ROASTED MAIZE- Chibage chakagochwa

Chibage is the shona word for roasted fresh maize and some call it chibarwe,chibagwe,magwere.it can be boiled, roasted or dried.

Roasted maize is one of my favourite snacks.During rainy season when it is in abundance you will find roadside vendors selling it.

Pic credit :unknown

INDEGENOUS FRUITS

Each season comes with different vegetables and fruits and wild loquat scientifically known as "UAPACA KIRKIANA".
In Shona language it is known as "MUZHANGE" it grows at medium altitudes in good rainfall areas free of frost. It is a fleshy round berry with tough reddish brown skin and a juicy yellow brown pulp. In rural areas some harvest these by digging holes around the tree so that when fruit are ripe they will fall into the holes for easy picking.  last year l started making jam and have been making it since
 Will share the recipe in the next post, below you can see photos of the fruit before its made into jam. The jam taste great on a piece of toast.

ISHWA 'FLYING ANTS'

it looks like we are going to have late rains l believe we should take global warming seriously as it affects us and our environment badly.  this year in Zimbabwe has been very hot and rains are late and it seems like we going to have a drought of some sort. Ishwa is a good source of protein found in abundance during the rainy season. in the city just as the rains start during the night they are attracted by the light so l catch them right at my door step. at MBARE MUSIKA (VEGETABLE MARKET) they are sold fried.

1cup ishwa,salt to taste

remove wings by winnowing.Heat a saucepan and add the ants,. saute until you have a light golden brown colour for few minutes. they have fat already but you can add a little if you want. serve as a snack.

Tamarind in Zimbabwe is known as RUSIKA its eaten as a fruit or soaked in water to cook porridge, here is a simple porridge you can make. its known as Busika in Binga where its found in abundance.   it is believed to increase libido.

RUSIKA PORRIDGE (Tamarind Porridge)

15 pods rusika,150ml mealie meal, 3 cups water (750ml), sugar to taste

peel and soak the pods in 750ml water for 10mins. remove flesh from the pods using hands.  stir in the mealie meal and put on medium heat continuously until thick and lumps free. cover and cook for 15mins.  serve with sugar.

IM BACK

Its a very hot day in Zimbabwe and after my long absence from the block lam glad to be back and to announce too that the book is almost finish its been an exciting journey to me knowing that l have brought Zimbabwean cuisine to many kitchens and those who are abroad have long since missed traditional Zimbabwean  food today.

ARE YOU GRATEFUL

today as l woke up l marvelled at how God has made everything so different but yet beautiful.l realised today that though l do not have everything l need l have a roof over my head , l have clothes , l am eating so for that lam truly grateful for who lam and for what l have.l have been watching the news and in Mozambique there are floods many have been displaced and about 90 people have died.What touched my heart last night was seeing young kids as young as 2 years gathe over a plate of sadza.They were sadza with nothing in Zimbabwe tinoti "kutemura" ie eating sadza with no relish.Today as Zimbabweans we cannot even appreciate eating sadza with mavegi or mukaka "fermented milk" iths these little things we take for granted that makes us whole.it made me realise also that life is too short and death is always around us the sd that it we cant hear it or smell it so today if you can help someone help and tell me how that feels.I AM OUT.

Zim potatoes

This is one of my favourite dish.Everything is cooked together which
makes it an easy dish to cook.it is served for breakfast with bread or
for lunch with rice.
480g potatoes , 3tbsp oil , 1 small onion finely chopped ,1 small
chilli finely chopped , 2 medium tomatoes chopped . 1/2tsp salt ,
1/2tsp curry , 1tsp garlic powder
Peel,wash and cut potatoes into even sized
pieces.Place all in a saucepan with boiling water enough to cover the
potatoes.Cover and cook until potatoes are tender adding more water
when necessary.Serve hot with bread or boiled rice.

NHOPI "PUMPKIN PORRIDGE"

Nhopi is a traditional Zimbabwean delicacy made from pumpkin and
peanut butter.Pumpkins are in abundance during rainy season and
throughout the year.My mum used to make nhopi and save it with
fermented cow's milk.Here is the recipe:
600g cooked pumpkin , 3tbsp smooth
peanut butter , 1tbsp brown sugar , 1 cup pumpkin retained water
Wash,peel and cook in
boiling water until soft.Drain excess water and set aside for later
use.Reduce heat and return saucepan with cooked pumpkin to heat and
add peanut butter.Stir until well combined.Add little water if too
thick but the consistency must be thick.Serve hot with fermented cow's
milk or roasted pumpkin seeds.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: lydiapumpkin@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:44:12 +0000
Subject:
To: Lvtavengwa@gmail.com

Nhopi "pumpkin porridge"

Nhopi is porridge made from pumpkin and peanut butter.it is a delicacy
amongst Zimbabweans.Pumpkins are widely in abundance during rainy
season and throughout the year.In Zimbabwe pumpkin,pumpkin leaves and
seeds are eaten.My mum used to make nhopi and serve it with fermented
cow's milk.Here is the recipe:
600g cooked pumpkin, 3tbsp smooth peanut
butter, 1tbsp brown sugar, 1 cup pumpkin retained water
Wash,peel and cook
pumpkin in boiling water until soft.Drain excess water and keep it for
later use and reduce heat.Return saucepan to heat and add peanut
butter.Stir until well combined.Adding little retained water for
desired consistency but it should be thick.Serve with fermented milk
or roasted pumpkin seeds.

