# African Recipes



## Jikoni

Any African's out there? I will post my favorite chicken in coconut sauce, known in Kenya as Kuku wa Kupaka

Chicken in  coconut sauce

Any meaty parts of chicken on the bone (I use chicken drumsticks)
Fresh garlic(three cloves depending on how much you love garlic!)
Ginger paste(according to taste too)
Half  green chilli
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 cups coconut milk
1 small finely chopped onion
I tinned tomato
salt to taste
chopped dhania(fresh coriander)for garnishing


Method
Marinate the chicken pieces in garlic, ginger, chillies, lemon juice, (I put all in a blender to make a paste) and a tablespoon oil and leave for  1 - 2 hours. Saute finely chopped onion in oil, add tomatos and mix thoroughly on a medium heat. Add fresh chillies, lemon juice and coconut milk and stir all the time to make a thick gravy on a low heat. Then, separately Roast chicken pieces until they are  cooked.Then place the chicken in a dish, pour the thick coconut sauce over the roasted chicken and again put the dish in the oven for 10 minutes basting the chicken with the gravy from time to time.this can be served with 
rice and chapati, and garnish with chopped coriander.


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## buckytom

here's a link to a friend's cookbook/blog of home style algerian cuisine. so far i have made the felfel peppers, and they were fantastic.

http://mybookofrai.typepad.com/cuisinealgerienne/


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## KAYLINDA

buckytom said:
			
		

> here's a link to a friend's cookbook/blog of home style algerian cuisine. so far i have made the felfel peppers, and they were fantastic.
> 
> http://mybookofrai.typepad.com/cuisinealgerienne/


 
Neat blog site!  Great pictures as well as recipes!

Thank you for the recipe Sizzles...can you substitute anything for the coconut milk?  We don't have it around here...Thanks!


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## urmaniac13

Sizzles I have been waiting for you to post some Kenyan recipe, I am not familiar with African cuisine and have been curious.... and the first encounter here seems mighty good!!   

A little while ago we bought a bag of "Gari" (cassava flakes) out of curiosity, but we are still not sure exactly what to do with it... do you have any suggestions??


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## Jikoni

Thank you for the recipe Sizzles...can you substitute anything for the coconut milk?  We don't have it around here...Thanks![/QUOTE]

You can try cream, but then it means you would have to call it 'Chicken in cream sauce' Try some asian shops around you for coconut milk.This recipe is from the Kenyan coast hence the coconut. Nearly everything is cooked in coconut.


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## Jikoni

urmaniac13 said:
			
		

> Sizzles I have been waiting for you to post some Kenyan recipe, I am not familiar with African cuisine and have been curious.... and the first encounter here seems mighty good!!
> 
> A little while ago we bought a bag of "Gari" (cassava flakes) out of curiosity, but we are still not sure exactly what to do with it... do you have any suggestions??



Thanks Urmaniac13. I will post some more recipes. Meanwhile about  the cassava flakes, there are some west african recipes that use them but none that I know of in Kenya. We just boil the whole cassava then when ready take out the outer skin and eat it. I like it with tea as a substitute for bread.


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## Jikoni

*Irio*

This dish originated from Central Kenya but has been adapted by other communities.
2 green corn cobs
about 400 gr beans
4 potatoes
2 cups chopped spinach(or pumpkin leaves)
Salt and pepper
Cut the kernels off the green corn cob. Boil the corn with the beans until soft. Peel and wash the potatoes and add the corn and the beans along with the chopped spinach. Boil together until the potatoes are soft. Season with salt and pepper and mash.Traditionally served with stew.

Instead of having mashed potatoes  all the time I vary it by making irio.


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## urmaniac13

sizzles said:
			
		

> Thanks Urmaniac13. I will post some more recipes. Meanwhile about the cassava flakes, there are some west african recipes that use them but none that I know of in Kenya. We just boil the whole cassava then when ready take out the outer skin and eat it. I like it with tea as a substitute for bread.


 
Okay sizzles, sorry I think I exposed my ignorance, I should have known the Kenyan cuisine and the west african cuisine must be very different...  anyway what does whole cassava taste like?  are they like potatoes?


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## Jikoni

^ Yes I would say cassavas taste a bit like potatoes,except that they are a lot drier and stringy from all the visible fibers.


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## urmaniac13

Thanks Sizzles for the information, now I am thinking maybe we can create a dish a little like polenta with some sauce.  It is really interesting to learn about new kind of cuisine!!


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## Jikoni

Urmaniac13, Glad you are enjoying Kenyan cuisineI love creating dishes, and trying out new things all the time. What shall we call this sauce we are creating?????????????? !!!!!!!!!!!
 I usually cook polenta seperately then prepare a sauce or stew separately. This probably comes from the fact that polenta is similar to Kenyan staple diet 'Ugali' which comes with a separate sauce or stew. (I will post an Ugali recipe sometime)anyway, let me know how we can do this.Sounds like fun. Let's think should it be spicy or not, coconutty or not.


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## urmaniac13

Yes we usually prepare sauces and polenta separately.  For the sauce I was thinking of a brown gravy like sauce loaded with mixed mushrooms which we enjoyed while we were in Northern Italy this summer (it is a region also very close to switzerland, and polenta is very popular there)...  But it maybe nice to stick as much to the african theme as possible while we are using an african ingredient..  what kind of sauce do you use to eat "Ugali" with?  Do you have some suggestion for something coconutty?  (Cris would prefer something on the milder side, not too spicy...)


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## Jikoni

*Ugali*

Maize (White Corn Flour) about 2 cups
Water
Salt (Optional)


Bring water in a pan to a boil (about 4 Cups). Reduce heat to medium and put flour, gradually stirring until the consistency is stiff. Stir continuously, and cover for about 5 minutes. Stir again and form into a mound. The Ugali will be done when it pulls from the sides of the pan easily and does not stick. The finished product should look like stiff grits. Cover the pot with a plate and invert the pan so that the Ugali "drops" on the plate. Serve with stew.


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## Jikoni

*Nyama Keema*

Ingredients:  
1/2 kilo minced beef
2 tomatoes
1 onion (medium size)
oil
6 whole black peppers
6 cloves
3 Cardamom pods
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1tsp dhania(Fresh coriander)
salt according to taste.
1/4tsp Tumeric
3/4tsp chili powder
2tbs yogurt
1/2tsp ginger 
1/4tsp crushed garlic 
Instructions:  
Finely chop the onion and saute in oil until light brown. Add all the spices including yogurt and finely chopped tomatoes. Cook on medium heat till water is almost dried. Add mince meat mix and dry the water again. Then add water, cover and leave to tenderize and water dries. Enjoy it with coconut rice or ugali


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## urmaniac13

Whoa, Ugali is indeed quite similar to polenta, isn't it!!  It is really interesting that in different parts of the world the very similar idea can occur to minds of different people...  I also noticed that some of the recipes you posted have some characteristics of Indian cooking as well, I got that impression with some blend of ingredients, spices in particular.  Did the eastern africans have some trading history with India in the past?  Or it is just the similar climate that brought out the similar method?  Anyway your idea of the stew sounds really good for our cassava flakes... thanks as always for a great recipe!!


