GumboGrits: February 2010

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Vegetable Curry (Kenya)

From: “The Africa News Cookbook, African Cooking for Western Kitchens”.

SERVES 8 -12

* 2 large onions, finely chopped
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon cumin seed
* 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (the black kind, if possible)
* 8 medium potatoes, quartered
* 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger, crushed
* 1 large garlic clove, minced and crushed
* 1 tablespoon ground cumin
* 1 tablespoon whole coriander seed, crushed
* 2 chili peppers (I will used a lesser amount of crushed red pepper flakes.) or 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I will used a lesser amount of crushed red pepper flakes.)
* 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 4 cinnamon sticks
* 6 cloves
* 4 ounces tomato paste
* 1/2 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
* 1/2 small cauliflower, broken into pieces
* 1 medium eggplant, cut into chunks
* 8 ounces green peas (fresh or frozen)
* 8 ounces leafy greens, chopped (small bunch, fresh or frozen, kale, spinach, collards, swiss chard, etc.)
* 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained (garbanzo beans)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large, heavy skillet or pot, brown onions in moderately hot oil along with the cumin seeds and mustard seeds.

Add the potato pieces and stir to coat each piece with spices.

Add remaining spices and continue to stir for several minutes.

Thin the tomato paste with 2/3 cup of water and stir into the pot.

Add vegetables, one at a time, cooking for a minute or so between each addition, add chickpeas last.

If your pot isn’t oven proof transfer mixture to one that is and cover with a lid or seal with foil, and bake for about 45 minutes, checking after the first 20 minutes.

The consistency of this curry should be thick, rather than watery, but add more liquid if needed to prevent burning. Stir occasionally to keep ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Serve over rice or with Indian bread.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Nshima

Nshima (Nsima, Shima, Sima) is Zambia's Fufu-like staple, very similar to the Sadza of Zimbabwe and the Ugali of Kenya. It is usually made from maize (corn), but can also be prepared from flour or meal ground from other grains (millet, sorghum) or cassava tuber.

Nshima is always eaten with a soup or stew or sauce, which is called the ndiwo. The combination of nshima and ndiwo is the only thing that most Zambians call a real meal. The ndiwo is sometimes called the "relish", but it is more than that: the ndiwo is to the nshima what the meat is to the potatoes. One common ndiwo is a greens and peanut dish called Ifisashi. Other ndiwo dishes are made from various sorts of fish, meat, beans, or peas.
victoria falls

What you need

* four to six cups cornmeal, corn flour, or ground maize (one cup per serving is sufficient)
* water

What you do

* Pour cold water (two and 1/2 cups for each cup of cornmeal) into a large pot. Over high heat, begin to bring to a boil.
* After a few minutes, when the water is warm, slowly add the about half the cornmeal to the water one spoonful at a time, stirring continuously with a sturdy wooden spoon. Continue cooking (and stirring) until the mixture begins to boil and bubble. Reduce heat to medium and cook for a few minutes.
* Cooking the mixture over medium heat, add the remaining cornmeal, as before, sprinkling it spoonful by spoonful as you continue to stir. It is essential to keep stirring -- if making a large quantity, it may take one person to hold the pot and another to use two hands to stir. The nshima should be very thick (no liquid remaining) and smooth (no lumps). It may reach this point before all of the remaining cornmeal is added to the pot -- or it may be necessary to add even more cornmeal than this recipe indicates. Once the desired consistency is reached, turn off heat, cover the pot, and allow the nshima to stand for a few minutes before serving. Serve nshima immediately, hot, with the ndiwo of your choice. With clean hands, tear bits of nshima off and use them to scoop up the ndiwo.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Marrakesh Couscous Recipe

In 'Vegan Fire and Spice' by Robin Robertson; mildly spicy
by ratherbeswimmin'

1¼ hours | 1 hour prep

SERVES 4 -6

* 2 cups vegetable broth or water (broth recommended)
* 2 cups quick cooking couscous
* 1/2 cup dried currant or raisins
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 shallots, minced
* 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch dice
* 2 zucchini, chopped
* 1 carrot, shredded
* 1 hot chili pepper, minced
* 4 scallions, minced
* 1 teaspoon ground coriander
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
* 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
* salt
* fresh ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1. Bring the broth to a boil in a saucepan; stir in the couscous and currants; remove from heat, cover, and set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add in shallots, bell pepper, zucchini, carrot, chile, scallions, coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Increase heat to med-high and cook until vegetables begin to soften, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the couscous mixture and lemon juice; cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley; taste to adjust seasonings.
6. Serve hot, cold, or at room temperature.
7. *Can add a can of drained chickpeas for protein.

