Tag: uganda

Stir-Fried Dodo Rice

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

I am always on the unending process of perfecting my dream  breakfast meals and I still have got a long way to go, I believe. This may be another rice dish, but it’s quite a breakthrough for me. Here is why: When I was a young child, I disliked eating vegetables(haven’t we all?) most especially dodo and somehow this ‘dislike’  has followed me to adulthood. But recently I have decided to challenge myself to make eating dodo much more fun. Especially now that it is raining, dodo is springing up everywhere and it is so beautifully soft, lush and tender.  This is one way of preparing left over rice with dodo. You can find the previous recipe here. What you will need:

2 C. Left over rice

Two handfuls of dodo (Amaranthus)

1 Small tomato, chopped

1 Onion

Cooking oil

Salt Method

In a bowl, crumble the rice and set aside. Wash and coarsely chop the dodo.  Chop the onion and set aside. In a hot sauce pan, add cooking oil and wait for it to get hot. Add the onions and stir them till slightly brown. Next, add the chopped tomato and dodo and keep stirring till they turn a bright green. Add the rice and keep stirring for 3 minutes. Finally add the salt and stir for another minute then remove from fire.  Serve hot with a fried egg and a cup of tea or a glass of fresh juice.

How do you prepare dodo? Let’s chat in the comments section below.

🙂

Sophie

Carrot Cucumber Ribbon Salad with Roasted Simsim(Sesame)

~ Sophie ~ 2 Comments

After wondering whether we would ever see rain, it finally came. Its amazing what two(plus) weeks of rain can do to dry land. It’s as if the land was never dry at all. The grass is so green, the sun rays are more golden, the flowers are in full bloom and everyone hates the mud that comes along with the rain is in the mood of getting back to tending their backyard gardens! Such a wonderful time. Even the markets are filled with beautiful vegetables at a much lesser price! It was only fitting to share a salad.

It was in 2013 October when I lost my camera(I even wrote about it here). I was so devastated since it was one I got from actually working really hard. But in losing that camera, I gained an even greater thing(I am realizing this almost two years later!!), the peeler. it is incredible what a peeler can do besides reducing the work when it come to peeling foods like sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, mangoes, cucumbers, carrots…I could go on and on. I urge you to purchase a peeler and experiment with it. You will not be disappointed. This salad is inspired by the freshness of the land now that it has been rained on(finally!).

What you will need:

3 Cucumbers

3 Carrots(large)

1 Small onion

1 Tsp. Lemon juice

Simsim(sesame)

Method:

Wash the cucumbers and carrots well and dry. Using a peeler, Peel the outer layer of the carrots and discard it. Continue peeling the carrots in a bowl till you reach the stalk. In the same bowl, using a peeler, peel the cucumbers, leaving the outer covering on.  Next, thinly slice the onion lengthwise and add it in the bowl. Add the lemon juice and mix well till all strands of carrots  onion and cucumbers are mixed.  Chill for 10 minutes. Before serving, garnish with roasted simsim (sesame).

 

This simple but colorful salad will not only add character to your meal but will also add flavor and not to mention all the health benefits associated with carrots and cucumbers.

 

Aside from peeling, what do you use your peeler for?

 

🙂

Sophie

Chocolate Glazed Cassava Balls

~ Sophie ~ 7 Comments

 

Hope you had a wonderful Easter holiday(s). If you have been reading this blog for quite some time you probably know that I am a hard-core (OK, that’s a little bit of an exaggeration) lover, cook(er) and eater of savory foods. I love dessert too …occasionally. What I love most about dessert is the small portions. Unlike large portions(think cake slice), small portions can help you control your intake(sometimes…I think), unless the whole batch of those small sweets is guzzled by one person(happens a lot!). These cassava balls are a delightful treat that is surprisingly well textured and flavorful. How they happened is as baffling to me as it will be to you. I believe that random spur-of-the-moment creations are one of the best. Do you agree with me? Shall we make some cassava balls?

What you’ll need:

½ Kg. Grated cassava

5Tbsp. Sugar

2Tbsp. Baking flour

¼ C. Milk

A drop of vanilla extract

Pure chocolate bar

Biscuits

Groundnuts

Method

Squeeze excess water out of the grated cassava and then put it in a bowl. Add sugar, milk and vanilla and stir.  Add the flour and keep stirring. Using your hands, form bite-size balls. Bake for twenty minutes or until slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let them cool. In a separate small bowl, melt chocolate bar. Once fully melted, dip the rounded side of the cassava ball half way in the melted chocolate. Repeat the method till all the cassava balls are coated with melted chocolate.  Crush the biscuits and groundnuts and sprinkle them on top of the balls and insert toothpicks. chill for 30 minutes.  Serve as dessert…if they are not consumed by the time the whole preparation method is done ha!

You will get textured chewy mixed flavors all in one ball. Isn’t that awesome? One thing I observed with these cassava balls is that the flavors intensify as time goes by. So you may want to let them sit in the refrigerator or at room temperature for quite some time(probably like three hours or so) before serving or eating them.

Do you prefer large portioned desserts or small treats?

 

🙂

Sophie

 

PS: You might need more or less baking flour to get a perfect ball. It takes practice. The key is not to make it doughy. You still have to be able to taste and chew the grated cassava.

PPS: I used an oven toaster. If you are using a real oven the settings should be the same as the ones used to bake cookies.