Recipes: Wali wa nazi, Tilapia Stew, Chapati

So, I know in my last post I said we were moving on to Eritrea, but I ended up running into a bit of a snafu with my injera plan, so here we are in Kenya instead.

Most of my friends probably know that I lived in Uganda for 6 months in college, and while there are millions of things that I absolutely love about East Africa, the food is not one of them. I haven’t had it in me to venture into Ugandan fare quite yet, but most countries in East Africa (with the exceptions of Ethiopia and Eritrea, which have spectacular food) tend to share the same basic staples. Kenya borders the Indian Ocean and thus has some Indian influences in their cuisine that you won’t find in its landlocked neighbors, making their food a bit more interesting, especially in its Western regions. So, you bet your ass that I scoured the internet for recipes specifically from the Mombasa area.

Sadly, I never made it to Kenya during my time over there. I really wish I had in hindsight, but by the time it was time to get to Kenya I had just had it with East African bus travel (another not-so-lovable component of the region). Kenya seems really wonderful though and I can’t wait to go someday, especially as a real adult who can afford something better than a cramped 16-hour Matatu ride.

Tilapia Stew

This recipe (the tilapia and the rice, below) served two very hungry adults who had spent the entire Sunday painting. You could easily stretch to three.

Ingredients: 2 tilapia filets, 2 small tomatoes, 1/2 bell pepper, 1/2 small red onion, 2 scallions, 2 green chilies, a couple spoons of tomato paste, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1″ fresh minced ginger, flour for dusting, oil for frying, 1/2 tbsp garam masala, salt, pepper

Cut the tilapia into large chunks and dust with flour to coat Heat oil in a pan and fry talapia until browned on both sides, then remove and set aside Thinly slice onions, and cook in pan until translucent. Add the minced garlic and ginger and saute for another minute or so Add tomato paste and cook for a few minutes, then add sliced green chilies and garam masala. Add chopped fresh tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes begin to break down Cover mixture with about 1 cup of water and add the tilapia back in, stir to coat (careful cause the fish will break easily), cover, and cook for 25 – 30 minutes Remove cover and add chopped bell pepper and scallions. Cover again for just a couple of minutes–peppers and scallions should still be crisp and crunchy Serve over wali wa nazi (below)

Wali wa nazi (coconut rice)

A simple yet delicious rice to serve with the talipia stew

Ingredients: 1 cup white rice, 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 tsp salt

Just combine all of the ingredients in a pot and cook as you would normal rice!

Chapati

Chapati is the one exception to my loathing of Ugandan food. Here is a picture of my favorite chapati man in Kampala. I saw him quite frequently until I realized that I was getting too fat and had to stop eating all the chapati. :(

Ingredients: 1.5 cups flour, 3/4 cup warm water, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar, oil

Measure flour into a bowl. In another bowl, combine water, salt, sugar, and about 1 tbsp of vegetable oil until salt and sugar dissolves Combine the two bowls and knead for about 5 minutes. Then continue to knead for about 10 minutes, adding flour as needed, until dough is stretchy and elastic but not too sticky Return dough to bowl and add some more oil, knead with your hands until oil is well incorporated. Cover and let sit for 40 minutes After 40 minutes, divide dough into about 4 balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball out into a disc Brush the top of each disc with oil, then roll inwards into a tube shape Once chapati dough is in a rope-like shape, coil the rope into a new circle Flatten a bit with your palm, then roll it out into a disc again. Brush each side with yet more oil Fry on medium-high heat until golden brown on each side; cast iron would work best for this!

The Results

I am never really in love with rice when I make it, and it turns out that the reason is because my boyfriend forces us to only consume brown rice. This was a rare venture into white rice territory and my my, what a huge difference. The rice was fluffy and delicious, and had just the right amount of coconut to give it flavor without making it sugary. The talipia stew was also really yummy; it was quite spicy, but the rice balanced it out really well. I also really loved the crunchy peppers and scallions on top.

The chapati was SO GOOD! I had no idea it was so easy to make such delicious and authentic-tasting chapati. The only thing it was missing was the slightly smokey, camp-firey taste that can only be achieved by cooking over an open flame. But otherwise I loved it and will be making it again whenever it fits in with the vibe of the dinner.

This was perhaps my favorite African meal thus far. Might even squeak it’s way into the overall top ten.

Overall rating: 4.5 stars all around