Meet Benny
“I want people to be happy when they are eating my food.”
Benny holds his Southern Nigerian cuisine close to his heart. “We had a lot of dishes, which are good, especially for the health – lots of soups, stews, and okra.”
From the tender age of 5, Benny’s mum would wait for him and his 8 siblings to get home from school, then gather them around and show them how to prepare dinner.
“As time went on, she would give us one after the other a chance to practise what she did. That’s where I learned how to cook. It was amazing.”
Benny is grateful for his mother’s approach, which saw all the boys and girls in his family learning how to cook and prepare food in a way that made eating at home just as enjoyable as going out to a restaurant.
“I’m very passionate about food, and I watch what I eat for health purposes.”
Benny came to Australia 5 years ago. Since then, he has made many friends at the ASRC, where he is a valued leader in the ASRC Cleaning social enterprise.
“My experience with the ASRC is very good. When I came here, they assisted me, and gave me a job which I’m still doing today. I’m very grateful for working with them. They are caring. If you have a problem, they will help you to solve it – always.”
“It’s good to support the ASRC so they can continue the good work they are doing. They have so many things they do for people; supplying medication, giving Myki for transportation, finding jobs for people seeking asylum. People who don’t have food come here to eat. Giving is very good.”
Benny admires the way the community here helps people from other countries, and gives them a sense of belonging. “I’m so happy in Australia, it’s one of the best countries in the whole world.”
Benny’s Recipes
Register to host your Feast to access all of Benny's recipesYou will receive the full recipe booklet in your Host Kit and will also get a link to the recipes in your registration confirmation email.
- Complexity
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- (Easy)
Ingredients
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- 1 cup of dried zobo (available online or from Nigerian food stores. Can substitute with hibiscus tea)
- 6 cups of water
- Your choice of natural sweetener (honey, sugar, agave syrup, or sugar-free sweetener)
- Your choice of natural flavouring (lemon, lime, orange, ginger, or spices)
- Complexity
-
-
-
- (Complex)
Ingredients
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- 1 red onion, diced
- A bunch of washed pak choid
- A bunch of washed silverbeet
- 4 skinless chicken drumsticks
- 700g of firm white fish
- 1 cup of crispy shrimp
- 100g dried stockfish bits
- 250g of button mushroom
- 400g of melon seeds
- f red palm oil
- 3 to 4 cubes of your preferred stock
- Neutral cooking oil
- Chilli powder
- Complexity
-
-
- (Medium)
Ingredients
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- 2 red onions
- 4 skinless chicken drumsticks
- Tofu
- 500g firm white fish
- 3 400g tins of tomato
- 2 tbsp crispy shrimp
- 2 cubes of your preferred stock
- 50g dried stockfish bits
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- Salt
- Cooked white rice (optional)
About Benny’s Recipes
With recipes for hearty soups, stews, and sides typical of Southern Nigeria, Benny hopes people will enjoy trying a new approach to food. “It is important for people to experience recipes from other countries – you will like it!”
Benny’s approach to food prioritises well-being for mind, body, and soul. Nutrient-rich ingredients like ground melon seeds, leafy greens, and white fish are combined with spicy chilli, earthy mushrooms, umami dried shrimp and stockfish to make an array of flavoursome dishes.
For Benny, enjoying cooking your food is just as important as enjoying the end result – “I feel good when I’m cooking, I feel relaxed,” he says. “African food, from the part of the world I came from – Nigeria – our food takes time to prepare. It’s not something you rush. And when it’s done, you know people will enjoy it.”