Category: desserts

Pawpaw And Cream Mini Parfaits Topped With Passion Fruit

~ Sophie ~ 10 Comments

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Hey friends, Anyone recovering from last weekend? So, God willing, I maybe graduating this October! Ever since I started school I have been planning a fabulous party in my head. You know, with cool decorations, fun guests, and most importantly amazing food. Because food is at the heart of every party in my books! Don’t you think so too?I always talk about how easy the recipes here are to make ( they really are!) but these parfaits top the list of my quick, easy to make but absolute tasty treats. While I was making these mini parfaits, everyone who tasted them gave positive raves and then a light bulb moment hit. Wouldn’t it be awesome to serve these to guests at a party? Not only are they amazing sweets but they add a happy pop of colour. The secret ingredient is Paramount Fresh Cream because it binds all flavors and textures together. With Paramount Fresh Cream, the possibilities are endless! I had fun photographing these little parfaits too because of the rich colour and textures. How its done, you wonder? It is just layering crushed biscuits, simsim, cream, pawpaw (papaya) and repeat till you have delectable mini desserts instantly. Make these in less than 30 minutes and you will have impressed guests all throughout.

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What you will need:
500 Ml. Paramount Fresh Cream
500 Gm. Biscuits
1 Papaya
1/2 C. Roasted simsim (sesame seeds)
3 Passion fruits

 

Observations:

  1. The papaya has to be very ripe to be scoop-able.
  2. The cream is not sugared. If you prefer a sweeter dessert, add  sugar to the cream.
  3. Using clear drinking glasses will bring out the colours of the parfait.
  4. The parfait is best served chilled. To avoid sogginess, chill the individual ingredients, except the biscuits and simsim, before assembling them.
  5. You may need more biscuits depending on the size of your glasses.

papaya parfait SM collage 3

Method

  1. Cut the papaya into half. Using a spoon carefully remove the seeds. Scoop out the flesh and put in a bowl.
  2. Using a paper bag, crush the biscuits till they are like coarse breadcrumbs.
  3. Scoop out pulp from three passion fruits in a cup and set aside.
  4. To assemble: Place one spoonful of crushed biscuit into the glass. Top with simsim. Next add cream then top with Pawpaw. Top with biscuit, then cream and then pawpaw again. Sprinkle some simsim and garnish with a scoop of passion fruit. Repeat the process till all glasses are filled.
  5. Makes 12+ small glasses.

 

Its like having cake in a cup. These disappear in a flash. You will be lucky if you have some saved up.

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🙂

Sophie

PS: Use #AkitchenInUg to share your creations. Also I have created a Facebook group where we can share our daily creations. I invite you to join so we can get conversations centred around food started.

 

This post is made possible by Paramount Dairies. You can find Fresh Cream and more cream and cheese products in major supermarkets in Kampala. 

How to Make Ugandan Banana Pancakes – Kabalagala Video

~ Sophie ~ 11 Comments

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Kabalagala has been the ultimate desert/snack for almost as long as I can remember. Thinking back, a lot of memories are attached to this delicacy right here. And since we have already dubbed the Rolex as the nation’s ultimate power street  food/snack, I though it only fair to give these sweet banana pancakes the spotlight too. Because lets be honest: Who does not love pancakes? They can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, supper and as a snack too. And what not a better way to have them with a favourite drink/ beverage? Ultimate dessert it is!

As I promised on Instagram, it is time to let you know about some great things coming your way. First off, I plan on making more fun short videos. Check out the last two I posted on my YouTube channel and don’t forget to subscribe for more great content.

Secondly, I have received numerous emails on  whether I have a book in print. Having a book in print is hard work, I have found out lately. But this does not mean we should all give up. So I am working on a recipe calendar for 2017 that will be out in about 5-7 weeks from now. It will be filled with great recipes, photos and useful information. Also, it will be a great gift to give to friends, co-workers and loved ones especially since we are heading into the holiday months.  I am excited already. Aren’t you?

Now back to these pancakes.
Traditionally, pancakes are a mix of just plain cassava flour and ripe sweet bananas which yields a well textured  mildly sweet chewy pancake. I decided to add a little sugar because this sweet tooth I tell you! along side baking soda, it helps  create a soft sweet pancake. I could go on and on but the bottom line is these pancakes are worth a try. I have put together a small video to guide you. Watch it below and get frying.

KABALAGALA (UGANDAN PANCAKES)

Yield: 10-12 Pancakes

Ingredients Amounts

 

Ripe Sweet Bananas 2 Cups

Cassava Flour 4 Cups

Sugar 2 Tablespoons

Baking Soda 1/2 Teaspoon

Oil for frying 3 Cups

 

Method

  1. Peel the ripe bananas and place in a bowl. Mash them till almost smooth.
  2. Add sugar and baking soda and mix well.
  3. Add cassava flour to the mashed bananas gradually until a non sticky soft dough forms. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. 
  4. Place a clean plastic/cling film on a flat surface. Using hands, spread dough out to about a centimeter in thickness. 
  5. Using a round-shaped cookie-cutter/glass, cut out the pancakes. Repeat the process till all the dough is used up.
  6. Heat oil on medium heat. Fry pancakes until golden brown and fragrant.
  7. Serve warm.

 

Variation: You can substitute sweet bananas with regular ripe bananas.

Traditionally, kabalagala do not have sugar and baking soda. They are added to soften the texture of the pancakes. 

 

Note: Not all the 4 cups of flour will be used up.  As long as the dough is not sticking to your hands and the mixing bowl, it is perfect. Kabalagala can also be fried in red palm oil. 

🙂

Sophie

Jack fruit Jam

~ Sophie ~ 2 Comments

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A lot of jack fruit has been happening eaten lately. I am sure to find out if it is the season or if we just got lucky. One great thing though is that we are more than excited that we can finally harvest from our backyard tree after more than five years of waiting. So I got to work because work is involved in eating jack fruit. From cutting to removing the individual pieces and then removing seeds while making sure you are not sucked in by the sap -> Pure joy! I started out with Jack fruit scones (which I will be sharing soon in a project I am working on). Since there was still a lot of jack fruit left, an idea to make jam hit too and here we are. This jam is so good. The perfect pungent sticky sweetness with a slight spicy kick from the ginger and your mornings will never be the same! Did I mention it is as easy to make as 123? Because sometimes we need hustle free cooking in our lives. Make this jam and you are good to go for more than a week.

What you will need:

1 C. Fully ripe jack fruit

½ C. Sugar

1 C. Water

½ Tsp. Ginger powder

 

Method:

  1. Finely dice the jack fruit and set aside.
  2. In a clean pan, combine diced jack fruit with sugar, water and ginger powder. Bring the mixture to a boil.
  3. Once it has boiled, reduce the fire to medium and let the mixture simmer till the jack fruit is almost translucent and the water has reduced to half.
  4. Remove from fire and let the jam cool. Store in a jar and keep refrigerated for three weeks.

 

Now all we need is bread. Also you can double (or triple) the recipe and give the jam out as gifts to friends!

Have a great week

🙂

Sophie