Elite life
Congo DR (Congo DR Recipes)
Ingredients:
250 g black-eyed peas
1 egg
1 Maggi cube
1 habanero chilli, finely diced (substitute a milder chilli, if desired, but you will lose the 'West African' effect)
360 ml vegetable oil
50 g onions, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Cooking Instructions:
Place the black-eyed peas in a large bowl and cover with plenty of hot water. Allow to soak for at least 3 hours. When the beans have soaked for long enough, remove the shells by gathering a handful of beans and rubbing then together briskly between your hands. Rinse the beans to remove the shucked shells then continue rubbing more beans. This process can be very time-consuming but is well worth the effort. When you are done the beans will be white and devoid of their shells. Drain the beans and add about 100 g at a time with 120ml of water to a food process. Blend to a smooth purée and transfer to a bowl. Continue grinding until all the beans have been rendered to a paste. The final quantity of beans will probably be less that 100 g, but you should still add 120 ml of water. You should end-up with a white and very thick mixture to which you should add the Maggi cube (crumbled), chilli, onion, salt and back pepper. Whisk the egg and add half to the bean mix. Stir well to combine then add the oil to a frying pan and heat until quite hot. Add the bean mixture to the pan by the heaped tablespoon (you should be able to get five or six in a large frying pan without their being able to touch one another. Cook for 5 minutes on one side then lightly dab the top with the remaining egg mixture and turn over. Cook for a further 3 or 4 minutes and serve.
Ingredients:
3 packages of frozen cassava leaves, chopped (or 1.5kg fresh, chopped, cassava leaves) [or kale, collard greens, savoy cabbage, turnip greens or similar with stems removed]
1 package (250g) of frozen spinach (or fresh)
2 green bell peppers (cleaned and finely chopped)
1 Scotch Bonnet chilli, finely chopped
4 small onions, sliced into rings
1 large red onion, roughly chopped
1 large red onion cut into rings
6 large cloves of garlic, mashed
salt and black pepper, to taste
360 ml red palm oil (or 360ml groundnut oil + 2 tbsp paprika)
120 ml peanut butter
1 l of water
Cooking Instructions:
In a large pan, add all the ingredients except for the palm oil, peanut butter and the red onion rings. The water should just cover all the ingredients (add more if necessary). Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Continue cooking until the cassava leaves are soft (this can take 2 hours or more). Add more water and continue cooking until the cassava leaves are done. Once the cassava leaves are done, take the pot off the heat and ensure you have about 250 ml of liquid left (add water if you don't have enough liquid). Meanwhile, mix the peanut butter with some oil to soften it. Pour this over the vegetables and return the pan to the heat. Allow to heat through and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the remaining red oil and cook for a further 10 minutes. Serve with FuFu, boiled cassava, boiled yam or rice.
Ingredients:
250 ml palm oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 hot chilli pepper (scotch bonnet or 2 dried piri-piri chillies) finely chopped
900 g filleted fish (Nile perch if possible, but tilapia makes a good substitute)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Cooking Instructions:
Heat the oil in a large frying pan then cook the onions and chilli peppers for a few minutes. Add the fish and cook for a few minutes on one side before turning to cook the other side. Adjust the seasoning to taste. As variations you can add any combination of tomatoes, okra, garlic and green bell pepper with the onions.
Ingredients:
1 chicken, cut into serving pieces.
1 large onion, chopped
1 small tin, tomato paste
120 ml peanut butter
2 scotch bonnet chillies, pounded to a paste
Palm oil
Cooking Instructions:
Add about 1 l of water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and continue boiling until the meat has cooked. Meanwhile, gently fry the onion in about 4 tbsp palm oil, cooking until the onion is tender. When the chicken is done, remove from the broth (keep this on a low simmer), allow to cool a little and remove the meat from the bones. Take 200 ml of the chicken broth and combine with the peanut butter and tomato, stirring to a smooth paste. Return the chicken meat to the broth then add the peanut butter paste. Stir and continue to simmer until the soup has thickened. Serve with rice, Baton de Manioc or FuFu and accompanied by a hot sauce.
Ingredients:
4x1.1 kg chickens quartered
4 tbsp melted butter
Salt for sprinkling
120 ml peanut butter
120 ml mayonnaise
100 g chopped peanuts
3 green bell peppers, blanched in boiling water, skinned, de-seeded and cut into 3 cm strips
Vegetable oil
Cooking Instructions:
Brush the chicken quarters with the melted butter and sprinkle with salt. Place on a baking sheet breast-side down and bake in an oven pre-heated to 170°C for 30 minutes then turn breast-side up. Blend the peanut butter with the mayonnaise and brush this mix over the chickens so that they are completely smothered in it. Return to the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes, or until the chicken is done. Meanwhile fry the green peppers in just enough vegetable oil to stop them burning. Continue cooking until they are quite dark brown. Sprinkle the chopped peanuts over the chicken. Serve on a bed of saffron or turmeric rice (ie yellow rice).