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## Jikoni

Yes, Ugali is very much like polenta. Some Kenyan cooking has been influenced a lot by indian cooking especially the use of spices. During the building of the railway(Kenya-Uganda railway)Indians were brought it to work on the railway, they then stayed and made Kenya their home, hence spicing us up!People from the coast used spices like cloves as there were huge clove farms on Zanzibar Island. Hey, stop me, this is not a history forum!


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## jennyema

Cassava is also called Yucca and in many places (like here) you can find it in your regular supermarket.

*Kaylinda*, do you have a large supermarket or an asian store within reach? If so, you probably can find cocnut milk. If not, PM me. I'd hate for you to go on without it.

*Sizzles* ... AWESOME recipes! *Thanks*

*And the history is very interesting!*


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## urmaniac13

sizzles said:
			
		

> Yes, Ugali is very much like polenta. Some Kenyan cooking has been influenced a lot by indian cooking especially the use of spices. During the building of the railway(Kenya-Uganda railway)Indians were brought it to work on the railway, they then stayed and made Kenya their home, hence spicing us up!People from the coast used spices like cloves as there were huge clove farms on Zanzibar Island. Hey, stop me, this is not a history forum!


 
Thanks for sharing the story behind the Kenyan cooking Sizzles!!  It is always interesting and intriguing to learn the history behind each regional cuisine, it helps a lot to understand them


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## Jikoni

*Zanzibar Coffee*

Having spoken of Zanzibar, I thought  I might give you a taste of Zanzibar. Something hot to keep you warm in the winter.

3 cups water, 3 cracked cardamon pods,3 cloves 6 tsps freshly ground coffee, half tsp freshly ground ginger, half tsp ground nutmeg.Boil water with cardamon pods, add coffee and boil for a further 5 mins, then add the rest of the spices and serve piping hot. Sieve before serving.


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## mudbug

Hiya sizzles.  Your recipes are very interesting to me.  I wonder how you are faring in finding the ingredients for these dishes in Switzerland.


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## Jikoni

It's easy to find the ingredients here. There are a few asian shops in Geneva and some african shops too. Importantly there is a shop owned by a Tanzanian. That's where I get all the other stuff I cannot get from the asian shops.A lot of the spices are also readily available in most supermarkets here anyway.


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## Jikoni

*Prawns Mozambique*

Prawns
Peanut oil, 
Hot peppers  or red pepper flakes
Lemon juice( a tbspoon at least)
Garlic cloves(crushed)
Finely chopped dhania(fresh coriander)

Mix up all the ingredients(every ingredient should be according to your taste, I try and go easy on the hot peppers as too much means I won't be able too taste the prawns) and fry. Serve with rice or whatever you wish. I have tried it with pasta and it worked fine.


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## urmaniac13

That's a lovely recipe for prawns, sizzles!!  I love prawns and when I cook them I like it keeping it simple... when you put too much stuff the delicate flavour of prawns tend to get drowned...  it's like a variation of our favourite, cooked with butter, garlic and parsley! 
We finally tried the gari (cassava flakes) just the other day, it did came out almost like polenta!!  I made the Nyama keema, we skipped the clove (we didn't have any!!) and used sour cream instead of yogurt (all we had was strawberry flavoured!!  somehow I didn't think it would go over well with the sauce ) but it came out delicious!!


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## Jikoni

^That's what I love about cooking...improvisation. Having said that, I wouldn't be tempted to use strawberry yorgurt...but maybe I should try, one never knows until they try. I can't promise that I will use strawberry yorgurt this year., so you just have to wait a long while until I get over the fact that the only yorgurt I love is natural.


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## Jikoni

urmaniac13 said:
			
		

> That's a lovely recipe for prawns, sizzles!!  I love prawns and when I cook them I like it keeping it simple... when you put too much stuff the delicate flavour of prawns tend to get drowned...  it's like a variation of our favourite, cooked with butter, garlic and parsley!
> We finally tried the gari (cassava flakes) just the other day, it did came out almost like polenta!!  I made the Nyama keema, we skipped the clove (we didn't have any!!) and used sour cream instead of yogurt (all we had was strawberry flavoured!!  somehow I didn't think it would go over well with the sauce ) but it came out delicious!!



I love prawns way too much. I would love to try your prawn recipes. I have a few myself and would share willingly.


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## Jikoni

*Maandazi*

This is more like a Kenyan doughnut(goes great with tea kenyan style...brewed)
2 cups plain flour
3 tbs sugar
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp corasely ground cardamom
A tsp dry yeast, and oil for frying

Mix all the ingredients with cocnut milk  and bind them into a dough and knead the dough(add water if neccessary or flour if it still sticks to the side of the mixing bowl. The dough is ready only when you can lift it off the bowl without it trying hard too to stay there!)leave the dough in a warm place covered for 2 to 3 hours for it to rise. Then roll out the dough and cut intoo whatever shapes using cookie cutters  and deep fry in hot oil on both sides.

Can be eaten hot or cold.I usually cook maandazi once a month and keep in an airtight container for at least a week, after that they go hard. Kenyan style tea is basically half milk  half water, sugar and tea leaves, slowly brewed until it nearly boils over, then strained, and the tea leaves thrown away.and served piping hot(I can never stand adding cold milkk to my tea, it just makes it cold!


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## farid

African here. Not alot of Africans on English language food forums.


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## Jikoni

farid said:
			
		

> African here. Not alot of Africans on English language food forums.



Hi Farid, hard to understand why there are not many africans on the english language food forums considering that from Kenya down to southern africa, english is used, it's only in some West African countries that French is the official language, and Northern African using Arabic. Oh well, great to read recipes from Algeria. I will check out more recipes from the website, and try them out.thanks for the web address.


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## Jikoni

*Pilau Wa Kuku (chicken Pilau)*

margarine
1 small onion chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns, whole
several whole cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamon powder
crushed ginger
crushed garlic
3 sliced tomatoes
2 potato, cubed
several pieces of chicken pieces(on the bone)
4 tbsp dhania, chopped


Method:

In a medium saucepan, melt the margarine and fry the onion until golden. Add all the spices and the salt. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, potato, and chicken, and mix everything together well. Wash the rice and add it in stirring gently to combine with other ingredients. Finally add in the dhania and and fry for about 3 mins and then pour in the water. Cover and bring to the boil. Lower the heat. Uncover and cook until the liquid evaporates. Cover and cook for 20 minutes on very low heat to allow it to steam.


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## urmaniac13

This is another lovely dish with touch of India... I bet if you and Yakuta could get together you guys will be able to concoct some stupendous aromatic menu!!


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## Yakuta

Hi Sizzles and Urmaniac, I actually have family who was born and raised in Dar es salaam (Tanzania).  My grandparents were originally from there (several generations ago).  My two sister in laws were also born there and came to the US when they were relatively young but they still have that influence in their cooking.  

One of my elderly aunts and her daughter still cook African food when we visit them in Atlanta.  I love a lot of the dishes and my aunt truly is a good cook and one that is totally into fusion between African and Indian cooking.  

