Category: Mali cuisine

Mali cuisine

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Thiakry Couscous

Thiakry Couscous
The Thiakry (also called Degue, Chakery or Chakri) is a Senegalese dessert made with millet. This Thiakry couscous is a variable of that recipe. To be honest, I prefer the Thiakry couscous to the original Thiakry recipe.
For this recipe, I used an Original Plain Pearled Couscous. The grain of Pearled Couscous is bigger than the average couscous grain. The Thiakry couscous is consumed cold, as a dessert with sugar and ice. The couscous can be cooked with steam in a couscoussier but I chose a quicker way. I poured boiling water on the couscous, covered and made sure it was completely sealed. I let the couscous absorb all the water and warmed in the microwave for 10 mins until the couscous is fluffy and light.

The Thiakry Couscous consists of a quarter of sour cream, crème Fraiche plain yogurt and aromas like vanilla, cinnamon or nutmeg. I usually make my own plain yogurt. To make yogurt, I heat the milk is first heated, usually to about 85 °C (185 °F), allows the milk is allowed to cool to about 45 °C (113 °F) and mix it with plain yogurt. I keep it in a warm place for 4 to 12 hours to allow fermentation to occur.

  • 1 cup of couscous (For this recipe I used “Plain Beaded Couscous”)
  • 2 tablespoons of sugar
  • 2 cups of yogurt
  • 3 cups of milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (and nutmeg)

Add enough warm water to the couscous to cover the grains. Let the couscous absorb the water and put in the microwave for 3 min. When the grains are cooking, let cool.

As soon as the couscous is cold add the yoghurt, milk, sugar, vanilla extract and the nutmeg.

Mix well, chill and serve cold.

Click on the link for other Thiakry recipes “Yogurt Dèguè with rum raisin”, “Degue Milk”, “Yogurt Dèguè”. I think in the future, I am going to try to add other fruits like pineapples, dry cranberry… or dry apricot. This basic Thiakry Couscous recipe is simple and basic. It’s also a great vegetarian dessert.

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Egyptian kofta

Lamb kofta skewers (Egyptian kofta)

500g lamb

1 onion, diced

¼ teaspoon dried chilli flakes

2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

2 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon paprika

5 garlic clove, crushed

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

In a ziped bag , combine the mince, onion, garlic, mint, parsley, chilli flakes, paprika, ginger, cumin and coriander.

Use a food processor to ground the mixture of meat.

Shape small handfuls of the mixture into short sausages, and slide them onto metal skewers (or soaked bamboo skewers). Place them onto a lined baking tray and refrigerate covered for 20 minutes.

Heat an oiled barbecue plate to high. Place the koftas on the surface and reduce the heat to a low setting. Cook for 20 minutes, turning koftas occasionally, or until cooked through.

Transfer the cooked koftas to a tray and cover with foil. Allow to rest for 5 minutes and serve with your choice of salad, bread, and other sides. I served mine with (1/4 cup greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon garlic, 1 tablespoon garlic and salt, and some naan bread)

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Recipe of braised Chimichurri Red snapper

Braised Chimichurri Red snapper

This colorful fresh, green and totally delicious chimichurri sauce doubles as a marinade and an accompaniment to steak, chicken and red snapper. This is a fun twist to braised red snapper. This recipe of braised red snapper is super tasty, traditional and incredibly easy to make. Chimichurri is garlicky sauce from Argentina. It’s flavorful and healthy!
The longer you season the meat, the tastier the red snapper. When stored properly in the refrigerator, the marinated fresh red snapper should be cooked within two days, up to three at most.

2 red snappers

½ cup finely chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano

4 garlic cloves, crushed

½ cup finely diced

1 small red chili pepper 

1 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup of oil 

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Marinate the red snapper and refrigerate and is best if used within 24-48 hours.

  

Prepare the grill (medium-high heat).

Grill the fish until just cooked through, about 10 minutes per side (depending on thickness and size of fish)

or Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake the red snapper until cooked through, about 45 minutes.

Serve hot

Tips:
It is a great idea to marinate the red snapper with the chimichurri the night before, or in the morning before you leave for work. Don’t know leave the marinated red snapper at room temperature for a long period of time. To cut down the clean use a re-sealable plastic bags, rather than in bowls or other containers. Also cover the marinated red snapper to avoid cross contamination. Never, use chimichurri marinade from raw red snapper as a sauce.

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Chicken Peanut Stew

The African Peanut butter stew is creamy, delicious and flavorful. The combination of chicken, tomatoes, spices and peanut butter comes together quickly and is very easy to make. In African, we eat peanut as snack and sometimes with porridge. However, I noticed in the US most people love peanut butter and jelly. If you are not allergic to peanut butter and love peanut butter and jelly: this Absolutely a “must-try”.