Ingredients:
900 g lean minced beef
1½ tbsp curry powder
4 eggs, beaten
240 ml milk
360 ml single cream
240 g dried apricots, finely chopped
6 bay leaf butter
Cooking Instructions:
Combine the beef, salt and curry powder together in a bowl. Combine the eggs, milk and milk–cream mixture together in another bowl. Combine half the egg mixture with the beef and stir-in the apricots. Turn the mixture into a greased 33cm x 22cm baking dish. Pour the remaining egg mixture over the top and float the bay leaves over the milk and dot with butter. Place in the centre of an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for 45 minutes (or until the top resembles baked custard). Serve immediately spooned over rice.
Ingredients:
1 fish (a decent whit fish like tilapia will substitute), cleaned and cut into serving-size steaks
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 chilli pepper, de-seeded and chopped
2 tomatoes, blanched, peeled and chopped
1 small can tomato paste
1 bunch fresh sorrel leaves
1 bayleaf
Grated nutmeg, black pepper and salt, to taste
Oil to fry
Cooking Instructions:
Heat about 4 tbsp oil in a deep frying pan. Fry the fish in this oil until done on both sides then set aside. Add about 3 tbsp oil to a saucepan. Use this to fry the onion and garlic for a few minutes then add the chilli, tomatoes and tomato paste. Add just enough water to make a smooth sauce and bring to a gentle boil. Put the fish in the sauce then add the sorrel leaves, bay leaf and season with the nutmeg, black pepper and salt.. Allow to simmer gently for about 15 minutes then serve with boiled plantains or on a bed of rice.
Ingredients:
1.3 kg stewing meat cut into large bite-sized pieces
Juice of 1 lemon
2 chilli peppers de-seeded and pounded to a paste
2 tbsp palm oil (or groundnut oil mixed with paprika)
2 onions, chopped
6 large, ripe, tomatoes, chopped
400 g greens (eg spinach, collard greens, kale etc) washed and cut into small strips
250 ml Nyembwe Sauce or plam butter or canned palm soup base or peanut butter
Cooking Instructions:
Mix the meat, lemon juice, salt and pepper together and allow to marinate for an hour. Meanwhile heat the oil in a casserole dish or large pot. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes then add the meat and cook until browned. Once the meat is nicely colored add the tomatoes and about 500 ml water. Reduce the heat to a simmer then add the palm nut sauce or palm butter or peanut butter) then add the greens. Cover and allow to simmer on low heat until the meat his tender (about an hour). If peanut butter is used then the dish is transformed into Muamba Nsusu. Serve with Baton de Manioc, FuFu or rice.
Ingredients:
1 chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces, 300g beef or lamb, diced (you can aloso use fish)
2 large onions, chopped
3 chilli peppers, mashed to a paste
8 tomatoes, blanched, peeled and mashed
Salt and black pepper to taste
Oil for frying
Cooking Instructions:
Season the meat with salt and black pepper and allow to stand for about 20 minutes. Add a little oil to a large pan and fry the meat with the onions until well browned. Add the chillies and tomatoes and fry for a few minutes then add just enough water to cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 50 minutes, or until the meat is very tender. Serve on a bed of rice (chicken and mixed meat Mwamba is traditionally served with rice. Beef, lamb or fish Mwamba is usually accompanied by fried palantains.
Ingredients:
500 g mushrooms, cleaned with a cloth and chopped into small pieces
4 tbsp cooking oil or butter
Juice of 1 lemon
Cooking Instructions:
Heat the oil in a sauce pan or frying pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry until tender then add the lemon juice. Reduce the heat and allow the mixture to simmer for a few minutes. This sauce is traditionally served with roast or grilled meats.
Ingredients:
500 g cassava flour
500 ml water
Cooking Instructions:
In a large stock pot add the cassava flour and mix the water with this to form a smooth paste. Heat gently, stirring continually (stir from the edges of the pot towards the centre) until the paste thickens and you can begin to form it into a ball. The consistency and colour changes from a white liquid to a yellow glutinous paste. Before the fufu is ready the entire mixture should be yellow. If you have a ball and some bits are still white, add a little more water and continue to cook until it's all done. The final consistency should be that of a well-kneaded bread dough. Serve immediately with a 'sticky' West African soup that's made with okra, bitter tomatoes, baobab leaves or bitterleaf.
