Traditional African Curries

SUQAR:
Slowly cooked beef OR Lamb dice in onion, tomatoes & chilly
This can be a side dish for different dishes, like rice, injera or chappatis.

 Basmati African Rice:
Stir fried with onion and spices and colored with turmeric.This can be a dish on its own or can have a side dish, like sautéed vegetable with spice or roasted lamb or even the Zigni above.

 Corn kennels in coconut milk:
Corn, coconut cream, tomatoes, onions and turmeric. This dish is truly the coastal taste of Mombasa(Kenya); many have enjoyed this dish and loved it. It can be eaten on its own or could be a side dish.

Spiced cabbage with coconut cream:
Cabbage,onions,capsicum (red&green) and coconut cream.This goes very well with chapattis or bread and is an authentic East African dish. It can also be used as a side dish for meats or chicken.

Savoury

Sambosa– Homemade crispy plain flour pastries.
The samosas are delicious finger food which can be enjoyed by both adults and young children. It’s a savory dish which is cooked around the world but this particular recipe is passed on to me by my sister –in – law and has been in our family recipe for more than 30yrs now .

The choice of fillings: Beef with onions, herbs and spices, or vegetables with onion, herbs and spices. You could also have a dip of freshly ground chilies with tomatoes, tamarind and herbs, cooked as a sauce or just plain (un-cooked).

 Felafel or Bajia:
Chickpea, broad bean & herb pattie

Mahamri: Puffed pastry triangles.
This is a traditional Swahili finger food made with plain flour, yeast, sugar, coconut milk and spiced with cardamom. It is a well loved dish and could go very well with the samosas

Injera– flat African bread.
This is just like pancake except it is a fermented dish. Best eaten hot straight from the pan with olive oil and sprinkled with sugar, or can be eaten traditionally with small diced beef cooked with onion and herbs. Could be both savory and sweet.

Chapatis:Plain or wholemeal flour.
This could be both a savory and sweet dish. These sweet chapattis are somehow similar to croissants. Best eaten straight from the pan so as not to lose their crispy texture.

Sweets

Sugar balls: Plain flour, yeast, olive oil and an egg.
These sweet balls are immersed in sugar syrup and taste a bit like doughnuts. Adults and children enjoy it alike.

Basbusa: Semolina, sugar, yogurt, Milk, coconut and unsalted butter.
This is an Egyptian cake which is very sweet and quite enjoyable with coffee or afternoon tea.

Rice Pudding: Rice, coconut milk, cream and sugar.
This is an African style rice pudding with coconut milk, and we use spices like cardamom and cinnamon which gives it a unique flavor.

All these dishes have a very sentimental value to me and when I prepare them I’m transported back home and I am reminded of my family and of Ramadan in Malindi, so you are guaranteed freshly prepared finger food that’s cooked with love and emotion.
There is plenty other dishes that you can learn to prepare too if you attend ‘Cook with Mariam’. All our cooking is done traditionally with no complications.
Come out and try it for yourself!!