Goat Brochettes

Ingredients

 450g goat meat cut into 1.5cm cubes

 1 onion quartered

 5 fresh, ripe plum tomatoes, crushed

 1/2 small tin of tomato puree

 2 tsp salt

 Handful of piri-piri chilies (you can use dried, re-constituted in water or substitute with Serrano chilies)

 Vegetable oil  

Method:

Soak you skewers in water and form the brochette by alternately threading meat and 2 to 3 leaves of onion onto the skewer. When done lay the skewer on the grill and brush with vegetable oil. Allow to cook for 3 minutes.

 Meanwhile, mix the tomatoes, about 50g of the onions (finely diced) and the piri-piri chillies (pounded to a paste) along with the tomato puree. You are aiming for a medium-thick sauce. Add a little oil and water to attain the desired consistency. Brush the sauce on all sides of the brochettes, adding more of the sauce as you turn them (ensure you turn at least 3 times). The brochettes are ready when just cooked through (about 8 minutes) and should be a nice reddish color, due to the sauce. Serve with potatoes that have been fried and finished by being dipped in any remaining tomato sauce and a dipping sauce made of piri-piri chillies in oil.

Chicken with Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

1 chicken, cut into pieces

3 tbsp oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

3 large tomatoes, mashed

2 stalks celery, cut into thin rounds

1 tsp salt

1 hot pimento or chili pepper

Directions

Fry the chicken in hot oil until golden.  Remove pieces and cook onions in the same pot.

When they, too, are golden brown, return chicken pieces to the pot and add tomatoes, celery, salt and hot pepper.

Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is tender.

Isombe

Ingredients

2 bunches cassava leaves washed and chopped (another leafy vegetable may be substituted)

2 green onions, chopped

2 medium eggplants cut into chunks

2 packages spinach, washed and chopped

2 green peppers, sliced into pieces

3 tbsp palm oil

3 tbsp peanut butter  

Directions

 Boil cassava leaves until tender.   Add chopped green onions, eggplant, spinach and green peppers.

 Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.

 Add palm oil and peanut butter.

 Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, serve with rice or bread.

Plantain Cake

Ingredients

2 ripe plantains, sliced in half, then in strips

225 gm cottage cheese

3 egg yolks

3 egg whites

20 ml dry breadcrumbs

1 tsp sugar

80 ml olive oil

1 tsp ground cinnamon  

Directions

Fry plantain strips in the oil until brown on both sides.  Mix cheese, cinnamon, and sugar in a bowl.

Beat egg yolks in one bowl, and the whites stiffly in another.  Grease a baking dish, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Fold stiff egg whites into yolks, pour a quarter into the dish and spread on the egg mixture and a layer of fried plantain.

Cover with quarter of cheese and some olive oil.  Repeat layers, until ingredients are used up.

Save a little egg mix and oil to pour over final layer.  Bake in 180 °C oven for 40 minutes.

Serve with meat.

Rwandan Honey Bread

Ingredients

1 package active dry yeast

1 egg

4 -4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup lukewarm milk

1/2 cup honey

3/4 cup lukewarm water

6 tablespoons of melted, unsalted butter

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves 

Method

Put the lukewarm water in a bowl and sprinkle the yeast over top. Wait two or three minutes then stir thoroughly. Allow the mixture to stand in a warm place until the mixture almost doubles in volume. This should take another five minutes, approximately.

Using a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, honey, coriander, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Add the yeast, milk and four tbsp of the butter. Beat, then stir in the flour gradually. Use just enough flour to make dough that forms a soft ball. If you can no longer stir it, use your hands to blend in as much additional flour as needed.

Flour a kneading board or other surface and knead the dough several times. You may smear a little melted butter over your hands to prevent sticking, but avoid using extra flour. You want the dough to remain soft and workable. Knead for about five minutes or until the dough is smooth.

Butter a large bowl, and place the shaped ball of dough into the bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm location until twice the size. This takes an hour, give or take.

Using your pastry brush, butter the bottom and sides of a round, three quart baking dish.

 Give the dough one sharp punch to flatten it and then knead for one or two minutes. Place it in the baking dish after you have shaped it into a round ball. Press down into corners.

Allow the dough to rise again for about an hour, or until it has doubled in size.

Warm the oven to 300 ° F. Place the Rwandan honey bread in the middle of the oven for approximately an hour or a little less. When done, the top should be crusty and a light golden color. Cool on a cake rack.

This Rwandan honey bread recipe is good eaten while warm or when cooled.

Peanut Nougat

Peanut Nougat is a traditional Rwandan recipe for a classic sweet (candy) of roasted peanuts in a sugar toffe base flavoured with lemon juice.  

Ingredients:

 450g peeled, roasted, peanuts, crushed or ground

 300g sugar

 lemon juice, to taste  

Method:

Add the sugar to a pan and heat. When the sugar begins to melt, add the peanuts and stir together with a wooden spoon. Add a little lemon juice and stir in. Pour the mixture onto greaseproof paper or into a well-greased tin and pat down to about 5mm thick. Allow to cool and cut into 5cm squares.

Kachumbari

Kachumbari is a traditional Rwandan recipe for a classic relish of tomatoes, onions and chillies flavoured with coriander, lime juice and olive oil.  

Ingredients:

 5 tomatoes, thinly sliced

 2 small onions, very thinly sliced

 1 red chilli, cut lengthways into 5 strips

 handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped

 juice of 1 lime

 3 tbsp olive oil

 salt and freshly-ground black pepper

 cayenne pepper to decorate  

Method:

Layer the tomatoes, sliced onions, chilli and coriander in a large serving bowl. Mix the lime juice an olive oil together and toss this mixture through the slad. Season with salt and black pepper, sprinkle some cayenne pepper over the top and serve. (Note, as an option shredded cabbage and/or grated carrot can also be used.