Bag of grains

Look what I brought back from Paris.

You thought couscous was couscous, but I’ve found millet couscous from Senegal and cassava couscous from Ivory Coast.  Plus another wonderful African grain from Mali- Fonio- one of Africa’s oldest, they say. But, oh! How to cook them?

All the packages have cooking instructions, boil/steam with knob of butter.. but I want to scrape the bottom of the barrel, get the best out of these grains, so the next few weeks I’ll be cooking away. Ideas and suggestions- most welcome.

Attieke- cassava couscous from Ivory Coast, Millet couscous from Senegal
 and Fonio from Mali

Berbere and Dabo Kolo

Recent chats with twitter friend, ShebaNYC from the Ethiopian eatery- Queen of Sheba in NYC, inspired this post. Some Ethiopian recipes-

Dabo Kolo is a savory snack- “Ethiopian Twiglets” you could call them, using a rich and lovely spice mix Berbere.

I’m told each Ethiopian family has it’s own personal blend for Berbere- a mix of a cuboard full of spices, in which hot red pepper and fenugreek are must haves.

Here’s our easy version, using ground spices.

Berbere

(Ethiopian spice blend)

1 teaspoon of each - ground ginger, cardamom, coriander, fenugreek and nutmeg, dried onion powder and freshly ground black pepper,

½ teaspoon of each- ground cloves, cinnamon and allspice

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon paprika powder

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

Method: Toast the ginger, pepper, cardamom, coriander, fenugreek, and nutmeg and onion powder in a frying pan until the spices become fragrant. Add the remaining ingredients and continue toasting for about 5 minutes whilst stirring continuously. Cool and store in an airtight jar.

Dabo Kolo

(Ethiopian bread snacks -our version) 

We like to add a bit of extra crunch to these bites, by adding poppy seeds, sesame seeds or sometimes chopped nuts.

250 g flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

50 ml sunflower oil

150 ml water

3 tablespoons Berbere spice

3 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 tablespoon coarsely ground sea salt

Extra: sunflower oil for deep-frying

Method: Kneed the flour salt, sugar, 25mls oil and enough water to make a smooth, stiff dough, similar in texture to bread dough.  Roll out the dough on a floured board, to a thickness of 1 cm.  Brush with some of the remaining oil. Mix the Berbere, poppy seeds and course salt and sprinkle the dough with 1/3  of the spice mixture. Fold the dough up like and roll out again on a floured board. Repeat another 2x. Cut the dough into thin strips and cut the strips into pieces. Heat the oil in a deep pan to 180°C, add the Dabo Kolo  in batches and fry to a crisp brown. Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with a little salt and extra Berbere.

Makes a big bowlful

Mango Madness

Peninah, graphic designer for the New African Cookbook project did some food research of her own..

she speaks of  ripe, juicy mangos as if they're always there for the picking.. 

Who doesn’t love a luscious mango, whether round and juicy or palm-sized hard and tangy? Everyone has his or her own way unique way of enjoying the rich goodness of a succulent mango, either carefully dicing the orange flesh into manageable tidy bits or hurriedly peeling back the skin with ones teeth and biting into the fruit letting the juices ran down your neck, invariably staining your clothes. It is my favorite treat in its 100% natural state, an opportunity to take time out and just sit back and enjoy (you don’t want to get mango juice on your keyboard/mobile phone/remote control etc.). Sometimes, as is popular here from the streets of Nairobi to the beaches of Mombasa, I enjoy it with a sprinkle of hot red chili pepper and a little salt, which goes best with a mango that is not completely ripe yet, yellow/green in color and little on the sour side.

Another favorite of mine is the locally produced 300ml bottled mango drink, a thick pure fruit juice drink that tastes as fresh and as healthy as any fresh fruit juice.

A great filling alternative to a snack to tide you over until your next meal.

I've got the nibbles- Kenyan style.

By Carole N Keingati 

I love to nibble. I think I eat more on the run than I do at dinner. I think  it allows your  mind  to flow. As I am a writer, it’s got to be the best cure for mind bloc. Just something to tantalize the taste buds and occupy that jaw is otherwise accustomed to  yapping away…Give it something to you, if you may.

So I decided to look at some classic Kenyan favorite dry snacks comparable to the western Crisps, or consumed like you would say popcorn.  Better yet,  I’ll tell you about  whatever dried snacks are  available In my pantry! Exclude all fruit bars, brand name crisps and chips that are found world over, we have our own –or adapted Kenyan choices.

 I suppose to  call it African Junk Food-except it really isn’t junk in that sense as we use real organic ingredients with methods such as drying, roasting, pickling and all those lovely natural processes. They  are way healthier than the ones massively manufactured out of modified ingredients and  packed choker bloc in sodium and other chemicals and preservatives .

Most of the snacks that im going to share with you are derived from the Indian and Arabic cultures that weigh very heavily on the National Kenyan identity—its stuff you’d find in the average Kenyan home.

So let’s dig around and see…
Mabuyu

These are seeds from the Baobab that glorious African Tree. I remember my  Dad telling me about the Baobab tree…it goes that God made the tree and the devi in his jealousy un-rooted it and stuck it back into the ground so that the roots became its branches. It’s a beautiful tree that grow sto be really, really large, often with thorns completely covering itd bark with large almost comic-like flowers. I digress…but had to share!

