Walk into most up market restaurants in Kenya and you will
see servers flying out of the kitchens carrying plates that include dark green
vegetables, one of which will most likely be the African nightshade. The
African Nightshade is an indigenous vegetable popularly known as ‘managu’ in
Kenya. In comparison to kale or collard greens (spinach), managu is a highly
nutritious vegetable rich in protein, iron, calcium, folate as well as vitamin
A, C and E.
Though there are those that might find it slightly bitter to
the taste, managu can be prepared with milk or the cream of milk to take the
edge off a little bit. I love it with cream!
So here is what you
will need:
2 bunches of managu vegetables
1 red onion
1 tomato
Milk cream/milk (to taste)
1 Knorr cube
Salt (to taste)
Let’s Cook!
Pluck the leaves off the stalks. Yes, this can be quite
laborious! Wash the vegetables and make sure to remove all soil/dirt. Boil the vegetable for 30-40 minutes until tender. Drain all the water out. As they
drain, dice the onion and tomato.
In a pan, fry the onion in vegetable oil until it is soft.
Add the tomato and season with salt and 1 Knorr beef cube. When the tomato has
softened, add the managu. After 5 minutes add cream/milk and cook for another
10 minutes.
Serve as an accompaniment to any meal, though it goes down
really well with ‘ugali’, a polenta like dish served in East Africa. So next
time you go to the market, treat yourself to a bunch, or two, of managu and
remember…fried/boiled green vegetables contain more usable iron than raw
vegetables.
How would you enjoy your greens?
Every kid loves yogurt. They can’t get enough of it. It’s
yummy and a great source of protein, calcium and vitamins. If you have trouble
digesting dairy products, yogurt is easier on the stomach as it contains the ‘good
for you’ kind of bacteria A daily serving of yogurt helps keep colds at bay and
two servings significantly reduce your chances of getting high blood pressure. And
because I left the best for last, yogurt causes your body to produce amino acids
which burn fat so you need to include it in your diet! So without further ado, let’s
whip up your own personal batch!
You will need:
-
1 liter of milk
-
3 table spoons of sugar
-
50 ml of plain yogurt
-
1 heaped table spoon of milk powder
-
Flavor
Let’s make yogurt!
In a pan, boil the milk and simmer for 3 minutes. Leave the
milk to cool to luke-warm temperature. Keep stirring occasionally to make sure
that no cream forms on top of the milk.
When the milk is luke-warm, add the sugar, milk powder and
plain yogurt and whisk thoroughly. The yogurt will act as your culture. Don’t
whisk too long so that the milk gets cold.
Sieve the milk and pour into a thermos. Close the thermos
and leave to stand for 10 hours. Add the flavor of your choice, fruit, essence
or cookies.
You now have lovely yogurt ready to indulge in. Enjoy!
I like ‘nduma’.
A lot. Boiled, fried, stewed…love it! Not so much for my munchkin. She calls it
‘baby’ food. I know…ridiculous! So today I am staring three arrow roots down in
my kitchen…thinking “How to ‘munchkinfy’” nduma…then it hit me!
Nduma is a
root tuber, mostly eaten for breakfast or as a snack. For any person watching
the amount of carbohydrates they consume, this is the perfect alternative to
the potato as it contains less calories.
So as I was
looking around the kitchen, I spotted one of munchkins favorite cereals and beamed:
D GOTCHA! And this is how it went down…
You will
need:
3 arrow roots
3 pieces of Weetabix
2 eggs
Nutmeg
Let’s Cook!
Wash the
root tuber, as it usually comes with dirt, and peel off the skin. Wash the
peeled ‘nduma’ again and cut into 1 inch thick pieces. It is important to keep
the ‘nduma’ in water at all times after peeling to avoid oxidation. Pour the
‘nduma’ into a pan and boil for 30 minutes.
While the
arrowroot is boiling, crush the three pieces of Weetabix in a bowl. Whisk the
eggs and add a pinch of nutmeg powder.
Once the
‘nduma’ is ready, drain out the water. Heat a pan and add vegetable oil. When
the oil is reasonably hot, reduce the heat as we shall be frying in low heat. Piece
by piece, pick up the ‘nduma’, dip in the egg first and then in the wheat flake
bowl.
Tip: Use one hand to soak the egg and the other to cover with flakes. Ensure
that the flakes completely cover the ‘nduma’. The egg acts as the ‘glue’ to
make sure the flakes stick to the ‘nduma’.
Place the
nduma in the pan and let it cook for about 1 minute, then turn it over and
repeat for another minute. Take the ‘nduma’ out and place on a serviette to
drain out any excess oil.
End Game
Now, because
Munchkin loves her cereal with banana, I went in for the ‘kill’ and served her
‘wheatomas’ with slices of banana! She had no idea what hit her and kept giving
me quizzical looks, trying to ask me ‘Wash ish ish?’ (What is this?) In between
mouthfuls! You really need to try this. You will impress yourself and surprise
your loved ones!
