Tag: carrot

Breakfast Dodo(amaranth) Rolex

~ Sophie ~ 13 Comments

It’s that time of the year again; where the weather is so bipolar that you have to carry an umbrella with you in case it rains while at the same time trying your best to dress lightly to avoid the heat. But as long as it rains, the dodo (amaranth) will thrive almost anywhere and it is really hard to resist the green beauty! I digress. This post is about breakfast and rolexes. What is your favorite breakfast? I feel breakfast is the most satisfying meal of the day because it puts you in that blissful sleepy mode. Does breakfast do that to you? Also, aren’t rolexes awesome? What is your favorite rolex combo? I personally think the rolex should be dubbed the official Ugandan food because it is known all over the country, it is relatively easy to put together and it is versatile because it can work as breakfast, lunch and dinner too. Making a rolex is as easy as just getting a chapati, a fried egg and a few veggies and rolling all the savory juicy goodness in. But all rolex makers I have encountered take pride in making their rolexes to perfection, a pure work of art and dedication. Since dodo was irresistibly beautiful I decided to add it in this breakfast rolex and I was not disappointed. This rolex is a perfect blend of sweet, sour, salty, creamy and nutty flavors.

What you will need:

6 Chapatis

3 Handfuls dodo (amaranth), steamed

1 Carrot, thinly sliced

1 Large purple onion, sliced and pickled

1 Avocado, peeled and sliced

3 Eggs

3 Tbsp. Whole milk

2 Tbsp. Simsim (sesame seeds), roasted

Salt

Cooking oil

Method

Pickled onions

Thinly slice the purple onion and put it in a small bowl. Pour vinegar over the onions till they are submerged. Cover the bowl and let the onions pickle overnight.

Fried egg

Crack the three eggs in a bowl. Add 3 Tablespoons of whole milk, salt and whisk together. In a hot pan, add about a tablespoon of oil and let it heat up. Pour in the egg. After two minutes, flip the egg and let the other side fry for another two minutes. Remove from fire when egg gets crispy. Let the egg cool and thinly slice it into strips.

Assembling

Drain the vinegar from the onions. Put a chapati on a plate and arrange the avocado slice, egg strip, onions, steamed dodo and carrot sticks. Sprinkle simsim (sesame seeds) and roll the chapati firmly. Slice into two and enjoy with your favorite cup of tea, coffee or bowl of porridge.

I hope you are inspired to make and eat this great food called rolex! Also what is your ideal or favorite rolex combo?

 

🙂

Sophie

 

 

Stir-Fried Black Bean Sprouts

~ Sophie ~ 15 Comments

 

Happy September! I have a feeling this month will be filled with blessings because I am happy to announce that we made and ate overly grown bean sprouts (insert a hundred exclamation marks). In fact they weren’t bean sprouts at all. They were actual plants that had sprung up from the ground. Thinking back I realize the insanity of it all. If I told a random person this, they would be absolutely surprised, would not believe me at all or would think there is something missing in my head. That is why I wanted to blog about it first because this is what this blog is about! It all started when we were overly hyped to plant beans because, well, it is planting season in some parts of the country and we wanted to feel that ecstatic moment of harvesting fresh beans…again. So we got planting with absolutely no clue on how to space the beans. The information we got from one source was wrong although at the time, we didn’t know that. We planted and half way through, beautiful bean plants started sprouting from the ground and we were excited (because I have tried planting many things but a few have actually gotten out of the ground). As we were basking in the glory of being planters (is this a word?), someone with a history of planting told us “those beans will not grow! They are too close to each other!” You can imagine the disappointment we felt. We did as advised and uprooted the excess little plants with heavy hearts. They were so young,  and so tender and we wondered if they could be edible because we could not imagine throwing them away. Our Dad said there is no way those grown beans would be edible. Either they would be bitter or poisonous. We gave up. In the meantime, we put then in a container with water and then next day, the conviction to cook these bean sprouts and eat them was even stronger because we just couldn’t see them going to waste. And we did without looking back.  OK it was mostly my sister who, by the way, makes great stir-fries. Amazing is an understatement because we made these stir-fried bean sprouts three times in a row. We are even contemplating the idea of just planting beans only to uproot them five days later just for cooking. Sounds legit? It is moments like this that make food experimenting fun and fulfilling. I have asked her to share the recipe with us all.

What you will need:

4 handfuls of bean sprouts

1 Large onion, finely sliced (lengthwise)

2 Carrots, thinly sliced (lengthwise)

1 Tsp. Finely chopped ginger

2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. Vinegar

3 Tbsp. Water

1 Tsp. Sugar

oil

1 Tsp. Salt

Roasted simsim (sesame) for garnish

Method

Clean the bean sprouts in cold water to get rid of the dirt and tiny stones. Remove the roots and the cotyledons (the beans on the sides) and set aside.

For the sweet sauce:

Put a pan on fire, wait for it to become hot. Put the sugar in the pan. Wait for it to become a light brown. Pour 3 tablespoons of water and let the browned sugar dissolve. Remove from fire immediately and pour she sauce in a small bowl.

In the same pan, on high heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil and wait for it to become really hot. Add garlic and ginger  and onions and just before they become brown, add half of the sweet sauce which will change the color of the onions. Add the salt and carrots and stir constantly. Add the vinegar and keep stirring.  Next add the bean sprouts and keep stirring till  they become a bright green color and make sure the heat is evenly distributed so they can cook. Get the rest of the sweet sauce and keep adding bit by bit till it is finished while stirring. Once the sweet sauce  is dissolved in the pan, remove it from fire. This will take 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve hot. They go well with rice.

The sprouts and carrots should have a crunchy bite to them but at the same time still retain all the flavor from the garlic, ginger, vinegar, salt and sugar.
In as much as we were excited to plant beans, the disappointment ended up being a fun discovery.

What fun thing have you discovered lately?

🙂

Sophie

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