The peanut butter stew gives you the aromatic flavor of the peanut butter and the savory taste profile. The peanut butter found in US grocery store are full of sugar, therefore you can make your own sugar free peanut butter. You can do so in 5 minutes by placing roasted peanuts in a food processor and turning the food processor on until it becomes creamy and smooth. The peanuts go in stages from crumbs to a dry ball to a smooth and creamy “liquid” peanut butter. The peanut butter holds in the fridge for a couple of weeks

Peanut Stew

  • 1 cup Peanut butter paste
  • 1 onion
  • 2 fresh tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2~5 habanero peppers and Serrano pepper
  • 8 chicken legs or wings
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon ginger
  • 1 Teaspoon of Black Pepper
  • 1 Bouillon cube
  • Salt to taste

Boil the chicken with your favorite seasoning – I used garlic, ginger, cube, salt and pepper. Fry and set aside.

Blend tomatoes and onion. 

Add remaining onion, tomato and tomato paste to the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and let it simmer stirring frequently to prevent any burns- about 5 minutes.

Next, add the peanut butter, chicken (2 cups of water or chicken stock as needed), season with, chicken bouillon, salt and cayenne pepper. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes or more

Add the habanero peppers and Serrano pepper

Adjust the soup thickness with water/chicken stock if necessary and let simmer to desired thickness

The peanut butter can be served with white rice, Eba, Foufou and gari…

Notes:

  • For this tutorials I used chicken, but you can also use beef, pork, or smoked fish.
  • The Peanut butter in the US is either smooth or crunchy, and both can work depending on your taste
  • You can also add vegetable like potato cabbage, carrot, kale, spinach, mustard greens, or whatever hearty greens you prefer.
  • You can make it as spicy as you will like by add pureed pepper

Peanut butter is comprised of about 25% protein, making it an excellent plant-based protein source. However, it is low in the essential amino acid methionine. Peanuts are low in carbs and suitable for people with type 2 diabetes or those following a low-carb diet. Although peanut butter is high in many healthy vitamins and minerals, it also contains a substantial amount of calories.

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Okra Soup

Okra Soup

1 small onion

2 tomatoes

2 hot pepper

1 cup palm oil

Cooked Assorted meat, crab, shrimp and fish – I used a combination of turkey, crab, prawns 

6 cups chopped okra

6 cups meat stock or water

Blended seasoning (1 Onions, 1 clove, 1 allspice whole, 1 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 cube )

1 lahoin (Salted fish)

Pinch of baking soda

 

In a large pot on medium heat, add in palm oil. Add onion and the tomato. Add the blended seasoning, lahoin and cook for 2 mins

 

Add in meat stock and precooked meat. Stir. Taste and adjust for salt and maggi. Simmer covered for 4 minutes.

Stir in chopped okra, Pinch of baking soda and cook for 10 min mins. 

Add the hot pepper and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat immediately.

Serve with Akoumè

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Merveilles donut

Gbanplè, Bugnes, oreillettes, merveilles, ganses

200 g All purpose flour

40 g Butter

2 eggs

50 g Sugar powder

30 cl Oil

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Icing sugar

Make a fountain with flour and yeast. Pour in the center the powdered sugar, the eggs, the nutmeg and the melted butter. Knead by hand to obtain a homogeneous paste.

Form a ball with the dough and Spread each slice finely on a floured work surface and cut.

Heat the oil in a large pan and put the pieces of batter. Drain the ear cups on paper towels, place them on a dish, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.

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Ivorian Chicken Jollof rice

Ivorian Chicken Jollof rice

4 cups rice (Jasmine)

1 chicken (cut into pieces)

2 tomatoes

4 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon cayenne

5 clove garlic

2 tablespoon ginger

1 onions

2 cubes

1 cup oil

1 cabbage

2 carrots

10 habanero pepper (optional)

Pinch of baking soda

Salt to taste

Blend the garlic, ginger, ½ onion, clove.

Season the chicken with half of the blended spices, add the cube and salt to taste. Add 1/2 sliced onion. Add water and cook until tender. Fry the chicken

Add the tomato puree, the tomato paste, ½ onion puree, the cube, the remaining blended spices, the cayenne, the carrots sliced in half and the cabbage slice, a pinch of baking soda and salt to taste. 

Add 7 cups of the water to the tomato mixture add the watched rice and salt to taste. Cook the rice.

When all the water evaporates from the rice add the habanero pepper.

Serve the rice with the side of vegetable and the chicken.

Voila!!!

I noticed that other cultures serve their jollof with a side of salad, which is a good idea.

