Category: food

Carrot Cucumber Ribbon Salad with Roasted Simsim(Sesame)

~ Sophie ~ 2 Comments

After wondering whether we would ever see rain, it finally came. Its amazing what two(plus) weeks of rain can do to dry land. It’s as if the land was never dry at all. The grass is so green, the sun rays are more golden, the flowers are in full bloom and everyone hates the mud that comes along with the rain is in the mood of getting back to tending their backyard gardens! Such a wonderful time. Even the markets are filled with beautiful vegetables at a much lesser price! It was only fitting to share a salad.

It was in 2013 October when I lost my camera(I even wrote about it here). I was so devastated since it was one I got from actually working really hard. But in losing that camera, I gained an even greater thing(I am realizing this almost two years later!!), the peeler. it is incredible what a peeler can do besides reducing the work when it come to peeling foods like sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, mangoes, cucumbers, carrots…I could go on and on. I urge you to purchase a peeler and experiment with it. You will not be disappointed. This salad is inspired by the freshness of the land now that it has been rained on(finally!).

What you will need:

3 Cucumbers

3 Carrots(large)

1 Small onion

1 Tsp. Lemon juice

Simsim(sesame)

Method:

Wash the cucumbers and carrots well and dry. Using a peeler, Peel the outer layer of the carrots and discard it. Continue peeling the carrots in a bowl till you reach the stalk. In the same bowl, using a peeler, peel the cucumbers, leaving the outer covering on.  Next, thinly slice the onion lengthwise and add it in the bowl. Add the lemon juice and mix well till all strands of carrots  onion and cucumbers are mixed.  Chill for 10 minutes. Before serving, garnish with roasted simsim (sesame).

 

This simple but colorful salad will not only add character to your meal but will also add flavor and not to mention all the health benefits associated with carrots and cucumbers.

 

Aside from peeling, what do you use your peeler for?

 

🙂

Sophie

Chocolate Glazed Cassava Balls

~ Sophie ~ 7 Comments

 

Hope you had a wonderful Easter holiday(s). If you have been reading this blog for quite some time you probably know that I am a hard-core (OK, that’s a little bit of an exaggeration) lover, cook(er) and eater of savory foods. I love dessert too …occasionally. What I love most about dessert is the small portions. Unlike large portions(think cake slice), small portions can help you control your intake(sometimes…I think), unless the whole batch of those small sweets is guzzled by one person(happens a lot!). These cassava balls are a delightful treat that is surprisingly well textured and flavorful. How they happened is as baffling to me as it will be to you. I believe that random spur-of-the-moment creations are one of the best. Do you agree with me? Shall we make some cassava balls?

What you’ll need:

½ Kg. Grated cassava

5Tbsp. Sugar

2Tbsp. Baking flour

¼ C. Milk

A drop of vanilla extract

Pure chocolate bar

Biscuits

Groundnuts

Method

Squeeze excess water out of the grated cassava and then put it in a bowl. Add sugar, milk and vanilla and stir.  Add the flour and keep stirring. Using your hands, form bite-size balls. Bake for twenty minutes or until slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let them cool. In a separate small bowl, melt chocolate bar. Once fully melted, dip the rounded side of the cassava ball half way in the melted chocolate. Repeat the method till all the cassava balls are coated with melted chocolate.  Crush the biscuits and groundnuts and sprinkle them on top of the balls and insert toothpicks. chill for 30 minutes.  Serve as dessert…if they are not consumed by the time the whole preparation method is done ha!

You will get textured chewy mixed flavors all in one ball. Isn’t that awesome? One thing I observed with these cassava balls is that the flavors intensify as time goes by. So you may want to let them sit in the refrigerator or at room temperature for quite some time(probably like three hours or so) before serving or eating them.

Do you prefer large portioned desserts or small treats?

 

🙂

Sophie

 

PS: You might need more or less baking flour to get a perfect ball. It takes practice. The key is not to make it doughy. You still have to be able to taste and chew the grated cassava.

PPS: I used an oven toaster. If you are using a real oven the settings should be the same as the ones used to bake cookies.

 

 

Stir-Fried Posho

~ Sophie ~ 14 Comments

We have had our fair share of posho (hashtag uganda). From primary school all the way to senior secondary school. No wonder it has a bad name. There is so much more to posho you guys, especially when you are out of school and have to become responsible for yourself and what you eat. So picture a scenario where you prepare posho and  then a supposedly better dish comes along and everyone goes with it forgetting the dear posho. It ends up in the refrigerator. The next day rolls around and everyone ignores the posho (again) till it goes bad and is discarded of.  I set out on a quest to change this behavior a few years back (…OK, in 2013) and was impressed by the first outcome which you can read about here. This stir fry posho is inspired by the first recipe. It includes less oil, and a wider variety of ingredients especially vegetables. The great thing about this dish is that you can play around with it till you get a desired combination of ingredients.

What you’ll need:

2 Kg. Posho

¼ Kg. Beef/Ground Beef

2 Slices of bread

12 Ntulas/eggplants

2 carrots, diced

1 Onion, diced

1Tsp. Ginger, finely chopped

1Tsp. Garlic, finely chopped

Rosemary flakes

1Tbsp. Royco Mchuzi Mix

½ Tsp. Ground Black pepper

1Tbsp. Soy sauce

Salt

5 Tbsp. Water

Cooking oil

Method

Cut the Posho into 1 inch cubes and set aside. Using a sharp knife, cut the beef into small pieces (½inch cubes), wash well and set aside.  Crumble the bread slices and set aside. Dice the ntulas/eggplants and set aside. In a hot sauce pan, add a little cooking oil and let it cook for 30 seconds. Add the beef, salt and rosemary flakes. Let the beef cook for 15 minutes or until it turns a deep brown color and is crispy. Keep stirring occasionally.  Next, add the garlic, ginger and onions while stirring.  Next add the ntulas/eggplants and let it cook for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally. In a separate bowl, mix the mchuzi mix, black pepper, soy sauce and water and set aside. Add the carrots and cubed posho and stir.  Pour in the spice mix and keep stirring till evenly distributed. Lastly add the crumbled bread and stir. Remove from fire and serve. Garnish with chopped green onions.

At least no posho has to go to waste anymore these ends.  Ha!

What do you do with your left over posho?

🙂

Sophie

PS: Left over posho or posho that has spent a day works best.