Elite life |
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Djibouti (Djibouti Recipes) |
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Facing, as it does, the narrowest point of the Persian Gulf Djibouti lies in a strategic position. It has been used as a landing point for vessels following the Spice Trade for many centuries. As a result, as well as native cuisines (which are very similar to those of neighbouring Ethiopia) Djibouti also has strong Arabic, Indian and British influences. The Portugese also brought the techniques of roasting and marinating foods to this country. Arabs introduced saffron, cinnamon, pomegranate juice and other spices to the country and exotic Asian fruit like pineapple, lemon, orange and limes as well as New World foods like bell peppers, chillies, tomatoes and maize are common. Like Ethiopia, the Djiboutienne staple is a flatbread called Injeera, which is used to wrap various meat and vegetable dishes. | ||
Banana Fritters Ingredients: 6 well-ripened bananas 4 oz. rice or wheat flour 2 oz. sugar dissolved in 4 tablespoons water 1/2 to l level teaspoon nutmeg Fat for frying Cooking Instructions: Mash bananas with a fork or use blender to make pulp; add the flour, sugar dissolved in water, and nutmeg. Add water, if needed, to make batter of pancake consistency. Mix well and fry like pancakes in an oiled frying pan until golden brown. Makes 24 small fritters. |
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Djibouti Lentils Ingredients: 2 c Dried lentils; picked over -and washed 6 c Water 3/4 c Anaheim green peppers, seeded and chopped 2 c Red onions; peeled, chopped 1/4 c Spiced butter 1 tb Grated fresh ginger 2 cl Garlic; peeled, crushed 1 tb Berbere sauce, freshly ground black Pepper to taste Cooking Instructions: Boil the lentils in water for 5 mins. Drain, reserving liquid.In 4 quart saucepot, sauté the Anaheim peppers and onions in thespiced butter until the onions are tender.Add the lentils, 4c of the reserved liquid, and the remainingingredients and bring to a simmer.Cook, covered, over low heat 35-40 mins, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. |
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Berbere Sauce Ingredient: 2 Tsp Cumin Seed 4 Whole Cloves ½ Tsp Cardamon Seeds ½ Tsp Black Peppercorns ¼ Tsp Whole Allspice 1 Tsp Whole Fenugreek Seeds 1/2 Cup Dried Onion Flakes 3 Oz Red New Mexican Chiles -- Stemmed And Seeded 3 Small Dried Long Hot Red Chiles -- Seeded ½ Tsp Ground Ginger ½ Tsp Freshly Ground Nutmeg ¼ tsp Ground Turmeric 1 Tsp Garlic Powder 2 Tsp Salt 1/2 Cup Salad Or Peanut Oil 1/2 Cup Dry Red Wine Cayenne to taste Cooking Instructions: Mix together thecumin, cloves, cardamon, black peppercorns, allspice and fenugreek seeds. Place in a small frying pan over medium heat. Stir constantly until they release their fragrance, about 1-2 minutes. Do not burn or discolor the seeds. Cool completely. Combine the toasted spices and all the other ingredients except the oil and wine in a spice grinder or electric coffee grinder in several batches and grind to fine consistency. Place the spice blend in a bowl and add the oil and wine. Add cayenne to taste (Jeff starts with 1 tsp and adds more as necessary). Stir until thick and store in a covered plastic container in the refrigerator. |
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Djibouti Rice (Skoudehkaris) Ingredients: 500 g lamb shoulder, diced 500 g rice 3 tbsp oil 500 g fresh tomatoes, blanched, peeled and chopped 2 large onions, chopped salt and black pepper to taste 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground cloves 1 tsp minced garlic 1/2 tsp ground cardamom seeds 1 tsp chopped red chilli Cooking Instructions: Fry the chopped onions in the oil until softened. Add the meat and cook until browned then add the tomatoes and allow to cook for a few minutes. Add all the spices, cover with water and allow to simmer gently for 45 minutes. When the meat is tender add the rice and 500 ml water, bring to the boil reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, or until the rice is done. Cook for a few more minutes to dry the mixture immediately and serve immediately. |
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Djibouti Samosas (Samboussa) Ingredients: 2 l oil 500 g flour 2 kg minced meat 5 onions, finely diced 3 leeks, finely diced 1 tsp cumin Salt and black pepper to taste Cooking Instructions: Sift the flour and a pinch of salt to a bowl. Add just enough water so that the mixture comes together as a stiff dough. Shape into a ball and allow to rest. Meanwhile add 4 tbsp oil to a frying pan and fry the meat for a few minutes. Add the onions and leeks season with salt and pepper then fry until the meat is done and the onions have softened. Roll the pastry out on a floured surface and cut into triangles. Place a tablespoon of the meat mixture in the centre of the triangle and fold over to form a samosa. Heat the oil in a wok until almost smoking and place the samosas one at a time in this. Cook until golden brown and crisp on all sides, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Allow to cool a little then serve with African hot sauce. |