I have to say Mandazi is one of my absolute favorite along with fried Yucca sprinkled with some lemon juice, salt and red chilli powder.  I love everything with coconut.  My aunt also makes a mashed yucca with coconut milk.  It's a more exotic version of the mashed potato they pronounce it as "Moghu" and although a little bland for me is still really a great side dish with goat or chicken curry and roti.


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## Jikoni

Yakuta, yes, bring in the maandazi's. My kids love them, I make them almost every week. Sambusas (samosas)are another thing loved by my family.Btw yakuta, have you ever tried coconut chapatis?


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## Yakuta

Hi Sizzles no, I have not tried coconut chappati's but if you share your recipe I will give it a try.  

I do make a variety of chappati's - some seasoned with chopped cilantro, minced onions, whole jeera seeds and curry powder.  I add these ingredients to plain flour and then make a dough by adding water.  I then roll them and dry roast them and then serve them with plain yogurt and pickle. 

I also  make stuffed parathas with potatoes (Aaloo) and radishes (Muli). So the coconut one will be a good one to add to this already long list


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## urmaniac13

Yes, Maandazi sounds reeeaally delicious... I love cardamom in my curries and salads, never thought of using it in a sweet!!  You know it is just like a variation with coconut milk of castagnole, traditional Italian sweet treats for the carnival period(we have so many different sweet treats for this period... almost as bad as Christmas!!).  Next time we must make this version as well at the same time... carnival period is not so far away when you think about it!!


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## Jikoni

Yakuta, for the coconut milk chapatis, instead of water, you use coconut milk.Urmaniac13, I am making some tomorrow, shall I put some in the post for you? I think the postman might eat them!


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## urmaniac13

sizzles said:
			
		

> Yakuta, for the coconut milk chapatis, instead of water, you use coconut milk.Urmaniac13, I am making some tomorrow, shall I put some in the post for you? I think the postman might eat them!


 
Yes, pleeeeease!!
	

	
	
		
		

		
			











  Just write on the package "toxic" !!


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## Jikoni

*Chapati*

Chapatis or Chappatis (singular Chapati or Chappati) are round, flat, unleavened bread common in West Asia, particularly India. They are also popular in Eastern Africa, especially among the Swahili people at the coast.We used to have this on special days, Christmas is never Christmas without chapati and chicken stew. I could never convince my mum that turkey is ok and we don't have to have chapati.

2 cups flour
Water(or coconut milk)
1 teaspoon salt
Oil (or butter)
Cooking Instructions:

Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Add enough water to make a fairly stiff dough. Knead well. Roll out on a floured board into a fairly thick circle. Brush with oil. From the centre of the circle, make a cut to one edge. Roll up dough into a cone, press both ends in, and make a ball again. Repeat that process 2-3 more times. Divide dough into 4 or 5 balls, and roll each out into a thin circle. Heat a frying pan over moderate heat and dry out each chapati in the pan quickly. Brush pan with oil and fry chapati slowly until golden brown on each side. Serve hot or cold with stew.


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## Jikoni

Kenyan Goat stew

Ingredients:


Goat meat cut into small pieces
Tomato puree(to thicken the stew)
An onion
Fresh tomatoes
crushed garlic
Dhania
Salt to taste


Method:
Fry onions in pot until translucent, add meat and keep frying, add tomatoes, then all the other ingredients and let simmer until the meat is ready.Serve with rice, ugali or chapati.This is the original version of goat stew, I make my own additions to it, like lets say curry powder, or coconut milk or thicken the stew even more with flour etc etc.


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## Sandyj

In Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia, this is a very common dish, and one of it's names is "stywe pap" and, if it's more dry and crumbly, "krimmel pap" (my spelling is probably wrong).

It's served the same way as you describe. I make this often when we have a bbq, and serve it as a side dish accompanied by a sauce made of sauteed onion and fresh cut up tomatoes. Sometimes I put some corn (frozen or canned (w/out the juices)) in it, too.



			
				sizzles said:
			
		

> Maize (White Corn Flour) about 2 cups
> Water
> Salt (Optional)
> 
> 
> Bring water in a pan to a boil (about 4 Cups). Reduce heat to medium and put flour, gradually stirring until the consistency is stiff. Stir continuously, and cover for about 5 minutes. Stir again and form into a mound. The Ugali will be done when it pulls from the sides of the pan easily and does not stick. The finished product should look like stiff grits. Cover the pot with a plate and invert the pan so that the Ugali "drops" on the plate. Serve with stew.


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## Jikoni

It's interesting because  a few days ago, I went to an African cultural night and  they had a similar 'pap' thing from Nigeria.I am curious how many countries in Africa have the same sort of thing all in a different name.


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## Sandyj

sizzles said:
			
		

> It's interesting because a few days ago, I went to an African cultural night and they had a similar 'pap' thing from Nigeria.I am curious how many countries in Africa have the same sort of thing all in a different name.


 
I'd bet just about all of them. Interesting how so many cultures seem to make use of corn meal as a staple. I know it is probably because it isn't as expensive as other types of food, and is nutritious and filling.

Have you ever heard of Bobotie? I make this fairly often, and it's an interesting dish with an interesting history (blend of Malaysian, Dutch, African styles) - there are lots of recipes for it on the web. I have a very old one from a friend, and we like to soak the fruit in sherry before adding to the curry. I don't have the recipe with me know, but I can look it up at home.


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## Jikoni

^No never heard of Bobotie, Would happily try it if you can find the recipe.


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## urmaniac13

sizzles said:
			
		

> ^No never heard of Bobotie, Would happily try it if you can find the recipe.


 
Hey Hya!!  How are you?  I found the recipe, sounds really good!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobotie


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## Jikoni

Hiya Licia,Urmaniac13 (I know you laugh every time you type, Hi, Hiya!)thanks a lot, I have looked at the recipe over and over again, sounds interesting, but on the web page it mentions Kenya. I have never come across it ever, the name doesn't even ring a bell, but knowing me, I am willing to try it out and find out exactly it's origin.It had to have started from somewhere right?!


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## Yakuta

Hi Sizzles, Sandy, I just came back from staying at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge in Orlando Florida.  

I had a fabulous time.  The entire resort has an African theme.  They even employ exchange students from Africa - lots of them from Botswana, Pretoria, Capetown and Kenya.  

The lodge has giraffes, zebras and other African animals and birds that you can watch from your room.  It was a trip I will not forget soon and nor will my boys. 

I ate twice at a restaurant called BOMA's.  It's modeled like an African marketplace and the food is a buffet with a lot of African delicacies.  I ate Boboti there made with Lamb and it was really good.  I also tried a corn mash (like grits) with a vegetable stew.  A lot of dishes used sweet and savory (sultanas are used in salads, breads, stews etc).  I also liked the chicken which was seasoned with cumin, chilli powder and strong spices almost similar to Indian cuisine. 

Anyway the mention of Boboti brought back my vacation memories.  I can't wait to go back there.  I will have to start working hard again so that I can make the money because the place is not cheap but it was well worth it.  My boys learned so much about Africa.  Now they want me to bring them there .


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## Jikoni

Wow Yakuta!glad you had a great time. I am envious, it's cold here, and more so as you got to eat boboti. I ksaw the recipe and wonder how I have lived all these years without it. trust me, next week, Boboti.You ate all  those lovely dishes...mmmhhhh. Doggy bag for me?


