Congo & Zambia

Menu:

Nshima (Zambia)
Gbegiri (Zambia)
Wali Wa Nazi (Congo)
Corn on the Cob (Congo)
Golabjamoun (Zambia)
Fruit Salad (Congo)
Ginger Beer (Congo)

Not long ago I saw a documentary called Where Are We Go at the Bicycle Film Festival which follows a group of cyclists along the route of the Tour D'Afrique. Starting in Cairo and ending in Capetown, the film takes you on an incredible and breathtaking journey through many of the eastern countries in Africa, including Zambia. I had already drawn Congo & Zambia and was inspired to get cooking.

I started with Nshima, a cormeal dish similar in preparation to polenta, because it is a staple in Zambia. It's a quick and easy substitute for bread, eaten by tearing off small pieces and dipping them into a stew or soup. Next I needed a stew or soup. My love of black eyed peas extends beyond my love of Will. i. am so I had to try the Gbegiri (Black-Eyed Pea Soup). This soup was thick enough to qualify as a stew - I figured I had it covered. Best of all it was cheap, easy, and soup-er tasty. The ingredients are all staples at my place. I just threw it all in a pot and 30 minutes later - delicious soup!

Wali Wa Nazi is rice cooked in coconut milk. Paired with the Nshima, the coconut added another layer of sweetness which really complimented the tomatoes in the soup. For some crispness I chose corn on the cob as our third side. In the Congo they generally grill it in the husk and top it with cayenne pepper, salt, and lemon juice before serving.

We served the Golabjamoun along with the meal even though it is actually a dessert. I pan fried the fritters just enough to get them crispy on the outside and then baked them through. No real reason other than the fact that I needed to free up a burner on my stovetop. The sweet potato and cinnamon gave them a real southern flavor - sort of like bite-sized sweet potato pies.

A popular Congo drink is ginger beer. Carribean Bistro, a great little roti place in my neighborhood, carries a fantastic one but sadly they were closed the day I needed it. I picked up an all natural ginger ale as a last minute replacement and it worked quite well.

We ended the meal with the Congo Fruit Salad. I was really excited preparing this, chopping (and sampling) this amazing variety of delicious fruit. I had never used avocado in a fruit salad and decided it was simply genius. I stirred in the coconut - it was awesome! I added the mint - hated it. It may work for some folks, and it was brilliant in the fatouche salad from Senegal, but personally I am in no rush to toss mint leaves into tropical fruit again any time soon.

Nshima
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
3-4 cups water
Salt to taste

1. Mix cornmeal with 1 cup of cold water.
2. Bring 2½ cups water to a boil, add salt.
3. Stir in cornmeal and cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly until thick.
4. Continue cooking about 5 minutes. Add more boiling water, a little at a time, until of desired thickness. It should be fairly stiff.
5. Turn out into a serving dish.
(adapted from Wikia)

Gbegiri (Black-Eyed Pea Soup)

1 19 ounce/540 ml can black-eyed Peas, drained
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 796 ml can diced tomatoes
2 cups vegetable stock
Salt
Pepper

1. Heat oil in pan over medium heat.
2. Saute onions until soft.
3. Partially mash the black-eyed beans using a fork or potato masher.
4. Add the mashed beans, tomato paste, tomatoes, stock, and salt & pepper. Mix well.
5. Lower heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.
(adapted from Wikia)

Wali Wa Nazi (Coconut Rice)
1 cup long grain white rice (such as basmati)
1 414 ml can coconut milk, plus water to make 2 cups
1/2 tsp salt

1. Mix rice, coconut milk , water and salt in a saucepan.
2. Cover and bring to boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked through, approximately 20 minutes (add more water if needed until desired doneness).
(adapted from CongoCookbook)

Golabjamoun

1/2 cup soy milk
500 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Oil for frying

1. Boil sweet potatoes in milk until soft
2. Mash sweet potato mixture.
3. Add ground cinnamon and flour.
4. Knead into dough and shape into small balls.
5. Pan fry in oil over medium heat.
(adapted from Wikia)

Congo Fruit Salad
1 avocado, peeled and seeded
1 banana, peeled
1 grapefruit, peeled and sectionned
1 orange, peeled and sectionned
1 papaya, peeled and seeded
1 peach, seeded
1 Pear, cored
Mint leaves, finely chopped
1 cup grated coconut

1. Cut fruit into bite-sized pieces.
2. Combine all fruits in a glass bowl.
3. Add the mint leaves. Stir gently.
4. Cover the fruit salad and allow it to stand for a half hour before serving.
5. Top with grated coconut immediately before serving.
(adapted from Wikia)