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Showing posts from 2016

Nshima (maize/corn meal)

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Nshima...our (Zambia's) staple food which can be found almost everywhere, from the streets to restaurants and of course in homes. You can find this all over Africa in different colors, textures and names from Fufu, Ugali/Ugari, Pap and so forth. Nshima is generally made from finely ground maize meal (corn meal) or as we call it "mealie meal". But can also be made from finely ground cassava and millet. In terms of texture it's more like a potato mash but very dense. Nshima has no taste per say. It's very plain because it's basically just a maize meal (corn) porridge that's cooked till stiff accompanied by a protein and vegetable of your choice. Depending on your diet, "roller meal" which is not as processed is healthier. Which can be seen by its color and texture. Much can be said about this dish but, let's get started... INGREDIENTS 250g  (1 cup) finely ground maize meal (about 3 cups  extra will be needed later ) 1.5L  (6 cups) hot w...

Chapati (Roti)

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Hi fam it's been a while. And I hope you've been cooking up a storm the passed few months..  Today's recipe is chapati (roti ). Hot fresh chapati is to die for and you can not resist. It can be used to make a wrap, dipped it into some nice sauce or eaten  plain. I'm not sure how they prepared it in Jesus' time but this is probably as close as we can get to eating unleavened bread.Quick, easy simple stuff.. Let's get started INGREDIENTS 1 cup flour 1 tsp white wine vinegar 1 Tbsp oil Salt Butter (for brushing,optional) Water (rt) METHOD Sift flour and salt Add vinegar to flour and mix Add oil and mix well (using your fingers) Make a well in the middle and gradually pour water till dough comes together (gradually pour water) Gently knead dough for about a minute in your bowl. You'll notice your hands are "clean" after kneading. (That's a good sign) Lightly oil your bowl (1/2 tsp) and place dough in the b...

CALZONE (braided pizza)

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Pizza... I shared my pizza recipe a few months ago. It can be viewed on this link👇  http://azambiankitchen.blogspot.com/2016/03/pizza.html?m=1 But here's a twist to the round pizza you normally eat. Calzone is an Italian oven-baked folded pizza. Ever heard of it? No worries if you haven't. Its just like an ordinary pizza but folded. Intresting right? ☺ The original Italian recipe calls for salted dough and is normally shaped like a pie. But we're going to braid the pizza, yum yum. The part you really need to get right is the dough. Here's a step by step recipe with pictures. Please try it out and give me feedback on how it comes out with pictures too.  Like my Facebook page: I think you stole my kitchen Let's get started.... INGREDIENTS Flour 2 1/2 cups cake flour/household flour/all purpose flour (extra for dusting ) 2 tsp instant dry yeast 1 tsp household sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup warm water Pepperoni, small cubes Ham, small cubes Bell peppers...

A Simple Vegetable Fried Rice

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Rice....  a well cooked fried rice is always enjoyed, not over or under cooked but just right!  I'm sure you know what I mean. Here's my simple recipe on vegetable fried rice.  Ingredients  Red Onion, cubed 1 Bell peppers  (red,green and yellow), cubes Button mushrooms, sliced  Any veggie (broccoli,cauliflower,peas,corn)  Garlic clove,finely chopped Black pepper Paprika powder 1 tsp Chilli powder (optional, though, a dash of it adds some neat flavour even if you're not a chilli lover) Cumin powder 2 tsp Salt Cooking oil, 4 TBSP Well cooked rice, 3 cups  Method  In a large non-stick pan, heat up oil on medium high heat. Add broccoli/cauliflower/corn and fry, add the mushrooms,garlic,onions and peppers Add spices and rice,stir  Correct seasoning,salt and pepper Garnish with spring onion and enjoy! !

Pizza

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Pizza... I like Italian food, its simplicity is beautiful especially to my taste buds. I've never been to Italy but when I have pizza, that's the closest I could get with this scrumptious flat bread. Bread making is not as common in Zambia, let alone pizza making. It's usually store bought (which isn't a bad thing if you want to grab a quick bite). But little did you know, it's simple to make. Especially once you get the hang of making it. You can tweak the recipe as you become a pro at it.  Nothing beats the smell of homemade pizza, trust me. And the goodness about making it at home is it doesn't have to be the perfect round shape it usually comes in. It could be anything.  Make this for your breakfast, lunch, dinner, kids lunch for school... This simple recipe should be on your finger tips because it comes in handy, all the time! Let's get started... INGREDIENTS (DOUGH) 2 cups (256g)   all purpose flour 2 tsp  instant dry yeast 1 tsp sugar 1/...

Red velvet cupcakes

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Red velvet.......When I think red velvet I think fluffy and moist cakes. Not forgetting that eye catching velvet colour.This romantic vibrant cake became popularized in the 1940s. And has been classy and famous even till today! I'd eat a red velvet cake/cupcake anytime! It's a winner. The original recipe calls us to use beet (beetroot) juice to tint the chocolate cake red. But for this recipe I'll use food colourant. Here's my simple version of this delicious cake.. Try it out!! Let's get started.... and look out for my new post. INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 cups butter (room temperature ) 1 1/2 cups icing sugar 4 large eggs 15-30ml red food colouring 3 TBSP cocoa powder (unsweetened) 3 1/4 cups cake flour 1 1\2 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (you can buy it or make it) *Here's a quickie, how to make buttermilk... 1 cup (250ml) milk 1 TBSP vinegar Allow it to stand for 10 minutes and it's ready METHOD Preheat ove...