African Cuisine! Republic of Zambia
K
apenta (or matemba as it is locally pronounced) is a beautiful fish that is eaten almost exclusively in the African regions of Zimbabwe and Zambia due to the large fisheries that harvest them in the nearby Lake Kariba. Stewed Kapenta with Sadza
in your kapenta, boil for 15 minutes. • After 15 minutes, remove your kapenta, pat it dry and then chop into thin chunks ready for frying. • Finely chop your onion and garlic, and add to a hot frying pan of olive oil, cook until browned. • Finely chop the tomato and add to the pan along with salt, pepper, groundnut powder and a 1/2 cup of water. • Add your kapenta to the pan, making sure to immerse it in the sauce. Cover the pan and leave to simmer for 10 minutes on a low heat, stirring half way through. • Take your fish stew off the heat and leave to rest for 2 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken. • Your stewed kapenta is now ready to eat, serve with sadza or boiled rice.
Sadza https://taste.co.zw/recipe/sadza/
Traditionally, before cooking the kapenta is dried in the sun on a rack over the course of a day and, because of this, it is able to be kept for long periods without refrigeration and provides an important source of protein to locals. This stewed kapenta recipe is the epitome of the type of traditional cuisine eaten across the country. The kapenta is often served with sadza which is made out of ground maize, but you can also serve kapenta stew with rice.
Stewed Kapenta (Matemba) with Sadza https://travelfoodatlas.com/stewed-kapenta-matembasadza-zimbabwean-zambian
Serves 4 Ingredients: • 1 lb Dried kapenta fish • 1 Large onion • 1 Large tomato • 4 cloves Garlic • 1 tbsp Olive oil • Salt & pepper to taste Directions: • Prepare a large pot of boiling water and place
Ingredients: • 750ml boiling water • 5 cups roller meal, plus extra • Cold water Directions: • Add 1/2 cup of mealie - meal to a large saucepan. Add enough cold water to completely soak the mealie - meal and to make a smooth paste. • Place saucepan over medium high heat, and while stirring add the boiling water slowly. Continue to stir evenly and constantly to prevent the mealie - meal from settling and hardening at the bottom of the pan. • As the mixture heats up, the texture changes from rough to smooth. Continue to add water to loosen the mixture and allow it to boil with enough movement - some upward spattering will occur! • Allow the mixture to boil under medium high heat for about 10 minutes. Add extra mealie meal ½ cup at a time and stir. At this point the sadza requires heavy stirring as it thickens! Continue to add more and stir evenly until the sadza takes on the appearance of smooth stiff mashed potatoes. • After the sadza reaches the desired texture
83 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | Nov 2021
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