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## Jikoni

Yakuta said:
			
		

> I ate twice at a restaurant called BOMA's.  It's modeled like an African marketplace and the food is a buffet with a lot of African delicacies.  I ate Boboti there made with Lamb and it was really good.  I also tried a corn mash (like grits) with a vegetable stew.  A lot of dishes used sweet and savory (sultanas are used in salads, breads, stews etc).  I also liked the chicken which was seasoned with cumin, chilli powder and strong spices almost similar to Indian cuisine.
> .



Btw Yakuta, 'Boma' is a swahili word for 'homestead'


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## Jikoni

*Doro Wat*

Ingredients :

Chicken pieces(fleshy) 2 pieces per person
Vegetable oil for frying
About 2 onions per person coarsely chopped(this dish requires lots of onions)
2 cloves garlic chopped per person
tomato paste
I tsp per person Berbere seasoning 
1 Hard-boiled eggs, peeled (optional) per person

Method :

Heat oil in a sauce pan, then add the onions. Cook over medium heat until somewhat soft, then add garlic. When onions are translucent, stir in tomato paste and about 1/4 cup of water. add berbere to the mixture. add chicken and coat with the sauce, and cover. Simmer, stirring often to make sure the sauce doesn't stick or burn,  add water as necessary to keep the sauce the consistency of thick ketchup. If you're using eggs (traditional in doro wat), add them whole to the mixture after 30 minutes to boil together( i usually soft boil the eggs separately, shell them and add to the meal half an hour before serving
Simmer on the stove top about one hour. The sauce should be a rich, deep red. When the dish is done, hold in a warm oven until ready to serve.Serve with enjera bread.


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## Jikoni

*Vitumbua*

Ingredients:
2 cups maizemeal
2 cups homebaking flour
1 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 tbsp dry yeast
1 egg, beaten (optional)
vegetable oil for deep frying

Method:
Dissolve the yeast in a little warm water (about a tablespoon) and set aside. Mix the 2 flours in a bowl, then add the sugar and salt. Mix them up with your hand. Mix in enough warm water to make a runny but stiff paste. Add in the yeast and mix well with your hands. Set aside and cover to rise to double in size for 2 hours. After rising, mix in the beaten egg and deep fry the mixture in balls that you’ll drop by hand into the hot oil.Enjoy with a cup of tea.


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## Jikoni

*Mchicha wa Nazi na Karanga*

Spinach with coconut and peanuts

1 lb spinach
1 cup coconut milk
half cup finely crushed peanuts
2 medium onions chopped
2 medium tomatoes chopped
2 fresh green chillies
1 tbs oil
and salt to taste

Chop spinach finely, saute the chopped onions in the oil until soft, add spinach and cook for 3 to 5 mins. Add tomatoes, green chillies, chopped peanuts and coconut milk and cook for a further 10 mins. I like it served with rice, chapati or ugali.


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## Jikoni

*Traditional Mombasa Meat 'Kalio' curry(Heavy and rich)*

Kalio
one kg of lamb (or beef) cut into cubes
half a kg onions, chopped
one cup peeled tomatoes, chopped
half a kilogramme of potatoes, peeled, cut into pieces and fried
two tea spoons ginger paste
one and a half tea spoons of garlic paste
two table spoons of tomato puree
two table spoons of coriander/ cumin powder
one tea spoon of garam masala powder
half a tea spoon of turmeric
half a tea spoon of red chilli powder
three quarters of a cup of (vegetable/ olive) oil
one table spoon of chopped dania
salt to taste
lemon juice to taste

WHOLE GARAM MASALA:

(lightly grind ingredients below into a loose powder
and store ready for use in the refrigerator)

half a cup of yoghurt
half a tea spoon of saffron
four pods of cardamom
two sticks of cinnamon
six cloves



Method  

   1. Wash the meat pieces and add  yoghurt, saffrongarlic, ginger, and half the quantity of whole garam masala and marinate for one hour minimum.
   2. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Fry the remaining whole garam masala.
   3. Add the onions and fry until golden brown.
   4. Add the marinade, tomatoes, and all the powdered spices (except garam masala) and fry.
   5. When well blended and thick, add the tomato puree and lemon juice and cook on low heat.
   6. Add one and a half cups of water, bring to boil and cook over low heat until meat is tender. Alternatively can be cooked in an oven for one hour at 
   7. Add fried potatoes and sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and garam masala powder and simmer until oil floats to the surface.


(N.B. Chicken Kalio can be made in the same way )


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## Chopstix

Wow Jikoni.  First time I'm reading this thread. Thanks for being so generous with your recipes.  I've never tried African food but I'll begin with your very first recipe on the Chicken in Coconut Sauce.  I have all the ingredients except for lemon which I'll sub with either lime (cheap and plentiful here) or Philippine lemon called kalamansi (I have a plant.) Thanks again!


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## kulikuli

Hi Jikoni. This thread was one of the main reasons for me to join this board. Know a bit about West African food. Saw hte mention of Gari above. Gari is made from Cassava. They are peeled and then finely grated. Most of the moisture is pressed out then then the grated cassava is left to ferment. After fermentation, the cassava is roasted over a low fire. The result is Gari.

Gari is not cooked. It is kind of West African instant food. All you have to do is pour boiling water over it and knead it through a little bit with a strong wooden spoon. 

It is served as a lump, you use your hands to take portion sized little lumps from it, dip it in sauce and eat. It is eaten with soup, stew in West Africa is called soup, not stew.

BTW. Semolina is also prepared by simply adding boiling water, eaten without further cooking.


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## urmaniac13

kulikuli said:
			
		

> Hi Jikoni. This thread was one of the main reasons for me to join this board. Know a bit about West African food. Saw hte mention of Gari above. Gari is made from Cassava. They are peeled and then finely grated. Most of the moisture is pressed out then then the grated cassava is left to ferment. After fermentation, the cassava is roasted over a low fire. The result is Gari.
> 
> Gari is not cooked. It is kind of West African instant food. All you have to do is pour boiling water over it and knead it through a little bit with a strong wooden spoon.
> 
> It is served as a lump, you use your hands to take portion sized little lumps from it, dip it in sauce and eat. It is eaten with soup, stew in West Africa is called soup, not stew.
> 
> BTW. Semolina is also prepared by simply adding boiling water, eaten without further cooking.


 
Thanks for input on Gari, kulix2!! (I am the one who mentioned about gari!!) Do you have any recommendation for sauces/condiments to go with that?


----------



## kulikuli

urmaniac. I have typed up a "classic" West African recipe for you to try with your gari (incidentally, gari is the name for the meal, once you prepare it as described it is called Eba)

Egusi Soup is one of the traditional soups (stew, really) being prepared in West Africa. The following is an original recipe, though you may not be able to get some of the ingredients. I have tried to indicate possible substitutes.

