PEPPERED SNAIL RECIPE

Description:

•Peppered snail is the process of cooking your peppered sauce and stir in your cooked snails.
•Peppered snail is also known as crunchy peppered snail.
•Eating snails are not only healthy, but expensive.
•Snail meat are also called congo meat and are great delicacy to those who eat them.

•For those who have stopped eating or do not eat red meat, snails (white meat) are your best alternative.
•Most joints in Nigeria where alcohol, beers and palm wine are being sold, are where you would see peppered snails.
•Once your snails are cleaned and prepared, it can be used to cook your soups, stews or even sauces.

•Peppered snail has become a very common menu in restaurant, social gatherings and celebrations.

Main Ingredients:

•8-10 large land snails 

• •Peppers (enough to your taste)
• •2 large onion bulbs
• •4-5 fresh tomatoes 
• •1/2 tbsp Curry power 
• •1/2 tbsp Dried thyme
• •1/2 tsp of ginger
• •2 Garlic cloves
• •Salt to taste 
• •Seasoning cubes (to taste)
• •3 Cooking spoons Vegetable oil
• 
  
• Optional ingredient:
• •1 table spoon Crayfish 
• •Bay leaf (to steam the snails)
• 
  
• Garnishing of choice:
• •1 Sliced Onions
• •2 Sliced Peppers
• •1 sliced Spring Onion  
• •1 Sliced Bell pepper (colour of choice)
• 
  
• Things to wash the snail slime with:
• •Lime
• •Alum
• •Salt
• •Garri

      •Lemon

Preparation Method:

•Clean and wash your fresh peppers, tomatoes, and onions, and roughly blend them (not smooth). Pour the pepper mixture to an empty pot and boil until there is no water left in it. This process of boiling the pepper mixture helps to reduce the frying time.

•Note: you can blend the pepper mixture without boiling it.

•Note: you can chop your fresh peppers, tomatoes and onions, without blending and boiling them.

•Your onions, should be divided into 3 parts, one part for steaming the snails, the other part for blending with the peppers and tomatoes, while the third part is to be used to fry the peppered sauce.

Preparation Procedure:

Step 1: After unshelling the snails, wash thoroughly the slime off the snails with any of the followings (alum, lime, lemon, garri, or salt), and rinse thoroughly well. Then slice them into eatable sizes of choice.

Step 2: You can boil your snail for just 5 minutes and drain off the water. This is done to completely remove the bad smell and slime of the snail. 

•Note: this step 2 is optional, you can skip this step 2 and move to step 3.

Step 3: Then, put the shelled and cleaned snails in a boiling water, add in your salt, seasoning cubes, thyme, curry powder, bay leaf, ground peppers and chopped onion, and allow to boil on high-medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes or until a fork can easily pierce the snail. Your snails should be soft and done within 20-25 minutes. When the snails are tendered, take them out of the stock and set aside, but do not pour away the snail stock, because you will be using it to cook the sauce or save it to cook another recipe.

•Note: Use little water to boil your snails; you don't want to lose any flavour by pouring away the snail stock. While cooking the snails, always top up the water when necessary, so it does not burn.

•Note: You can use fork to taste when the snails are soft and tender. They are supposed to crunchy when cooked, but when it is overcooked, it will be too soft and not good for eating.

Step 4: Place your frying pan on medium heat and add your vegetable oil to hot. You can fry your cooked snail for 1 to 2 minutes on low-medium heat. Remove the snails and set aside.

•Note: this step 4 is optional, you can skip this step 4 and move to step 5.

Step 5: Place your frying pan on medium heat and add your vegetable oil to hot.

Step 6: Add your chopped onions, garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes or until the onions translucent or turn golden brown.

Step 7: Add in your curry powder and thyme, and continue frying.

Step 8: Add in your pepper mixture and stir-fry to avoid burning. Fry on low-medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until the oil separates from the pepper mixture or until all the liquid dries up.

Step 9: Add in your ground crayfish and continue stir-frying. 

Note: this step 9 is optional.

Step 10: Add in your seasoning cubes, salt and any other spices of your choice and continue to fry.

Step 11: Then add in your snails in the pepper sauce and stir-fry well to incorporate. You can fry for 2 to 4 minutes on low heat before bringing it down from heat.

Step 12: Taste for seasonings and readjust if necessary.

Step 13: Garnish the peppered snails with your sliced bell pepper, sliced pepper, sliced onions or spring onion, and immediately bring it down from heat. Your peppered snail is ready.

14. Enjoy!😘

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