Chakalaka

A recipe should inspire rather than dictate a strict set of instructions.  So the “classic” Chakalaka recipe led to our version, with cooked broad beans instead of haricot beans and additional fresh chopped mint.

Born in the townships of South Africa, Chakalaka is a spicy vegetable relish typically served with bread or pap (stiff maize porridge) and a hearty stew. The original recipe uses lots of chilli and has a real kick.  This version is a little tangier, a little crunchier and tastes a little greener, making it more a salad than a relish.

Broad bean Chakalaka salad with mint

(Spicy bean salad with mint)

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1 red chilli pepper

2 cm piece fresh ginger

4 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 heaped tablespoons garam masala

75 ml vinegar

1 large carrot, peeled

1 green pepper

400 g cooked broad beans (cooked haricot or butter beans also work well)
a handful of fresh mint leaves

Chop the onion, crush the garlic, slice the chilli and peel and grate the ginger.  Heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently soften the onion. Add the garam masala, garlic, chilli and ginger and cook for a minute or two.  Add the vinegar and remove the pan from the heat. Meanwhile grate the carrot, chop the green pepper and drain the beans. Mix in a large bowl with the vinegar onion mixture.  Allow the salad to cool completely. Chop the mint and sprinkle over the salad. Serve with grilled chicken or pork sausages. 

Serves  4-6 persons

Thank you ZAM

ZAM - a great Dutch magazine on African politics, culture and lifestyle is planning to publish it's magazine in English and has launched an English language "ezine". They've dedicated a whole delicious chapter  to our project- pictures, film, recipes and interviews.. take a look at us and the rest of the ezine at

http://ezine.zam-magazine.nl

Grazing Angolan-style

When visiting Angola recently, I discovered Angolans love to graze (to graze is to eat snacks throughout the day in place of full meals), perhaps a culinary leftover of Angola’s Portuguese colonial past. Interesting snacks are found where ever drinks are served,

Here ice cold local Eka beer served with boiled ground nuts and pieces of juicy,slightly sweet raw cassava,

or a glass of chilled wine with delicious grilled shrimp,

or a local palm drink “maluvu” with “ginguba torrada” ( roasted peanuts) and bombo frito( fried cassava chips) see recipe –

Bombo Frito (cassava chips)

Serves 4

800 g raw peeled cassava

pepper & salt

1 -2 litres vegetable oil

deep fat fryer

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cut the cassava into thick fries and boil in the water for 20-30 minutes until just done- the chips should still be firm.  Drain and lay on a large tray, season well and allow to cool. Heat the oil to 180°C in a deep fat fryer and fry the chips to a golden brown. Drain and sprinkle with extra salt and ground chilli. Serve hot. 

Rough Cakes

A recent meeting with inspiring cook, Ghanaian Abena Nyere, in Bijlmer Amsterdam, confirmed our suspicions that there are people cooking interesting African food everywhere. Abena grew up in Cape Coast, Ghana, but has been living in Amsterdam for almost 20 years.

She showed us around the African stalls of her local Amsterdam market, and later taught us to bake  an old family favorite, Rough Cakes- a Ghanaian version of scones, we thought.

Rough cakes with orange

Preparation time:  20 minutes & about 25 minutes in the oven

100 g butter

60 g castor sugar

grated rind and juice (60 ml) of one scrubbed orange

1 large egg

60 ml milk

2 teaspoons baking powder (too much- the cake a have a distinct baking powder taste)

375g self-raising flour

extra: a baking tin of about 5 cm deep

These scone type cakes are flavoured with orange. For a neutral, slightly sweet version substitute the orange juice with milk, omit the orange rind and flavour the cakes with half a teaspoon of vanilla aroma.

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Cream the butter and sugar with the grated rind. Add the juice and milk.  Whisk the eggs to a light frothy mixture that doubles in volume. Mix into the butter mixture. Sieve the flour and baking powder and add stir into the butter mixture to form stiff dough. Break off golf ball sized pieces of dough and kneed into a rough round shape with one floured hand. Place in a deep greased and floured baking tin. Repeat with the rest of the dough so that the whole tin is filled. Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes.

Makes 12 cakes