Moi moi also called moin moin is another popular food eaten in Nigeria. It is made by blending peeled bean, adding fillings of choice and then steaming it. Originally, moi moi is cooked in leaves but in the present day, there has been a lot of improvisation.
The leaf for this recipe is hard to come by where I live. Hence why I cook my mine in nylon, foil paper, plastic or recycled tin but the truth is nothing beats moin moin cooked in leaves. I look forward to the day I will come across fresh leaves here and I can cook it as it should be.
Moi moi is mostly eaten as breakfast and it can also be eaten as a side meal to other dishes preferably rice. People find making it tedious, honestly, it is very easy to make. If you are finding it difficult to make this recipe, put a lot of practice into it and you will perfect it over time.
Like I mentioned earlier, you can have any filling of choice in yours. The fillings that go into moin moin includes hard boiled eggs, cooked liver, dried prawns, ground crayfish, boiled fish, chopped beef etc. Basically, put anything you want that is readily available in your moi moi.
Unlike akara where you deep fry in palm oil or vegetable oil, in this case, you will have to mix the oil with the pureed beans. I used a combination of palm oil and vegetable oil for this recipe. Here are few pointers before you make yours.
Tips for making moin moin
- Save time by peeling your beans with blender/food processor
- Soak beans a day before so it is readily available to use on the day (keep refrigerated).
- Moi moi batter is lighter than that of akara
- I can’t stress this enough, always prep ahead in the kitchen so you have a stress free and fun cooking
- Prepare the nylon bag, if possible double it for durability. If you are using leaves, wash clean and set aside
Ingredients to make moi moi
4 cups of peeled beans (Use honey bean or black eye peas)
3-6 hard boiled eggs (use as a whole or sliced)
Dried prawns
3tsp ground crayfish
Salt to taste
4 bullion cubes (I used Knorr cubes)
Ginger and garlic (optional)
1 mackerel fish, cleaned and gutted
Onions
1 red bell pepper (tatashe)
2 scotch bonnet chillies (ata rodo)
1 Cup palm oil
11/2 cup vegetable oil
How to make it
Soak beans in water for about 10 minutes, feel the beans and if the skin peels off easily, then it is ready to be peeled. You can either peel the beans by hand or with the use of a blender or food processor. Check here on how to peel beans with a blender
Soak beans in clean water and leave for some few hours to soften. I left mine in the fridge overnight.
Boil fish with salt, seasoning and onions for about 5-7 minutes, set aside to cool. De-bone and flake fish.
When you are ready to it, add beans in bits to a blender, add red bell pepper, ata rodo and onions, enough water to cover and blend till very smooth.
Pour pureed beans in a big bowl
Add seasoning, ginger, garlic (if using) ground crayfish, and salt to the pureed beans and beat with a wooden ladle (omo irogun/turning stick) for about 10 minutes to incorporate air in the beans batter. This is just to achieve a fluffy and light moi moi. Alternatively, use a hand blender or mixer to make the job easier.
Place a pan on medium heat, add water and leave to boil while you continue with the beans
Using a scoop, add beans batter in the nylon bag in bits, add all the toppings you want then tie the beans tightly and also leave a bit of space between the beans batter and the knot to allow for expansion during cooking. Continue this process till you have exhausted all the batter.
Add the tied bags to the already boiling water in the pan, reduce the heat if on high, add a little more to the pan and cover tightly. Cook for about 40-50 minutes or till beans is set. (Check the pan from time to time to make sure the water does not dry out as this will burst the bags) Take it off the heat and allow to cool.
Enjoy with akamu, garri or rice. I served mine with homemade akamu and plenty of evaporated milk. Thanks for reading and kindly leave your comments below. #myactivekitchen on Instagram or pin this recipe on Pinterest
Watch how to make moi moi
Other Nigerian Beans Recipes You Will Love
Akara which can also be paired with Akamu
Moi Moi
Ingredients
- 4 cups peeled beans Honey beans or black eye peas
- 3-6 hard boiled eggs use as a whole or sliced
- ½ cup Dried prawns
- 2 tbsp Ground crayfish
- Salt
- 4 bouillon cubes I used Knorr
- Ginger and garlic optional
- 1 medium mackerel cleaned and gutted
- 2 medium Onions
- 1 red bell pepper tatashe
- 2 scotch bonnet chillies ata rodo
- ½ palm oil
- ½ vegetable oil
Instructions
How to soak and peel beans
- Soak beans in water for about 10 minutes, feel the beans and if the skin peels off easily, then it is ready to be peeled. You can either peel the beans by hand or with the use of a blender or food processor. Check here on how to peel beans with a blender
- Soak beans in clean water and leave for some few hours to soften. I left mine in the fridge overnight.
