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Quesillo
Quesillo
I’ve been making quesillo for a lifetime and never new it. I guess being high is universal. Quesillo are simply griddled tortillas with cheese, pickled onions, and sour cream. This tasty snack is a staple street food of Nicaragua; sold in little plastic baggies to keep the onions from falling out.
Ingredients
- vegetable oil
- corn tortillas
- Nicaraguan white cheese crumbled
- pickled onion
- sour cream
Instructions
- Heat up the cooking oil on a griddle over medium heat. Add the tortillas to the griddle. Cook for 1 minute and flip.
- Top each tortilla with cheese and pickled onions. Add a tsp of sour cream on top.
- Roll up the tortillas, sealing on the griddle seam side down. Cook for another minute.
Coconut Kale Curry with Cornmeal Porridge (Mbowa and Xima)
Coconut Kale Curry with Cornmeal Porridge (Mbowa and Xima)
Mbowa and xima are two commonly eaten dishes in Mozambique. Mbowa is kale simmered in coconut milk with chickpeas. If you prefer a different green other than kale, spinach and collards are a suitable replacement. Xima is a simple cornmeal porridge; a typical side dish similar to polenta and grits. There is so much flavor going on that this vegan meal would please the mightiest of carnivores.
Ingredients
Coconut Kale Curry (Mbowa)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp ginger minced
- 1 roma tomato finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/8 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 bunch dino kale washed and chopped
- 1 can chickpeas drained
- salt to taste
Cornmeal Porridge (Xima)
- 5 cups water
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 cup cornmeal
Instructions
- Heat the coconut oil in a large sauté pan over medium low heat. Add in the cumin seeds and let sizzle for 2 minutes.
- Turn the heat up to medium high and sauté the onions for 5 minutes.
- Add in the ginger and garlic. Sauté for a minute.
- Add in the tomato and the rest of the seasonings. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil.
- Add in the kale and chickpeas. Season with salt.
- Cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Uncover. Turn the heat up to medium high and simmer until the majority of the liquid has evaporated; about 10 more minutes.
Cornmeal Porridge
- Bring the water and salt to a boil in a pot.
- Pour in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and consistently whisk for 12-15 minutes until the cornmeal has thickened.
Gboma Dessi
Gboma Dessi
This is the first Togolese recipe on stonedsoup.net! Togo is a small West African country on the Gulf of Guinea, in between Ghana and Benin. Togolese cuisine is made up of African, French, and German influences. Tomato and spinach is a popular combination, which happens to be the base of this every so tasty dish, gboma dessi. A spicy tomato sauce is simmered down. Then spinach is stirred in, followed by sautéed chicken that was seasoned with commonly used spices such as ajowan seeds, anise, cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg. What really stands out to me in this dish is the texture the ground pumpkin seeds add to the sauce. It reminds me of what a scoop of ricotta does to an Italian tomato sauce. You can serve gboma dessi with rice, potatoes, or polenta.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 2” pieces
- 1 tsp ajowan seeds ground
- 1 tsp anise seeds ground
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1-3 habanero
- 2 roma tomatoes diced
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds ground
- salt to taste
- 1 lb spinach washed
Instructions
- Season the chicken with the ajowan, anise, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
- Heat up 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the chicken for 8 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the pan.
- Heat up the other 2 tbsp of cooking oil. Sauté the onions and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Add in the habanero and sauté for another minute.
- Add in the tomatoes, tomato paste, and ginger. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the stock and ground pumpkin seeds. Season with salt. Simmer over medium low heat for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach. Cook for 5 minutes until spinach is wilted.
- Stir in the chicken and cook for 5 more minutes.
