A S U N D A Y F A M I L Y D I N N E R: Z E R E S H K P O L O

Maybe i get a little too overly excited about Sunday Family Dinners, but i'm telling you, it's probably in the top 3 of my highlights of the week. It happens almost every Sunday at my house at uni and its the one time i can properly relax and chill with friends without feeling like i've got tons of design work to do.

My roommates and I pick a sunday to cook and invite our friends over. It's pretty simple, but its the mixture of good food, good company and laughter from having Catfish marathons (The Bow Wow episode is hilarious) to playing games like charades makes it what it is. This eventually resorts to us playing until we all get the itus. So last Sunday i got the heads up that it was my day and trust me two weeks prior, i had absolutely no clue what i was going to make, but knowing me i knew i'd find something quick. Originally, I didn't want something hard, but something i'd tried before and i didn't want to give people simply Nigerian food that i make all the time. That is when I remembered the cultures I was surrounded by in my upbringing.

Even though i was brought up in a Nigerian household i was immersed in different cultures, from having ackee and salt fish every saturday from my Jamaican grandma Mary to having Iranian food from my old best friend every time i went round to her house (which was almost everyday), it got me thinking about more and more food. As soon as I thought of that Iranian food, i knew i wanted to make it. I don't think you understand, I swear my old close friend's mum is one of the best cooks ever, obviously, my mum is top of that list too. But, whenever i went to dinner at their house and the food was being served my jaw would just drop every time, from the yoghurt, to the meat and that rice! And no, i'm not exaggerating. At all. In the slightest.

After typing Iranian food into google, i had the recipe within minutes. I found out the name, which till this day as i write this out i still cannot pronounce. To the point where i don't even want to, because i feel as if saying it wrong just doesn't do it justice at all. I did attempt at trying to get it right, but all hope was lost and I failed. After many Zer-ks, Zer-resshh-kaas and Zer-reshhs i thought let's just stop there as I felt I was embarrassing. Instead, I have decided to wait till i see my Persian friend again and get corrected. Zer-reeesh? Zer.. let me not!

I cook a lot, but this is definitely one to try! As you know i don't stick to recipes well, so i tweaked quite a lot and with the help of some friends the salad, the rice, meat and yoghurt went down a perfect treat. The salad literally was made on the spot with the ingredients i had, but it turned out great so i'll add this for you too. Altogether, i think it must have costed under £11, as i only had to pay for the saffron, lamb, Goji berries, beetroot, sundried tomatoes, mint and yoghurt.




Zereshk Polo Rice

+ Basmati/ Long Grain Rice (how ever much you want e.g. 4 cups)

+ 50g Barberries (I used Goji berries, just as good)

+ 1tbsp Sugar

+ 3 pinches of saffron threads

+ 1/4 pepper

+ 1 tbsp lemon juice

+ l cup of water

+ 1 onion

+ 2 spring onions, they don't usually use this but I had no pistachios or nuts.

+ 1 kilo of lamb ( you can use chicken etc, but i thought lamb would be more convenient for me)

+ 2 tbsp Paprika

+ 2 tbsp Salt

+ 3 tbsp Curry powder

+ 1 tbsp basil

+ 1 tbsp all purpose seasoning

+ 1 clove of Garlic

+ Potatoes


Early start

First, wash the lamb with water and lemon juice (just like 4 little gulks) and rinse off with water. After this, Marinate the the Lamb for over two hours, by laying the meat on the chopping board and beating it a little a spoon/ rolling pin. Add the curry powder, basil, all purpose seasoning with the meat in bowl and massage it all in. Place in the fridge for over 2 hours ( i left it for 8 hours).

Ready to prepare

Set the oven mark to 160° C and put the meat in.

Place the rice in the pot and add water and rinse it at least three times. My mama always told me to do this as it takes away the starch, i usually do it until I feel the rice water is clear. Usually, with this dish you would leave the rice in salty water for 2 hours, but because i didn't have the time, i just rinsed it and put it on the hob. Next, add some salt and set the cooker on by turning it on its highest for the first 10-15 minutes to let it boil. As it bubbles up, lower down the heat and wait for another 5-10 minutes.

Whilst this is happening, take the saffron threads and crush them with a pinch of sugar. Chop the garlic and add the water hot water to the bowl and stir. Take the meat out the fridge and drizzle the concoction on to the lamb. Then swiftly put into the oven with foil on top.

After the rice has been done, extract all the contents into a bowl and put the pot back on the stove and add 3tbsp of olive oil. Chop the potatoes (to create a crust at the bottom, it's so good) into slices and place into the pot. Add the rice 2 mins after and let it stay on medium heat for 3-5 minutes. After this, add a tea towel just underneath the lid and let it catch the condensation. As this stops it from going back into the rice. Leave to steam for 45- 50 minutes.