Finally its almost over

Hello everybody sorry for the silence was having troubles with
posting.l trust that you okay and are ready for more Zimbabwean
delicacies.if you were giuen three cookbooks with the following titles
myzimbabwean kitchen ,Zimbabwean delicacies,and pardon my barefoot
which title would make you want tn have a look at Zimbabwean food and
buy it.Send your comments and stand a chance to win my new cookbook.

This is a traditional  wild rice Zimbabwean rice usual served with dovi 'peanut butter". Below is the recipe so that you too can indulge.

Mupunga une dovi

1 cup rice
3 cups water
2 tablespoons peanut butter

1.Cook rice in boiling water until soft.
2.Stir in peanut butter until well combined.
3.Serve with a meat stew or as a main meal.

Magaka is a Shona word for jelly melon.They are widely in abundance during rainy season and are usually eaten with salt or sugar.One day out of the blue l thought of squeezing the juice out and making it to a drink.Here is a recipe  I used:

Magaka drink "Jelly melon drink"

8 Medium jelly melon
2 tablespoons sugar


1.Remove thorns and wash melon.
2.Cut in half and squeeze juice[seeds will also come out].
3.Mix with sugar.
4.Chill and serve.

MATEMBA ANE DOVI

Kapenta is a type of fresh water sardines that originated from lake Tanganyika in East Africa.They were introduced into the lake Kariba in Zimbabwe.The name Kariba comes from the word Kariva meaning trap which refers to the rock jutting out from the gorge.it was believed by the Batonga to be home of the nyami-nyami and anyone who ventured near the rock was dragged down under water.Though there has been sightings of the nyami-nyami by local people there has never been an official recorded sighting of the creature.They are known as matemba in Zimbabwe and a cup can feed 3 people when cooked.They are caught during the night as they are attracted by light.The Batonga people lived on the banks of the lake many years ago,they believed in legendary creature NYAMI-NYAMI "ZAMBEZI RIVER GOD".They believed it controls the life in and on the river and his wife resides in the Kariba gorge.They were seperated by the wall and it is believed the frequent earth tremors felt in the area were caused by the spirit trying to reach his wife.it is a dragon like creature with a snake's torso and the head of a fish.Matemba can be fried and served with tomato sauce or with dovi"peanut butter".Here is my recipe for matemba:


MATEMBA ANE DOVI "PEANUT BUTTER MATEMBA"


1 cup dried matemba
1 small onion finely chopped
1 medium tomato chopped
60 mls oil


Soak matemba in warm water for 5mins and drain[ this is done to remove the excess salt in which the kapenta is dried in]. Heat oil and fry matemba for 5mins.Add onions and fry until onions are translucent.Add tomatoes and cook for another 5mins.Stir in dovi and mix until well combined.Serve with sadza.

Other types of sadza in zimbabwe

Sadza is the cornerstone of Zimbabwean food.The most popular is the white sadza made from finely grounded maize meal.There is also sadza rezviyo made from rapoko,this has a very deep brown colour.it is cooked like the white sadza and is served with meat stew or vegetable relish.sadza remhunga is made from grounded bulrush millet.it has a very nice smelland a light brown colour.Some even eat it alone without any meat or vegetables.There is also sadza remapfunde made from grounded sorghum.Mapfunde can be coarsely grounded and cooked to make rice ,this is boiled in salted water with oil.it is my favourite.These meals are found in supermarkets packed in 500g or 1kg packets and are highly expensive.Cheap meals can be found at Mbare musika market.These types of sadza are mostly eaten in rural areas and because the Zimbabwean cuisine is influenced by the british "former colonies" and a change is taking place and the art of traditional food is being lost ,people living in the city hardly eat traditional food.Though mhunga,zviyo and mapfunde meals are expensive they are highly nutritious.

Sadza nemunyevhe une dovi

Sadza is a staple food of Zimbabwe.it is a thick porridge made of fine mealie meal and water.it is more like polenta but more pliable.it is eaten by hands.You mold sadza into a ball and dip into your meat stew or leafy vegetable.Well cooked sadza does not stick on the fingers when eating.Sadza that sticks on fingers is called "mbodza" which means not properly cooked.There are many types of sadza and many ways to cook it.Thee will cover in next blogs.The traditional Zimbabwean kitchen is a round thatched hut which is separate from other rooms.In urban areas its another story ,you find beautiful house with beautiful kitchens.Sadza cooked over the fire tastes better than the one cooked on stove.In rural areas you find an African old lady bending gracefully over the fire cooking.Sadza is served with a meat stew or leafy greens.Today I am cooking sadza and munyevhe with peanut butter.Munyevhe is a weed that grows during rainy seasons.it has a bitter taste but thats what makes it different.Dovi means peanut butter in shona

With Iove from my zimbabwean kitchen.

Let me introduce myself. My name is lydia.I am fairly new to blogging but l hope you will enjoy what l have to offer and your comments are greatly welcomed.its sad the art of cooking traditional food is being lost with the introduction of machine ground mealie meal which is not as best as the traditional one which is grinded by mortar and pestel.its rainy season at the moment and food is in abundance that is chibage-maize,nzungu-groundnuts,hwowa-wild mushroom,nyimo-black eyed peas,muboora-pumpkin leaves etc.All these are also dried for later use in the next season.