Breakfast

Moi Moi

Name: Moi Moi
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 215 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 400 g dried brown beans or black-eyed peas (sorted); 200 g red tatashe or bell pepper (seeded and chopped); 150 g onion (chopped); 1 Scotch bonnet pepper (optional, stalk removed); 75 ml neutral oil (plus 1 tsp for greasing cups); 450 ml water (for batter, added gradually); 2 tbsp ground dried crayfish (optional); 1 tsp fine salt; 4 eggs (for filling); 1.5 litres water (initial steaming and egg-boiling allowance; keep extra boiling water for top-ups)

Soft steamed bean puddings with red pepper, onion, and a boiled-egg filling. Moi moi is a versatile part of Nigerian meals, served beside rice, with pap for breakfast, or on its own. It is associated with Yoruba cooking but appears far beyond the southwest. Leaves traditionally form aromatic wrappers; reusable heatproof cups make the same steamed preparation accessible when suitable leaves are unavailable. Cultural context: Closely associated with Yoruba culinary traditions and widely eaten across Nigeria; this version uses reusable steaming cups.

Egg-filled moi moi served with a separate red stew

Photo by MOIBARDE · CC BY-SA 4.0

Image details

Resized proportionally to 809x1080 pixels; converted to WebP at quality 87; no cropping or content edits.

35 minPreparation

60 minCooking

8Servings

Allow 120 additional minutes for resting / soaking. Total: 215 minutes.

What you’ll need

8 servings

Let’s get cooking

1
Soak beans in ample cool water for 15 minutes, rub off the skins, and rinse away the floating skins. Cover the peeled beans with fresh water for another 1 hour 45 minutes, then drain.
2
Boil eggs in enough water to cover for 10 minutes, cool in cold water, peel, and halve. Grease eight 300 ml heatproof cups or ramekins.
3
Blend the drained beans, peppers, and onion with 350 ml of the batter water until very smooth. Work in batches if needed and scrape the blender between batches.
4
Pour into a bowl and stir in the oil, salt, optional crayfish, and enough of the remaining 100 ml water to make a thick but pourable batter. Do not taste raw bean batter.
5
Divide between the cups, filling each no more than three-quarters full. Press half an egg into each. Cover each cup with foil.
6
Arrange cups on a steaming rack in a wide covered pot with boiling water below the rack. Steam at a steady simmer for 50–60 minutes; check water every 15 minutes and top up around the cups with boiling water.
7
Check the centre with a skewer: it should have no wet bean paste, and the pudding should be set throughout. Continue steaming if necessary.
8
Rest for 5 minutes before removing from the cups. Serve warm with pap, rice, or a pepper sauce.

A little kitchen wisdom

If cups will not fit in one layer, use two steaming pots rather than blocking steam circulation. No fermentation is involved. Avoid using plastic containers unless explicitly rated for this cooking method. Timing: active preparation 35 min; cooking 60 min; additional passive time 120 min; conservative planning allowance 215 min. Some stages may overlap. For Recipe.ng display, prep_minutes includes the additional passive time; it is not all hands-on work. Recipe status: Research draft; not kitchen-tested. Allergens and checks: Egg; Crustacean shellfish if crayfish is used

Recipe notes & sources

Research draft; not kitchen-tested

Also known as: Moin moin, Moyin moyin

Closely associated with Yoruba culinary traditions and widely eaten across Nigeria; this version uses reusable steaming cups.

Allergens: Egg, Crustacean shellfish if crayfish is used

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Breakfast

Moi Moi

Photo by MOIBARDE · CC BY-SA 4.0

Image details

Resized proportionally to 809x1080 pixels; converted to WebP at quality 87; no cropping or content edits.

35 minPreparation

60 minCooking

8Servings

Allow 120 additional minutes for resting / soaking. Total: 215 minutes.

What you’ll need

8 servings

Let’s get cooking

1
Soak beans in ample cool water for 15 minutes, rub off the skins, and rinse away the floating skins. Cover the peeled beans with fresh water for another 1 hour 45 minutes, then drain.
2
Boil eggs in enough water to cover for 10 minutes, cool in cold water, peel, and halve. Grease eight 300 ml heatproof cups or ramekins.
3
Blend the drained beans, peppers, and onion with 350 ml of the batter water until very smooth. Work in batches if needed and scrape the blender between batches.
4
Pour into a bowl and stir in the oil, salt, optional crayfish, and enough of the remaining 100 ml water to make a thick but pourable batter. Do not taste raw bean batter.
5
Divide between the cups, filling each no more than three-quarters full. Press half an egg into each. Cover each cup with foil.
6
Arrange cups on a steaming rack in a wide covered pot with boiling water below the rack. Steam at a steady simmer for 50–60 minutes; check water every 15 minutes and top up around the cups with boiling water.
7
Check the centre with a skewer: it should have no wet bean paste, and the pudding should be set throughout. Continue steaming if necessary.
8
Rest for 5 minutes before removing from the cups. Serve warm with pap, rice, or a pepper sauce.