Microwave Yellow Rice

Ingredients
2 cups uncooked rice 
2 tbsp ghee butter or olive oil
1/2 tsp saffron powder 
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp minced jarred garlic
1 veggie boullion cube
3 or 4 cups water
Salt and Black pepper to taste 

Direction
- In a 2 quart microwave safe casserole, mix rice and all other ingredients. Stir well.
- Cover and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
- Then 20 minutes at 50% reduced power or until most of water is absorbed.
- Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. 

Note:
You can substitute water for chicken or vegetable broth and omit using a veggie boullion.

Chapati za Maji - Tanzanian Pancakes (Crepes)

Ingredients 

1 cup milk 

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tablespoon canola oil and more for cooking pancakes

1/2 cup water (or as needed)

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Directions

Mix all the wet ingredients and whisk 

Put the flour salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl.

Gradually whisk in the wet mixture and mix.

The batter need to me not too heavy or too light. Just right enough so you will be able to scoop. If it is to heavy add a little more water. 

Cover and let it rest for abut 30 minutes to 1 hour

Heat the nonstick frying pan over medium -high heat.

Put small part of canola oil in the frying pan and swirl around so that it lightly coats the surface.

Pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into pan, quickly tilt pan in all directions so that the batter covers pan with a thin film.

Cook about 1 minute and carefully lift the edge of the pancake with a spatula and flip on another side and cook again for about 1 minute. 

Remove to a plate and repeat with a remaining batter. (Make sure to put a fresh dab of canola oil in a frying pan before pouring the batter each time)  

Serve them while hot with tea or stew. 

Mahindi ya kuchoma (Grill Corn Tanzanian Style)

Ingredients
Corn on the cob 

Direction
Charcoal Grill – Get the coals started and heat up until gray or medium hot. Arrange them so they are in an even layer.

Prep the Corn – Strip the corn husk all the way back to the stem. Do remove all the silk to expose the corn kernels.  

Kishumba (Green Plantains & Beans) Tanzania

This is banana and beans meal originated from Northeastern region in Tanzania.

Ingredients
Banana (green plantain)
Beans
Salt to taste
extra-virgin oil 
Bicarbonate of sod or Accent flavor enhancer 
Pumpkin (option)

Directions:

Thanks Giving Special - Pilau Stuffing for Turkey

Best one I ever created.

With cinnamon and allspice, this Pilau stuffing reflects the customary flavors of Thanksgiving, but it's actually based on a very traditional Tanzania pilau. Serve the pilau as a side dish or use it as a stuffing, where the warm spices add flavor to the turkey as it cooks.


Note: Try to use real turkey stock, broth in this recipe or
use some cut up turkey legs or wings (I used  some stuffs that they leave inside the turkey and a can of turkey broth) with some carrot, leek tops or onion, celery and simmer on very low for about an hour.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups uncooked basmati rice (or long grain rice)
• Pilau masala
• 3 cups turkey stock 
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 cup golden raisins (option)
• 1 cup cashew nuts (option)
• 1 Big Onion
• 1 Big garlic onion (about 10 cloves)
• Vegetable oil

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Directions

1. Rinse the rice several times until the water runs clear. Drain in a colander.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a heavy skillet (10-inch or similar size). Stir in the onion and fry until golden brown.
3. Stir in Pilau masala.
4. Add garlic onion and stir for few more minutes. Make sure you do not burn the mixture.
5. Add the turkey stock and bring to boil.
6. Add the rice and reduce the heat, stir occasionally until the water dries.  
7. Take half of the pilau and stuff in you turkey. After stuffing remember to sew it. Tying it up with twine will easily cook the bird more evenly. 
8. Cover the rest of the pilau with a foil paper. If the skillet you use to cooked your pilau is not oven safe then place it in a baking dish or casserole. 
9. Bake the pilau and the turkey in a preheat oven around (325 degree F). 
10. In one hour remove the pilau and continue to bake the turkey as per your instruction.             

Add the turkey broth when you make a stock for pilau...

 

I forgot to take a picture of the turkey after I sew in ...... 

 

This is how it looks after baked for 31/2 hours in 325 degree F

 

This is the rest of the pilau that I kept baked for one hour.....

 

I didn't marinate the turkey but the pilau gave the meat an all-over flavor.

