These are low budget Foods sold in most Nigerian Markets, with super high inflation plaguing Nigeria, most people complain of not being able to afford a basic nutritious meal. This is why I took my time to compile these foods. Food is the basic necessity of Man, your body doesn’t care about the inflation situation in the country, it demands you must consume things that will keep you healthy. Remember, bulk buying saves you a lot of money.
So we will try to list the foodstuffs and their estimated prices , in addition to its nutritional content.
1. Moi Moi (Beans Pudding): Moi moi is made from beans and can be served with pap or custard. 1 cup of beans is sold for N200 as at the time of writing this post, an egg is sold for N200. You don’t need much for this recipe, 2 cups of beans, crayfish, seasoning, eggs etc. Just about 2000 naira would be enough to make this food for 2 servings. This food is rich in protein and minerals it is a balanced meal by all standards.
2. Akara and Pap:
We also make akara from beans, this is another low-budget Nigerian food that anyone can try at home. I make it with just three cheap ingredients – beans, salt, and vegetable oil. The onion and peppers are optional. Akara should cost about 2500 naira to make, that is if you have vegetable oil at home.
3. Okro Soup and Eba: Lots of people don’t actually know this, but okro soup is one of the cheapest to make in Nigeria. Once you can lay your hands on fresh okro, with some meat, crayfish, and seasoning, you will have a delicious pot of okro soup.
4. Yam Porridge: Most yam recipe are affordable and easy to prepare. Depending on where you live in Nigeria, you can pay between 2000-6000 naira for a tuber of yam. Then you need just some crayfish, palm oil salt and stock cubes to turn your tuber of yam into porridge.
5. Tea and Bread: This tea and bread combination is very popular among students and low-income earners. Sometimes we add butter, fried eggs, or tomato stew in between the bread. It can also be plain sliced bread and a cup of tea. Either way, it is a popular low-budget Nigerian food.
6. Porridge beans: Beans used to be the cheapest staple food in Nigeria, even with the current rate of things, it remains affordable, and making it one of the low-budget food for Nigerian families and students alike. it can be paired with fried ripe plantain or not, and served with pap in most cases.
7. Fried Yam and Sauce: You find the image at the top of this page. Fried yam or yam chips can be served with either tomato sauce or ketchup. It can be served as lunch, breakfast, or dinner. Since yam tubers are generally affordable in Nigeria, most yam recipes are considered low-budget foods
8. Spaghetti Jollof: A pack of spaghetti is just 900 naira today. You will also need some tomatoes, vegetables (carrots and green beans). You can use meat, fish, or just corned beef. With 3500 naira, you should be able to make a pot of spaghetti jollof.
9. Plantain Porridge: Plantains are affordable at certain seasons in Nigeria. You can fry them, roast them or turn them into porridge. Buying a bunch of plantains is considerably cheaper than buying from retailers. You can also save a lot of much by avoiding the street markets, going to major markets helps you save more.
10. African Salad (Abacha & Ugba): processed shredded cassava with oil bean pod with cheap ingredients such as potash, palm oil, seasoning, pepper and salt. The whole ingredient is mixed and garnished with a generous serving of garden eggs and the leaves, with some dry fish. By all standards this is a balanced meal you can prepare yourself.