Egusi Soup

1 chicken, jointed
1 large onion, diced or sliced
4 cups water
   salt

4-5 large red peppers, substitute any hot peppers you like, qty to your taste
2 medium sized tomatoes
1/2 cup dried crayfish, substitute 1 Tsp crayfish paste available from Asian stores

1 cup red palm oil, most unlikely to be available near you, personally I do not like it anyway

1 lb fresh or dried fish, cut into pieces
2 cups washed bitter leaves, cut into thin strips, substitute spinach

1/2 cup egusi, that is melon seeds. You might try sunflower seeds as a substitute

preparation

Boil the chicken pieces with the onion until almost tender, add the palm oil (you can leave out the palm oil, although that gives it most of the "original" taste).

Blend the peppers, tomatoes and crayfish to a paste and add to the boiling chicken. Boil for a further 10 mins. Add the palm oil (you can leave out the palm oil, although that gives it most of the "original" taste) and cook for another ten minutes. Add the fish. Mill the egusi seed to a coarse meal and add to the stew. Cook for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally, or until you have a fairly thick sauce. Serve with pounded yam, gari or semolina (polenta).

Personally, I only use chicken or beef, no fish. I also use spices like for an Indian food recipe. Turmeric gives the same coloring as red palm oil. Red palm oil is non-refined oil and personally I do not appreciate the taste.


----------



## Jikoni

Chopstix said:
			
		

> Wow Jikoni.  First time I'm reading this thread. Thanks for being so generous with your recipes.  I've never tried African food but I'll begin with your very first recipe on the Chicken in Coconut Sauce.  I have all the ingredients except for lemon which I'll sub with either lime (cheap and plentiful here) or Philippine lemon called kalamansi (I have a plant.) Thanks again!



I use powdered kalamansi sometimes when I forget to buy limes for some recipes, I also love licking the stuff. I am sure it will work great.


----------



## Yakuta

Jikoni, I was reading your Kalio recipe and I must say it sounds really really good.  It is very close to the authentic Indian curries I cook.  I have to give it a try. 

I thought you may find this interesting but we make dry beef at home sometimes that can be stored in your pantry and it can be cooked anytime you want (it's more like cooked dry meat) and we call it Kalio.  

It's a task to make but once you have it you can store in an airtight container for months or years and you can fry some up with a little oil and eggs or with some onions and jalapenos.  It's really good so I wanted to share the recipe.

10 pounds of a nice cut of beef.  I like to buy prime and then cut into big chunks. 

Wash and cook the beef in a pressure cooker with 4 heaping tbsps of ginger, 2 tbsp of red chilli powder, cumin powder and some salt.  Add only a cup or two of water because a lot of water will be released during cooking. 

Let it cook until the beef is tender and it almost falls apart.  Open the cooker and keep cooking until all the water evaporates.  

Let the mushed up meat cool down a bit.  Now seperate it with your hands into thin strands and discard any fat or tissues.  Let it air dry in a sheet pan for several hours.

Next dry roast it slowly in a large fry pan (on low) until it's golden and crisp.  Cool and store in containers.  It is a great addition to eggs or anything else that you can think of.  My kids like it just fried up with a little olive oil and roti bread.  It's very lean since you seperate it with your hands.


----------



## Jikoni

Yakuta, that's really interesting because when making Kalio, the idea is to cook lots of it and save lots of it for further use. I have never known anyone who made Kalio for one sitting.


----------



## Jikoni

*Yassa Chicken*

This is a delicious Senegalese Dish. 
-5 lbs chicken pieces, skinned and washed
-1 1/4 cup of lemon juice
-1/2 cup white wine vinegar
-1/2 cup peanut oil
-3 onions, sliced
-2 sprigs of thyme
-red pepper, to taste
-2 cups water
-4 bay leaves.

Mix the lemon juice, the vinegar, half the oil, the onions and pour on 
the chicken pieces in a bowl. Marinate overnight, or longer. Remove the 
chicken and the onions from the marinade. Brown the chicken on both 
sides. Fry the onions in the remaining oil for a few minutes. Add the 
marinade, thyme, hot pepper, water and bay leaves. Simmer on medium heat 
for about 10'. Return the chicken to the sauce and cook until done, about 
half an hour.


----------



## velochic

Jikoni,  my family very much loves this well-known African dish I've been making for decades, Doro Wat.  I have changed it to use chicken breasts instead of chicken pieces, but I try to keep ethnic recipes as authentic as I can.  The source for my recipe was in a cookbook I discovered many long years ago and is now lost.  I have yet to find two recipes online that are the same.   Some use cardamom or fenugreek (neither of which are in my berbere spice mixture).  I was wondering if you know this Ethiopian dish.  If you do, do you have any tips about it, stories or suggestions?


----------



## Jikoni

Velochic, 
I posted an authentic doro wat recipe under African Recipes.Check it out. I got it from an Ethiopian friend.I love doro wat.hope you enjoy making it.


----------



## velochic

Sorry!! I fogot who posted the recipe.  Does the berbere spice mixture differ in different countries of Africa?  Many recipes call for berbere "paste".  Mine's a dry mixture.


----------



## Jikoni

Sorry Velochic,  My computer's modem had a problem so have not been able to get online. To answer your question, I have never used beriberi paste, I use the powdery spice. And I don't know any country in Africa that use Beriberi spice as their authentic spice except Ethiopia and Eritrea.I was introduced to it by an Ethiopian friend many years back. I had never heard of it before then.I had been to a few Ethiopian restaurants to eat Doro wat, but had no idea what spice they used. To make a paste out of the powder,  add oil and keep stiring it to a paste,  on the other hand, just spoon the beriberi powder into the food, it's bound to have the same effect once cooked.


----------



## Claire

The Portuguese use beriberi sauce (definitely adopted from Africa), even some Hawaiians of Portuguese descent.


----------



## jpinmaryland

I dont think anyone's posted a stew like this. I call it Biafran Stew since the guy who showed me this was from Ghana. I didnt want to try at first it, but I found out the taste of the salty fish with the tomato was very much like my favorite store bought antipasto that they used to sell in stores in jars...

Biafran Stew

Start with a good stewing meat, he would use e.g. beef backbones, you could use any sort of coarser meat. Saute this in a heavy bottom pot in a little oil until the meat is fairly cooked. Add onions  and sautee as well.

Add  chopped tomatoes and tomatoe sauce, some garlic, then whatever vegetables you would like. I would suggest bell peppers, string beans, maybe zuccinni. Simmer this for some time e.g. 30 min. 

Then add a salty fish. He would use mackeral, or sardine, I guess even anchovies would work. Simmer some more e.g 1 hr. then serve this on that traditional bread, what is it? is it made from potato flakes? 

I cant recall what spices he used, obiously pepper and salt. I would suggest using thyme as well. Whatever you think is traditional. Perhaps some coriander and cumin....

enjoy. It really reminds me of Italian cooking.


----------



## BreezyCooking

Actually, anchovies would probably HAVE to work around here, since salted mackerel &/or sardines are fairly nonexistent - lol.

This recipe sounds interesting, because normally I don't care much for African food, mostly because many of their dishes, even the spicy ones, call for a lot of the "sweet" spices - cinnamon, cloves, etc. - & I don't really care much for them in savory cooking.


----------



## jpinmaryland

It is a very good recipe, definitely. I found a recipe for a LIberian soup that is quite similar it is called Fish Innard Soup or some such, and it uses a mackeral as well as innards and beef. The book does not mention too many spices...

