LOCAL RECIPES
12-09-2023 by redazione
It is the Kenyan national dish, maize flour polenta (white) with an accompanying side dish with tomato sauce, which, depending on taste and especially economic availability can be simple field leaf (sukuma wiki, mchicha or mnavu, varieties between chicory, chard and spinach) or mixed vegetables (okra, eggplant, cabbage, zucchini) or even meat or fish.
Recently, President William Ruto, extolled what he called a must-have dish for Kenyans, especially when accompanied by meat from animals, including wild animals (those raised specifically and on licensed premises).
Polenta is called posho or sima and is also used as bread for other dishes because it is neutral and fills the stomach, but when cooked properly it is pleasant and enhances the flavors it has nearby on the plate. Often to save on gas or charcoal, Kenyans undercook it, but the secret is not to be in a hurry and to add a little flour at a time, stirring. Keeping in mind that the time is shorter than our yellow polenta anyway.
Ingredients for 6 people:
4 teacups of cornmeal
5 teacups of water
1 teaspoon butter or margarine
a pinch of salt
Preparation: Bring water to a simmer and add butter and salt. Add cornmeal, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. The flour should cook until the water is completely absorbed. Cover and cook over very low heat for five minutes. Check the consistency of the polenta and, if completely solid, tip it into a tray. Cover with a damp cloth and serve warm.
SECRET: To make it fluffier and more appealing, you can replace one of the cups of water with one of milk!
WITH MCHICHA or SUKUMA WIKI (herb variety similar to spinach).
Ingredients for 6 people:
750 grams spinach
4 ripe tomatoes
Half an onion
One clove of garlic
Half a green chili pepper
Three tablespoons of sunflower oil
A pinch of salt
Cut the leaves of the vegetables into thin strips after washing them well.In a large, wide saucepan, heat the oil and add the previously chopped garlic and onion. After a minute, add the diced tomatoes and sauté on medium heat for three minutes. Then throw the spinach into the pan, stir, cover and let it fry for ten clockwork minutes, stirring occasionally. The condensation formed by covering the pan is generally used as an additional sauce.
WITH SAMAKI (Fish)
The gravy can be prepared swahili style, a normal onion stir-fry for gravy, with a pinch of curry and coconut milk added to whisk, with diced fish (samaki wa kupaka) or served with grilled small fish (tafi, small local sea bass) and kachumbari (salad, see below).
CON NGOMBE (Ox Meat).
Usually the meat accompaniment is either in broth, with meat and bone (karanga) and potatoes, or in stew with a restricted tomato sauce.
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