From the day I was born, I was fussy about food. My mother always tells me how it would take hours to feed me because I just never liked the food or just ate slow. As I got older, the pickiness continued until one day my dad suggested me cooking for myself. His logic was if I had to learn to cook for myself I would see how much work went into preparing meals and I wouldn’t be so picky. Unfortunately, as the rebel of the family, their plan backfired! What learning to cook did was essentially turn me into a foodie. I love to cook, eat, talk about food, taste food anything to do with food honestly. I am still picky, but now that I can cook and enjoy it, no one ever notices because I am the resident chef.
When people think of traditional food or home food, more often than not one will think of one type of cuisine, Indian food, Mexican food, Thai food whatever it is. I grew up in a very multicultural home, and as a self-identified foodie, eating the same food day in and day out would have been the worst thing one could have done to me. Thankfully God blessed me with a family of Indian, Kenyan, Zimbabwean and South African descent to name a few. I was the foodie that never had to choose one cuisine to name as my home food, I get to pick from that variety. This means that when we sit as a family to eat there is a fusion of Indian, Kenyan, Zimbabwean and South African cuisine. So in the spirit of culture sharing in opposition to bigotry and segregation I will share my three favorite recipes that show the fusion of these cultures in my home.
SADZA NEMURIWO UNE DOVI
Sadza is served with Vegetables cooked with Peanut Butter. It is a Zimbabwean national dish, but there are many variations of the same food throughout the continent of Africa, e.g. fufu, ughali, enchema.
INGREDIENTS
For the Sadza
About 4 cups of Maize Meal
Boiling water
For the Vegetables (We typically use local vegetables that can be substituted for spinach preferable the African variety)
1 packet/bundle of spinach
Half an onion chopped
2 ⅟2 tables spoons peanut butter
Boiling water
DIRECTIONS
For the Sadza:
Boil water in kettle. In the meantime, mix about 2 tablespoons of the maize meal with enough water to make a thick paste in the pot and put over a flame/stove on high heat.
Once the water boils, begin to pour slowly into the pot stirring all the while. Add about 2- 3 cups of water (roughly a cup per tablespoon).
Then, continue stirring until it comes to the boil. Once boiling, cover and let boil for about 5 minutes.
While stirring and using a flat wooden cooking spoon, begin to slowly incorporate the rest of the maize meal. You probably won’t use all 4 cups but mix until it’s thick and slightly sticky to touch.
Put the stove on lowest heat and cover pot for 2 minutes. Then immediately turn off to prevent burning.
Serve hot.
For the Vegetables:
Cut up spinach and onions.
In a pot, begin to cook onions in a little oil, and once translucent add in the spinach and mix.
Add in about ⅟4 cup of water and a pinch of salt. Let cover and leave until spinach is cooked ensure there is still some water in the pot.
Add another ⅟4 of water if there’s none left, then add the peanut butter and begin to work it into the boiling water ensuring it all melts (You may need to add more water to ensure it all melts). Once it’s all melted, incorporate with the spinach.
Serve hot.
CHAPATTI
A bread like starch eaten with vegetables or meat stews/curry. Derived from the Indian heritage found in East Africa, East African modified the Indian roti to create chapatti
INGREDIENTS
1 packet self-rising flour
2 cups vegetable oil
Boiling water
1 ⅟2 tablespoons sugar
DIRECTIONS
Make dough by first making the wet mix which is half a cup of milk with half a cup of hot water.
Then, incorporate ¾ of the packet of flour with the sugar and salt. Then, add ½ cup of oil.
Slowly add in the milk water mix until it forms a soft dough. Mix by hand but do not over work the dough.
Separate the dough into half fist sized balls
Use remaining flour to dust on rolling surface roll out the balls slightly and use a teaspoon to spread a THIN layer of oil, and then re-roll into a ball.
Take “oiled rolls” and roll them out to full size circles as show in the image.
Fry in a pan with half a teaspoon of oil in the pan for each chapatti.
Serve warm and with with a meat dish or vegetables with some kind of sauce.
OXTAIL CURRY
Oxtail is traditionally eaten in the Caribbean and in Southern Africa. It is seen as a delicacy that South Africans pride themselves on making best. My recipe, however, is a fusion of South Africana and Indian cooking.
INGREDIENTS
2 kg oxtail
2 tomato chopped fine or grated
1 onion chopped fine
10 - 20 cloves Garlic
2 teaspoons chopped ginger
5 chopped and seeded red chilies
2 Table spoons paprika
2 table spoons turmeric
2- 3 tablespoons garam masala
2- 3 tablespoons dhania
2- 3 tablespoons medium curry powder
Salt
DIRECTIONS
Place oxtail in pot with boiling water and let boil for 45 mins (always ensure there’s enough water in the pot)
After 45 mins drain the water and SAVE IT and put pot back on stove with oxtail in the pot. Allow all the water to evaporate before adding oil and lightly browning the meat.
Then add in the onion, garlic, ginger, and chilies, and fry till onions are translucent.
Then, add in the tomatoes and the saved water from the boiling of the meat. Stir in to ensure it doesn’t burn on the bottom.
Add in all the spices including salt, pepper, and herbs.
Top up pot with water and cook for 2 more hours, checking regularly that there is enough water and stirring to prevent any meat sticking to the bottom.
Oxtail is cooked when meat is almost falling off the bones.
Serve hot and is best with Sadza/chapattis, although some have it with rice
(Done in a pressure cooker, add 30min to times in normal pot)
Enjoy! :)
