Tag: FRESH HARVEST

5 Ingredients: Double Cream Mango Ice Pops (Popsicles)

~ Sophie ~ 5 Comments

Mango ice loly - AKIU

Let us talk about the weather today. It honestly is frustrating sometimes.  A few weeks ago it rained so hard for two days I thought the rainy season was finally here. I went ahead and planted herbs because of the excitement.  Right after I put the seeds in the ground, the rain disappeared. And it has been that way ever since the year began, raining and shining sporadically.  Sometimes you want to have a cup of tea and other times a refreshing chilled drink. Because the weather is so unpredictable, I thought it would be a good idea to be prepared at all times. Have hot water in a thermos flask and these refreshing mango ice pops in the freezer. Awesome, right?

 

These creamy mango ice pops are a little bit of creamy + refreshing + chilled + sweet.  It is shooting two birds with one arrow by beating the heat and satisfying your sweet tooth. The best part, they are easy to make because you only need five basic ingredients. 5! With my friends over at Paramount Dairies, I bring you these double cream mango Ice Pops that are fun to make and eat as well.

mango ice loly 4 - AKIU

What you will need:

Mango Ice Pops

Ripe Mangoes (6-8)

1 C. Double cream

1 C. Sugar

1 C. Water

Cinnamon Sugar

½ Tbsp. Ground Cinnamon

2 Tbsp. Sugar

 

Observations:

  1. The mangoes have to be fully ripe to blend well.
  2. Popsicle sticks a quite hard to find here.  An alternative is a pack of bamboo skewers (that can be found at Capital Shoppers, Nakasero).
  3. Letting the mixture freeze for an hour before putting in the sticks lets the bottom harden and thus hold the sticks in place.

 

Method

Mango Ice Pops

 

 

Wash and peel the mangoes. Cut the flesh off the seeds. It should equal to 4 cups. Place in the freezer for 1 hour. In a clean pan, combine sugar and water and stir till dissolved. Place the sugar mixture on fire and let it come to a boil. Once it has started boiling, remove fire and let the syrup cool. Once the syrup is at room temperature, put it in the freezer for an hour.  After the syrup and mangoes have chilled for an hour,  Place them in the blender and add the cream.  Blend till fine smooth and creamy. Pour the mixture in the plastic cups/mould and freeze for an hour. After an hour, insert the sticks and continue freezing over night.  When it is time to eat the ice pops, run the cups/moulds under water, making sure the water does not get into the ice pops themselves, and gently pull from the cup/mould.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Serve on a scorching hot day.

For the cinnamon sugar,  combine the sugar and cinnamon and stir well.

🙂

Sophie

 

This post is made possible by Paramount Dairies. You can find Paramount Double Cream and other cream products in major supermarkets in Kampala.

Sweet Potato Parsley Chapati

~ Sophie ~ 10 Comments

AKIU-chapati1

Have you caught up on the rolex bandwagon? You should because 2016 is the year of the rolex. CNN confirmed it here. In fact it needs a hashtag of its own! I am already dreaming of the many ways I am planning to recreate it aside from this one. But first there is perfecting the chapati recipe which is what I will be talking about today.I am sure you all kitchen enthusiast have made chapati  at least once in your lifetime. I have encountered many versions. and I believe this is what makes chapati very special. There is a standard formula but you will most likely find everyone cooking it based on what they have, their preferences and where they come from. A few weeks ago I was watching a video on chapati making and Miriam stressed very well how East African chapati is fried in oil. In fact there is even deep-fried chapati too! Totally Awesome. So here is a version that I really love that is so filling and very soft because of the sweet potatoes incorporated in. Again this recipe can be adapted to your preferences. I prefer to pan fry  this chapati because this gives it a crisp exterior and a moist soft interior. Also this chapati is more on the sweet side because of the sweet potatoes. They can be eaten on their own, with beans or as a rolex once you add an egg. Make these at the beginning of the week and you will be covered for the whole week.

AKIU-Chapati6

What you will need:

3 C. Sweet Potatoes

2 C. Baking flour

½ C. Warm water

¼ C. Parsley, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. Oil

Pinch of salt

Oil for frying

Observations:

  1. The type of sweet potato will determine the color  and sweetness of your chapatis
  2. Have extra flour nearby for dusting the workplace and rolling pin
  3. Over kneading the dough will cause the chapatis to get hard.
  4. Roll the chapati according to your desired thickness.

 

Method

Peel the sweet potatoes and boil them till soft and tender. Measure three cups of boiled sweet potatoes and mash them finely. Add flour, salt, parsley and oil. Mix while adding water little by little until a firm dough is formed. Knead the dough for one minute. Set the dough aside for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, divide the dough into 9 equal balls. Dust the working surface and roll out the balls into chapati.  Heat about a teaspoon of oil on medium heat. Add the chapati. Keep flipping every after 5-10 seconds until the chapati becomes fluffy-ish and has turned slightly golden brown. Remove from fire. Repeat the process till all the nine balls are done. Makes 9 Chapatis. Serve with your favourite sauce, stew or just fry an egg and have a homemade rolex on the go.

AKIU-Chapati4

 

🙂

Sophie

 

 

Gourmand World Cookbook Win, A Survey and Instagram

~ Sophie ~ 4 Comments

So, I have some exciting news for you. But first, how was your weekend? Anything exciting that you did? ( leave a comment below!) Mine was quite low-key because weekdays can be hectic. OK. Now that you have left a comment below telling me about your weekend, let’s talk about the exciting news.

News One

seasonalcookingcover

Do you remember Seasonal Cooking e-cookbook (->) that was published almost a year ago?  I wrote it on a whim because I wanted you lovely friends and readers to have a great time here and in your kitchens. . It has been an exciting journey ever since that day with over 250 downloads! I am grateful. The good news is that the e-book participated in the Gourmand World Cookbook  Awards competition as an entrant from Uganda. It won from the country. I was surprised because, like I said, it was created on a whim. Furthermore, the book made it to the top 2 cookbooks from Africa! Exciting is an understatement. Click here to -> see the short list.  This award is dedicated to you all awesome readers who take time to come here week by week to read these words, get recipes to try and get inspired.

News Two

survey

Because we are all in a happy moment right now, I wanted us to get to know each other more. I thought it would be a great idea to create this survey that will help me provide better content for you my friends and improve your experience here on the blog. So I am asking you to kindly spare 5 minutes to answer this short survey. Also share it with anyone who reads the blog. Click image to answer survey

News Three

AKIU ig

We are officially on instagram! It took almost forever to make the leap but now I can say that AKIU’s instagram account is up and running. Head over there and follow for updates, sneak peeks and behind the blog awesomeness. Click on image to visit the account.

To summarize it all:

  1. The Seasonal Cooking e-book won an international award here 
  2. There is a small and simple survey for you to answer as you anticipate great things to come *wink* here.
  3. And lastly, follow AKIU on instagram for updates, sneak peeks and behind the blog awesomeness.

Have a great week.

🙂

Sophie

 

PS: If you haven’t got a copy of Seasonal Cooking for yourself, please do so now as I will be taking it down at the end of the month-May 31.