The coconut is a truly tropical fruit, which spread on its own to tropic coastal zones all over the world. The flesh and milk from coconuts are widely used in African cooking in relishes, sauces, desserts – you name it,” says Maria Bradford, author of Sweet Salone. Braised beef short ribs in peanut and coconut milk Serves: 5 Ingredients: 5 beef short ribs 2 tbsp sunflower oil Steamed coconut rice or fonio, to serve Salt For the peanut and coconut sauce: 2¼ tsp cumin seeds ¾ tbsp coriander seeds 1 tsp West African Pepper Blend (see below) ¾ tbsp curry powder 3½ tbsp coconut oil 2½-3 large onions, finely chopped 25g garlic, grated 25g ginger, grated 1-2 Scotch bonnet chillies, seeds left in, finely chopped 45g tomato purée 250g fresh tomatoes, chopped ½ tsp coconut sugar 300ml coconut milk 3 bay leaves 3 thyme sprigs 100g unsalted smooth peanut butter (use one without palm oil) 500ml beef stock For the West African pepper blend: 2½ grains of paradise 2 tbsp black peppercorns 2 tbsp white peppercorns 1 tbsp cubeb pepper 3 tbsp allspice berries Method: 1. For the West African pepper blend: toast all the peppercorns in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant. Allow to cool, then grind in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar. Store in an airtight jar. It will stay fresh for up to three months. 2. Preheat the oven to 150C/130C fan/300F/gas mark 2. 3. For the sauce, lightly toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a hot, dry frying pan until aromatic. Grind in a pestle and mortar or food processor, combine with the West African Pepper Blend and curry powder and set aside. 4. For the short ribs, heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Season the short ribs with salt and add to the hot pan, frying on each side until golden brown, turning regularly. The aim here is not to cook them but to sear them and add flavour. Make sure to brown them well all over, then remove and set aside. 5. For the sauce, heat the coconut oil in a large heavy-based casserole or Dutch oven (use one with a lid). Add the onions and cook gently over low-medium heat until caramelised and very sweet. This will take up to 30 minutes and it’s important not to rush this process. Add the garlic, ginger and chillies and cook, stirring, for five minutes more. Add the spices and cook for a further five minutes on low heat, stirring to prevent sticking. 6. Add the tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, coconut sugar, coconut milk, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, peanut butter and beef stock to the pan. Stir well to combine, bring to the boil then add the short ribs to pan, making sure they’re all covered by the sauce. 7. Cover with the lid and cook in the oven for four to five hours or until the meat is tender and falling off the bone. Remove from the oven, taste and add salt if needed. Serve with steamed coconut rice or fonio. ‘Sweet Salone’ by Maria Bradford (Quadrille, £30). Read More A week’s worth of summery recipes (even when the weather is dire) The dish that defines me: Frank Yeung’s prawn wontons Discovering Sierra Leonean flavours in South London How to make cassava chips How to make a traditional Sierra Leonean rich cake In Horto: Hearty, outdoorsy fare in a secret London Bridge garden

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The Prince of Wales has teamed up with popular YouTube channel, Sorted Food, to create the first Earthshot Burger. The veggie burger was created with Earthshot Prize-winning products, and a video posted on YouTube shows William handing out meals from a food van in central London with the Sorted Food chefs. The burger, filled with vegetables, spices, pickles and finished with a minty vegan mayonnaise, was developed by the sustainable packaging start-up Notpla (winner of the Build A Waste-Free World category), environmentally-friendly stove company Mukuru Clean Stoves (winner of the Clean Our Air category), and Kheyti’s Greenhouse-in-a-box, winner of the Protect and Restore Nature category. The collaboration is part of The Earthshot Prize’s new partnership with YouTube, to encourage users to create more content around climate change. Here’s how you can make your own at home… The Earthshot Burger Ingredients: (Serves 4) For the pickle: 1 cucumber, 2mm slices 1 mouli, peeled and cut into 2mm slices 200ml white wine vinegar 75g caster sugar 1tsp chilli flakes 1tbsp coriander seeds ½tbsp fennel seeds 1tsp mild chilli powder 1tbsp ground coriander seed 1tsp garam masala For the burger mix: 6tbsp vegetable oil 2tsp cumin seeds 1tsp mustard seeds, brown 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 40g ginger, finely chopped 2 green chillies, finely sliced 1tsp turmeric 1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced 200g white cabbage, shredded 200g cauliflower, finely chopped 100g green beans, finely sliced 500g white potato, steamed and cooled 30g coriander leaves, chopped For the sauce: 200g vegan mayonnaise 60g coriander 20g mint, leaves only 20g ginger, peeled To serve: 4 burger buns, sliced and toasted Method: For the pickle: 1. Place the sliced cucumber, mouli and one tablespoon salt in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. 2. Add 400 millilitres water, vinegar, sugar and spices to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over a high heat. Once simmering, remove the pan from the stove. 3. After 30 minutes, tip the salted cucumber and mouli into a colander and rinse under cold running water then add them to the warm pickle liquid. Stir well and allow to cool. For the burger mix: 4. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds and fry for two minutes until fragrant and starting to pop. 5. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chillies, along with a pinch of salt and continue to fry, stirring occasionally for five to seven minutes until the onion is starting to colour. 6. Tip in the spices and stir to combine. 7. Tip in the sliced pepper and continue to cook for five minutes until the pepper softens and releases its liquid. 8. Add in the cabbage, cauliflower and green beans, stir everything together and cover the pan with a lid. Allow the vegetables to soften for five minutes. 9. Coarsely mash the potatoes in a bowl and then add them, along with the coriander to the pan. Stir everything together and taste and adjust the seasoning. You are looking for a thick mashed potato texture. 10. Remove the pan from the stove. For the sauce: 11. Add the mayonnaise, herbs, ginger and a generous pinch of salt to the jug of a blender and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning. To serve: 12. Divide the mashed potato and vegetable filling between the toasted buns. Top each with a couple of pinches of pickled vegetables and finish with the herb sauce. Read More ‘Nicely cooked’: Watch moment Prince of Wales serves burgers to surprised diners in London The dish that defines me: Frank Yeung’s prawn wontons Seann Walsh explains reason behind his ‘strange request’ at restaurants

