Tag: West African
Caakiri (Couscous Pudding)
Caakiri (Couscous Pudding)
Seriously…this is one of the best desserts I’ve eaten in a long time. Caakiri is an African couscous pudding that is eaten in countries such as Senegal, Angola, and Cameroon. Traditionally it was made with millet, but couscous became a more popular choice. Think of this as a rice pudding, but with couscous. This dessert is dairy heavy, but is well balanced in sweetness. The combination of the orange blossom water, cinnamon, and nutmeg have a particular aroma that permeates through your nose when you eat it. This couscous pudding is best served right after it’s made.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup couscous
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp orange blossom water
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Toppings
- golden raisins
- fresh fruit blueberries, pineapple, etc
- nutmeg
Instructions
- Bring the water and salt to a boil in a small pot. Stir in the couscous. Take off the heat. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Let cool completely.
- Mix together the greek yogurt, sour cream, evaporated milk, orange blossom water, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Stir in the couscous, making sure any lumps are broken up.
Gravy Chicken
Gravy Chicken
This is the first Liberian recipe on stonedsoup.net! This delicious stew consists of chicken stewed with a spicy bell pepper/tomato based sauce. The last 5 minutes of cooking, jumbo shrimp are added into the pot. Traditionally, Liberians also add fried fish to the sauce, but this can be omitted. The gravy chicken is served with check rice, a spinach based rice that is eaten all over West Africa.
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large bone in chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 lb large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 green bell pepper
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp ginger minced
- 1 habanero
- 1/4 cup basil chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp chicken bouillon
- 1 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Add peppers, garlic, tomatoes, half of the onions, ginger, and basil to a blender.
- Purée until smooth. Set aside.
- Boil the chicken with for 30 minutes with onions, bouillon, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Strain the chicken, reserving the stock. Set aside.
- Heat up cooking oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Sauté the tomato paste for a minute.
- Pour in the purée and simmer for 15 minutes over medium heat.
- Pour in 2 cups of the reserved stock. Add in the chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add in the shrimp and simmer for 3-5 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through.
Nigerian Stewed Chicken
Nigerian Stewed Chicken
This might just look like chicken in tomato sauce, but it’s so much more. The chicken first gets braised with a bunch of onions, herbs, garlic, and curry powder; tenderizing the chicken and creating a rich and flavorful stock. The chicken then gets broiled until crispy. While the chicken is braising, tomatoes, red pepper, onion, habanero, garlic, and ginger are puréed, then simmered into a thick sauce. The saved chicken stock is stirred in and the chicken pieces are placed into the sauce. They will only need 10 minutes of time to simmer. Serve the stewed chicken with rice and fried plantains.
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
Braising the Chicken
- 3 lbs chicken pieces drums and thighs work best
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 3 maggi bouillon cubes
- 2 cups water
Sauce
- 4 roma tomatoes chopped
- 2 large red bell peppers seeded and chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 habanero
- 1 thumb ginger peeled and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves
Chicken Stew
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Place the chicken, onions, all of the seasonings, and water in a pot. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 45 minutes. Save the stock.
- Turn on your oven’s broiler. Place the chicken on a rack on a baking sheet lined in foil.
- Broil for 6-7 minutes until browned. Set aside.
- Place all of the sauce ingredients in a blender.
- Purée until smooth.
- Heat up vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onions, tomato paste, and bay leaves for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the sauce. Simmer for 25 minutes.
- Stir in the reserved stock. Place the chicken pieces in the sauce.
- Simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
