I AM AN AFRICAN

The evolution of African food is not complete without the story of slavery and colonisation. These played a major role in importing and exporting ingredients and flavours into African cuisine. Africans soon adapted their traditional foods and recipes to include these new ingredients.

My African food journey starts with central and South Africa, some of the recipes for this journey come from my Foodie Mom Dora Sithole’s book ‘ Cooking from Cape to Cairo’. Mam Dora's food is easy to make and incredibly delicious. She travelled through the continent tasting and learning to cook popular traditional foods from each region. Her book is beautifully illustrated and tells of an Africa that is flavourful, colourful with lots of beautiful texture. My other guide through the continent is the Congo Cookbook. This online cook book is available on www.congocookbook.com. This book like a treasure trove of delicious African recipes, with beautiful stories to match.

I start my palette travels with Angola. The land of Warrior Queen Ndzinga, who defeated the Portuguese army 1647 in mbundu from colonising Angola, by pitting them against the Dutch. The land of sexy Kizomba dance. A dance that mixes Angolan samba and zouk.

The main language spoken here is Portuguese, as the Portuguese did eventually colonise Angola after defeateing the dutch beginning of 20^th century. Angola gained its independence from Portugal in November 1975, and soon experienced a civil war which ended in 2002, with the death of Jonas Savimbi, who was leader of UNITA. The first democratic elections were held in 2008.

Their national dish is Moamba de calinha-  It is made from chicken cooked in a red palm oil, with onions and hot chillie peppers.

MOAMBA DE GALINHA

You’ll need:

1chicken, cut into serving-sized pieces

1cup red palm oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1  Red chilli, left whole and removed after cooking (for a mild dish), or chopped, seeds removed (for a spicy hot dish)

3 tomatoes (peeled, if desired) and cut into quarters (optional)

1 butternut,  seeded, peeled, and cut into bite-sized pieces  

one cup of canned palm soup base, also called "sauce graine" or homemade moambé or nyembwe sauce,

8 small, tender okra; washed, ends removed -- (the okra can be left whole or, for maximum effect, chopped into rondelles)

2  salt, to taste

Method:

1.     heat oil in a thick based saucepan over high heat

2.     Add the chicken and cook it on all sides until it is slightly browned, but not done.

3.     Add the onion, garlic, chile pepper, and tomato. Stirring occasionally, cook over medium heat for about half an hour, until the chicken is nearly done.

4.     Add the butternut and cook for an additional ten to fifteen minutes. Then stir in the canned palm soup base and add the okra. Gently simmer for a few minutes until the okra is tender.

5.     Season with salt to taste. Serve with rice

Next up is beautiful  MOZAMBIQUE. The area was explored by Vasco Da Gama in 1498 and colonised by Portugal  from 1505. After four centuries of Portuguese rule, Mozambique gained independence in 1975. After only two years of independence, the country descended into an intense and protracted civil war lasting from 1977 to 1992. In 1994, Mozambique held its first multiparty elections and has remained a stable presidential republic since.The official language of Mozambique is Portuguese

Present for nearly 500 years, the Portuguese greatly impacted the cuisine of Mozambique. Staple crops such as cassava (a starchy root of Brazilian origin), were introduced by the Portuguese.

Mozambique is the land of the great heroine Josina Muthemba Machel, whom I greatly I admire. She is seen as Mozambique´s heroine, not because she was married to the country´s first president but because she fought for progressive ideal considered too advanced for her time.  She was a trained guerilla fighter for FRELIMO who dedicated her life to the Liberation movement in Mozambique.

My favourite Mozambican dish

PRAWNS WITH MATAPA

Serves 4

You’ll need:

40ml oil

1 onion, chopped

4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1kg Matapa

60g crushed peanuts

250ml coconut milk

250g prawns, deveined and cleaned

salt and pepper to season

METHOD:

1. Heat oil on medium heat, add the onion and cook for 5minutes
2. Add tomatoes and cook for a further 5minutes, adding a bit of water if it gets dry
3. Add matapa, peanuts and coconut milk, cook for 20minutes then add the prawns
4. Cook for a further 15minutes until the prawns are pink and cooked, season with salt and pepper
5. Serve with Nsima or rice 

 The last country on my palette travels South of Africa is ZIMBABWE

Zimbabwe was created when people immigrated from the kingdom of Mapungubwe in the 13^th century. The kingdom of Zimbabwe which controlled the gold, copper and ivory trade in the region, was one of the wealthiest. In 1880 the British arrived in Zimbabwe with colonialist Cecil Rhodes obtaining mining rights from the King Lobengula of the Ndebeles. With these concessions, Rhodes promoted the colonisation of the region’s land, with british control over labour as well as precious metals and other mineral resources and in 1895 the region adopted Rhodesia as it’s name in honour of Rhodes.

Zimbabwe attained it’s independence from Britain on 18 April 1980. With Shona and Ndebele being the languages commonly spoken.

My favourite Zimbabwean foods are Chimuleya, Chumukuyu ( dried meat stew) Mawuyu Umkhomo ( baobab fruit in cream)

CHUMUKUYU STEW

You’ll need:

400g thick pieces of biltong

60g butter

1 onion, sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

3 ripe tomatoes, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

4 tablespoons peanut butter

1 pkt beef soup powder

250ml water

Method:

·        Cover the meat with water and cook until tender

·       in a separate saucepan, melt the butter and fry the onion and garlic for 5minutes at medium heat

·       add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, add the meat and cook for 5minutes

·       mix the peanut butter, soup powder and water together.

·       add the soup mixture to the meat and cook for 15minutes at medium heat

·       serve with Sadza

Filling Salads

I absolutely love fresh and seasonal ingredients. I love the fact that these ingredients are easy to acquire,  cheap to buy and add flavour and freshness to any flavour. I always find interesting ways to incorporate fresh ingredients into any meal i make. I find that salads are the best way to incorporate freshness to any meal. Salads can be made with anything you have in your cupboard or fridge, I love making filling salads that serve as main dishes and not just sides. I am posting my favourite filling salads, these are easy to make and work well for lunch or dinner.

BULGHUR AND BUTTERNUT SALAD

You'll need:

1 medium butternut, cubed

1 red onion, cut into wedges

4 baby marrows, sliced

40ml olive oil

250g bulgur wheat

500ml vegetable stock

50g green olives

50g black olives

100g feta cheese

your favourite salad dressing

Here's how:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees
2. place butternut, onion,baby marrows on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven for 30minutes, turning constantly
3. while veggies are roasting, place bulgur wheat and warm stock in a bowl, cover with cling wrap and leave top soak for 20minutes
4. fluff out with a fork and set aside
5. add the roasted veggies,olives and dressing to the bulgur wheat, mix well
6. place on a platter, top with feta cheese
7. serve

LENTIL AND STEAK SALAD

You'll Need:

350g Sirloin steak

1tsp paprika

1 tbsp olive oil

100g canned lentils

50g green beans

2 carrots, grated

6 baby tomatoes, cut in half

1 tbsp parsley, chopped

1tbsp mint, chopped

50ml olive oil

40ml balsamic vinegar

1 tsp mustard

1 tsp honey

Here's how:

1. season steak with paprika, salt and pepper. Heat pan, drizzle with olive oil, cook steak for 3mins on each side, set aside to rest
2. while steak cooks, bring green beans to a boil in a saucepan with 200ml water, allow to cook for 2mins, drain and submerge in iced  water for 5mins, drain water and set beans aside
3. in a bowl mix lentils, carrots, herbs, beans, tomatoes and salad dressing together and place on a platter
4. top with steak
5. serve