AFRICA IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND
   Frenquently asked Questions
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East African Sweet Pea Soup
* 2 cups chopped onion
* 2 tsp minced garlic
* 1 tsp grated fresh peeled ginger
* 1 tsp salt
* 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
* 1 tbsp homemade garam masala, which we happened to have on hand, OR
o 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
o 1 tsp ground coriander seeds
o 1 tsp ground cumin seeds
o 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
o 1/8 tsp ground cloves
o 1/4 tsp cinnamon
o 1 tsp turmeric (I don't like it and didn't use it, but Moosewood does)
* 2 tomatoes, chopped
* 1 sweet potato, diced
* 3 1/2 cups water
* 3 cups fresh green peas (took me 45 minutes to shell them!)
Braise/deglaze onions and garlic in a pot for 5-10 minutes.
Mix in the ginger, salt, and all spices and cook for a few minutes, stirring often.
Add tomatoes and sweet potato, stir. Add 1 1/2 cups of water, stir.
Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add 2 cups of the peas and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and add remaining 2 cups of water.
Puree in batches in a blender until smooth. return to the pot, add the last cup of peas, and cook on medium heat for 3-5 minutes.
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Beef Samosas
Ingredients:
(pastry)
1 cup homebaking flour
2 tsp vegetable oil
salt to taste
(filling)
500g beef minced meat
2 onions, chopped
1 tsp chilli powder
1 inch ginger, crushed
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ bunch dania, chopped
salt to taste
(paste)
2 tbsp homebaking flour
water
oil for deep frying
Method:
(filling) Put the meat, ginger, chilli and salt in a frying pan and cook for 15 minutes. Add the chopped onions, dania and lemon juice. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
(pastry) Sift the flour into a bowl and add the salt and oil. Add enough cold water to form a stiff dough. Knead well. Divide the mixture into 8 small balls. Flatten one ball at a time, brush it with oil and roll it out to the size of a saucer. Cook over a hot griddle for about half a minute on each side.
Cut them into strips of 3 inches wide. Fold the strip into a 3 cornered case and fill it with the meat mixture. Make the sealing paste with flour and water and seal the ends of all the cases. Fry in deep hot oil until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper and serve.
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Crab Samoosas
Serves 10 (3 per person as a starter)
1 onion, finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 chilli, finely chopped or
4-5 sweet chili peppers(Pepperdews)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fish sauce
1 egg
200-250g cooked crab meat, shredded or crabsticks, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tps chopped fresh coriander (optional)
30 sheets Samoosa pastry*
• Saute the onion & garlic in the olive oil until translucent . If you are adding chilli, sauté with the onion and garlic. The pepperdews can be added when the onions are soft and cook for a further 4-5 minutes. Add the crab meat and cook for about 1minute. Add the fish sauce and stir through.
• Allow the crab mixture to cool down and then add the egg. Season to taste keeping in mind that the fish sauce is quite salty and the chilli can be hot if added. Add the chopped coriander if so desired and mix though.
• Place a heaped teaspoon of the crab mixture on the pastry and roll into the shape of a samoosa. Place the samoosas in a sealed container in the fridge until required.
• Deep fry the samoosas in hot oil and drain off the excess oil. Serve hot with a wedge of lemon and a peri peri/chili sauce.
* If you cannot find samoosa pastry, use pyhllo pastry. You only need about 6 sheets of phyllo as they can be cut into strips. Follow the directions on the package as how to use pyhllo pastry as it dries very quickly.
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