced and deeply layered. Familiar, but reworked through a different lens.
We paired it with a basmati rice, fried plantain and fresh tomato salsa instead of the typically hot accompaniments made with gboébessé (hot habaneros) in Togo. A different finish, but one that still respects the structure of the dish.
Having lived and cooked across different West African countries, I see more clearly the importance of sharing our food in a way that is both rooted and accessible.
Not simplified. Not diluted.
But translated—so any home cook can step into it with confidence.
#ChefDumebi
From my West African Soul Food class.
A bowl built the way many West African meals are; layered, comforting, deeply satisfying.
Pepper rice, slow-cooked beans, and braised turkey with cabbage.
Rice carries the heat.
Beans bring the depth.
The braised turkey and cabbage soften everything.
This is what soul food looks like in many West African kitchens, food designed to comfort, nourish and gather people around the table.
#ChefDumebi
#WestAfricanSoulFood
#ComfortEngineered
#FoodAsSystem
#WestAfricanCooking
Bold suya-spiced chicken, garlic rice, crunchy salad and creamy suya mayo — a shawarma-inspired bowl with a West African twist.
Dish of the day @samanthaslondon 😋
Find Samantha's Bistro on Deliveroo
#ChefDumebi
Jamaican Flavour Lab
Smoke. Scotch bonnet. Thyme. Fire.
Learn the foundations behind Jamaican flavour while exploring its natural dialogue with West African cooking traditions.
Bold food. Warm atmosphere. Serious flavour.
See link in bio
#Chef Dumebi
My new obsession? Afro-Japanese.
A heartwarming, stomach-loving bowl of teriyaki chicken, spiced plantain, and rice.
Somewhere between Japan and Nigeria, my taste buds have decided to start a very serious relationship.
On the menu @samanthaslondon
#ChefDumebi
Only women truly understand the layered challenges women carry.
And only strong women choose to uplift, make room, and open doors for other women.
#ChefDumebi
West African–inspired chowder, drawn from the spirit of @dennistheprescott ’s springtime classic.
Built on a soft yam base for body, finished with coconut milk for that light, tropical lift—something that sits between comfort and brightness.
A gentle reminder that chowder doesn’t have to stay where it started. It can travel, adapt, and still hold its soul.
#ChefDumebi #Lagosnigeria🇳🇬
If you’re new to West African food, start here.
Three dishes that give you a true sense of the flavour system:
• Groundnut soup — rich, nutty, deeply comforting
• Rice with palm oil stew — bold, layered, unmistakably West African
• Fried yam with egg sauce — simple, satisfying, and full of character
Not just dishes, but foundations.
#ChefDumebi #WestAfrican #WestAfricanCuisine #CuisineAfricaine
West African cooking is not just about dishes.
It is about systems.
And it begins with the base.
Jollof rice is only one expression of that system.
Ingredients like irú sit at the centre of it —
building depth, structure, and flavour in ways that are often overlooked.
To understand the food, you have to understand the function.
Read the full post via LinkedIn
#ChefDumebi #WestAfricanFoodSystems #WestAfrican #WestAfricanCuisine
