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African recipes are definitely taking up the culinary space. There are now different fusions of African recipes across different parts of the world. In today’s piece I will be taking you on an exhilarating journey of unique African recipes that make the World stop(but not literally).
About The African Continent
The African continent is the second-largest and second-most populous continent in the World. It covers about 20% of the Earth’s land area and 6% of its total surface area.it has about 1.4 million people and accounts for about 18% of the world’s human population.
The continent Africa is rich in a wide range of natural resources such as copper, oil, cobalt, petroleum, copper, gas, iron ore ,cocoa, diamonds, sugar and salt.
They also have a variety of recipes, it is said that there are over 2,000 African recipes and even more that have not been written about.
Astonishing Easy African Recipes
There are a variety of African recipes and in this piece I will be highlighting different African recipes from all the regions in Africa. Africa has 5 regions which are East Africa, North Africa, West Africa, South Africa and Central Africa.
Malva Pudding
The first of the African recipes to open the show today, would be the Malva Pudding. Malva Pudding is a sweet decadent South African dessert with a caramelized exterior and spongy interior soaked in tasty warm butter.
It is a big part of South African Desserts, it is easy and you can create more desserts out of one recipe, the great thing about this dessert is that you can add more ingredients like Fruits, Nuts, and Wines. It’s a perfect traditional oldie
Malva Pudding Recipe
It is a sweet pudding of South African origin and it contains apricot jam and has a spongy caramelized texture. A cream sauce is often poured over it while it is hot, and it is usually served hot with custard and/or ice-cream.
It is such a fluffy, moist cake that some people say its name, “malva,” comes from the Afrikaans word for “marshmallow!”.
What Country Does Malva Pudding Come From?
South Africa! It’s said it was first brought to Africa by Dutch settlers in 1652 and was served after lunch or dinner (in the evening) to the Dutch ‘upper-class’, living in and around the Cape of Good Hope.
What is the History of Malva Pudding?
Malva pudding is made in certain parts of the Netherlands. The origin of this recipe is decidedly Dutch. Dutch colonists brought the pudding to South Africa when they arrived, most in connection with Dutch East India explorations, in the mid-1600s.
How To Make Malva Pudding
It all starts with a wonderful spongy cake, flavored with apricot jam, that bakes until the exterior becomes somewhat caramelized. Then, after poking holes throughout the sponge, a mixture of heavy cream, milk, butter, sugar, and salt, is poured over the pudding.
The textures of the caramelized exterior, spongy center, and delicious creamy liquid are out of this world!
Dorowat
The next of the African recipes on the list is the amazing Ethiopian stew Doro Wat. This is a personal favorite because of its nice savory taste.
What is Doro wat?
Doro wat means “chicken stew”. To break it down further, Doro stands for chicken while wat means stew. This translation is gotten from Amharic, the language spoken in Ethiopia.
Where is Doro wat from?
As established earlier, Doro wat is an Ethiopian special. Ethiopia is the largest and most popular country in the east of Africa and its capital is Addis Ababa.
This Ethiopian cuisine is also especially served to visitors and in the family during special seasons or holidays. It’s also available at Ethiopian restaurants all over the world.
You would think you’ve had a spicy dish before until you taste this one. It is spicy.
It is flavored with niter kibbeh, a spicy butter made with fenugreek, hot chilis, paprika, cardamom, coriander, and berbere, a spice mix made with fenugreek, hot chilis, paprika, cardamom, and coriander.
Is Doro Wat healthy?
Ethiopian cuisine is delicious and boasts of numerous health benefits, but just like Doro wat, it starts with an appetizing aroma of spices and inviting colorful dishes.
How to prepare Doro wat
Many people would rather not take on this meal themselves because of the length of time it takes to prepare. But, every second is worth it because it comes out delicious. For an average Ethiopian, it is the time that gives the flavor and they do not mind.
In preparing this African Recipes, you should lend yourself a lot of time and note the following elements and their relevance in this recipe.
Berbere; a basic ingredient used in the Doro wat recipe. It is a fiery, bright red, and flavorful Ethiopian spice blend. Its spices are toasted and ground for maximum flavor.
