Day 197: Zimbabwe and Muriwo unedovi with Sadza and Nyama

Hello, Raffies!

We made it! We are at the end of this world food challenge. We are in Zimbabwe today for our last stop: Muriwo unedovi with Sadza and Nyama.
I wanted to thank you all for joining me on my trip around the world! Stay tuned for what comes tomorrow! ;)
My husband awarded me with a present for completing this challenge..can you guess what it is?
Anyway, this is not the end, but the beginning of a long culinary adventure, where we will be discovering a lot more about the flavours of the world.

For now we are on our last country and we are making some nice Sadza, a staple ingredient. it is mealie porridge, which can easily be swapped with cornmeal. Usually, some greens, Muriwo unedovi, accompany the porridge and you top it all with some Nyama, grilled meat.

Sadza is a dish that accompanies every single meal and the first thing every baby eats at a very young age. It was my first time making mealie and I must say that I worried it would not get compact enough to make a ball, but luckily I made it!

The recipe is pretty easy:

For the porridge:

7 tbsp mealie flour
1 c cold water
750 ml hot water

Pour the flour in a pot and add the cold water. Mix it to a paste and bring it to a boil. Add the hot water while stirring. Reduce the heat and leave it simmering for about 15 minutes. Keep on cooking, until it has the consistency you wanted. This might take a while, but do not despair!

For the greens:

1 bunch of spinach or kale (I used endive, because the supermarket had run out of spinach and kale)
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 tbsp chili flakes
salt
pepper

Boil the greens cut into strips in water. Drain and heat up the oil in a pan. Sauté the onions with the tomato. Add peanut butter, salt, pepper and chili flakes. Stir well. Now add the greens and some water - approximately 1/2 c. Serve it with the Sadza.

If you want to add meat, just grill or fry some beef, chicken or lamb without adding anything and serve with the rest. I used some lamb chops and fried them in a pan until crispy. Enjoy!

The dish was really nice. The greens had a nice flavour and the creamy nuttiness of the peanuts went well together with the chili flakes. The mealie worked really well with the greens!

Love, Raffi

Day 196: Zambia and Nshima with Tomato Gravy & Okra

Good evening, Raffies!

We only have two more days to go in this challenge. September is upon us and we are going South. Tonight we dine in Zambia and are going to enjoy a very normal dinner: Nshima with Tomato Gravy and Okra. This is a dish you could expect to eat any day in Zambia.

Nshima is the cornmeal porridge that is an absolute staple in the country. No meal is a real meal without it. Usually it is served with a stew or soup. Cornmeal can be prepared in different ways, but the most common is Nshima. A meal is not complete unless you have Nshima and Ndiwo, which means sauce.

The recipe is simple and the result is lovely. For 2 people I used the following:

1 c corn flour
3 c water
1 tsp salt
250 g beef, cubed
250 g okra, sliced
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp vegetable oil
salt
pepper

Start by preparing the stew, so that the Nshima is fresh and hot when you serve.
Boil your meat in water, until soft. Keep the water, you'll need it soon.
In a frying pan, heat the oil and fry the onions until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for a few minutes. Now add some of the beef stock, aka the water you boiled the meat in.
Add the tomatoes to the mixture and bring to a boil. It is now time to add the okra and mix well. Cook for a couple of minutes, until the okra is soft. Finally, add the beef and leave it to simmer for a bit. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.

It is time to make the Nshima. In order to avoid creating lumps, I pour all the cornmeal in a casserole. Gradually add the water while stirring well and bring the whole to a boil. I keep on stirring, until it thickens. Stir even more until it gets very thick and it won't stick to the sides of the pot anymore.

Serve the Nshima with the Ndiwo and enjoy!

I love okra! So obviously I really enjoyed this.


Love,

Raffi

Day 195: Yemen and Red Lentil Soup

Good evening, Raffies!

Today we are going to Yemen and we are having our last soup: Red Lentil Soup. This is a simple, yet delicious soup made from red lentils.
This soup can be found in most Arab countries, like Egypt and Morocco. The main ingredient, red lentils, stays the same. However some different spices and with additional ingredients compose the many servings of Red Lentil Soup.

What I like about this soup is that it uses very few ingredients and gives you a great result in very little time.

The recipe is really simple and you will have a lovely and healthy soup ready in no time:

1 c red lentils
1/2 c tomato sauce
1/2 onion, chopped
3 tbsp oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt
4 c water

Start by washing the lentils. In a pan, heat the oil and fry the cumin seeds with the onion, until the onion is brown, but not burnt.
Add the garlic and stir. Now add the lentils, tomato sauce, water, salt and turmeric and bring to a boil. Cover and let it simmer for about 30 minutes.
Now you can either blend the soup to get a smooth and thick soup, or you leave it as it is with its chunks. It is ready to serve. Enjoy!

The soup was nice and warm and we ate it with some Arabic bread. It was delicious!

Love,

Raffi