After 20-30 minutes, the meat will be tender and succulent and will be ready to take out of the oven.

Heat the butter and add the barberries/ goji berries into a pot. Stir well and then add the saffron water and remove from the heat.

With the left over saffron water, place into a pan and add the spring onion/nuts. Place the rice into the pot as well and stir till it becomes yellow. Layer the rice in a bowl and add the yellow rice on top. The barberries/ goji berries are also placed on top of this. Add the meat and arrange onto the platter.

Sweet Beetroot salad



+ Beetroot

+ Lettuce

+ Sweet Chinese Vinegar (i had leftovers of this and it worked so well)

+Tomato

+Sundried tomato

Easy peasy salad! so worth it!!

First, the lettuce was washed and crushed into pieces. Then, the beetroot was cut into slices and mixed in (even if you don't like beetroot, try it with this and you'll love it). Cut the tomatoes and drizzle the Sweet vinegar into the salad. Add sundried tomato and use the residue to sprinkle on top too. And there, presto! All done. I'm definitely having this next week, alone. Ha! not sharing this time.

Borani Esfanaaj (yoghurt and Spinach dip)




+ 200g Spinach

+ oil (little amount)

+ Fresh Mint

+ Salt

+ Yoghurt (doesn't have to be greek)

+ 3 cloves of garlic, cut and crushed

Open the yoghurt and pour into a bowl. Open the pack of spinach and wash the little babies up!!

Drain well and chop fine. Cut and crush the garlic and add to the pan. Add a pinch of salt and mix it with the spinach and stir for a few minutes.

Turn the stove off and allow it to cool.

Add this to the yoghurt and stir. Finish it off the sprinkles of the fresh mint and it's done.

Ready is your Zereshk Polo Meal with a lil' twist! Enjoy

U N A P O L O G E T I C A L L Y Y O U

This short and sweet post is about how this week I've been meditating a lot on that word, Love.

Knowing how powerful love can be and how the strength of that love can take you to higher heights is incredible. I know I've grown a lot in these past two years, when it comes to loving yourself and knowing your worth. That's why i wanted this post out sooner than later. It's so important that you do love yourself and that you are able to know yourself, as you're able to properly guard your heart and also know what you allow in.

As people, we spend so much of our time knowing other people, that we know so much about them and not enough about ourselves. If you haven't already, Focus on finding your inner beauty, inner happiness and inner love and allow all these qualities to extend through to your relationships.
Earlier in the week, I did this exercise. Try it out. Wherever it says "Love" or "It" replace it with your name and read it out loud to yourself.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, It does not boast, It is not proud. It does not dishonor others, It Is not self-seeking, It Is not easily angered, It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight In evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, It will pass away."

- 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

Did you feel weird? How far did you get till your face screwed up?

The first time I did it, it hit me that I couldn't even get passed the first line... Patient?!? I'm so Impatient. Nonetheless, soon after I realised I had so much work to do within myself, but that's the beauty of it. As a result, we are forever adapting and morphing into something greater than we already are.

Working on yourself is loving yourself. 

These are the steps I took by myself last year. I hope It helps you too!

1. If It doesn't make you happy, why are you doing It?

2. Trust and listen to the spirit inside of you.

3. Don't be afraid to say "No".

4. Be Kind to yourself

5. Be active, challenge your being

6. Stop complaining, find solutions

7. Stay away from drama and negative situations

8. Learn to Love all of your parts

9. Have at least one space/ sanctuary you can retreat to if you ever get stressed or anxious. This could be a hot bath, prayer, meditation space, notepad or a quiet room.

10. S M I L E

BTW: You don't need permission to be amazing. You were created to shine bright, so keep that light. You were designed to lovingly, spiritually and physically evolve in ways that never existed in your family or even in this world. We've all been blessed with the utmost beautiful gifts; but if you don't ever love yourself and know yourself, you'll never unlock their truths. Anyone can imitate, so create. Create yourself. Choose to create your path unapologetically. 



Stay Blessed!

H O P E F O R M A K O K O, L A G O S.

Nigeria is one of the most culturally diverse and wealthiest countries in the world. With natural resources such as gas, tin, iron ore, limestone and oil, just to name a few, you'd think that my native country with the blessings of wealth and visions of prosperity would be leading the way environmentally.

However, this is not the case, with dense long stretched miles of slums and garbage, black chocking smoke that runs through the villages and mass towns and natural resources going to waste, a solution is very much needed. This is a great time for Nigeria, home to 170 million as of 2012, it is booming economically and is Africa's leading oil  producing country, to be ranked 4th globally. Amidst all the poverty in the country, there lies happiness.