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Fish in Sauce (Marake Kaloune)
Ingredients: 600 g potatoes, peeled and sliced into rounds 2 onions, cut into rings 4 okra, chopped 3 aubergines, diced 20 tomatoes, blanched, peeled and diced 1 bunch parsley, chopped 2 tbsp tamarind paste Garlic, salt and pepper to taste Oil for frying 600 g fish, cleaned, de-scaled and chopped into steaks Cooking Instructions: Fry the potatoes in oil until just brown then add the onions to the mix and fry until golden. Add the okra and aubergines then mix-in the tamarind paste and season with the garlic, salt and pepper. Add the fish and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, add the parsley and cook for about 15 minutes or until the rice is done. Serve immediately. |
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Harira Ingredients: 300 g beef or veal, cubed 150 g green lentils 150 g tinned chickpeas 400 g tomatoes, blanched, peeled and chopped 100 ml tomato paste 3 lemons, quartered 150 g celery, finely chopped 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 bunch coriander, finely chopped 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped 1 tsp ground cumin 1 pinch saffron 100 g sifted flour 500 ml water 1 large handful angel-hair pasta Salt and pepper, to taste 2 l sparkling water Cooking Instructions: Add oil to a large casserole dish along with the meat, cumin, saffron, coriander, parsley, onion, celery and salt. Cook for 5 minutes then add the sparking water and cook for a further 10 minutes. Add the rinsed lentils and chickpeas and allow to cook for 50 minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato purée and allow to cook for a further 20 minutes. Mix the flour with 500 ml cold water and mix well with a whisk to prevent lumps. Pour this mixture into the casserole, making sure you stir all the time. Add the pasta and allow to cook for 10 minutes. Serve hot in serving bowls, garnished with the lemon slices. Lemon juiced can be squeezed into the harira according to your guests' taste. |
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Niter Kebbeh Servings: 6 Ingredients: 1 lb butter, unsalted 1/4 cup onions, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons ginger, grated,peeled,fresh 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 4 cardamom seeds, crushed 1 cinnamon stick 2 cloves, whole 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground fenugreek 1 tablespoon fresh basil or dried basil Cooking Instructions: In a small saucepan, gradually melt the butter and bring it to bubbling. When the top is covered with foam, add the other ingredients and reduce the heat to a simmer. Gently simmer, uncovered, on low heat. After about 45 to 60 minutes, when the surface becomes transparent and the milk solids are on the bottom, pour the liquid through a cheesecloth into a heat-resistant container. Discard the spices and solids. Covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator, Niter Kebbeh will keep for up to 2 months. |
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Soupe djiboutienne (Fah-Fah) Servings: 10 Ingredients: 1 kg goat meat 500 g potatoes 1/2 kale or cabbage 2 leeks 2 tomatoes 2 garlic cloves 1 green pimiento pepper 2 onions Salt and pepper Coriander Cooking Instructions: Peel the vegetables. Put the cut vegetables and meat pieces in a pot with water. Gently simmer on low heat for 20 mins. Add the coriander and crushed garlic. Add enough water so it reaches approx half the pot and simmer for an hour. Season to taste. Ready to serve when the vegetables and the meat are cooked. |
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Spiced Vegetable Stew (Yetakelt W'et) Ingredients: 200 g onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tbsp Berbere spice 1 tbsp paprika 60 ml Niter Kebbeh 200 g green beans, cut into thirds 200 g carrots, chopped 200 g potatoes, cubed 200 g tomatoes, chopped 60 ml tomato paste 500 ml vegetable stock Salt and black pepper to taste 40 g chopped parsley Cooking Instructions: Fry the onions, garlic, berbere spice and paprika in the spiced ghee (niter kebbeh) for 2 minutes before adding the beans, carrots and potatoes. Fry for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and vegetable stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened. Season with the salt and pepper, stir-in the parsley and serve with injera and cottage cheese. |
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Spicy Mixed Vegetable Stew (Yetakelt W'et) Ingredients: 1 c Onions, finely chopped 2 Garlic cloves, pressed 1 tb Berbere (dry) 1 tb Sweet Hungarian paprika 1/4 c Niter Kebbeh 1 c Green beans, cut in thirds 1 c Carrots, chopped 1 c Potatoes, cubed 1 c Tomatoes, chopped 1/4 c Tomato paste 2 c Vegetable stock Salt and pepper to taste 1/4 c Chopped fresh parsley Cooking Instructions: Sauté the onions, garlic, berbere, and paprika in the niter kebbeh for 2 minutes. Add the beans, carrots, and potatoes and continue tosauté for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes, or until all of the vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the parsley (optional). Serve with injera and yogurt or cottage cheese. |
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