Potato Hot Pot
Abuja, Nigeria · Voir toutes les recettes
Aperçu
Potatoes parboiled and browned, then finished in a tomato and pepper sauce with vegetables and shrimp. The source places it in Cameroon and identifies it as a close relation of poulet DG, which is the useful frame. Poulet DG, poulet Directeur Général, the general manager's chicken, is one of Cameroon's best-known dishes: chicken with fried ripe plantain in a vegetable-heavy sauce, named for its expense and its association with people who could afford it. Potato hot pot is the same construction with potatoes in place of plantain, and it is worth understanding the substitution rather than treating this as a generic potato stew. The technique that carries it is the one people skip. The potatoes are parboiled and then fried or browned before they go into the sauce, which means they arrive with a crisp exterior and hold their shape rather than disintegrating. Potatoes added raw to a tomato sauce break down and thicken it into mush. The source is relaxed about the protein, chicken, beef, pork, fish, shrimp or beef liver all work, and the ingredient list happens to use shrimp. Crayfish or smoked turkey are common additions. The "Mild Fresh herbs Blend" in the ingredients is not defined anywhere. A blend of parsley, celery leaf, spring onion and basil is the usual Cameroonian equivalent.
Note de Patrimoine AFN
Potato hot pot is a Cameroonian one-pot dish of browned potatoes cooked in a tomato and pepper sauce with vegetables and a protein. It is closely related to poulet DG, which uses fried ripe plantain in place of the potatoes.
Ingrédients
Les mentions alimentaires sont fournies par les contributeurs à titre indicatif. Elles ne sont pas vérifiées par AFN et dépendent des produits que vous achetez. En cas d’allergie grave, vérifiez vous-même chaque ingrédient. Cuisine, allergies et votre propre jugement
Préparation
- 1
Wash, peel and cut the potatoes into large chunks. Put them in a saucepan, salt the water, cover them and bring to the boil. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, they should be part-cooked, not soft.
- 2
Transfer them to a baking sheet, drizzle with a little olive oil and brown them under the grill, turning them as they colour. This step is what keeps them intact in the sauce.
- 3
Meanwhile, warm oil in a medium skillet and cook the onions until they begin to brown, about 3 minutes.
- 4
Mix the tomato paste with a little water and work it into the skillet. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
- 5
Tip in the diced tomatoes, green beans and carrots. Cook for another 5 minutes until al dente.
- 6
Put in the fresh herb blend, the browned potatoes, the peppers, a pinch of salt and 2 cups of water, more if you want it saucier. Cover and cook gently until everything is tender, about 15 minutes.
- 7
Add the shrimp for the final 3 to 4 minutes only. Season to taste and serve hot or warm.
Notes de l’Africook
- Parboil and brown the potatoes before they go into the sauce. Raw potato disintegrates and turns the whole thing to mush.
- Add the shrimp at the very end. Three or four minutes is all they need and overcooked shrimp are rubbery.
- Any potato works. The source is explicit that no special variety is needed, red, white, large or small all do the job.
- Chicken, beef, pork, fish or beef liver all substitute for the shrimp. Crayfish or smoked turkey are common additions.
- Keep the vegetables al dente at the sauce stage, since they carry on cooking with the potatoes.
- The herb blend is parsley, celery leaf, spring onion and basil in most Cameroonian kitchens. The source does not specify.
Questions fréquentes
What is poulet DG, and how is this related?
Poulet DG, poulet Directeur Général, the general manager's chicken, is one of Cameroon's best-known dishes: chicken with fried ripe plantain in a sauce heavy with carrots, green beans and peppers. The name refers to its expense and its association with people who could afford it. Potato hot pot is the same construction with potatoes standing in for the plantain, which is why the two look so similar on the plate.
Why brown the potatoes first?
Because raw potato put straight into a tomato sauce breaks down as it cooks, releasing starch and turning the sauce into a thick mush. Parboiling briefly and then browning under a grill or in oil gives the potatoes a firm exterior, so they hold their shape and stay distinct in the finished dish. Traditionally they are deep-fried at this stage; grilling is the lighter version the source uses.
What protein should I use?
Whatever you have. The source lists chicken, beef, pork, fish, shrimp and beef liver as equally valid, and its own ingredient list happens to use jumbo shrimp. Crayfish, dried ground shrimp, and smoked turkey are common Cameroonian additions that go in with the sauce rather than at the end. Whatever you choose, match the timing to it: shrimp needs minutes, chicken and beef need to go in early.
What is the fresh herb blend?
The source does not say, which is a gap. In Cameroonian cooking the usual green seasoning blend is parsley, celery leaf, spring onion and basil, sometimes with leek, blended or finely chopped together. Any combination of soft green herbs will serve the same purpose here, the point is a fresh, aromatic note going in near the end of cooking rather than a specific fixed formula.
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