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http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/9754/recipes.html)
2 great African cook books:
- BLACK AFRICA COOK BOOK by MONICA BAYLEY From Determined Productions, Inc., P. O. Box 2150, San Francisco California 94126
- THE AFRICAN COOKBOOK by Diane & Leo Dillon (Illus.) From The Carol Publishing Group, 600 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022
Kisamvu na karanga = Casava leaves with peanuts
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 kilo freshly cut tapioca spinach
2 large tomatoes freshly sliced
2 table spoons crunchy peanut butter or 3 heaped spoons
crushed roasted peanuts
1 bulb of onion nicely sliced
1 teaspoon salt or less, for testing
Instructions:
Best tasting tapioca spinach consists mainly of the 3 leaves at the tip (near shoot), collect these and cut them from twigs, wash them and grind them well.
Cook the spinach adding salt to taste. Make sure that spinach is 'very well' cooked. Once you are certain that it is well cooked, add the sliced tomatoes and onions. Keep stirring and at this point add the grounded peanuts or the peanut butter and stir to mix well. Allow to cool a little and serve.
Serving:
To eaten with any kind of bread or with white rice, mseto etc.
Maandazi = Bigñe/Fried Buns
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Frying time: 10 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 Cups white flour
3 tablespoons dry yeast
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ cup sugar
½ cup milk powder
½ cup coconut milk (goya) (can be substituted with warm milk)
½ cup water
1 qt cooking vegetable oil (depending on the size of deep fryer)
Method
1. In a small bowl mix dry yeast and 1/3 cup warm water and leave it to rise for about 5-10 minutes (not from the above measurements)
2. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Mix flour, cardamom, milk powder and sugar. Make a well in the middle of the flour. Add the yeast mixture and mix it through with hands. Add the coconut milk, and then the water to form a soft dough. Knead for about 5 – 7 minutes until completely all the dough is well mixed. (If the dough is little sticky wet you can rub some white flour in your palms to be able to hold it well).
3. Divide the dough into 5 equal potions.
4. Place the dough on flat surface, sprinkle flour at the bottom and on top of the dough and roll out to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut them into 4 equal triangle potions and keep them for about 15-30 minutes (time may vary depending on the room temperature) to rise double the size
5. Heat the vegetable oil deep fryer (250 c) ensure the oil is at least ¾ the size.
6. Fry 3 or 4 maandazi at a time depending on the size of the deep fryer. Dip the maandazi on the same facing side into hot oil, (the base will be at the bottom) they will rise like air filled balloons you need to turn them immediately to the other side. Fry the other side till they turn light brown and get them out. Do not over cook.
7. Keep them in a paper towel to drain any excessive oil.
8. Serve them hot or at room temperature.
Cooks tip.
Do not over knead the dough, the quicker the mix the better maandazi will be very soft. If you do not have coconut milk you can substitute with milk all the way. You will need 01 cup of warm milk, do not add water and omit the powdered milk. While frying do not turn them before they rise, they will be very flat and also do not let them over rise they bust when rising they will be filled with oil.
Maharage ya nazi = Coconut creamed red kidney beans
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 cup Red kidney beans, soaked over night
2 cups coconut cream (fresh if possible)
1 onion - large shredded bulb
2 tomatoes sliced in small pieces
1 teaspoon salt or less, for testing
2 green peppers (chilies)
Instructions:
Boil beans in 2 cups of water until half cooked, if necessary add more water. Some beans are so hard that you may have to add water 3 times. When half cooked, throw out all water, wash under running cold water and put on low fire. Add all other ingredients now, i.e. coconut cream, onion, tomato, green pepper and salt.
Stir occasionally with wooden spoon. Use knife or fork, poke the beans to check for softness in order to a certain level of cooking. Your best indicator should be when the beans start to split.
Serving:
Eaten with white rice, 'Ugali' or bread like curry/gravy.
Mchuzi wa biringani = Eggplant curry
Serves 4
Ingredients:
3 medium sized eggplant vegetables
3 medium sized tomatoes
2 medium sized potatoes
1 bulb of onion
3 table spoons of animal fat (ghee)
1 teaspoon salt or less, for testing
Instructions:
After washing (peel potatoes) and cut eggplant, tomatoes and potatoes into small slices. Put in frying pan and add animal fat. Fry and continuously keep stirring. When tomatoes and egg plant are well done, add some water and stir until thick curry is formed. Check for readiness of potatoes. If cooked, then all is ready.
Serving:
To eaten with any kind of bread or with white rice, mseto etc.
Mkate Wa Kumimina
Ingredients:
2 Cups Basmati Rice
1 Cup Sugar
2 Tsp Instant Dry Yeast
7 Table Spoons Coconut Powder
1 ¾ Cup Water
2 Egg Whites
½ tea spoon. Cardamom, (Powdered)
2 Tbsp. Ghee (For Greasing Pan)
1. Wash the rice and soak in hot water for 2 to 4 hours.
2. Remove the rice from soaking water and put it in a blender together with the remaining ingredients except sugar and blend well for about 5 minutes.
3. Add sugar and blend for 1 more minute.
4. Add 2 egg whites & blend for 1 minute.
5. Pour the mixture into a bowl. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise in a warm place until double volume.
6. Grease a heavy round 25 cm baking pan with the ghee and heat it on low fire until the ghee is hot.
7. Stir the dough and pour into the baking pan; cover and leave on fire for 5 minutes until the edges start to dry.
8. Reduce the heat further and cook for 15 more minutes until the edges turn brown.
9. Put the pan in a moderately hot oven and bake for 15 minutes until the top is browned.
Mseto = Rice paste food with green grams
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 cup green gram
1 cup rice
1/2 cube of chicken soup
1 teaspoon salt or less, for testing
Instructions:
Boil rice with green gram then cook under low fire until green gram is well done, start stirring with wooden spoon as to break the rice and gram. Just break them enough not so much as to lose identity of the grains.
Serving:
To be served with roasted fish in coconut sauce, or roasted chicken
in coconut sauce.
Supu ya maharage na nazi = Coconut bean soup
Serves 8
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup onions finely chopped
1/2 Cup green peppers (capsicum) chopped
1 tea spoon curry powder
1 tea spoon salt
1/4 tea spoon hot pepper
3 table spoons margarine or butter
1 cup fresh tomato, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2&1/2 cups kidney beans
2 cups coconut milk
3 cups water
1/2 cup cooked rice
10 table spoons coconut
Instructions:
In a 3-quart saucepan:
Sauté: 1/2 cup ONIONS, chopped finely
1/2 cup GREEN PEPPERS, chopped finely
1 tsp. CURRY POWDER
1 tsp. SALT
1/4 tsp. PEPPER in
3 Tbs. MARGARINE OR BUTTER until soft but not brown.
Add 1 cup FRESH TOMATO cut in 1/2-inch pieces.
Simmer for two minutes longer.
Add: 2 1/2 cups KIDNEY BEANS (24-oz. can with liquid)
2 cups COCONUT MILK (see page 226)
3 cups WATER.
Simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup COOKED RICE.
Correct the seasonings to your taste.
Serving:
Serve one-cup portions in attractive soup bowls.
Garnish each bowl with 1 tsp. FINE SHREDDED COCONUT.