Injera; A sour fermented flatbread with a slightly spongy texture, traditionally made of teff flour. In Ethiopia, Eritrea, and some parts of Sudan, injera is the staple food of Eastern Africa just like rice and bread in other parts of the world.
Koki Corn
The next on the list of African Recipes would be Koki Corn, koki corn is a typical Cameroonian delicacy made from fresh corn that has been crushed and cooked in either banana leaves or corn husks. It feels like Moi-Moi but it is made out of corn.
What is Koki Corn?
Koki Corn is a traditional Cameroonian meal. It is characterized by its yellow color which comes from red palm oil and its sweet taste which comes from fresh corn.
This dish is cooked in West Africa, predominantly in Cameroon during the rainy season because of the abundance of fresh corn.
Corn is a staple food in the West African region, and steamed corn recipes are commonly eaten.
Corn moimoi, ekoki, and okpo oka are Nigerian examples which are similar to this Cameroon recipe.
The differences between koki corn and these Nigerian dishes are that it is very simple and uses only a few ingredients.
The sweetness of the corn and the savory flavors of the added ingredients work well together to create an amazing tasting dish, which is suitable for vegetarians.
Koki Corn Recipe
This is one of the African recipes that is quite easy though it might be a little labor of love. All you need to do is cut some corn off the cob.Then you coarsely grind the corn mix with some ingredients, wrap, steam and enjoy your life! Who wants to eat some Koki Corn?
You can serve this dish as a meal on its own or with a protein of your choice: chicken, meat.
Mhajeb
These one of African recipes is widely eaten across continents is Mhajeb. Mhadjeb or Mahjouba is a traditional Algerian dish consisting of a fine crepe-like semolina-based flatbread stuffed with onion, garlic, tomato, peppers, and spices.
Origin of Mhadjeb
It was first made by a woman who never went out and no one knew anything about her. She was called Mahjouba, and for Algerians, this word means both the unknown woman who does not leave the house and the honorable woman.
She used to prepare it and send it along with one of her children. To sell it in the market and claim that it is the hottest and hottest of the veiled people, and people circulated it and began to love it, giving it the name Mhadjeb.
Although there is dough in it, it is very thin and contains a well-cooked mixture of vegetables. This traditional, popular dish has long been popular among Algerian families, and the women of Algeria have mastered it. Its fame stems from the simplicity of its ingredients.
How To Make Mhadjeb
This African recipe is a flaky pancake made from semolina that is traditionally stuffed with onion, tomatoes, and even dried meat or we can substitute for the minced meat and then add harissa, the success of the dough is solved in its kneading which must be long enough and then the quantity of water incorporated if these two stages are respected the shaping is a breeze.
If you don’t have semolina flour on hand, use the finest semolina you can find or quickly grind the semolina in the mixer. Making the Mahjouba with only semolina can be tricky, and the dough may tear a little when stretching.
Gbegiri Soup
Next up on the African Recipes list is Gbegiri Soup. Gbegiri soup (Beans soup) is one of the popular soups in Nigeria, some people actually patronize the Buka (restaurants) because of this Gbegiri soup and their signature stew Buka Stew.
It is easy to make, delicious, velvety, mildly flavored, and healthy. It is mostly served with Ewedu soup and stew with amala to make a dish called abula.
What is Gbegiri Soup?
Gbegiri is a Nigerian traditional soup, which originated from the Southwestern parts of the country. It has a light orange color and is traditionally served with amala (yam flour swallow) or tuwo (corn or rice flour swallow); and meat or fish.
Traditionally, this soup is prepared either with Nigerian brown beans or black eye beans.
Gbegiri Soup Recipe
The preparation method for this African Recipes are as follows;
- Soaking the beans to soften the skin before peeling.
- Cooking of the peeled beans until very soft.
- Using ijabe (blending broomstick) to liquefy the beans (or just blending in a blender or food processor).
- Cooking the blended beans with palm oil and traditional spices.
Boerewors Stew
On the list of African recipes, this is definitely a must try, Boerewors stew has become a South African classic over the years, with a creative extension in other countries. Regardless of his clime, every chef wants to explore a unique dish, after all!
Boerewors stew is made from Boerewors sausage and can be served over several side variants.
Boerewors is a fresh South African sausage that is ideal for grilling. Loosely translated, the name means “farmer’s sausage” and it’s a sausage grilled to have a chunky, coarse texture. It is slightly different from the regular sausage you may be used to.
