I have been thinking about coffee a lot lately. Coffee as a whole; the plant,  the berries, the beans,  the myriad of beverages  and desserts that are made out of it, the culture.  Although I never talk about coffee (I have probably never even blogged about it!), coffee is a part of my life story. Although I rarely take it,  coffee is tightly woven in the history of our people. The Rwenzori Mountain dwellers.  You see the history of Mountain Rwenzori coffee is a long one and started way back with our forefathers. One wouldn’t have a piece of land without  coffee plants on them.  For a young man to be ready to have a family and take care of it, he needed to at least have a piece of land, readily available coffee plants and the rest of the food crop.  My grandmother has coffee plants older than my mother and she tell me stories of how they have helped her raise her children.  Whenever I go to visit her, there is that familiar  scent of  dried coffee berries in the house which I eventually take part in spreading outside so they can fully dry.  Over  stories and laughter I have helped pick ripe coffee berries with my grandmother. I have also watched a basin of coffee being negotiated.  I have watched with a heavy heart children as young as five to adults as old as 70 carry  huge sacks of dried coffee up and down the mountain in hopes of finding a buyer.

  It’s is only recently that I was amazed at the culture of coffee in First World, a cult almost. It’s is also just recently that I  got to know that Uganda  produces one of my the world’s best coffee. But putting two and two together, I wondered why coffee farmers never get value for their hard work considering a cup of coffee can cost a lot. I am still learning more about the process of coffee production and one of my dreams is to make a coffee cake out of my grandmother’s coffee that I  have picked, dried, peeled, roasted and ground myself. Maybe by the time that dream is accomplished, I will have had all my questions answered.

 
What is your take on coffee as a Ugandan? 
And if you are from the Rwenzori region, what Solutions do you think we can adopt to produce even greater  coffee and let the farmers benefit from this?  

Last week we had an incredible opportunity to visit Paliv Spices.  If you are on social media, you might have seen the the restaurants Grand Opening circulating in various food groups about two weeks ago .  Paliv Spices is a new restaurant on the Kampala food scene that is located in Bugolobi Luthuli Avenue next to Securex Security Company.
 

We had a sit down with one of the owners of the restaurant and it was great to talk about the restaurant, it’s conception,  it’s positioning in the Kampala food scene  and it’s offerings.  Reasons why you should visit  Paliv Spices. 

1. Beautiful outdoor setting and atmosphere 
2. A varied menu.  From jollof rice to beef straganoff, From chicken dishes to Burgers and pizzas.  
3. Incredibly generous portions.  
4. Friendly service!

We had the house’s recommended chicken tikka masala with chips and chicken jollof rice with plantain which were washed down with refreshing mango smoothies. 

The chicken tikka was great! Well spiced and tender. The jollof rice with plantain  was flavorfuly seasoned. You can never go wrong with chicken and plantain! 😉

If you have a chance, stop by Paliv Spices and taste all the great food. 

Follow Paliv Spices on IG: https://www.instagram.com/palivspices/

​The first time I  had a chicken plantain combo was when my sister made baked chicken and served it with rice and a side of fried plantain chips. I was blown away by the flavor! I promised to recreate that meal.  So here it is in form of a sandwich. To come up with the perfect sandwich, you need quality ingredients; The softest moist milk buns,  freshest herbs (in this case coriander), plain yoghurt with the right consistency, perfectly steamed ripe plantain, well seasoned and cooked chicken that results into tender moist BBQ fillets, the freshest cucumbers. I could go on and on but let’s just get to the recipe.

What you will need:

Chicken 

1/2 Kg. Yokuku Chicken fillets 

1/4 C.  Tomato paste

1/8 C.  Soy sauce 

1/8 C. Honey

1/8 C.  Vinegar

1/8 C.  Water

4 Garlic cloves, crushed and chopped 

1 Tsp. Grated ginger 

1 Tsp Paprika 

1/2 Tsp.  Black pepper 

Coriander 

Salt

Oil for frying
Sandwich 

Milk buns

Plantain chips, steamed and drained 

Fresh coriander 

Plain yoghurt 

Cucumber, thinly sliced 

Pickled carrot

Method 

Chicken 

Wash the fillets and drain. Using a sharp knife,  gently slice the fillets in half one by one. Spice the chicken with salt and pepper. Place a pan on fire with  a tablespoon of oil. Sear the chicken fillets till browned (about 3 minutes on each side). Remove from fire.  In a small bowl,  add the black pepper,  paprika, grated ginger garlic, salt,  tomato paste, soy sauce, honey, vinegar and water. Mix well.  Place all the seared fillets back in the pan. Pour in the soy sauce  mixture, place back on fire and reduce the fire. Add fresh coriander leaves. Let the chicken simmer in the mixture till all the liquid is reduced, and all the chicken pieces are fully coated with a super sticky sauce.  This will take about 15 minutes. 

Pickled carrot

Grate 1 large carrot.  On high heat, bring to a boil 1/4 C.  Vinegar, 1/4 C. Water,  1 Tbsp.  Sugar and a pinch of salt. Pour the hot liquid in the grated carrot and cover.  Wait for it to cool down before using it. 

Assembling the sandwich 

Slice the bun. Spread the bottom slice with plain yoghurt. Add the pickled carrot,  add the chicken, add the plantain chips, top with fresh coriander, add cucumber slices and finally top with the bun slice.  

Serve  warm.  

PS: Click the Yokuku! ad in the sidebar to go to their facebook page