Beet Hibiscus Mandazi + Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October 25, 2017 ~ Sophie ~ 5 Comments

As you may probably know, October is breast cancer awareness month. Breast cancer among many other cancers, is this monster that robs us of our brave women, mothers, sisters, grandmothers and friends. And more often than not, we are all left helpless in its wake. It doesn’t have to be this way. Collectively we can all work together to support, uplift and remind each other to make better health choices that can reduce our chances of being victims to this deadly disease. This, for example, could be through going for screening whenever a chance arises and eating foods that help boost our immune system. To raise and increase awareness, I have teamed up with Bloggers in East Africa and BreastIt, a cancer screening App, to let you know where you can go for screening free of charge and to bring you these pink mandazis.

BreastIT has a few selected hospitals where they conduct free cancer screening and some of them include:

Nakasero Hospital – every Friday starting at 2pm at The Executive Wellness Centre

Uganda Cancer Institute – Monday–Friday 8am–5pm

As someone who experiments with food a lot, I am very conscious about the ingredients I use on a daily basis. For example boiling beets with dried hibiscus flowers gave me this rich pink colour that is a better substitute for artificial food colouring. When it comes to watching the food we put in our bodies, I believe being intentional helps. Because a simple choise as choosing natural food colouring over the artificial one goes a long way. Now for the pink donut recipe;

What you will need:

2 C. Baking flour

4 Tbsp. Sugar

1 C. Pink Water

2 Tbsp. Butter/Margarine

1 Tbsp. Baking powder

1 Tbsp. Grated ginger

A pinch of salt

Powdered sugar (optional)

Observations:

The water should be cold. Note that you may need more or less water.
Make sure your oil is not very hot because this will cause the mandazi to burn before cooking through
To make the pink water, boil 1 beet (that is peeled and cubed) and 4 dried hibiscus flowers in two cups of water. Boil till the water reduces to 1 cup
If you are using less oil. Make sure to flip the mandazis occasionally so the dough is fully cooked through.

Method

In a clean bowl, sift flour and baking powder. Add salt, grated ginger and sugar and mix well.

Rub in the butter till the flour becomes coarse.

Gradually add water and mix till a firm dough forms and is no longer sticking to your hands.

Set aside to rest for ten minutes.

After ten minutes, flour your surface and roll out the dough to about 1 ½ -2 inch thickness.

Cut out rectangular shapes from the dough. You can also do irregular shaped mandazi.

Place a pan of frying oil on medium to high heat. Let the oil heat through.

Fry the mandazi until rised and golden brown.

Dust the mandazi with powdered sugar and drizzle with honey.

Serve.

Visit Breast It here for more information https://thehyphengloveproject.wordpress.com

Also don’t forget to go for screening.

Lunch at Cassava Republic

October 2, 2017October 3, 2017 ~ Sophie ~ 3 Comments

Happy New month! I know I am not the only one who is still puzzled at how fast this year is flying by. It’s not to late, though, to still work on those resolutions.

Last week I had a chance to visit Cassava Repulic and try their mouthwatering menu (as seen on instagram!). Cassava Repulic is located in Entebbe, a few kilometres from the airport. It is a surprising little corner in the heart of Entebbe. Once you enter, it’s a different world altogether, with chill earthy and wooden interiors.

We had the house recommend mixed platter which came with an assortment of meats, sauces, salads and surprising sides.

We started off our meal with chilled passion fruit juice. Both our platters had two kinds of chicken, which were, hands down, some of the best chicken I have tasted in a while. The contrasting flavors ( smoky and sweet) were just done right.

Alongside the chicken was roasted goat skewers. The goat was soft and tender although minimally spiced. The platter also included Nile Perch fingers with a salty herbed mayo dip. There was coleslaw which was refreshing and had the right amount of sweetness. Steamed cassava with a spicy curry sauce plantain chips and avocado on the side.

We were stuffed.

If you would like to have a laid back and unapologetic dining experience of Uganda’s street foods and more, I recommend Cassava Republic.

Check them out on Instagram and Facebook.

Sautéed Garlic Wheat Pumpkin Bowl

May 23, 2017May 23, 2017 ~ Sophie ~ 2 Comments

Hello AKIU Family! It’s been long. A lot has been going on. I moved, sold off my kitchen stuff and now I’m starting off from the ground. In the midst of all the chaos, I have lost valuable things, broke a glass or two, and sold off my plates, cups and the largely talked about toaster! Tupperware has been the order of the day months! One of the crazy things that happened was eating out of a pumpkin. It actually worked for me because for a moment I did not have to worry about washing the plates! But all jokes aside, this meal is the definition of comfort with some spice thrown in there.

While in Fort portal about three months ago, I was gifted with this locally grown organic wheat. This wheat is so tasty. When we boiled the first batch, half of it was eaten out of the pan plain. It is that good.

The first thing that came to my mind (after eating the plain one) was a wheat stir-fry or a sauté. And that is what I ended up doing. This power pumpkin bowl is loaded with a lot of flavour, texture and nutrients that are really good for you. I recommend trying cooking and eating out of a pumpkin.

So here is what is going on in this massive bowl: A steamed/boiled-to-tenderness pumpkin bowl, filled with savoury garlicky sautéed organic wheat, topped with avocado slices and crowned with crunchy fried garlic chips and then sprinkled with roast pumpkin seeds and simsim (you didn’t think I would leave it out, did you?).

What you will need:

1 mature pumpkin

2 C Wheat, soaked overnight, boiled till soft and drained

1 Small Cabbage, diced

1 medium avocado, ripe

1 Large purple onion

1 chicken broth cube

Salt

Black pepper

Oil for frying

Pumpkin seeds

Roast simsim (sesame)

3 Garlic cloves, finely crushed and chopped

4 Garlic cloves for chips

Observations:

Use a mature pumpkin that has hardened skin. It will not fall apart even after the flesh is cooked.

Method:

Cut pumpkin in half. Remove guts and seeds. Don’t throw away the seeds. In a pan larger than the pumpkin, place water and bring to a boil. Wash the pumpkin well and gently place the half you intend to use in the boiling water. Cover the pan and let the pumpkin boil till the flesh is soft when a fork is inserted in. Remove from fore and set aside to cool
In a separate frying pan, heat oil. Add the crushed garlic. And let it brown a little. Add the cabbage and let it wilt a little. Next add the boiled wheat grains and stir till well combined. Add salt, black pepper and crush the broth cube in the pan. Keep some of the water used to boil the wheat and add spoon by spoon to keep the wheat from burning. Keep stirring till the cabbage is almost cooked but still crunchy. Remove from fire.
For the pumpkin seeds, remove them from the guts and then wash they well. Place in a frying pan with about a teaspoon of water, some salt and black pepper. Keep stirring till they are fully dry, golden brown and have puffed up a little. It will take about 10-12 minutes.
Peel the remaining 4 garlic chips without crushing them. Using a sharp knife, carefully slice them crosswise. On medium heat, place pan and add oil. Let the oil get extremely hot. Add the chips to the oil. Let them fry till they release an aroma and turn a golden brown but not fully burnt.

To assemble

Get the boiled half of the pumpkin. Make sure it is still warm to the touch. Fill it up with the fried wheat. Thinly slice the avocado and arrange some slices on top of the wheat. Add the roasted pumpkin chips and the garlic chips. Finally sprinkle with roasted simsim (sesame).