Tag: pizza

Independence Day Round Up: Foods that Are Proudly Ugandan

~ Sophie ~ 2 Comments

work with meIn the last blog post I talked about how we need to pay homage to the food that makes up the cuisine of this nation. It is one of the main purposes of this little blog here. And because there is so much food to talk about, I am continuing by rounding up foods that are found here in Uganda  and are locally grown. I am also sharing links to some recipe ideas from the archive that you can make with them. Just so you know, I had a hard time limiting the list to only 21. There is so much to discover and so much cooking that has happened here.  Wishing you all a wonderful independence day.

Amaranth/Dodo greens

First off is this classic vegetable that, come sunshine or rain, will sprout and thrive almost anywhere. Currently it is glistening from the backyard because of the rain that has graced the land. It is mostly known as poor man’s food but I am set to break the stereotype because this vegetable is packed with lots of nutrients.  And on my quest to break the stereo type, I challenged myself to learn how to cook it in different ways. Here are some of the ways you can prepare dodo and still have a great time eating it. Stir-fried, sauteed, in rice, and in pasta.

Cassava

Cassava is one of my favourite tubers. My father can testify.  I love my cassava very much especially the crispy friend kind. I also realise frying is probably not the best way to cook so, aside from a comforting cassava –bean katogo (which I am yet to share), I tried this sour cream pudding with chocolate and coconut and these cassava balls and I cannot wait to make them again because it is a good base for desserts and chapati. Also this incredibly tasty cassava leaves soup called sombe is worth a try.

Sweet potatoes

Speaking of chapati, I made this sweet potato chapati that is a must try. We have started harvesting our sweet potatoes and it will be chapati all day every day soon! Another way to cook sweet potato is by making these sweet potato balls, fries/chips, rolls which are a fragrant and less expensive but flavorful alternative to making cinnamon rolls and these sweet potato filled cookies.

Tea

We Ugandans are tea drinkers.  Maybe it is a British influence or probably an Indian one but we love our tea and we will drink it any time of the day!  So here are some other ways we can drink tea. Iced in the hot days with lemons and also with lemongrass.

Passion fruit

There are some things that are synonymous with Uganda and I believe passion fruit is one of them, especially the juice. In fact it should be the national juice. Don’t you think? So here is this lemongrass infused passion juice because that’s how we make it without a strainer.

Chapati

Another one synonymous with the nation is chapati. I was having a food related conversation a few months back and I realised we consume a lot of wheat. A LOT! Every morning you pass by stalls and kiosks making heaps of chapatti, samosas, and mandazi and they are consumed every day on top of bread! We consume a lot of wheat! So here are ways you can eat your chapati: in the morning as a rolex or a jumbo beef rolex. The possibilities are endless what with CNN talking about the rolex  here and here.

Bananas

Matooke, Ndizi, menvu, bogoya, gonja. Name it, we have it all. I was reading through an encyclopaedia published in 1992 (before the internet took over reading) about Uganda and found out one of the major exports was bananas. Can you imagine the amount of bananas those were? So here are some I have written about that you can try. Gonja,  and then make these donuts,  these banana pancakes, these muffins,  and the epic kabalagala and if you are against frying you can try this steamed version called ebwanga. Also did you know that the banana blossom is edible and tasty too? Here is one way to make it. 

Pawpaw

Paw paw is an instant snack and desert with only natural sugar. And it is so good on its own but if you want to be experimental, try these killer slushies to beat the heat and this edgy salad. If you want to be fancy (who doesn’t?!) you can try these vegetarian pawpaw cream parfaits that made it to CNN last month.

Black jack

Similar to Amaranth, black jack is literary everywhere. Chances are you will find it where ever  there is a bush of some sort. It is also medicinal and makes killer tea (at this point I realise the lines are blurred. Everything that makes a hot beverage is called tea!).

Mujaja

The fragrance that this herb releases is otherworldly! If you have not had Mujaja tea before, you should. It is soothing and smells amazing.

Maize

What is life without maize? You know especially if you have undergone the Ugandan education system? You feed on posho and porridge for over 12 years! And to think all the high school leavers have had to eat poshso for all that time is just insane! So I am imagining by the time secondary  school is over, no one wants anything to do with anything maize. But then fresh maize, hard corns (gweke style) and some corn bread thrown in there will keep you coming back.  So here are some suggestions. This posho stir fry, sautéed maize, and this creamy St. Marcellin salad.

Ntula/garden eggs

Ntula have been around for as long as I can remember and I despised them in my childhood because they are bitter. But now they are one of my favourite vegetables to cook with because they have a great texture and the bitterness adds an unexpected twist to food! They can even be eaten raw!  Try out this ntula muekene stew and these ntula fritters.

Mangoes

My favourite fruit so far (and hopefully forever)! I call it the super fruit.  Don’t believe me? Try these mango popsicles, this three layer cake with mango syrup, this green mango jam (which is epic!) and this mango-pear pie, You can find them too almost everywhere! And now that the trees are starting to put on fruit, I cannot wait to get my fill of green mangoes because the fun is in actually eating the green sour ones with salt chilli, sugar and anything really!