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African dessert: Yogurt Dèguè with rum raisin

Yogurt Dèguè with rum raisin

Rum

2 cups dèguè

1/4 cup dry raisin (soak in 1/2 cup rum for a week)

Sugar to taste

1 tablespoon vanilla extract 

1 teaspoon nutmeg 

6 cup yogurt

Wet the Dègue with enough water to cover it. Microwave for 5 mins, and let it absorb 5 min. The Dègue are cooked when they soften and change color slightly. Let cool.

Mix together the yogurt, Dègue, sugar, Soaked raisin, vanilla extract and nutmeg.

Pour into bowls, put in the fridge.

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Sobolo (Sorrel) with pineapple and mint

Sobolo is the Ghanaian name for a tea made out of rosella leaves, also referred to as Bissap, Zobo or Sorrel. Sobolo (Bissap, Zobo, Sorrel or hibiscus tea) is a cool drink found in most West African countries. It is a dark red-purple (ruby red) colored juice. It tastes sour, a bit grapey and a little bit like cranberry juice and can be cooked with ginger, mint leaves, pineapple, vanilla, tea grass or the aroma of choice. Like other teas, it can be consumer hot or cold depending on preference.

The Sobolo (Bissap, Zobo, Sorrel or hibiscus tea) is one of the superfoods that can help us live a healthier life. The health benefits of hibiscus tea include relief from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, digestive, immune system, and inflammatory problems. It helps to cure liver disease and reduces the risk of cancer. It can also speed up the metabolism and help in healthy, gradual weight loss. Hibiscus tea is rich in vitamin C, minerals and various antioxidants, while also helping in the treatment of hypertension and anxiety.

The hibiscus tea can also include relief from cramps and menstrual pain. It helps in restoring hormone balance as well, which can reduce other symptoms of menstruation like mood swings, depression, and overeating.

Ingredients

  • 10 cup water
  • 2 cup dried hibiscus flowers
  • 1 pineapple
  • 1 bunch fresh mint, washed thoroughly
  • 1-2 cups sugar, or to taste

How to Make Hibiscus Tea?

Wash the pineapple, peel, core and slice

Bring 10 cups water, mint, hibiscus flowers and the pineapple skin to a boil in a medium stockpot.

Boil for10 – 15 minutes, or until the color becomes a deep, purplish red.

Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool.

As soon as the mixture is cool enough to handle, remove mint and discard.

Strain the bissap into a large bowl. 

Add sugar (to taste).

Stir until sugar dissolves completely.

Bottle the bissap and chill thoroughly.

Serve over ice, garnished with a sprig of fresh mint and/or a squeeze of lime.

Stay tuned for decadent bissap cocktail recipes later this week!

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Jollof rice with Whole Fried Chicken

This is one of my mom’s recipes and it was inspired by the Senegalese Thiébou guinar. But this is not Thiébou guinar because it does not have 2 keys ingredients (guedj and yet). The jollof rice is enjoyed in Togo, Benin, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Ghana, and Nigeria… This recipe is perfect for the parties and will allow you to impress your guest easily. The condiments are blended and then fried in peanut oil. Then we wet with water depending on the amount of rice to cook and the desired appearance for rice. The rice is cooked in this sauce, which gives it a specific color according to the quantity and type of tomato used (concentrated and fresh) with the vegetables of your choice. In this recipe, I used broken rice but jasmine or basmati rice is just perfect for this recipe. The rice is then served with vegetables and chicken.

Jollof rice with Whole Fried Chicken

  • 2 chicken (8 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons ginger, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon pepper)
  • 4 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 cubes
  • 3 large fresh tomatoes
  • 1 big onions
  • A red pepper
  • 3 large glasses of rice
  • 1/4 cup of oil (optional)
  • 3 carrots
  • 1 Cabbage
  • A pinch of bicarbonate
  • Green pepper
  1. Wash the rice and put in a colander
  2. Clean the chicken and marinate with the spices, cube and salted to taste. Cook for 1 hour (30 minutes on each side) – Add enough water to cover the chicken at all time.
  3. Once chicken is cooked, remove broth and set aside
  4. Add 3 tomatoes, crushed onion, tomato paste and a pinch of baking soda and salt to taste. Cook for 5 minutes.
  5. Add vegetables, 4 cup water and bring to a boil. (Adjust the seasoning with cube and salt). Simmer pendant 15 min
  6. Using a perforated spoonful remove the vegetables
  7. Add chilli and rice and stir and cook over medium heat. As soon as there is more water evaporates cover with a plastic bag then the lid of the maronite. And reduce the fire.
  8. The grains of rice are peeled off each other when cooked
  9. Fry the chicken
  10. Serve hot in a large bowl with the vegetables and chicken; and crushed green pepper