© 2009 Recipezaar. All Rights Reserved. http://www.recipezaar.com

Nigerian Fruit Salad

This is good anytime but is especially good for dessert. From www.farminthecity.org

SERVES 10 -12

* 4 ripe papayas or mangoes, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-size pieces
* 2 red apples, cored and chopped
* 2 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
* 1 (16 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, well-drained
* 1 cup fresh orange juice
* 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut

In large bowl combine papayas, apples, bananas, pineapple, orange juice, sugar, and cinnamon.

Toss to mix well. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

To serve, sprinkle with shredded coconut.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Kuku Paka

Kuku Paka, a chicken-coconut curry, is a Swahili dish from the coast of Eastern Africa. It is also sometimes called an Ismaili dish, and it shows up on some Indian menus -- which all makes sense when one considers that the Swahili civilization itself is a mixture of influences from Africa, Arabia, and India. Etymologically, Kuku Paka is somewhat unclear. The African origins of Kuku Paka are clearly seen in the word kuku, which means chicken in Kiswahili (the Swahili language) and other African languages. But the paka part is unclear. It's notable that nazi (the Swahili word for coconut) is not used in the name of this dish, as it is in other Swahili dishes. Some say that paka denotes a dish made with coconut milk. However, paka is also the Punjabi word for delicious. (Paka is also the Swahili for cat, and it is related to Indian words for the verb to cook and pure; probably just a coincidence.) Gastronomically, there's no mystery at all: it's delicious chicken.
clove market, zanzibar

What you need

* two or three spoonfuls cooking oil or butter
* one onion, finely chopped
* two sweet green peppers (bell peppers), chopped
* one clove fresh garlic, minced
* one-half teaspoon ground ginger
* one teaspoon curry powder (or a similar amount of a combination of ground cayenne pepper or red pepper, cumin, coriander, and turmeric)
* a few whole cloves
* one teaspoon salt
* one chicken, cut into small serving-sized pieces
* one cup water
* four (or more) potatoes, cleaned and cut into quarters
* three ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
* two cups coconut milk (see Wali wa Nazi)
* fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
* one tablespoon lemon juice (optional)

What you do

* Heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Over high heat fry the onions and green peppers for a few minutes, stirring constantly Stir in the minced garlic and fry for a minute longer. Add the spices and salt and mix well.
* Add the chicken to the pot. (Add another spoonful of oil if necessary to keep chicken from sticking.) Brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Remove chicken and set aside.
* Add the water to the pot and bring to a slow boil. Add the potatoes and cook them until they begin to become tender. Return the chicken to the pot and continue to cook at a low boil, stirring occasionally, until the chicken and potatoes are done.
* Stir in the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes more. Then add the coconut milk, reduce heat, and gently stir and simmer until sauce is thickened. Stir in the lemon juicec. Garnish with the fresh coriander leaves or parsley immediately before serving.
* Serve Kuku Paka with Chapati or Rice.
* Drink Cardamom Tea or Chai with the meal or afterwards.

Another way: In a separate pot, boil or fry the potatoes at the same time the onions and chicken are cooking, (no need to remove the chicken). Add the cooked potatoes to the onions and chicken when the chicken is done, before adding the coconut milk.

Some cooks also add a bit of lemon juice and/or grated lemon peel as is done in Akoho sy Voanio, which is another African chicken-and-coconut dish, from farther south on Africa's east coast.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Fruit Salad

A wide variety of tropical fruits, both native and non-native, are cultivated in Africa. It is more likely that any of the fruits listed in this recipe would be eaten as a snack than made into an elaborate fruit salad. In Western Africa, the closest thing to a dessert course is the "after-chop" and a popular "after-chop" is fruit salad. Fruit Salad is usually served after a meal of Groundnut Stew or Palm-Oil Chop. In Eastern Africa, Swahili people make a Saladi ya Matunda for dessert. One interesting thing about the African fruit salad is the use of the avocado. A perfectly fine fruit salad can be made from just three or four of the ingredients listed below. A fruit salad makes a fine dessert course for an African-style dinner.

