Palm Oil Fried Beans With Plantain

April 7, 2016January 26, 2017 ~ Sophie ~ 3 Comments

Happy April! Amazingly, the first day of the month was welcomed by a heavy shower that lasted long into the day. All of a sudden, plants that have been thirsty for over 4 months got their fill of rain and now look as green and full of live as ever. Currently we are in the romantic stage of the rainy season. You know where it is so ideal to just pull up the blanket and sleep the whole day, take a hot cup of tea or a warm bowl of soup and watch the sky darken in the middle of the day. This is the time when comfort food is much-needed. First off are these hearty palm oil fried beans with the perfect accompaniment of plantain.

But first, there is something I feel I need to get off my chest.

For the longest time, I feel like there has been a huge misunderstanding between plantain and green bananas. Here in the country though, we do know the difference in our local languages but when it comes to English, the two(and generally all species of bananas) have been interchanged. Plantain is locally known as gonjya while Green bananas are known as matooke.

Plantain is a species of bananas that is eaten when ripe. It is usually steamed/boiled with or without the peelings before eating. When they are ready for harvesting, they slowly start turning yellow. The difference between plantain and regular yellow bananas is that plantain is never eaten raw. It has to be cooked. Plantain is popular in the whole nation. It is even considered street food once roasted and put on a stick/ skewer. Among many others, plantain goes really well with beans. Long distance travellers like buying roasted plantain from vendors because of its filling and sweet nature. As much as plantain is popular, it is pricey and is eaten on rare occasions.

Back to these palm oil beans. Palm oil is a spice in itself and one can be able to detect it from a meal. That is why it is perfect with beans because it adds a flavor even I cannot put into words. Just try it OK! Here is a post I wrote last year about palm oil. One thing I have discovered with cooking is that t is quite hard to stick to specific measurements. I find cooking by instinct a little bit more satisfying. But to kind of give you an idea of the serving size, here is a recipe.

RECIPE COMING SOON

Leave a comment below on what you cook with palm oil. Also, have you found someone who mistakes plantain for matooke?

🙂

Sophie

Top 12 Desserts to Serve this Easter

March 23, 2016March 23, 2016 ~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

desserts galore

We are all getting into the Easter mood which is just a few days from now. Of all the food to be served, I thought it would be great to highlight desserts we’ve made throughout the years. I hope you get to make some for your loved ones.

Hope you have a wonderful holiday and weekend.

🙂 Sophie

Creamy Split Pea Soup

March 15, 2016March 15, 2016 ~ Sophie ~ 4 Comments

Creamy Yellow Split Pea Soup will be great for all times of the day.

Let us talk about split peas for a moment. Of all pea categories, I personally find split peas hard to work with. Whenever we buy some, it takes quite some time for us to finally make something presentable out of them. Of all the methods I have tried though, I find this soup the most effective because my family will eat it instantly unlike all the other methods.

Do you like split peas or not? Better yet, do you like cooking them? If so, in what different ways do you cook them?

The peas don’t need cream or milk because they naturally have a creamy consistency. The soup itself is great eaten alone, with bread or anything else you would like.

What you will need

3 C. Boiled and drained split peas

2 Large tomatoes, finely diced

1 Large green pepper, finely diced

1 Carrot, finely diced

1 Large onion, finely chopped

1 Garlic clove, finely chopped

1/2 Tsp. Curry

1/4 Tsp. Black pepper

Chilli flakes (optional)

1 Tbsp. Oil

Salt to taste

Method

Add oil in a pan on medium heat. Sauté the garlic and onions. Add the tomatoes and stir well till they are softened. Add green pepper and the split peas. Stir. Add the carrots, curry and salt. Stir and cover pan and let the peas simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir and add a little water (so they don’t burn). Sprinkle in the black pepper. Let simmer for another ten minutes until the vegetables are softened. Remove from fire and let the peas cool. After slightly cooling, pour them in a blender, add water (either the water used to boil the peas or vegetable or chicken stock) and blend till puréed. Add water depending on the consistency you desire. Sprinkle crushed nuts and simsim on top and serve warm.