Tanzanian Meat Pie

Easy Hummus Recipe (Kotoweo cha Dengu)

A friend of mine (Jewish) one day invited me over for dinner at his mother's house. His mother served a homemade hummus and I loved it. I have been using hummus for quite sometime now in replace of dips and butter but the homemade one was just so delicious so I decided to learn how to make it from scratch by myself too. I found out the secret is the order in which you add ingredients to your food processor and  for extra smooth hummus is to remove the skins of each chickpea.

Hummus is a Middle Eastern and Arabic food dip or spread. The hummus acts as both the protein and the condiment. I love hummus on cucumber slices, in fact, it's great on anything green.

Ndizi Mbivu za Kuchemsha na Mchuzi wa Nyama (Ripe Boiled Plantains with Meat Stew)

One day I went to a party that was hosted by one of my Nigerian friends. I ate this food and liked it so much when I asked them what was that they told me it was Boiled Plantains. I didn't ask much how they cooked it because I thought to myself what could go wrong when you just boiling ripe plantains right? Wrong....The fisrt time I tried to make this food it came out like a baby food.....Then I found the secret was not to peel off skin until plantains are done cooking. 

SHISH KABOB

Ingredients
Vegetable oil
Soy sauce 

Oregano flakes 

Garlic powder or fresh garlic, minced 

Freshly ground black pepper 

Salt 

Onion, minced
2 1/2 lbs beef  

Green bell peppers 

Mushrooms 

Medium or cherry tomatoes 

Boiling onions (or medium red onions)

Direction 
Cut  beef into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Combine remaining ingredients to make a marinade. Place cubes in a Ziploc bag with marinade and refrigerate for several hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

When ready to barbecue, soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes to keep them from scorching (or use metal ones which have been brushed with oil).

Prepare vegetables: quartered small or whole white boiling onions, whole mushrooms, cherry tomatoes or quartered tomato wedges and thick wedges of green pepper. Dip vegetables in oil before threading onto skewers alternating between meat cubes.

Broil over hot charcoal coals or in a 400°F gas grill or in the broiler of your oven for about 10 minutes; turn and broil for about 10 minutes on the other side or until done.

Serve over hot fluffy rice, on a bed of fresh lettuce leaves, or with buttered, grilled buns or pita pockets and fresh lettuce leaves for sandwiches. A leafy green salad is a wonderful accompaniment to shish-kabob.

 

Adopted from cook.com

Chapati Maji na Mboga Za majani (Tanzanian Mixed Veggies Pancakes)

Ingredients

2 wheat flour
1 cup potato mashed
3 eggs
1 milk
1/2 scallions
1/2 boiled cauliflower
2/3 cup grated raw carrots
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt
Chilli Powder to taste



How to make Mix Vegetable Pancakes

To make the pancakes sift the flour along with the salt.
Add the eggs and gradually add the milk.
Then add mashed potatoes.
Mix and beat thoroughly till the batter is smooth and free of lumps if it is too thick add a little bit of water.
Allow the batter to remain in a cool place for about an hour.
Add the remain ingredients fold in together

Cooking
Heat little vegetable oil in a frying pan or use cooking spray.
Pour a spoonful of the batter on it.
Cook one side till it is light brown, turn and cook on the other side.

Serve hot with any sauce, stew or tea

Mkate Wa Wayahudi (Challah Bread with Grape Jam)

2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 

1 tablespoon active dry yeast 

1/2 cup honey 

4 tablespoons vegetable oil 

3 eggs 

1 tablespoon salt 

8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 

1 tablespoon poppy seeds (optional) 

Grape jam (optional) 

Mandazi Ya Nazi (Coconut Mandazi)

Ingredients
6 cups multipurpose wheat flour
1 eggs
2 tablespoons margarine, butter or vegetable oil
1/2 sugar
1 can coconut milk
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 powder milk ( or 1 cup milk)
1 cup room temperature water if you are using powder milk
1 teaspoon ground Cardamon
pinch of salt
oil for frying

Bagia Bhagia Baghia Bajia Bhajia Tanzanian Style

These have so many ways of spelling and pronouncing them but however you call them they are just so yummy...

Ingredients 

1 cup chick pea flour 
1/2  tsp turmeric powder 

1/4 cup onions (finely chopped)
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 ginger paste

1 tsp chilies 
1/2 scallions  

1 tbsp fresh parsley 

Tambi (Sev )

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Ingredients:

2 cups gram flour
2 tablespoons oil
1 pinch bicarbonate of soda
Salt to taste
Water to make dough
Oil to deep fry

Black paper (option)

Direction:
Mix all the ingredients to make sticky dough. Grease hands with some oil for ease in handling dough.