Tag: inspiration

Green Banana (Matooke) Chips

~ Sophie ~ 2 Comments

matookechips-AKIU

Last week I took a quick trip to the west and was amazed by the endless banana farms we passed. Rolling fields of matooke in Bushenyi!! On the way back we brought with us a full bunch because they are cheaper in price and not to mention you can get the best matooke there. This recipe idea was conceived while I was knee-deep (not literally) in peeling matooke to prepare katogo. I did make the katogo but these chips went faster than the katogo.

Trust me this is restaurant level amazing! I cannot believe I never tried this before.  I am going to attempt describing the flavours that are at play here.  A base of crispy fried savory green banana chips topped with sweet mushy avocado, drizzled with slightly tangy ketchup, sprinkled with crunchy fresh purple onions and finally sprinkled with a generous amount of nutty roasted simsim seeds. There you have an epic meal/ snack easily.

What you will need:

Chips

4 Large green bananas, peeled and washed

1 C. Breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp. Salt

1 Tsp black pepper, ground

1 Tsp. Water

Oil for frying

 

Garnish

1 Small avocado

Ketchup

2 Small purple onions

Roasted simsim

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Observations:

  1. Use firm green bananas that are not on the verge of ripening
  2. The bananas release a sticky fluid when rested at room temperature.
  3. Fry the chips on medium heat to avoid burning before they are fully cooked
  4. Fry the chips in small batches to keep them from getting soggy.
  5. Use a very ripe avocado

 

Method

Chips

  1. Drain the peeled washed bananas. Using a sharp knife, thinly slice the bananas into chips. Set aside for 10 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, add the banana chips and the one teaspoon of water. Mix the chips till the water coats them all.
  3. In a small bowl, add the bread crumbs, salt and pepper and mix well. Using a fork, coat each banana chip with bread crumbs and set aside.
  4. Heat the oil on medium heat. Add the chips. Fry till golden brown and crispy.

To assemble

On a plate with a clean paper or paper towel, place the chips, scoop ripe avocado on top, add sliced onion rings, drizzle with ketchup and finally sprinkle with roasted simsim. Serve  warm

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Let me know when you try these chips

🙂

Sophie

 

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Cinnamon Spiced Mandazi

~ Sophie ~ 10 Comments

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It’s mandazi time! These mandazi were made in celebration of so many things. Last week, the UCE results came out and my little sister passed well. The passing alone called for celebration. And yesterday was my birthday! I am growing old people! So we thought making mandazi would be wonderful since we are avid mandazi eaters!

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When you think of Ugandan kitchen staples, flour is a major component. We Ugandans eat a lot of flour. A LOT!  And mandazi’s are almost found everywhere.  Almost everyone can make and have their own recipe for mandazi too.  So I thought it would be a good idea to share my recipe for mandazi with you. Just to prove how simple mandazi are to make, here is:

What you will need:

2 C. Baking flour

4 Tbsp. Sugar

1 C. Water

2 Tbsp. Butter/Margarine

1 Tbsp. Baking powder

1 Tbsp. Ground cinnamon

1 Tsp. Vanilla extract

A pinch of salt

Powdered sugar (optional)

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Observations:

  1. The water should be cold.
  2. Make sure your oil is not very hot because this will cause the mandazi to burn before cooking through
  3. Cinnamon adds a mildly spicy and fragrant flavour.
  4. If you are using less oil. Make sure to flip the mandazis occasionally so the dough is fully cooked through.

 

Method

  1. In a clean bowl, sift flour and baking powder. Add salt, cinnamon and sugar and mix well.
  2. Rub in the butter till the flour becomes coarse.
  3. Mix the vanilla in water and add water and mix till a firm dough forms and is no longer sticking to your hands.
  4. Set aside to rest for ten minutes.
  5. After ten minutes, flour your surface and roll out the dough to about 1 ½ -2 inch thickness.
  6. Cut out rectangular shapes from the dough.
  7. Place a pan of frying oil on medium to high heat. Let the oil heat through.
  8. Fry the rectangular shaped dough ie the mandazi until rised and golden brown. Makes 10+
  9. Dust the mandazi with powdered sugar.

Serve

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Do you like mandazi as well? Or better yet, have you made them since the year began? Let me know below.

🙂

Sophie

 

 

 

Githeri: Black Beans and Maize

~ Sophie ~ 3 Comments

githeri-AKIU-2

This New Year came with transitions and surprises but that is a story for another post! One of the greatest things was bringing home with us over 5 kilos of beautiful black beans from my grandmother!  We have cooked the beans in every way possible. First it was katogo until we ran out of bananas. We then proceeded to black bean stew which we had mostly with chapati because #kikomando. Soon we grew tired of them and then black bean patties took over (find a similar recipe here) which were amazing. I realized these beans are so rich in protein it is probably not recommended to eat them every single day.

On the other hand, school is resuming and we had to make snacks (think hard corns) for our cousin because #bigsisterduties,well, school is  resuming. We had to boil dried maize and then sun-dry it so we can fry it as hard corns. This githeri idea came about during those times of boiling hard corn and thinking of what to cook next with the black beans. This is not a new recipe because I know and have friends who eat githeri. It is just AKIU’s twist on the dish. It is an alternative way of eating beans and posho and I would like to think that in some way it is katogo of some sort. One thing though, it is packed with flavor.

 

What you will need:

Black beans, boiled and drained about 2 cups

Maize kernels, boiled and drained about 2 cups

2 Large tomatoes, chopped

1 Large onion, diced

1 Large green pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed and chopped

Ground coriander

1 C. Water

Royco chicken flavour

Curry powder

Black pepper

Salt

Observations:

  1. Any type of dried beans work for this recipe
  2. Unlike the traditional githeri, I decided to mix the maize and beans while frying.
  3. Make sure the maize in well pre-boiled and is very soft.
  4. You can season your githeri anyway you want

githeri-AKIU

Method

  1. On high heat, place clean pan and add oil. Add the garlic and onions and stir till an aroma is released.
  2. Add the tomatoes and cover pan. Wait for the tomatoes to become soft and tender.
  3. Add the boiled maize and the beans. Stir till distributed evenly.
  4. Add the remaining ingredients except the water. Stir occasionally till they dry out. Add the water and stir.
  5. Let the githeri simmer on low fire till all the water is gone.
  6. Remove from fire and serve.

 

This dish is great alongside this avocado salsa.

Let us know. Have you ever made githeri or eaten it?

🙂

Sophie