 Baobabs everywhere

So the seeds are rolled in a paste of sugar, salt, chilli and red food coloring and some spices and dried. You suck on these for that sweet and sour tang with hints of cardamon sometimes just lemon juice. You don’t eat the seed –just throw them out. Why all the work with the seeds just for the covering? Originating from the coast  where Baobabs are indigenously found, I suppose it’s something to pass time for the coast-arians as we people from ‘bara” (the mainland) have  a traditionally flawed view of coastal people as being terribly lazy, just luxuriating under a mango tree waiting for the tide to come in. it’s quite an offensive belief but has been around ages. 

          a pic of the Mabuyu and the packaging it came in : Sweets Seeds. Manufactured in Mombasa.

Which reminds me of my other favorite coastal snack…Achari. These are strips of sweet mango dried/cured with chilli and sometimes salt. Very sweet and chewy and completely addictive!  It’s very common for the coastal treats to be sour-sweet or a mixture of salt and sugar because it just brings out each individual flavor, have them bump into each other in your mouth as this wonderful  tickling sensation on the tongue. Salt doesn’t always mean savory here…it enhances many a sweet goodie very naturally (Try a dash of it in a cup of Sweet Hot Cocoa if you don’t belive me—Delish!)

Chevra

Your find a bowlful at parties, a favorite in every kids suitcase off to boarding school: this medley of dried treats is the real fun fare of snacks. In boarding school we used to pile on ketchup and smack it between two pieces of bread. (Ah boarding school cuisine..what a nightmare!).But Chevra… I’ve been known to be found on the couch covered in  these little crumbs, some slipping into odd grooves on a lazy Saturday evening of movie marathons. Savory and tangy in that nice way.

Made of  strips of potato chips, similar strips made from Gram pulses, Rice flakes, then added to is Peanuts, Cashewnuts, Chili, Sugar, salt Tumeric and Curry leaves, the taste of  Chevra is really hard to describe! I think its what fireworks might taste like if I were asked. Indian by origin they are my personal favorites, esp when you dig in and get a surprise of the few Cashew nuts in the mix…these ones pictured here  my Partner   labeled HOT! He’s a sucker for chilli whereas I’m a wuss of the tongue and can’t handle the heat( I should go into his lengthy pickle and chilli sauces and chilli bulb collection-a story for another day) .



Ive also found some not too exciting stuf..known universally, such as Peanuts.We eat them whole with peel as it has been roasted or dried too so its flavorful. Salt is added.

Dates Dried Dates which are very sweet, chewy  and sticky..my teeth are afraid of them. Tried them not dried but fresh the other day –hmmm very Curious taste! I now know why they are dried! 

 Well that’s the nibbles  I’ve got so far.  If you get a chance try them, they color our cuisine!

We survived the storm

Here's what happened- Underground Market- the day before was crazy- the Gods worked against us. The ginger beer exploded in the fridge.. flood of ginger beer caused a power cut...& we had to rebottle the periperi sauce- we worked until the early hours.. (a special thank you to Kinito who was there for it all..) 

                         foto's: Jeroen Niezen
Most importantly we were there to spread the message. And we were well recieved- African Food made it, it was loved by those who tasted it, and we left with empty food crates and lots of new followers. And we made the morning news...

Faithful followers & lovers of African food

Remember the 4th edition Underground Farmers Market this Sunday-19th June from 12-16.30 somewhere in Amsterdam. see www.talkinfood.nl for the definate line up of micro-producers, of course fab Afrosnacks and REAL gingerbeer. ..see recipe below-
 there's margarita icecreams, ambrosia truffels,peace hummous, home grown sambal, DIY instant jelly beans..? enough to stop by for. Check this site about 1 hour before opening time for exact location..

                                                     Gingembre- real African gingerbeer

• Gingembre
  (home made ginger beer-not for the fainthearted)
  
  
  250 g fresh ginger, sliced and bruised
  2 lemons
  1 stick of cinnamon
  1 teaspoon cloves
  500 g sugar
  1 teaspoon baking powder
  1 teaspoon dried instant yeast
  
  
  Method:  Scrub the ginger and lemon. Grate the ginger on a course grater and peel the lemon. Place the grated ginger, lemon peel, cinnamon, cloves, sugar and the baking powder in a large clean container, which can hold 3 liters. Bring 3 liters of water to the boil and pour over the ginger and spices. Squeeze the juice from the lemons and add to the mixture.  Stir to dissolve the sugar, cover with a clean tea towel and allow mixture to cool to room temperature. Sprinkle over the yeast, stir and cover with cling film. Leave to ferment for 24 hours in a warm draught-free spot. Sprain through a very fine sieve and pour into suitable bottles. Refrigerate and serve icy-cold with a slice of lemon. Open bottles carefully as slight fermentation will continue in the bottles. Makes 3 liters 

We’re going underground….

We’re going underground….

Ok, the Underground Farmers Market Amsterdam edition 4 has a date- Sunday 19 th June, from 12-4.30 pm,. And we will be there!

This fabulous initiative by foodtrend watcher Marjan Ippel, (www.talkinfood.nl) gives those producing fine foods on a small scale, a chance to offer their wares.

What will we be doing there?  Introducing you to some of gastronomic delights that Africa has to offer, using recipes that will be included in our book-to-be and from this blog.

 As we write.. the gingembre is brewing, bilotong is drying, berberi paste is being bottled.

This is a guerilla affair- the location remains a strict secret until minutes before opening- get the latest info by following us on Twitter.com/newafricancook.

Make a note of 19th, keep an eye on this blog, twitter or facebook for updates and come and enjoy the delights of fine African food.