Char-grilled Garden Egg Fritters + 4 Years Blogging

July 6, 2016 ~ Sophie ~ 6 Comments

Its a new month and this one has come with a birthday. It is incredible what has happened over the course of four years! Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would accomplish all these amazing things. It is stuff dreams are made of and ~~sometimes~~ frequently I pinch myself. I am grateful that all the struggles, failures and hard work bring us to here, in this moment. I would not have it any other way. I am also grateful for all the amazing people I have met along the way. I do not know what the future holds but with all that has happened I cant help but be excited for the next four years. With that said, expect a huge surprise (that I am working on day and night) at the end of the month, a brand new feature and much more soon. You can follow me on Instagram for behind the scenes and some random awesome food inspiration.

Now for a celebratory dish, I thought it would be a fun and great idea to for us to cook up something totally new and exciting. After all that is what AKIU is about. If you are not familiar with garden eggs (ntula), here is a link I found to help you out. They are common in central Uganda and are used to make soups and stews.

We have a ~~roughly 2 by 4 meters~~ garden (sorry I have no concept of space) full of garden eggs. The thing with growing a lot of the same food is that there comes a time when you run out of creative ways to cook it. Now that I have discovered this new twist on garden eggs, I feel like I should cook them all like this so they are easier to eat. This dish is great for garden egg lovers and a fun surprise for the haters.

What you will need:

16 Green garden eggs (ntula)

½ C. Flour

¼ C. Parsley, finely chopped

1 Large egg

½ C. Water

2 Tbsp. Mukene powder

1 Tsp. Ginger

½ Tsp. Cinnamon

Salt

Pepper

Oil for frying

Observations:

There are many varieties of garden eggs. I used the green bitter ones. If you do not like the bitter taste, use the white ones.
To avoid cooking eggs that are damaged inside, look carefully for holes on the skin of eggs. Eggs without holes are not damaged.
Char-grilling the garden eggs adds a smoky flavour.
If you do not have mukene powder, use fish sauce.
You can use any herb you have around. I had parsley so I used it.
You may need more or less water depending on your desired consistency of the batter.
If the eggs are overly charred, you can remove some of the charred pieces but leave the flesh.

Method

Wash and half the garden eggs. Char-grill them on a charcoal stove. Remove from fire. Set aside to cool.
In a separate bowl, add flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and mukene powder. Mix well. Next add the parsley, egg and water and mix till a think fine batter forms.
Place a pan of oil on fire and wait for it to get hot
Cut off the stalks and then dip the egg halves in batter. Deep fry till they are golden brown.
Serve as is or with your favourite soup, stew or dip.

If you try this recipe, share your creations with #AkitchenInUg

🙂

Sophie

5 Ingredients: Double Cream Mango Ice Pops (Popsicles)

June 29, 2016April 3, 2018 ~ 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:

The mangoes have to be fully ripe to blend well.
Popsicle sticks a quite hard to find here. An alternative is a pack of bamboo skewers (that can be found at Capital Shoppers, Nakasero).
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

June 22, 2016April 3, 2018 ~ 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:

The type of sweet potato will determine the color and sweetness of your chapatis
Have extra flour nearby for dusting the workplace and rolling pin
Over kneading the dough will cause the chapatis to get hard.
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.