I was thinking more of the spices and would think Thyme and Bay would be available to west africa. ANother might be coriander and hot pepper flakes. I know they use coriander w/ sardines in certain meditteranean dishes.


----------



## allioop108

*what is tinned tomatoes?*

I was looking at this recipe for chicken and one of the ingredients is tinned tomatoes.  I looked up tinned tomatoes on the internet but didn't get a sufficient definition to know what am I buying.  Will it say tinned tomatoe on the label?  I'm getting the impression that it is supposed to be tomatoes that are in some type of sause and not water like canned tomatoes.  Do I need to look for them in a specialty store?

Allen


----------



## BreezyCooking

No worries - "tinned" tomatoes are the same thing as "canned" tomatoes.  No difference.


----------



## allioop108

Jikoni said:
			
		

> Any African's out there? I will post my favorite chicken in coconut sauce, known in Kenya as Kuku wa Kupaka
> 
> Chicken in coconut sauce


 
Ok so this was the first recipe from the forum that I tried and it was very delicious.  Asa matter of fact just got done cooking and eating it.  Thank you for taking the time to post and can't wait to try many others.

Allen


----------



## Jikoni

allioop108 said:
			
		

> Ok so this was the first recipe from the forum that I tried and it was very delicious.  Asa matter of fact just got done cooking and eating it.  Thank you for taking the time to post and can't wait to try many others.
> 
> Allen


Thanks for the lovely feedback allipop108. Glad you enjoyed it.


----------



## Nicholas Mosher

I dug this thread up with a search.

I spent a week in Seattle a few years ago, and must have eaten 8/10 dinners at Ethiopian Restaurants.  It's absolutely incredible how good this food is from start to finish.

Right now I'm working on French Bistro and American Regional cuisines, but I picked up an Ethiopian cookbook that is excellent.  ISBN 0-9616345-2-9
http://www.amazon.com/Exotic-Ethiop...34529/ref=sr_11_1/002-7012827-2948802?ie=UTF8

I've tried making Injera with Teff, and have gotten reasonably acceptable results, but I need to practice a bit more...

Braises and stews are some of my favorite dishes, and I loved almost every We't that I had in Seattle.  The nearest place out here for me is out by Boston unfortunately... 

I bookmarked this thread to refer to later on... thanks!


----------



## Jikoni

*Ngege. (Fried Lake fish with groundnut sauce)*

Nicholas, I am glad you are enjoying African recipes. 
'Ngege' is the name of a fish from the lake Victoria, where my mum originally comes from and lives. this recipe can be used with any other type of fish.

1 big or two small sized 'ngege'
2 medium sized onions
2 tspoon curry powder
1 cup cooking oil
2 tbspoon groundnut paste
salt and pepper to taste, 
1 cup of water.

Cut the flesh of fish across about 1/4 inch deep in 3 places on both sides, rub slt, pepper and curry powder into the cuts
Heat oil in a a large frying pan until smoky hot, put in the fish and don't turn until brown and crispy. Turn over and brown and the other side. Reduce heat and cover soo the inside is cooked. Remove from pan and place on dish, keep hot. Then slice and fry the onions, scatter all over the fish. In pan  that was used to fry fish and onions, put groundnut paste and sesoning, stir gently adding cold water a little at a time. This will make the sauce. Return to the heat and simmer until sauce is thick.then pour over the fish and serve.


----------



## cjs

I ran across this thread while I was searching Ethiopian info - I'm absolutely fascinated with the entire thread!! My question - is jikoni still on the boards?? What a wonderful source for great sounding dishes - I now have 18 pages to print out and figure out where to start!!!!

Oh my, what fun!

urmaniac13, are you still trying these dishes???? I'm just fascinated.


----------



## Jikoni

cjs said:
			
		

> I ran across this thread while I was searching Ethiopian info - I'm absolutely fascinated with the entire thread!! My question - is jikoni still on the boards?? What a wonderful source for great sounding dishes - I now have 18 pages to print out and figure out where to start!!!!
> 
> Oh my, what fun!
> 
> Hi CJS, Yes, Jikoni is very much alive and kicking in DC  I am glad you like the recipes. Enjoy African cooking. I will post some more.If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Bon appetit.


----------



## mimislim77

Jikoni said:
			
		

> Thanks Urmaniac13. I will post some more recipes. Meanwhile about  the cassava flakes, there are some west african recipes that use them but none that I know of in Kenya. We just boil the whole cassava then when ready take out the outer skin and eat it. I like it with tea as a substitute for bread.


hello, about the cassave flake(garri) i can help with any of the soup they prepare in west africa(nigeria). 
edikang ikong soup(vegetable soup)
400g pumpkin leaves
700g waterleaves/ spinach
200g smoked dried fish/ meat
300g meat(goat, mutton, or beef)
200g stock fish,
100g snails
50g whelks
150g prawns
100g ground crayfish
500ml stock( from boiled meat)
215mls fresh palm oil
3 stock cubes
1 teaspoon fresh/dry hot pepper
method: 1. pick the vegetables(pumpkin & spinach leaves) from the stalk, soak in salted water for about 5 minutes to remove all the sands or dirt from the leaves, and shred finely into tiny small pieces.( after shredding each leaves, put them aside).
2. wash and season the meat, stockfish until tender.
3. blend crayfish into powerdering form.
4. blend pepper too.
5.remove snails from shell, wash with alum/ salt/ limes to remove the slime. wash thoroughly until the stickness is lost, then slit it open, remove the internal parts and cut into desired pieces.
6.back to method 2. when the meat is cooked, add the blended crayfish, pepper,but make sure that the stock from the boiled meat is not much, or take out some and reserve them for use later. 
7. add the other meats e.g, snails, prawns, whelks etc., and allow to cook for 3 minutes.
8 add the shredded pumpkin leaves first, after 3 minutes, add the water leaves/ spinach, cover the lid half way, cook for 3minutes,
8. add the palm oil, and alow to cook for another 2 minutes, then stir and taste for salt, if the right seasoning is obtained, bring down from the boil and open the lid to release the heat.


----------



## mimislim77

hi urmaniac, i didnt direct you on how to prepare the cassave flake( garri). it can be used to eat the vegetable soup too.....

cassava flake..

2 cups of garri
400ml boiling water..

method....
1. sieve the garri, to take out any dirt.
2. boil the water, if hot, put the water into a bowl, and sprinkle the garri evenly on oi. the garri will absorb the water.
3. stop sprinkling the garri before all the water is absorbed. if necessary add more water and some garri, as some garri absorbs much water, the product should not be too hard or it will be difficult to digest.
4. use a wooden spoon to mix the mixtuer by folding it in..mix properly to have all the mixture together and into a smooth thick paste...
5. dish out as desired, using a different dish for the soup...
enjoy your meal....


----------



## cjs

Oh, I'm so glad you have not 'moved' on, Jikoni!! And thanks for the offer of help. So far I've made Injeera (Injera??) - did not have Tef flour (did find some last weekend!), made it with whole wheat that was suggested as a substitute along with some all purpose flour. 

And, I made a 'tablecloth' with them - fun!

