DODO GIZZARD

This is one of my absolute favourite Nigerian side dishes, seriously guys i could eat this by the bucketload! I just love the balance of flavours; it’s sweet from the very ripe plantains and spicy from the pepper sauce.

If you've ever been to a party in Nigerian party or get together you must have had or at least been offered dodo gizzard or gizdodo or gizdo or whatever name you call it.

You don't have to wait till your next party to have dodo gizzard, its pretty easy to make at home. I will admit that it does involve quite a few steps as it has three separate components but don't  let that put you off this because the outcome is so worth it.

Plus you could make the gizzard and the pepper sauce in advance and heat them up just before you mix it all together. Just make sure you fry the plantain when you need it, reheated plantain is HORRIBLE. 

Anyhoo let’s get right into it shall we?

Ingredients

7 large very ripe plantains

½ tsp of salt

Oil to fry the plantain

For the gizzard

1 kg of gizzard

4 knorr cubes

1 tbsp dry pepper

1 tbsp onion granules (or 1 small onion)

2 tsp garlic granules or (5 cloves of garlic smashed)

2tsp knorr aromat

1 tsp dred mixed herbs

1 ½ tsp ground ginger

1 ½ tsp curry podwer

1 tsp salt

For the pepper sauce

1 red bell pepper

1 large onion

1 400g tin of plum tomatoes

1/3 cup of stock – you will have this from boiling the gizzard

2 scotch bonnet chillies (rodo)

2 tbsp of vegetable oil

Directions:

Gizzard

Place the gizzard in a pot and add the seasoning, pour enough water so that it is about half an inch above the level of the gizzard. 

Boil for 45 minutes and transfer the gizzard to a foil lined baking tray making sure to reserve the stock to use in the pepper sauce.

Preheat your oven to 170 C and bake for about 10 minutes. It's important that you don't bake these for too long or they will become tough and chewy and EVERYTHING will be ruined!!!!

Well not everything just the gizzard, so don't over bake it. 

Plantain

Slice off the pointed edges top and bottom of the plantain and peel. To cut the plantain slice horizontally and vertically to get four long plantain wedges and chop these about 3/4 of an inch thick.

Repeat until all the plantain is diced and season with ½ tsp of salt. Heat the oil over a medium high heat and fry the plantain batches draining on paper towels to remove the excess oil.

Pepper sauce

Blend together the bell pepper, onion, plum tomatoes and chillies together. 

Pour the oil in the pan and heat for a minute over medium high heat; add in the pepper mixture and the stock. Cook for about 25 minutes or until the oil starts to rise to the top. Taste and adjust for seasoning.

Mix the gizzard, plantain and the pepper sauce together

and that’s it!