Nigeria-born Idrees Rasheed, a U.S. Army officer turned food content creator, caught my attention a few months ago when I stumbled upon his page. I was immediately impressed by his cooking skills and engaging voiceovers.
Idrees overcame the myth that when you relocate abroad, you drop your indigenous culture, food, and language and become like them. Tell me why Idrees speaks Yoruba so fluently with many anecdotes from evergreen Yoruba songs? His voice transcends from being didactic to lyrical, sometimes rhythmic, and even poetic, all in pure Yoruba.
The way he presents his content is revolutionary in all standards. From uplifting Yoruba delicacies to preaching the good gospel of the Yoruba language, Idrees Rasheed is a true son of the land. The content creator also uses engaging Yoruba tales, play of words, and cultural alliteration to spice up his voice-overs. While one might argue that his content’s language might limit his visibility to a global audience, he satisfies his audiences that do not understand the culture with visuals that are enough food for the soul.
Idrees Rasheed has proven to be a true “Balogun” of indigenous cooking content, skillfully exploring the deep tenets of Yoruba pronunciation. Through his work, you not only learn new ways of preparing dishes but also enhance your knowledge of Yoruba songs and proverbs.
We cannot keep singing the praises of Idrees Rasheed without reviewing and sharing some of his content with you.
Food content launch- Pounded yam and egusi
Idrees Rasheed started using his page to share his cooking videos around September 2024. His first cooking video amassed over 4 million views, which is pretty impressive for a start. For this reason, we will be checking out the meal that brought him to the cooking limelight.
To start this video’s voiceover, Idrees sampled ‘Opon Apala Ti Sun’ by Musiliu Haruna Ishola. For his first cooking video, Balogun cooked the Ekiti best delicacy, pounded yam and egusi soup. What makes a soup sweet is the unity in the diversity of proteins in that soup. As Balongun said in his video, he nourished the meal with a lot of assorted fish and meat, such that you can take a bite without taking one of them. There are truly some soups that you eat and never get depressed.
The morsel to accompany this rich soup is the proper Pounded yam. Balogun did not forsake his culture by dumping it, but borrowed from the European culture, a machine to make his work easier. The pounded yam could unfortunately not be pruned by the wooden pestle inside the mortar, but by the blades of a blender. At the end of the day, we have our indigenous pounded yam ready in Balogun’s dish.
Idrees Rasheed shows cooking prowess in making rice and beans
If you have been trying to cook your rice and beans together without them getting mashed, then you might want to try Balogun’s recipe. Rice and beans on their own are a yummy combo, but they need a good pepper mix to be complete. Idrees is known for the abundance of assorted proteins in his meals, and this meal is not an exception.
Accompanied by fries and orange juice, this is a go-to meal any day, anytime.
Without saying much, Balogun is indeed the Minister of Enjoyment, Shallipoppi was talking about in his song. He is taking the Nigerian dishes to the ‘intercontinental and monumental level’ by creating visibility for Nigerian and African cuisines. Cheers to Balogun for elevating the culture through food and language in the diaspora!.