To my belief, I think Nigeria is the happiest place on Earth and no I didn't check any facts, these are my opinions, but this is how great Nigeria is. We are continuously growing and there are great opportunities for us to excel, but the key to all of this is education. NLE Architects are one of many who are creating these solutions,with sponsering from United Nations Development Programme and the Heinrich Boell Foundation, these Architects have designed a Floating School in Makoko, Lagos.

Geographically, in Makoko, waters are steadily rising which means that many are struggling to adapt to the swift currents and tides. Dubbed to be the "Venice of Africa", implementing this will not only encourage the community to understand their environment, but also it will strengthen their education. Using local materials, which reflect the culture of the community, wood is used as the main material and is structured in a triangular A-Frame.

 Inside, are class rooms, toilets and a playground which are surrounded by public green spaces. The roof contains an open air classroom with natural ventilation and introduces a rainwater catchment system encouraging more sustainabilty. That is not all, but the roof sees PV cells that will help with electricity which is not only good for Makoko, but also for Nigeria. This is a great strategy as this could easily emphasise more solar energy in the country, as the demand for electricity is extremely unreliable, known to only last between 1 to 2 hours before it gets completely cut off. 

Many have asked the question, but how does it stay afloat? 

Typical barrels that are seen in many places in Makoko are grouped together securely and used as a base and also for the catchment system.

NLE vision was not just to design a school but also to bring new layers of homes that follow the same aesthetic. This is phase two. The final phase will see an entire community fully equipped to deal with future flooding problems whilst maintaining a good quality life.

 Already nominated for "Design of the Year" award, it not only encourages hope but also addresses the social and environmental  aspects,  bringing awareness to the natural resources in a wealthy country that does not understand how wealthy it really is.

Makoko Floating School photos © NLÉ architects

If you can't get enough of the floating school, watch this youtube video.

 

P R O J E C T: S P U R N P O I N T

A new semester means there's a new project and i'm always eager to find out what it is before we get straight into it. I had to go home early and due to the little excursion to Paris i was able to get my information quick and easy! Yes, it felt good, very good indeed! We were able to choose between two sites. One being the Humber Ferry and another being Spurn point, based not too far away from our university, both sites had different solutions.

The Humber Ferry was to reintroduce a passenger foot ferry from Corporation Pier in Hull that connects to the Railway Pier in New Holland across the River Humber, which will encourage the reconnection of communities towards the river Humber especially for the City of culture 2017.

However, Spurn Point is completely different. After, the tidal disaster on the 5th December which saw the deterioration of Spurn Head, The Yorkshire Trust had to think about relocating and move further inland rather than on the sand and shingles that it is currently on. More and more, Spurn Point is being eroded as the North Sea and strong force of prevailing winds are taking one side whilst the other side is being taken by the Holderness River. Two years ago, i visited Spurn Point and the change from then is extremely drastic to what it is now. The sand dunes that were used to protect the paths for both drivers and visitors had completely withered away. The land was more or less covered with sand so you could no longer see the concrete used for the floor and parts of brick and concrete slabs lay with the tide. As the weather gets worse and more floods are becoming prominent each year, Spurn head has not got long till it gets cast as it's own island and then completely cut off for good.



I loved the idea that we were able to pick the site we wanted and after visiting the two different sites i was extremely challenged by Spurn Point. As it has so much water running through the land it will be challenging to think about what design methods are best and what sustainable materials and construction will benefit from this also. Already the site itself must be 1.2 metres off the ground and we aren't solely looking at the relationship between the people and the buildings but also that of the wildlife and habitats that surround the site.



At the moment, because both the pedestrian and visitor paths have been breached, we weren't able to go as far as the lighthouse which was used to store weapons. When the military called it home back in the early 1800s Spurn played an important as a great defence of Britain in the Cold War, World War I and II and the Napoleonic wars.

When looking at a site architecturally one of the few things you have to be on the lookout for vegetation, materials and habitats as these are very key in the influence of your design. For instance, Spurn is overwhelmed with Marram grass which is great for the colonisation of other plants as it stabilises coastal sand dunes, which are used as not only a defence for the cold breeze from the North Sea, but can also help determine changes in the beach profile due to erosion. I now have ten weeks to muster up a site analysis, final design and model. Sounds easy but it's not. Architects never seem to sleep.

F I R S T T I M E F O R E V E R Y T H I N G : P A R I S P A R I S P A R I S !

 I'd never been to Paris before this year, but I'd always heard of her sweet stories and her quick beautiful tongue. I think the french tongue much quicker than the English but it's true what they say, "it's always a good idea!". As "first time for everything" is a new edition in my life, i wanted to start with this beauty. Bienvenue Paris!