Also made Siga Wot - oh my,  we loved this!! and a take off of - and I'm not sure whether this is spelled 'Iab' or 'Lab' ??? cottage cheese & yogurt topping - very good also.

so, you can see I'm having fun with these new flavors and now that I found Tef flour, I'm ready to go again with all the recipes I've printed out.

Again, I thank you all for the great ideas to get us started on this adventure!


----------



## Harborwitch

LOL, Jean - we made the menu Sunday night - did all the prep Saturday.  We couldn't make the Injeera fast enough - the "cheese" was on the island behind us, we'd cook one, slap it on a plate, put some cheese on it and fight over it.  Jeeze it was good.  The Siga Wot was fantastic - I made a half recipe because it was just the two of us - we licked the bowls - it was soooooo good.

Jikoni we made the Maandazi last night and served them with a Mango, raspberry, and lemon sorbet "bombe".  Wow perfect end to a meal!  Next time I'm going to make a mango, coconut, and raspberry bombe.  Bob loved the Maandazi!  Had more for breakfast this am.  

The Queen of Sheba salad was good too - what a kick of flavor!

We also found an African Caribbean grocery store right here in Stockton.  The owner was just getting ready to leave - but she stopped and gave us a tour of a lot of the ingredients for both African and Caribbean cooking.   We bought some yellow beans from Ghana that I'm dying to try but have no idea.   What a hoot our weekend was!


----------



## Caine

KAYLINDA said:
			
		

> Neat blog site! Great pictures as well as recipes!
> 
> Thank you for the recipe Sizzles...can you substitute anything for the coconut milk? We don't have it around here...Thanks!


 
I get my coconut milk at the 99¢ Only store. I have also purchased it at Cost Plus World Market, which is a great source for foods and beverages (especially wines!) from all over the world. ***




***I guess that where they get the *World Market* part from, huh?


----------



## cjs

I'm doing my menu tomorrow nite Sharon!!! Aren't the flavors just great? I'm thinking Asian cooking is a thing of the past for me for a while!!!


----------



## Harborwitch

I agree.  These flavors are so lush and yummy.  Bob would like the Queen of Sheba Salad as a cold soup!  D@m that was good!  I could eat that a lot!

I'm going to play with them again this weekend.  I'm doing appys for 135 people - while I'd like to do the injeera (didn't think they were so good cold) I think we'll stick with pita chips with the cheese and a hummus and then I'm going to meatballs in the siga wot seasonings and sauce.  Also something with cucumbers - perhaps little cucumber cups with a tuna or salmon mousse for something a little lighter.


----------



## cjs

Tonight's the night!! My Iab (or Lab) is draining as we speak and I'm all set to make the 'donuts' this a.m. and go from there.

I wish someone would tell me if it is "Iab" or "Lab" -  the cottage cheese/yogurt mixture. ?????


----------



## Jikoni

cjs said:
			
		

> Tonight's the night!! My Iab (or Lab) is draining as we speak and I'm all set to make the 'donuts' this a.m. and go from there.
> 
> I wish someone would tell me if it is "Iab" or "Lab" -  the cottage cheese/yogurt mixture. ?????



It's Iab Cjs. I have never really made it, but you have got me thinking. So happy you guys are enjoying these dishes. And Btw, Jikoni will never 'move on' when it comes to DC.


----------



## cjs

"Jikoni will never 'move on' when it comes to DC" - Well, thank God jikoni!! As hooked as Sharon and I are on this type of foods, we'll be questioning you often, I'm sure! Thanks for your help so far.

The dinner last nite was just wonderful!!

our menu
Siga Wot
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




Iab
Injeera
Queen of Sheba salad
Tej - I didn't make this, did you Sharon??
Maandazi - in fact, just had one with my a.m. coffee!!

(Note: WOW, can't control where the pictures are going to end up!!!) Great dinner!!


----------



## Harborwitch

We didn't make the Tej.  We opened a wonderful Riesling that was perfect with the dinner.  

Last night I did the appy's for the fishermen.  Because of time constraints I cheated and used frozen meatballs - tripled the rest of the siga wot recipe and threw in the 6 lbs of meat balls and let them simmer in the amazing sauce for a couple hours in a very slow oven.  I doubled the Iab recipe ( found a jar of "Spring Salad Herbs", we read the ingredients and estimated the porportions of dill, shallots, chives, and garlic - that's what I used for this batch and it was fantastic!  Made a huge batch of hummus, and a tapenade at the last moment.  We thought we should do a play it "safe" and did a smoked salmon mousse in cucumber cups.  I seasoned the salmon with cumin and grains of paradise - total waste, it just got lost in the smoke.  

All in all it was a great evening!


----------



## Jikoni

*Mchuzi Wa Kigada (cassava leaves stew/soup?!)*

I had this for the first time. My mum is getting more and more creative, I didn't even know cassava leaves were edible!

1 kg young cassava leaves
Water depending on whether you want it as a soup or stew
1 large onion
tomato paste
5 large okra(Okra has no plural right? Can't say Okras can you?)
100ml coconut milk

Boil cassava leaves in salted water for 10 mins, then remove from fire and add cold water, drain, pound using a pestle and mortar or use a blender, then fry onions, add cassava leaves, okra, coconut milk, stir well and let cook for another 20 mins, add tomato paste stir and simmer for another 10 mins and then serve with rice, ugali, boiled cassava or sweet potato.

I will try to use a different vegetable for this recipe like Spinach or kale. It will take a shorter time to cook as tha blanching process and pounding will be omitted as these are not as tough as cassava leaves.

Btw, cassava leaves can be toxic hence the long cooking process, and only buy edible cassava leaves, do not go picking your own.


----------



## Jikoni

*Millet ugali*

Following my ugali recipe, you can choose to have a different type of flour like millet or plantains or sorghum. My mum made ugali from millet flour and ground dry plantain. It was delicious.


----------



## Jikoni

*Chilli Mango*

Another way of eating mangoes!
Mix chilli powder with salt and sprinkle on the mango pieces. You can actually rub this on sweet corn too.


----------



## Jikoni

*Chips(french fries) Masala*

Here is another way of cooking chips that I enjoy while in Kenya.
Fry your potatoes chips, make sure they are not too crispy. Crush garlic very finely, Add the chilli powder and salt and mix well to form an evenly mixed "chutney". If you like your food spicy, go heavy on the garlic and chilli powder.Add 4 tbsp of oil and fry  onions till they are softened and very slightly browned. Add the tomatoes and turn to medium heat; stir constantly for about 10-12 minutes or until oil appears on the side of the pan. Add ketchup and stir.Add the fries, turn the heat down and mix thoroughly. Leave  for another 10 minutes Garnish with liberal amounts of coriander, the more the better.


----------



## boufa06

Gosh Jikoni, your Mchuzi Wa Kigada dish reminds me very much of a similar dish that my late mum used to prepare a long time ago.  She used cassava (tapioca) stems (the edible ones of course) grown in our backyard, cut in slices and then blanched.  She then fried the chilli paste that consisted of chilli, candlenuts, tumeric, shallots and lemon grass before adding pounded dried shrimp (or fresh ones), stems and coconut milk.  It is really delicious especially served with plain rice and having the gravy poured over it!!  You can also do young sweet potato leaves, water convolvus, and cabbage this way.

