UGANDA: THE FOOD

What a week. It was our first week back to school, so it felt like a month of Mondays at times. Actually, all in all, it wasn’t too bad. Our kids’ school district went to 100% remote learning, and I’m completely grateful for that. It didn’t go without its problems, however. But we made it through, and next week will be easier. I think. I hope.

Interesting flavor combo, but super dry. I think I will experiment around with this still.

But today, I’m making Ugandan food. I started out with Ugandan Pineapple Nut Bread. Now, I forgot to put one of the ingredients (wheat bran) on my grocery list for my husband to pick up, so I had to be creative and hoped for the best. But I pulled out a large bowl and added 2 c of whole wheat flour, 1 c of breadcrumbs (to mimic the bran, which I found out my husband hates), 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, and 1 c roasted peanuts (that I crushed a bit) into the bowl. After I stirred everything together, I added in 2 beaten eggs and a cup of crushed pineapple. It was at this point I started to doubt this recipe. I don’t know this for a fact, I just know it to be true: I think it left out any kind of liquid. So, even though it called for the pineapple to be drained, I added the pineapple juice back into the mix. Once I mixed that all together, I added it into a greased loaf pan and baked it at 350ºF for about an hour. It was just too dry. I think the flavor might have been there, but it was just too dry. I also don’t think the breadcrumbs were a good substitute (probably would’ve been better if I had just used white flour). Can’t win them all, I guess.

This will never not be delicious. It's amazing.

My main dish today is Chickennat. I rubbed my chicken pieces (I used boneless thighs) with some salt and pepper. In a large pot, I melted some butter in it and added the chicken and some onions. I covered it and let it cook down on low heat, adding in a little chicken stock a bit at a time until I added in the whole two cups. After about 15 minutes, I ladled out a ½ c of broth and mixed it with the peanut butter to thin it out a little bit before adding it back to the pot and brought it up to a boil. I removed another bit of broth and mixed it in with 2 egg yolks, stirred and added it back to the stew bringing the heat back down to a simmer. I let this simmer until the chicken was done but taking care that it didn’t rise above a simmer. When it was done, I garnished this with chopped parsley leaves and served it over white rice. I really liked this, and I think everyone did except my son.

Such a flavorful way to get your veggies in.

As a side dish, I made Ugandan Curried Cabbage, an homage to the number of Indians who were living in Uganda for so many decades. So, in a large saucepan, I heated up some vegetable oil and sautéed some onions until they started to look transparent and then added in some minced garlic with it. Then I threw in some grated carrots, thin-sliced green pepper, and a little salt to it and let it cook for about five minutes until the carrots started to get soft. After stirring it up, I added in a little curry powder and ground ginger and then added in my shredded cabbage. I tossed a little lemon juice in after that and stirred continuously over medium heat for about five minutes. I added 2-3 Tbsp of water and covered it, letting it cook on low heat to let it steam. It’s done when the cabbage is soft and bends easily. I used some of the core pieces, so some pieces weren’t quite as soft as others. Regardless, I really liked this. I think it would be good with some potato in it and maybe even some chicken or shrimp perhaps. It could be its own meal.

And we have a winner!

As an after dinner treat, I made African Ginger Chai Tea. I brought water and milk to a boil, stirring often. Then I added some ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground black pepper, and ground cardamom and 6 teabags of black tea. I continued to stir for about 3-5 minutes before removing the tea bags. You can add sugar to suit your taste, which I felt you really need. But once you get the sweetness just right, this is amazing. Everyone agreed with me on this. And it just hit me that it’s the black pepper that gives chai its bite. I had no clue up until now. Eight thumbs up on this one.

I enjoyed this meal, despite what the others in my house thinks.

I’ve always wondered what I’ll do with this blog after I get done with it, besides making a book about it. After reading about Ugandan cultural arts this week and finding out I can access a few books by Ugandan authors through the Kindle store, I’m starting to think about doing a project on African authors. I have a few ideas I’m coming up with, but finding out what’s on other country’s required reading lists for high school and college is something I think would be interesting to delve into. Like I really need another excuse to buy books.

Up next: Ukraine