Samosas

Again what is Uganda without samosas or sumbusas might I say? You will find them, just like chapatti, on every corner being vended. I have eaten some the tastiest samosas on the streets! And because we love them so much, we fill them with vegetables, beans (peas) and even rice! Yes we eat them every which way and in every size too! Try these ones with melty cheese!

Beans

Beans! What would we do without beans? And the great part is we have almost every variety under the sun! White, red black yellow small big in every shape color and size. Try these palm oil fried beans, these surprisingly good stir-fried black beans sprouts and this fresh bean soup and this black bean stew.Also beans make really good burger patties.

Pumpkin

Have you ever noticed that the best pumpkins are not even farmed? They just grow by themselves on waste pits and heaps. Now before you think this is a bad thing, let me explain why these are some of the best pumpkins and why they thrive. You see biodegradable waste is manure for these seeds that we randomly throw. Because the environment is so conducive, these seedlings thrive to become the greenest vines and they give some of the best pumpkins. And we like our pumpkins alongside that soft matooke preferably steamed.  Here is some comforting pumpkin soup and pumpkin stir-fry to try.

Nile Perch

Every time I am travelling I keep eyeing those larger than life Nile perches being butchered by the road side. One of my dreams is to buy a massive one and then cook it whole in herbs and spices because that amount of flesh they have is just so unbelievable! Did you know that when the CNN crew came to shoot me in my kitchen my parent’s kitchen, I made perch with groundnut stew and we ate it with akalo (which we call obundu). It was such a great day. You can watch the video here and then go make the stew. Also fish to be specific perch in bugers is epic. The flavours are amazing. You should  try it.

Mukene

I have spotted packaged fried mukene in supermarkets many times. It is great as a snack and can be made into sauce too! Here is how I mostly prepare it with a rich base of tomatoes and it goes well with posho, rice and anything really.

Simsim

I have childhood memories of bucket of simsim paste sent to us by family friends. I learnt to eat it with sweet potatoes and the taste is otherworldly! If you haven’t tried simsism with sweet potatoes, you should. I made a remix of the two by making these simsim balls. Now I always have a bottle of simsim because I like sprinkling it on almost anything.  It enhances the flavour of almost everything.

Irish Potatoes

Did you know that aside from cassava and matooke, irish potatoes and popular for making katogo and chips/fries but mostly katogo. Here is a potato-groundnut katogo to try.

Millet

I hear tales from my parents that I used to feed on millet a lot as a kid. A LOT! It was when I fell in love with bushera that I started to appreciate millet.  I have been experimenting with making millet bread and the bread is so rich and filling. Here is a massive donut I baked with millet over a year ago.

Phew! That was a long list! I hope you find something to try in this season of celebration. Make sure you let me know when you do try them out or use the #AkitchenInUg to share your creations inspired by the above.

🙂

Sophie

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Savoury Mozzarella Soya Bread

~ Sophie ~ 6 Comments

 

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I have been on a baking high lately and every chance get, I keep buying yeast just so I can smell the wonderful and pleasant aroma of yeast wafting through the kitchen when the bread dough is rising. Do you ever feel that way?  Let us talk about this bread. It is made with ingredients that can be found easily. With a perfect combination of carrots, green pepper, spicy ginger, and mozzarella, this filling hearty bread is sure to frequent your baking routine. The best part: Mozzarella keeps the loaf moist and soft even after it has completely cooled off. Good news is you do not have to have an oven to bake. A charcoal stove can work and a pressure cooker too! This bread is probably one of the best I have ever made.  With Paramount Dairies Mozzarella cheese, you can make this savoury, tasty filling soya  bread because everything is better with cheese. Let me just stop talking so we can start baking.

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What you will need:

4 C. Baking Flour, sifted

2 C. Soya flour, sifted

2 C. Carrot, grated

1 ½  C.  Mozzarella, grated

½ C. Green pepper, finely chopped

1/8 C. Ginger, grated

1/8 C. Parsley, finely chopped

1C. Milk, warm

½ C. Oil

2 Large eggs

4 Tbsp. + 2 Tbsp. Sugar

4 Tsp. Yeast

3 Tsp. Salt

½ Tsp. Black pepper

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Observations:

  1. Have an extra 1/2 cup of flour at hand for dusting your working area.
  2. The grated carrot and ginger have liquid in them. Less milk is needed for the flour but have an extra 1/2 cup of milk at hand.
  3. Soya flour softens the texture of the bread. You can substitute chickpea flour If you do not eat soya.