My friends and I were planning to go on a quick break this year right before the next semester. We decided that each year no matter what, we'd go on a break together whether it's literally to the next town or on camping field. We wanted to start a tradition, because we knew that once graduation had come and gone, many of us wouldn't see each other again. Last year it was Amsterdam and this year it was Paris!



I have no clue who actually decided that we should go to Paris but by the end, I didn't want to come back to England. My friend and I hopped onto a coach and away we went.

After our long journey we waited for our two friends who lived in France to show us what this city was all about and obviously we all know that the best way is through our stomachs. Burgers, Burgers, Burgers galore! We found ourselves munching on burgers and drinking milkshakes at an American diner and not long after we'd caught the very famous itus!

We didn't stay in Paris for very long because of how tight everyone's uni schedules were but we spent the first day at The Centre Pompidou which was designed by Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano.



So much bigger than i originally thought, it holds a library, shops, museums and the list could go on and on, but i know for sure if this building was my library, i'd be here all night! Great place to visit!!





After being swamped in French art, we decided to head back to the metro to our next place which was the Sacre Cœur (saa-cru-cur). I think i must have uttered the name Sacre Cœur at least 20 times and i still didn't get it right. My painful regret of not signing up to French on duo lingo was now becoming much more of a reality, but before you know it i was singing "head, shoulders, knees and toes" all in French. Whey!! Now the Basilica is placed at the highest point of the city, giving jaw dropping views of Paris and when i mean jaw dropping, i really mean it. It was incredible, felt like i was literally flying.





Closeby we went to a restaurant that served steak, my friend was going steak crazy so when that plate came i actually think her eyes got bigger. Now i've never had steak that is not well done, I was brought up to think that if it is pink, it's not cooked. Well, i decided to order medium rare and boy was I on a high till the next day. I am a self-confessed foodie, but this steak was just incredible, it was succulent, tender and just... I'm now starting to sound like the Marks and Spencer's advert so i'll stop, but Well done? Buh-bye!! We are done. Over. Kabam!
We were having so much fun that we ended up going out and dancing. When we entered the club we got told that we could go down a slide. A slide in a club? uh, YESSS!! I really wish i took photos but i was too excited, that i no longer remembered what a phone even was. We ended the night by dancing away to cheesy pop, whilst belting out every song known to man.

The last day was different to the first day. Paris looked different and more historical. We woke up at 2pm (we slept GOOD) and headed over to the Notre Dame. It was much busier and the vibe was quite chic, with waterfalls, river canals and main roads surrounded by plenty of restaurants. As we stepped into the Notre Dame we realised that they were actually having a service. With rows of people and and a choir girl singing so heavenly all we could do is stop and stare in awe.
 

As we stepped out we were recommended to go to Depart St. Michaels and now i recommend it to you! From the waiter's work outfits, to the decoration and service, this place is now my favourite!! You wouldn't think it was cheap too, bonus! And guess what i got to eat? STEAK! Remember when i said the steak was incredible before, well the other restaurant's steak has got nothing on it! At all. I think i"ve caught the steak crazy bug uh oh...




You cannot go to France without trying escargots, it's just not allowed.
So we ordered to share, and i have to tell you it was so hard trying to get them out of their wittle shell. Luckily enough the manager saw us in dire need, so he helped us out and showed us the french technique. After my friend Lynne kept replying each meal with "formidable" literally singing to her food, the manager got out his phone and started playing the famous french artist Stromae's song formidable, who had us all wailing and laughing in the restaurant. We were the happiest girls in the city that day! Once our bellies couldn't take no more we rushed over to the Louvre and then over to the ever so beautiful Eiffel Tower!
 

We got caught by the Parisian rain and wind so by the time we got up to the top, our bodies couldn't stay in one place, as we kept getting blown from one end to another, but the view was gorgeous and well worth it.





The whole trip made us so happy because we realised that we were surrounded by beautiful people, in a beautiful city with great company. Paris is so different to London, there's so much more space and everyone is content (no offence Londoners, but you know that it takes a lot for you to crack a smile, especially in the rush hour). Not only that, the french are very healthy (you'll realise it when you have to hike countless stairs in the metro. It was not easy) and the variation in the hierarchy of space in connection with the buildings feels far more free than that of London which is a little bit cramped.
 

Nonetheless, being in Paris made me more excited about travelling and even got me thinking about living in Paris  in the future. If you haven't been to Paris, GO, i dare you! If you have, i double dare you to go again. Be spontaneous and go on an adventure that you've never embarked on before!
Paris je t'aime, truly.