Usually made of beef, it has an iconic spiral shape and is flavored with vinegar, nutmeg, and cloves.
How is Boerewors Stew Made?
Boerewors is a dish made of finely minced beef (occasionally with minced pork, lamb, or both) and spices (usually toasted coriander seed, black pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice).
It cannot be purchased at a local meat market outside of South Africa, despite its popularity and great demand. Many South Africans are prompted to make their own, and many recipes, such as the one below, have been around for a long time.
Boerewors is traditionally designed to be a spiral sausage. To make your stew, you would need to mince or cut it into bits, as you please.
Nyama Choma
The nyama choma is an African Recipe that is a specialty of grilled goat meat. This roasted meat is very popular in Kenya where it is considered the national dish and also in Tanzania.
What is Nyama Choma?
The name comprises two words; nyama which means meat and choma which means barbecued in English. Put the two words together and you have barbecued meat.
Where Does Nyama Choma Come From?
Kenya! It is a traditional meat dish from Kenya. The origin of “Nyama Choma” traced back to Massai’s history. In the late first millennium AD, Massai eating BBQ immigrated to Massai Mara from North Africa to the East. The nomadic people wandered with a herd of cows to look forward to grass and ground.
What Is Nyama Choma Made Of?
It is made from beef or goat meat, which is then traditionally marinated in either salt alone, or in a combination of salt, lemon, chili and spice before being slowly barbecued.
Domada
The Domada Peanut stew is one of the African recipes popular amongst the Gambian people. It is usually prepared using regular veggies such as pumpkins or even potato sauce with groundnut[peanut] sauce as its base ingredient. You could add or use chicken or beef instead, for variety and luxury’s sake.
What is Domada?
It is valid to wonder about the history or relevance of the name ‘Domada”. In Mandinka, an ethnic group popular in Southern Mali, Gambia and Eastern Guinea, Domo means eating and Da is the word for a stew pot.
Is Domada The National Dish of Gambia?
Similar to Maafe, Domada is a national dish in Gambia. With this information, you can guess the wide variety of mouths that would be interested in eating it for its delicious and nutritional qualities.
Situated in West Africa, Gambia is the smallest country in the African mainland. Their economy is majorly dominated by farming, fishing and tourism especially. It is this farming culture that orientates their style of the peanut stew, Domada.
How to Cook Domada
The nutritional standard of this food is quite high when compared to the cost of its preparation. It is an advantage to have such an exquisite meal with one of the simplest methods of preparation.
For an average Gambian family, a little more luxury would be in using chicken or beef to garnish the dish instead of the regular vegetables. Other Ingredients for domada include; fresh tomatoes and tomato paste, onions[caramelized], chili pepper, and seasoning cubes. Of course not forgetting the regular seasoning for your meat stock such as garlic and salt[to taste].
Taktouka
The lastof the African Recipes would be the Taktouka. The word taktouka is derived from the Arabic verb taktak meaning to grind.
It is an extremely popular dish. In Morocco, it is a very common warm salad, like zaalouk, made mainly of very simple ingredients: roasted bell peppers, fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, and olive oil.
The salad originates from Morocco but is also popular in Algeria. In the eastern part of Morocco, this salad is known as flifla while in Algeria, they call it felfla mechouia.
History & Origin Of Taktouka
This dish has its origin in the former Ottoman Empire. Tomato-based stews were one of the most common appetizers throughout the Ottoman Empire, the Middle East, and Northern Africa.
In North Africa, these dishes were referred to as shakshouka and consisted of cooked vegetables and liver or minced meat.
As trading with the American continent and Europe grew, tomatoes and chili peppers were added to these gravies and became so popular that a vegetarian version of this dish eventually appeared.
The exact origins of taktouka are disputed. Some historians believe the dish originated in Spain, others claim it was invented in today’s Israel (and brought to North Africa by Tunisian Jews), and others claim the dish is 100% Moroccan.
However, there’s no doubt that the original recipe is a part of Moroccan cuisine today.
So these are the African recipes that you need to cook now and try out. Let me know in the comments, if you have tried out any of these amazing dishes and which one you look foward to trying.
