Rice Pudding from the Central African Republic

The dessert I'm sharing with you today is typical in several Central African countries, although it has a different name in each country. It's a rice pudding cooked in peanut milk.

It's called "Bouillie" in The Central African Republic, "Gari" in Cameroon, "Baca" in The Ivory Coast, and "Kapaserie" in Mali.

It's eaten as a dessert or for breakfast.

The dish is made with raw peanuts, which gives the dessert a green flavor. I think it would be better with roasted peanuts, but to stick to the traditional recipe, I used raw peanuts.

Ingredients:

- 100 grams of short grain rice (a cup).

- 150 grams raw peanuts.

- 100 grams of sugar.

Method:

1- First, we prepare the peanut milk. To do this, we'll soak the peanuts for 4 hours. The peanuts are soaked without their shells, and there's no need to remove the inner skin; it's easier to remove it after soaking.

2- We put the peeled peanuts in a blender, for one cup of peanuts we add two cups of water and blend.

3- We strain the milk using a cheesecloth and let the milk that comes out fall into a saucepan. We take the remaining peanut flour from the cheesecloth and put it back in the blender with two cups of water and repeat the process.

4- After straining again, you can keep the peanut flour left in the cloth to make, for example, a cake. It's delicious!

5- Now we cook the rice. For every cup of rice, add two cups of water. Let it cook uncovered, and once all the water has evaporated, add the peanut milk and sugar. Let it cook until it has a slightly thick consistency. Once you add the peanut milk, stir constantly because the rice can easily stick to the pan.

And there you have it, this African dessert.

Receta en Español

Recipe taken from this television channel in the Central African Republic: Vídeo | Facebook

You can also watch the recipe at my Youtube Channel:

Here you have my  favourite cooking tools: https://viaja-en-mi-cocina-english.blogspot.com/2023/05/shop.html

Central African Republic

Kanda ti Nyama - Meatballs from Central Africa

 The dish known as Kanda ti Nyama is typical in the Central African Republic. It consists of meatballs made with beef, crushed onions, and ground pumpkin seeds.

Kanda originated in the agricultural communities of the Central African Republic, where cattle were raised, making beef an available source of protein. Locals began mixing ground beef with spices in traditional mortars. It's a dish that is cooked as a family activity; everyone gathers around the mortar and chats while grinding and mixing the meat.

It is prepared for celebrations, family gatherings, and village events.

During the colonial era, many traditional dishes of the country were lost or modified to suit European tastes; however, Kanda has survived, maintaining its original character.

It's quite a filling dish because pumpkin seeds are very nutritious and somewhat difficult to digest, so three meatballs are usually enough. It is often served with tomato and rice. Pumpkin seeds add a special tenderness to the meat.

It's also quite easy to make. If you decide to try it, don't forget to write a comment. I love to hear how your dishes turn out!

Ingredients:

- 350g minced beef.
- 200g pumpkin seeds.
- 3 ripe tomatoes.
- 1 chili pepper or black pepper to taste.
- 2 cloves of garlic.
- 2 onions.
- Cooked rice to serve.

Method:

1- Cut an onion into pieces and the garlic cloves into slices.

2- We also cut the second onion into pieces and we are going to crush it with the help of a grinder or food processor.

3- Grind the pumpkin seeds with the grinder; my seeds were already peeled.

4- Cook in a pan with some oil, the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent.

5- Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until they break down; you can add a little water to make it more liquid. Add salt and pepper as well.

6- Put the minced meat, the crushed onion, the crushed pumpkin seeds, salt and pepper into a bowl and mix well.

7- Take small handfuls of meat and turn them into balls. If you have any left over, they can be well kept in the refrigerator for a few days; you can also freeze them.

8-Put the meatballs in the pan with the tomato and cook them over low heat for 1 hour with the lid on, turning them over after 30 minutes.

9- And there you have them.

Receta en Español

You can also watch the recipe at my Youtube Channel:

Here you have my  favourite cooking tools: https://viaja-en-mi-cocina-english.blogspot.com/2023/05/shop.html

Central Africa Republic