Tag: inspiration

Cinnamon Spiced Mandazi

~ Sophie ~ 13 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:

RECIPE UPDATED SINCE JUNE 2020

What you will need:

2 C. Baking flour

1/4 c. Flour for flouring the surface and rolling dough

4 Tbsp. Sugar

1 C. Water

2 Tbsp. Butter/Margarine

1 Tbsp. Baking powder OR 1/4 Tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 Tsp. Ground cinnamon

1 Tsp. Vanilla essence

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 mandazi 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 risen 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

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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

Savory Avocado Salsa

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

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Happy New Year friends! How has the year been treating you so far? I would like to hear all about it in the comments below.  I have a lot to be grateful for. The year started off low key for me and it has mostly been that way ever since. Also unplugging has never felt so good. In fact it was so great it was extended for another week!  But now I am back with fresh ideas (stay tuned for some awesome news!) and cannot wait to see what 2017 has in store for us all. If you have been following me on Instagram, you know that I took a trip back home and I still cannot get over the beauty that was my morning view for about a week! It is so splendid to see the details of the natural beauty that God has created. It truly is amazing!

Despite the fact that this is a refreshing avocado dish (because who does not want to start the year on a good note?!), we have been hit by a heat wave. OK. Maybe not a heat wave but the sun is scorching every corner of the country! It is so terrible.  So while we are tirelessly waiting for it to finally rain, I figured cool but hearty meals will have to do. First off is this avocado salsa. I named it avocado salsa well because it is a combo of avocadoes, some tomatoes and onions.  As easy as it is to make, it adds a lot of flavour to food. We have been eating it with katogo. ALOT!

 

What you will need:

5 Small ripe avocadoes

2 large tomatoes

2 Large onions

Lemon juice of one lemon

Parsley, finely chopped

Black pepper

Salt

Simsim (roast sesame) for garnishing

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Observations:

  1. The avocadoes have to be very ripe
  2. You can substitute lemon juice for vinegar.
  3. Lemon juice prevents the avocado from changing color
  4. Add salt according to your preference

 

Method:

  1. Cut, core and peel the avocadoes.
  2. Finely chop the tomatoes and onions.
  3. In a large bowl, mash the avocadoes with a fork.
  4. Once fully mashed, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
  5. Garnish with simsim and serve with your favourite meal.

 

 

 

How are you conquering the dry hot weather? Also let me know when you do try this simple recipe.

🙂

Sophie