What you need

* Any of the following (fresh or canned):
o avocado
o banana
o grapefruit
o guava
o mango
o melon
o orange
o papaya
o peach
o pear
o pineapple
o tangerine
* juice of one lemon -- or -- chopped, crushed mint leaves
* grated coconut or chopped roasted peanuts
* sugar (optional) (honey can also be used)

What you do

* If using canned fruits: drain and save the liquid. Peel and remove seeds from the fresh fruit as necessary, cut fruit into bite-sized pieces.
* Combine all fruit in a glass bowl. Add the lemon juice (or mint leaves), some sugar water (water which has been boiled, mixed with sugar, and allowed to cool--or use some of the liquid from the canned fruits). Stir gently. There should only be enough liquid to coat the fruit; it does not have to be covered in liquid.
* Cover the fruit salad and allow it to stand for a half hour before serving. The fruit salad may be refrigerated after it has stood for an hour. It should be eaten the same day it is made. It does not keep well overnight.
* Top with grated coconut or chopped peanuts immediately before serving.
* Eastern Africa's Saladi ya Matunda is made without the lemon juice, (or mint), coconut or peanuts; it substitutes sugar for sugar water.

A simple fruit snack or dessert: Any of the fruit above, with honey dripped over it.
Speaking of honey and Africa, do you know about the Honey Guide? Read about it on the Cardamom Tea page.

The watermelon and many other members of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae, which includes gourds, melons, pumpkins, and squashes) are native to tropical Africa and widely cultivated there. Watermelon have been cultivated in the Eastern hemisphere for thousands of years; they appear in ancient Egyptian art and Sanskrit literature.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Dahomey Fish Stew

Dahomey was an African kingdom (part of the region called the "Slave Coast") that flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries in what is now Benin. The modern nation of Benin was known as Dahomey in the early 1970's when this recipe was published.
stilthouses built over water in benin

What you need

* two porgies (or sea bream, scrup, tilapia, or any firm, low-fat flesh fish), one to two pounds each; cleaned
* flour
* salt, black pepper, to taste
* one quarter cup palm oil or vegetable oil
* two onions, finely chopped
* two tomatoes, chopped
* one cup fish stock or water
* red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper (optional)

What you do

* Cut the fish crosswise, into two-inch sections. Mix the flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Roll the fish in the flour mixture.
* Heat the oil in a skillet. Cook the fish in the oil, turning it until it is golden brown all over. Remove the fish and set aside.
* Fry the onions in the skillet for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes. Stir and cook for about ten minutes. Add the fish stock (or water). Reduce heat, cover and simmer for ten minutes more.
* Return the fish to the skillet. Add red pepper if desired. Simmer for twenty to thirty minutes. Serve with Rice.

Adapted from The New York Times International Cook Book by Craig Claiborne (Harper & Row, 1971).

Maryse Condé
What a strange fruit it was, the tomato!

Tomatoes, both fresh and canned, are so commonplace in African cooking today that many Africans might be surprised to learn that tomatoes originated in the Americas and were brought to Africa soon after Columbus sailed to the new world. It is easy to imagine Italians feeling the same way. In Segu (New York: Viking Press, 1987), Maryse Condé recounts traditional Bambara beliefs concerning the tomato. (Segu, once a Bambara empire, is a city today's Mali.)

Naba put his tomatoes carefully into a large gourd. What a strange fruit it was, the tomato! The god Faro used it to make women pregnant. It contained the germ of the embryo, for its seeds were multiples of seven, the figure linked to the twinning which lay at the origins if the human race. In Segu, beside her hut, Nya had a little bed of tomatoes which was dedicated to Faro; she used to crush the fruit and offer them up to the god in the altar hut. And so whenever he picked his own tomatoes Naba felt himself back near his mother, back in her smell and warmth.
(Part One: The Word That Descends by Night)

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