African Cuisine! Republic of Zambia

Kapenta (or matemba as it is locally pronounced) is a beautiful fi sh that is eaten almost exclusively in the African regions of Zimbabwe and Zambia due to the large fi sheries that harvest them in the nearby Lake Kariba.

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 with Sadza

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

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/

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

and is well mixed,turn heat off and cover and let it set for a couple of minutes before serving. Spoon into a large dish and smooth over with a wooden spoon. Serve with your favourite relish. Delicious!

Sausage Casserole

https://www.lusakatimes.com/2016/11/08/kitchen-kantasausage-casserole/ Whatever the dish, and whatever the time of day, Sausages are the perfect go to food. Remember that you can use any good quality sausages for this dish so enjoy. Serves 12

Ingredients:

• 4 large potatoes • 4 carrots • 8 good-quality sausages • 2 tbsp olive oil • 1 onion, chopped • 1 garlic clove, crushed • 1 tsp paprika • 400g can chopped tomatoes • 400ml vegetable stock

Directions:

• Turn on the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. • Peel and cut the potatoes and carrots. • Prick the sausages all over with a fork (to help the fat run out of the sausages, so that they don’t split open as they cook). • Heat the olive oil in a deep oven proof pot or casserole dish and fry the sausages, turning often, until lightly golden all over, about 10 minutes. Remove the sausages from the pan and put them on a plate. • Add the chopped onion to the casserole and

continue to cook over a low heat for 5-10 minutes, until the onion softens. Add the garlic and paprika and cook for another minute. • Now add the chopped potatoes and carrots and stir everything well so that the vegetables are coated with the oil. Add the tomatoes and stock (to measure the stock, you can use the empty tomato can – filled up, it will hold 400ml of stock) Simmer and return the sausages to the casserole. • Using your oven gloves carefully put the casserole into the oven. Cook for 45 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through, and serve hot.

Sausage Casserole

Tongabezi Chicken Curry and Mealie Bread

For a pleasant surprise please try these curry and mealie bread recipes. One issue with the curry is that the yogurt curdled a bit when it was mixed in so take care. The mealie bread, which is similar to American-style cornbread, except it uses raw corn and is laced with smoky blackened chillies, is really juicy and flavorful with just the right amount of spice to it.

Curry Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes • 1 butternut squash • 4 large chicken pieces • vegetable oil • 2 onions • 2 tomatoes • 2 garlic cloves • 3 tbsp grated fresh ginger • 6 cardamom seeds • 1 tsp curry powder • 2 cups chicken stock • 2 stalks lemon grass • 2 small red chillies • 1.25 cups plain yogurt • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil and boil sweet potatoes for 10 mins in their skins. Once cool enough to touch, cut into cubes • Meanwhile, peel and dice the butternut squash and half the chicken pieces. Season chicken with salt and pepper and fry in oil until browned all over (about 15 minutes) • Finely chop the onion. When chicken is browned, remove from the pan and fry the

Tongabezi Chicken Curry

onions in the same oil and juices. Quickly blanch and de-skin your tomatoes (if you want), then chop and add to the onion along with the garlic (chopped), ginger, cardamom, and curry powder • Fry the above for a few minutes, then return the chicken to the pan and add the lemongrass and chicken stock. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through • While that is simmering, fry the cubed sweet potatoes and squash in a separate pan until they are brown and crispy • Finely chop the chillies and add them to the pan with the veggies and chicken. Cook for an additional two minutes, then stir in the yogurt and cook until warm (careful not to boil) • Serve stewed curry atop the now-crispy squash and potatoes

Mealie Bread Ingredients:

• 1 lb de-thawed frozen corn kernels • 4 eggs • 4 tbsp butter • 2 cups flour • 4 tsp baking powder • 4 tbsp sugar • 1 tsp salt 1/4 cup chopped blackened poblano chillies

Directions:

• Start by blackening your poblanos. If you have a grill, you can easily blacken them over a grill.

If you do not have a grill, rub the chillies in oil and broil them until black on all sides. Once blackened, chop them up and set them aside. • Set aside just 1 cup of the corn kernels. Then, in a blender, blend together the remaining corn, eggs, and melted butter. Once smooth, add the remaining corn and pulse briefly, just enough to

combine. You should still have large pieces of corn visible. • In bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add the corn mixture and the chopped peppers and stir to combine • Bake in a greased 8×8 baking dish for 45 – 50 minutes at 350. Slather on butter if desired

Zambian Fritters with Orange Syrup

https://www.demandafrica.com/food/recipes/zambianfritters-orange-syrup/ Something sweet for breakfast or tea.

Ingredients:

• 300g bread flour • 12g fresh yeast or 10g instant • 30ml sugar • 2ml salt • 300ml water • 15ml veg oil • Veg oil for deep frying

Ingredients for Syrup:

• 90g sugar • Zest of 2 oranges • 1 cup Clover Krush Orange Juice

Directions for Fritters:

• Rub yeast into a little bit of the flour then add the rest of the flour, mix in sugar, salt, water, and veg oil to make a soft dough. • Set aside in a warm spot until doubled in volume. • Once proved, heat vegetable oil in a large wok or deep fat fryer and drop spoonfuls of the dough into the hot oil. • Fry until golden brown and cooked through

Zambian Fritters with Orange Syrup