Category: fusion

Green Banana (Matooke) Chips

~ Sophie ~ 4 Comments

matookechips-AKIU

Last week I took a quick trip to the west and was amazed by the endless banana farms we passed. Rolling fields of matooke in Bushenyi!! On the way back we brought with us a full bunch because they are cheaper in price and not to mention you can get the best matooke there. This recipe idea was conceived while I was knee-deep (not literally) in peeling matooke to prepare katogo. I did make the katogo but these chips went faster than the katogo.

Trust me this is restaurant level amazing! I cannot believe I never tried this before.  I am going to attempt describing the flavours that are at play here.  A base of crispy fried savory green banana chips topped with sweet mushy avocado, drizzled with slightly tangy ketchup, sprinkled with crunchy fresh purple onions and finally sprinkled with a generous amount of nutty roasted simsim seeds. There you have an epic meal/ snack easily.

What you will need:

Chips

4 Large green bananas, peeled and washed

1 C. Breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp. Salt

1 Tsp black pepper, ground

1 Tsp. Water

Oil for frying

 

Garnish

1 Small avocado

Ketchup

2 Small purple onions

Roasted simsim

matookechips-AKIU-5

Observations:

  1. Use firm green bananas that are not on the verge of ripening
  2. The bananas release a sticky fluid when rested at room temperature.
  3. Fry the chips on medium heat to avoid burning before they are fully cooked
  4. Fry the chips in small batches to keep them from getting soggy.
  5. Use a very ripe avocado

 

Method

Chips

  1. Drain the peeled washed bananas. Using a sharp knife, thinly slice the bananas into chips. Set aside for 10 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, add the banana chips and the one teaspoon of water. Mix the chips till the water coats them all.
  3. In a small bowl, add the bread crumbs, salt and pepper and mix well. Using a fork, coat each banana chip with bread crumbs and set aside.
  4. Heat the oil on medium heat. Add the chips. Fry till golden brown and crispy.

To assemble

On a plate with a clean paper or paper towel, place the chips, scoop ripe avocado on top, add sliced onion rings, drizzle with ketchup and finally sprinkle with roasted simsim. Serve  warm

matookechips-AKIU-3

Let me know when you try these chips

🙂

Sophie

 

Githeri: Black Beans and Maize

~ Sophie ~ 3 Comments

githeri-AKIU-2

This New Year came with transitions and surprises but that is a story for another post! One of the greatest things was bringing home with us over 5 kilos of beautiful black beans from my grandmother!  We have cooked the beans in every way possible. First it was katogo until we ran out of bananas. We then proceeded to black bean stew which we had mostly with chapati because #kikomando. Soon we grew tired of them and then black bean patties took over (find a similar recipe here) which were amazing. I realized these beans are so rich in protein it is probably not recommended to eat them every single day.

On the other hand, school is resuming and we had to make snacks (think hard corns) for our cousin because #bigsisterduties,well, school is  resuming. We had to boil dried maize and then sun-dry it so we can fry it as hard corns. This githeri idea came about during those times of boiling hard corn and thinking of what to cook next with the black beans. This is not a new recipe because I know and have friends who eat githeri. It is just AKIU’s twist on the dish. It is an alternative way of eating beans and posho and I would like to think that in some way it is katogo of some sort. One thing though, it is packed with flavor.

 

What you will need:

Black beans, boiled and drained about 2 cups

Maize kernels, boiled and drained about 2 cups

2 Large tomatoes, chopped

1 Large onion, diced

1 Large green pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed and chopped

Ground coriander

1 C. Water

Royco chicken flavour

Curry powder

Black pepper

Salt

Observations:

  1. Any type of dried beans work for this recipe
  2. Unlike the traditional githeri, I decided to mix the maize and beans while frying.
  3. Make sure the maize in well pre-boiled and is very soft.
  4. You can season your githeri anyway you want

githeri-AKIU

Method

  1. On high heat, place clean pan and add oil. Add the garlic and onions and stir till an aroma is released.
  2. Add the tomatoes and cover pan. Wait for the tomatoes to become soft and tender.
  3. Add the boiled maize and the beans. Stir till distributed evenly.
  4. Add the remaining ingredients except the water. Stir occasionally till they dry out. Add the water and stir.
  5. Let the githeri simmer on low fire till all the water is gone.
  6. Remove from fire and serve.

 

This dish is great alongside this avocado salsa.

Let us know. Have you ever made githeri or eaten it?

🙂

Sophie

Jackfruit Scones

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

 

I think this year I have had the most jackfruit! Partly because we have generous neighbours and partly because we have a jackfuit tree in the backyard that is yielding the juiciest fruits. I cannot even begin to describe the joy that comes with harvesting from your own garden! A piece of this sweet fleshy fruit is enough to carry you through the day. Seriously! Because jackfruit packed with a lot of natural sugars (read: very sweet!) and has a sweet pungent fragrance, I have enjoyed baking with it on more than one occasion. Yes some moments have been fails but then some have been so good. And these scones fall in the latter category.  Just so you know I have been making these scones from way back in 2012 and now I am finally sharing this recipe. it is a surprising texture and flavor altogether.

 

What you will need:

I C. Ripe Jackfruit, diced

2 C. Flour

¼ C. Butter/Margarine

¼ C. Milk

2 Tbsp. Sugar

½ Tbsp. Baking powder

 

Method

  1. Combine flour, baking powder and sugar and mix well. Rub in the butter till the flour is like coarse breadcrumbs.
  2. Add the diced jack fruit. Pour in the milk little by little while kneading until a dough forms.
  3. Dust your working area and using your hands press the dough to half an inch thickness.
  4. Cut the dough into three equal parts and pile them on top of each other. Using a rolling-pin, roll out the dough again to half an inch thickness.
  5. Using a glass or cookie cutter cut out the scones.
  6. Bake till they turn golden brown.

 

Serve warm.

Hope you do try these scones for the holidays.

🙂

Sophie