Tag: UGANDAN FOOD BLOG

Colorful Tender Pumpkin Stir-fry

~ Sophie ~ 6 Comments

This is what happens when you end up harvesting a young pumpkin.  In life there are times when we totally do insane things which in turn end up being masterpieces. I keep saying I have had my fair share of  failed recipes in the kitchen. But see, the thing with failure is that it pushes—forces even— you to keep trying till you get a better outcome.  I believe failure is necessary for success.  But words are easier said than done.  Having to create  and develop recipes in the past couple of years has taught me to take failure as a part of the natural human process because without failure, we really would not know what success is. Now this pumpkin stir fry first fell into my category of failed recipes but over time with constant trying and recreation, it is what it is now.  Because now I realize, similar to this amazing stir fry, harvesting a baby tender pumpkin is not a waste after all.

What you will need:

1 C. Young tender pumpkin, thinly sliced

1 C. Carrots, julienned

1/2 C. Green pepper, julienned

1/2 C. Green beans, julienned

1 Large onion, thinly sliced

2 Garlic cloves finely chopped

1/2 Tsp. Ginger, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. Dark Soy sauce diluted with 2 Tbsp. water

Black pepper

A pinch of sugar

Salt

Oil

Method

 

Place a pan on high heat. Add oil. Add the pinch of sugar and let it melt and turn slightly brown(but not burnt).  Add garlic and ginger. Let it brown a little and then add the pumpkin. Keep stirring. After 3 minutes, add the green beans and keep stirring. Add the onions and carrots. Next add the green pepper. Keep stirring so they don’t burn since the heat is high.  Pour in the soy sauce little by little while continuing to stir till the vegetables are slightly tender but still with a bite.  Sprinkle salt and pepper and give one last stir before removing from fire. Serve hot.

Elections are tomorrow and I hope and pray you all have a smooth voting session.

 

🙂

Sophie

Valentine’s DIY: Heart shaped Tea Bag Tags

~ Sophie ~ 6 Comments

 

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Valentines day is  four days away!  It is a special season, to celebrate our loved ones. Though I believe we should be able to proclaim our love to our loved ones every single day. We do not require a special day to do so. Nonetheless, red is everywhere and a ton of events, sales, and what not. So in this season of love, I have this absolutely simple do it yourself project  that takes less than five minutes from start to finish. its one way to add a  little something special to your tea bags and a twist to your morning routine…err…tea. Below is a step by step tutorial on how to make these. Hope you have fun doing this. The best part is that you can personalise them to what you prefer.

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What you will need:

Tea bags

Red Paper

Soft cardboard/card paper

Glue stick

Pencil

Scissors

 

Method

heartteabags

Draw a  heart shape on the card paper. Cut the shape out. Fold the red paper four times. Using a pencil, trace the heart shape onto the red paper. Cut out the shapes. Each teabag will need two red hearts. Glue the white side of the two hearts( the part you intend to stick the string on). Place the string in the middle and press them together. Easy!

If you have time on your hands, you can make a whole boxes and  then send them out as gifts. Be creative.

 

🙂

Sophie

 

 

 

 

Nile Perch Groundnut Stew + Featuring On CNN African Voices

~ Sophie ~ 11 Comments

Scorching sun, dusty roads and paths, bags heavy with produce, stained faux marble counter tops, the struggle of cutting vegetables with a filleting knife, droopy eyes,  a million plus one thoughts in my head,  and the looming massive camera and lighting equipment. This was the situation we had when this stew was made. If you haven’t already guessed, this is the stew that I cooked in the CNN African Voices feature. It was hard for me to keep this as a secret from you guys because I wanted to see how you’d react when taken by surprise! Did I do well? I was overwhelmed by the response I got from all over the world. It truly is a humbling experience. All this would not have been possible without you reading this little corner. I am so grateful for all of you and hope you stay a little longer. And while you do, I hope you benefit from it too. Since I have calmed down from hyperventilating (A.K.A excitement and anxiety), I can now share this simple and easy to pull off stew.

When ever I am travelling back  and forth from the city, there are two specific places where we pass where fish is being sold. And by fish I don’t mean your typical palm-sized tilapia that costs 3000 to 4000 shillings (Now that I think about it, palms do vary in size, Oh well…), I mean Nile perch. Some days there will be a huge crowd waiting to buy the famed Nile perch (Mputa) because the size can vary from a palm’s length to larger than life. Yes they are that big. I remember once passing by in a taxi and straining my neck because the size of the perch was unbelievably large. The great thing is that right next to the fish mongers, there will be street cooks cooking up a storm of aromatic food but mostly fish (so just imagine passing by on an empty stomach). Because where fresh fish that good being sold, fried fish will be found too and boy is it good. Then there are days when the perch is scarce, so scarce that the only one available is cut into pieces and then each piece is sold at a price. Such are the seasons of Nile perch. Nevertheless, Nile perch is good (for a lack of a better word really!) and every Ugandan will tell you so. Because the fish is so fleshy and aromatic, we have a stew we pride ourselves in making. This stew consists of a thick groundnut paste, Nile perch, some vegetables and seasoning.

RECIPE COMING SOON

 

🙂

Sophie