How to make moi moi
- When you are ready to make the moi moi, Add beans in bits to a blender, add red bell pepper, ata rodo and onions, enough water to cover (about 1 inch above the content in the blender) and blend till very smooth.
- Pour pureed beans in a big bowl
- Add bouillon cubes(crumbled), ginger, garlic (if using) ground crayfish, and salt to beans and beat with a wooden ladle (omo irogun/turning stick) for about 10 minutes to incorporate air in the beans batter. Alternatively, use a hand blender or mixer to make the job easier
- Add vegetable oil or palm oil and you can use the combination of the two as I did (heat up the palm oil/vegetable oil for 2-3 minute on medium heat or simply microwave. You are doing this as the palm oil might be cold and won't blend into the moi moi batter if used this way) Stir for another 3-5 minutes till well combined.
- Place a pan on medium heat, add water(about 2-3 inches high) and leave to boil while you continue with the beans
- Using a scoop, add beans batter in the nylon bag in bits, add all the toppings you want then tie the beans tightly and also leave a bit of space between the beans batter and the knot to allow for expansion during cooking. Continue this process till you have exhausted all the batter.
- Add the tied bags to the already boiling water in the pan, reduce the heat if on high, add a little more water to the pan if need be and cover tightly. Cook for about 40 minutes or till beans is set. (Check the pan from time to time to make sure the water does not dry out as this will burst the bags) Take it off the heat and allow to cool.Enjoy with akamu, garri or rice. I served mine with homemade akamu.
Notes
Tips for making moi moi
- Save time by peeling your beans with blender/food processor
- Soak beans a day before so it is readily available to use on the day (keep refrigerated).
- Moi moi batter is lighter than that of akara
- I can’t stress this enough, always prep ahead in the kitchen so you have a stress free and fun cooking
- Prepare the nylon bag, if possible double it for durability. If you are using leaves, wash clean and set aside
I use fresh leaves (akwukwo-uma in Igbo language) for my moi moi. I prefer mixing my moi moi with warm water. Ginger, tatashe, curry powder(ducros), knorr cubes, crayfish and enough onions are my favorite ingredients for moi moi
Wao.! !! Moinmoin is a delicious 😋 meal.
Though, b4 I use to look at it as been stressful, but nowadays, there is hardly a week that will pass, without making moimoin.
Nice recipe BUT cooking moimoi in plastic bags is extremely unhealthy…..subjecting the plastic bags to heat makes it leach substances not safe for human consumption into the moimoi…
I have never used crawfish before but love the flavor in the moin moin that I've had while in Lagos. I'm wondering if you can blend the fresh shell? How to get the dirt out of them? Or is there a dry blend recommended like dry fish?
Hi! I'm really excited to try this. I live in the states and was wondering if you could clarify what you meant by nylon bags. Are those just regular plastic bags or are they a special kind of bag? If it's plastic bags then wouldn't they break in the hot water?
Hi, kindly refer to the image on the recipe for reference. If you are in doubt about the durability of the bag you can double it. Send me a message on instagram if you want and I can send you the picture of the one I use. I bought from the pound shop here and it is called freezer bag, it is in a roll and comes in two different sizes. thank you and I hope I have been able to help
Hi Ajoke! I made the moi moi and it came out great! I also got the bags (double-bagged) and it worked fine. Thanks for the help!
Thank you Ngozi for the feedback and I am glad it turned out great.
I wanted to know how long I should cook Moi Moi and came across your article. Thanks!
I would say about 45 minutes but do check on it frequently too. thanks for stopping by
Pls I've been making moi moi but it won't just form & I have to pour everything away each time
What do you think you are doing wrong? is the moi moi batter too light, do you cook it for too long or under-cook it? try out this recipe here, alternatively, bake it in the oven if you have one, that way you can keep a close eyes on it
Hi Titi , The recipe is straight forward, May be for clarity purpose , you can ask someone who know to do it with you, them practise it yourself, you will get it after frequent practise.
you can check it on you tube as well.
Thanks Titi
Hi..my name is Rachael,pls I want to start producing beans flour...can I add cray fish powder and ginger powder?
Thanks
Hello Rachel, you can add ginger powder but only a little not to overpower it but I would personally do away with adding crayfish because of allergy issue. What you could do is add the crayfish and ginger in another sachet that would come with the bean package like indomie and its condiment. I hope this helps
Hi Ajoke, are the bags the ones from Nigeria? Or are they from your local grocery store?
Hi Kk, I bought mine from the grocery store. if you are not sure of the durability of the one you buy, double it.
Nice recipe, I used moi moi pouch from moimoipouch.com made life esy
Can I add geisha in my moi moi?
Oh yes Sallie, I don't see why not.
Hi, can I add raw egg to my moi moi mix to make it fluffy?
Hello anon, yes you can and thanks for stopping by