Recently I was ecstatic to find gari (dried cassava granules) in one of the supermarkets here.  Needles to say, I proceeded to prepare those yummy desserts that I always wanted to do.

Thanks for bringing back the memories!


----------



## cjs

Jikoni, thanks so much for posting your new ideas!! Copied and I'll study later and certainly play with.


----------



## Jikoni

boufa06 your late mum's recipe sounds delicious. I have got to try it someday. The way it's served is the same way Mchuzi wa Kigada is served, poured over rice. It's soooooooooo Yummmmmmmmy.


----------



## Jikoni

*Mchuzi Wa Samaki (Fish Curry)*

Ingredients
one kilo whole fresh fish

oil for frying

one to two cups of coconut milk

one large onion chopped

two or three tomatoes chopped

one or two sweet green peppers chopped

ten cloves of garlic minced

one or two teaspoons of garam masala or curry powder

tamarind paste or powder to taste

salt


Cooking Method
Briefly fry fish in hot oil. Put fish in saucepan, cover in coconut milk and add tamarind. Set aside.
Vigorously stir together the onion, tomatoes, green pepper, garlic, and spices. Add to the fish and coconut milk.
Simmer slowly on low heat until fish is fully cooked and sauce is thickened. Serve with chapati or rice.


----------



## TerryT

I have tried some of these recipes and I have to say : THANKS ! :=)

Buy blenders and cooking equipement


----------



## Rom

OH this thread is REALLY make me hungry!!!! Thanks heaps for the recipes!!! (I am an espresso coffee drinker, your version (many many posts ago) is getting tried tonight 

My bf doesn't like coconut milk in his food, doesn't like the sweet stuff for lunch or dinner  .. i lurveeeeee it! 

Is there anything with coconut that doesn't have a sweet tinge to it? sometimes i can't even taste anything sweet and he says its TOO sweet..hmmm


----------



## Jikoni

Coconut milk sweet? It never occurred to me, I better taste really some! Maybe it's coz over the years I have had, it it never occurred to me as sweet. It's probably tinned(canned)coconut, maybe try fresh coconut. Grate, it and use a muslin cloth(or similar) pour water and put a container under and gently sieve the coconut. A normal sieve will not draw out the milk properly, it does it too quickly. Sorry this took so long to be answered.


----------



## Jikoni

*Matoke Cakes*

Ingredients(makes 12 cakes)
4 cooking bananas boiled and peeled
2-3 boiled potatoes
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 large onion finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 green pepper finely cubed
1 carrot finely cubed
2 spinach leaves finely chopped
2 beaten eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper to taste

Mash the bananas and potatoes together until smooth, add salt and pepper and nutmeg, mix well, add the chopped onion, coriander, green pepper, carrot and spinach. Mix well with your hands, then shape into round shape(or any other shapes).  Beat up the eggs, then dip the cakes into it then into the breadcrumbs. Shallow fry until crisp and golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and serve. Makes a lovely snack or serve with whatever you like as a main meal.


----------



## BrazenAmateur

Jikoni said:


> Ingredients
> one kilo whole fresh fish
> 
> oil for frying
> 
> one to two cups of coconut milk
> 
> one large onion chopped
> 
> two or three tomatoes chopped
> 
> one or two sweet green peppers chopped
> 
> ten cloves of garlic minced
> 
> one or two teaspoons of garam masala or curry powder
> 
> tamarind paste or powder to taste
> 
> salt
> 
> 
> Cooking Method
> Briefly fry fish in hot oil. Put fish in saucepan, cover in coconut milk and add tamarind. Set aside.
> Vigorously stir together the onion, tomatoes, green pepper, garlic, and spices. Add to the fish and coconut milk.
> Simmer slowly on low heat until fish is fully cooked and sauce is thickened. Serve with chapati or rice.



HELLO NURSE

That sounds really good, I can't wait to try that.


There's a little African specialty grocery store near me, I've always wanted to go in there.  These recipes will give me an excuse.

GREAT THREAD!


----------



## radhuni

Jikoni said:


> Any African's out there? I will post my favorite chicken in coconut sauce, known in Kenya as Kuku wa Kupaka
> 
> Chicken in  coconut sauce
> 
> Any meaty parts of chicken on the bone (I use chicken drumsticks)
> Fresh garlic(three cloves depending on how much you love garlic!)
> Ginger paste(according to taste too)
> Half  green chilli
> Juice of 1 lemon
> 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
> 2 cups coconut milk
> 1 small finely chopped onion
> I tinned tomato
> salt to taste
> chopped dhania(fresh coriander)for garnishing
> 
> 
> Method
> Marinate the chicken pieces in garlic, ginger, chillies, lemon juice, (I put all in a blender to make a paste) and a tablespoon oil and leave for  1 - 2 hours. Saute finely chopped onion in oil, add tomatos and mix thoroughly on a medium heat. Add fresh chillies, lemon juice and coconut milk and stir all the time to make a thick gravy on a low heat. Then, separately Roast chicken pieces until they are  cooked.Then place the chicken in a dish, pour the thick coconut sauce over the roasted chicken and again put the dish in the oven for 10 minutes basting the chicken with the gravy from time to time.this can be served with
> rice and chapati, and garnish with chopped coriander.



This recipe is like Indian Recipe


----------



## radhuni

Are the Indian and African recipes similar?


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## jpinmaryland

Hi Jikoni, were you going to post casavva/yucca recipes? It was mentioned earlier in the thread but I did not see a recipe. I saw the one for the cassava leaves but what about just basic root?


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## jpinmaryland

Hey I made my first African dinner the other night. I did the Queen of Sheba salad, the matoke and the curried chicken in little hot pots. 

On the Matoke: I think the balls need to be quite larger. I started out with medium meatball size and they start to fall apart. But then I went to a larger hamburger size and it seems the mass combined with the spinach helps to hold them together. 

Definitely recommend freezing them to keep them together in the deep fry. Also seems they need to be quite dark on the outside, as sometimes not all the banana cooks up if the fry is just light brown. 

My wife and I both thought it could do w/o banana in the mix. Bananas in fried food have a certain richness (think bananas Foster) but this is in contrast to the earthiness of yams, onions, etc. I would go with just yams for the base. I used spinach, onions, carrots in the mixture. I dont think I could really taste the spinach but the onions make a nice contrast to the others.

Everybody liked them; my wife would eat them again but only if it was yams only. 

I used peanut sauce to dip these in as it seems traditional. I wonder if you could use honey or honey mustard? 

I have little to go on in the way of african sauces to accompany this and other dishes. Some suggestions?


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## thistle

So we finally have an African food store close enough to shop at and I went today.  I purchased Gari, Cassava Flour, Hausa Koko Flour, African Bean Flour and Plantains.  I know what to do with the Plantains and I have eaten MaiMai(?), Fufu(?) and several other dishes.  What can I do with these flours?  there were also a lot of other items, mostly African, some Caribbean and some Jamaican.  Help!!!


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## thistle

Well, I spelled fufu correctly but the blackeye pea dish is moimoi.  I have also eaten jallof rice with different meats.  I found a lot of north African recipes at the Congo cookbook.  Most of my friends are from north Africa.


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