 

Method:

  1. In a bowl, add milk and 4 tablespoons of sugar and mix till the sugar has dissolved. Add the yeast and cover bowl for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and oil together and set aside.
  2. In another bowl, combine the carrot, green pepper, ginger, black pepper, salt, sugar, cheese, parsley, wheat flour and soya flour. Mix all ingredients.
  3. After 10 minutes, pour the oil-egg mixture into the milk-yeast mixture and stir well. Gradually pour the yeast mixture into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Knead till a firm non sticky dough if formed.
  4. Cover dough with a wet towel and let it rise for 1 hour.
  5. Grease/ oil your baking pans with margarine and set aside. After 1 hour, punch dough down and knead for 10 seconds. Divide dough into two equal parts and place each dough into the baking pans. Let the dough sit for another 15-20 minutes.
  6. Light a charcoal stove. Get two large aluminium pans (They have to be large enough for the cake/bread pan to fit in). Put ash in one pan (about 2-3 inches of ash). Put the pan with ash on the stove and cover than pan with the second pan. This is the ‘preheat’ moment.
  7. After the dough has risen for 20 minutes, gently place the baking dish in the pan (the one with the ash in it) on the stove. Cover with the second pan. Let the doughnut bake for 30 minutes (don’t open the pan at this stage). After 30 minutes have passed, get hot charcoal from the stove and place it on top of the covering pan making sure they are in the centre of the pan. Bake for another 30 minutes or unit the bread turns slightly golden brown.
  8. Serve warm. Makes two loaves.

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These loaves are great on their own because they have all the good stuff in them but you can serve them alongside your favourite beverage or soup.Use the #AkitcehnInUg to share your creations.

🙂

Sophie

 

 

This post is made possible by Paramount Dairies. You can find Paramount mozzarella and other cheese products in major supermarkets in Kampala.

Pie Crust Termite Mushroom Pizza

~ Sophie ~ 2 Comments

It’s the time of the year when the weather is very bipolar. It rains in the morning and the whole atmosphere becomes dark and gloomy and then in the afternoon, the sun is shining so bright it’s hard to believe it rained, except for the mud on the ground and vice versa. One moment you want to take a warm hearty soup and another moment you are yearning for a cold drink.

I am probably not the only one but have you ever thought of paring pie and pizza? It saves time, honestly. I was browsing the other day and I realized that to make a perfect pizza crust is close to impossible for me at the moment. On the other hand, pie dough is so easy to make, seriously! And so a radical idea came to me and I was thinking why not make a pie crust pizza?

I am digressing! Have you ever heard of termite mushrooms? They are these tiny mushrooms found on termite hills that are full of character and a distinct flavor. I remember when I was young, after it rained, I would be sent out to soggy termite hills to collect these little things. Usually, these termite hills also harbor snakes. So the collectors have to tread softly. The fun part of it was actually getting to eat them after laboring collecting them, removing the mud, thoroughly washing and cooking them.
I did not know they were called termite mushrooms until recently when I actually had to cook them. I, clearly, have a lot to learn!

So it all started when we had bought the dried version of the mushrooms and had eaten them repeatedly as soup three times (will share the recipe soon). I had cheese and pie dough (ha!) readily available and there was a handful of the dried mushrooms left and so termite mushroom pizza was made. While doing this, I justified my decision with saying “pizza always has mushrooms”. I know you are wondering what pizza has to do with the bipolar weather. The thing is, you can always whip up an easy pizza in those gloomy moments, before the sun comes out

What you will need:

Pie dough
2C. Baking flour
½ C. Margarine (blue band)/ Butter
1/2 C. Cold water
½ Tsp. Sugar
½ Tsp. Salt
Toppings
½ C./ a handful of dried termite mushrooms,
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 Medium onion, thinly sliced, lengthwise
1 Small green pepper, chopped
½ C. Cheese, grated
2 Garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
3 Tbsp. Cooking oil
Salt

Method

Soak the termite mushrooms for 30 minutes in slightly salty water.

Pie dough
Sift flour in a bowl. Add salt and sugar. Mix well. Add margarine and using your hands mix it in the flour until the mixture becomes coarse. Next add the water, a tablespoon at a time, while mixing. Keep adding little water until a firm dough is formed. It should not be very wet and should not stick to your hands so much (you may need more or less water). After you have formed the dough, put it back in the bowl and keep it refrigerated for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from the refrigerator and, on a floured surface, cut the dough into two equal parts. Using a floured rolling pin or a glass bottle, roll the dough out till it is large enough (think chapatti size). Roll the second part of the dough too. After rolling them, put them back in the refrigerator for 5 minutes.

Toppings
Heat the oil in a pan. Add the tomatoes and garlic and cover the pan. Check occasionally to see if they are soft. Once soft, remove from fire and let them cool.
Drain the mushrooms.
Remove one crust from the refrigerator and put it on a cookie sheet of your oven or a metallic tray.
Keep the other half of all the toppings for the second crust.
Using a spoon, spread half of the fried tomato mix on the crust. Next add the termite mushrooms. Next add the green pepper. Next add the onions and finally the grated cheese.
Bake in an oven until the crust starts to brown a little and the cheese had completely melted. This can take an approximation of 15 to 20 minutes depending on the oven you are using. I use an oven toaster.
Remove from the oven and let the pizza cool.
Serve on a gloomy day… or really any day you feel like having easy homemade pizza!
The result is a light crusted but flaky pizza.

 

Now that I’m thinking about it, does this make it a tart? Just wondering.

 

Have a great week

 

🙂

Sophie

PS: Use fully ripe tomatoes to avoid sourness.