A father has been praised for the “embarrassing” dance moves he’s performed when picking his daughter up from high school. Jevin Smith shared a video to TikTok last month of some of the “most embarrassing parent pick ups” he’s done at his daughter’s school. Smith’s video started off with him wearing a gold jacket and black pants, while he danced to MC Hammer’s “2 Legit 2 Quit.” While continuing some of his moves, he started making his way towards his daughter, Jayna, who had her head down, seemingly due to her embarrassment over her father’s arrival. As she continued to walk next to her father while they headed towards his car, Smith danced in front of her. He also continued dancing as he walked towards the driver’s seat of the car. Although the next clip of the montage began in a similar fashion, it had a different musical theme, as the text read: “How I would have picked up my daughter in the 80s.” Jayna was seen laughing and shaking her head, as her father was wearing a curly wig with a sweatband over it, a striped tank top, tan shorts, and socks that went up to his knees. The video continued with Smith dancing to “I Feel For You’” by Chaka Khan, before he opened his car door for his daughter. In the background, some of the other students at Jayna’s school were seen laughing and cheering Smith on. Smith’s third video in the montage showed him wearing a curly wig, hat, black sweatshirt, and matching jeans, before making his way towards his daughter, who was was exiting her school. While Jayna was laughing and had her head down, Smith went on to rap along to Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day”. He also poked fun at the song’s title in the text on the video, writing: “Today was a good day for me, but was it for my daughter?” As he continued his singing and dancing, he put his arm over his daughter’s shoulder, before taking her school bag from her. He then opened the backseat door of his car for her, while she still appeared embarrassed by her father’s dancing. Smith’s video has quickly gone viral on TikTok, where it has amassed more than four million views. In the comments, many people went on to applaud the father for his dance moves, and made jokes about how he could have entertained some of the other students at the school. @wealthyjev Here’s a #throwback of some of my most #embarrassing #DaddyDaughterPickUp s ??? I know my daughter @Reigny cant wait yo graduate ??♂️ Which #parentpickup was your favorite? ? #throwbackthursday ♬ original sound - Wealthy Jev “I absolutely love that you open the door for her! Great dad!!” one wrote. “This man better have his own page in the yearbook,” another quipped, while a third added: “If I was a teacher at that school, I would be RUNNING after the bell rings to watch this in person.” Speaking to Today, Jayna, who’s a senior in high school, noted that while she was initially embarrassed by her father’s dances, she now finds them to be quite amusing. “In the beginning, when he first started doing it, I was like, this is unbearable. Imagine watching your father get out of the car and start dancing,” Jayna said. “Now I think it’s hilarious. There’s never a time when I’m upset. He’s like a celebrity at school now. Everyone loves his TikTok.” Smith also noted to the publication that, while he started doing these dances for Jayna during her sophomore year, he doesn’t do them all the time. The father, who picks his daughter up from school everyday, acknowledged that he can tell by her face when she’s had a bad day. During those instances, he’ll “either tone down the dance, or get right back in the car,” as reported by Today. He added that he also only does the dances once a month, and doesn’t tell her daughter when it’s going to happen. The Independent has contacted Smith for comment. Read More Lily Allen celebrates third wedding anniversary with David Harbour in sweet Instagram post Elon Musk reveals names of his twins with Shivon Zilis Alabama Barker shares sweet note from ‘best dad’ Travis Barker Alabama Barker shares sweet note from ‘best dad’ Travis Barker Gigi Hadid talks about balancing work and co-parenting with Zayn Malik Seal praises his and Heidi Klum’s daughter Leni for making him ‘a better person’

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