Really enjoyed all the foods this week from Guinea-Bissau. This is another country I have never heard of…there is a lot of Guinea countries! The national language here is Portuguese and in their Bissagous Islands the culture is matriarchal, where women are at the head of managing the household, the economy, law, as well as initiating courtship.
We mostly did West African dishes for this weeks offerings, lots of peanuts!
Caldo de Mancarra (Chicken in a peanut sauce), Jollof Rice (rice in a tomato sauce with vegetables), Kelewele (spiced plantains), Kale and Black Eyed Peas in a Peanut and Sweet Potato Broth, Butternut Squash in a Peanut Sauce, and not in the shoot above Moda de Guinea-Bissau (cake).
..Caldo de Mancarra..
This stuff was really good. I am a sucker for anything in a peanut sauce, add chunks of seitan and crunchy onions, pure winner. Peanut butter and tomatoes are blended together to make a broth, which I simmered the seitan and onions in. I made a few modifications, so I’ll post my recipe for Caldo de Mancarra below.
..Jollof Rice..
A very popular dish in my search was Jollof Rice. I made this one last minute in fear that there wouldn’t be enough food, and I’m glad that I did. I followed this recipe from Naija Chef. They are adorable! I also used their tomato sauce method, but used a jalapeno instead of a habenero because it’s what I had on hand (which is unfortunate because I LOOOOVE habenero). I had some leftover sauce and use it to make flax crackers in my dehydrator, which I later used to eat Angela’s insane habenero salsa, so I got my fill in the end. The sauce was lovely, and I will probably make it again for other things that call for a tomato base but want to give it an extra zing. The rice was great, as the Naija Chef said a people pleaser for sure! It made a ton, and I was happy to munch on it for days. I was able to follow this recipe closely, just not adding the optional gizzard or hearts.
..Kelewele..
Danielle made these great fried plantains with spices. Who doesn’t love plantains?! The spices were a nice twist. Recipe for Kelewewe can be found here or down below!
..Black Eyed Pea and Greens in a Sweet Potato and Peanut Broth..
Super amazing dish here. Not sure what the inspirations were for it exactly, but this was unique, and wonderful. Danielle blessed us with her recipe for this one, total winner.
..Butternut Squash in Peanut Sauce..
Told you there were a lot of peanuts! Another great dish!!! Abby tried her hand at another vegan dinner party and succeded once again. Squash and peanuts are a great combo. She also taught me a cool trick to peel a butternut, microwave it first! Makes the peeling and the chopping easier, just adjust cook time a bit.
..Moda de Guinea-Bissau..
Julie made some cake. I guess this is a simple 5 ingredient cake, including butter and eggs and other non vegan things. Julie used vegan butter (easy sub) and flax for the eggs. The flax definitely changed the way this cake looked and tasted in comparison to the traditional photos I saw of this cake, although it was very tasty!!!! Perhaps a commercial egg replacement may have been a better choice for the rise? Whatever, as I said, it was delish.
Okay so that’s it. I’m really far behind on the posts right now bc my computer has been crap, my camera/phone has been crap, I feel like crap, and my birthday party was a bit consuming as always. So, not that anyone reads this stuff, but if you are, sorry if it was a little less than descriptive. Til next time!
West African Chick'n in a Peanut and Tomato Sauce (Guinea-Bissau)
- 2 loaves seitan (recipe in notes)
- 1 large onion chopped
- hot chilis
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 2 tomatoes chopped
- 1 cube no chick'n bouillon (mix with 2 cups water)
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Prepare chick'n seitan ahead of time. Cool and cube.
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Heat oil or water in large pot and cook onion with chili and chick'n peices.
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Process peanut butter, tomatoes with water and bouillon in a blender. Pour over onion and chicken mix after a few minutes.
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Cook for about 20 minutes. Serve with hot rice!
This is my go to for chicken seitan. I've done a lot of modifications of it to suit different flavors from various countries, but for this one I made it as is. I use my pressure cooker and make 2 loaves instead of 4, but otherwise it's the same.
- ½ cup dry black eyed peas
- 1 sweet potato peeled and chopped
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper minced
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 inch knob ginger peeled and minced
- 2 tbsp salted natural peanut butter, heaping
- ⅛ tsp chipotle pepper powder
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper powder
- 2 cups savory vegetarian broth (in notes)
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1-2 tbsp peanut oil
- 10 oz Chopped Fresh Kale (or collards, spinach, or whatever greens you have available)
- 1 tsp of soy sauce or to taste (optional)
- A drop of liquid smoke optional
- Couple dashes habanero tabasco sauce optional
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Sautee onions in peanut oil over med-high heat until slightly golden.
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Add in jalepenos and ginger, stir and cook 1 minute.
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Add in tomato paste, stir, and cook until thickened (about 1 minute).
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Add a splash of broth and water, stir, add beans, stir. Add broth, chipotle, cayenne, and vinegar, stir. Add peanut butter and stir.
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Bring to a boil, let boil 1 minute, reduce to a simmer, and cook 30 minutes. Add more water if need, but no more than 2 cups. Add kale. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
Garnishs
Chopped fresh parsley
Chopped roasted peanuts
Halved grape tomatoes
- 3 large plantains ,Ripe but not overripe
- 1 tsp Ginger powder
- 1 tsp Cayenne powder
- ¼ to ½ tsp Salt
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Slice up plantain, put in a bowl. Add seasonings and stir.
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Heat vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet, about ½” worth. When hot, place plantains in oil in batches and fry about 1 minute, or when brown on bottom, and flip. Fry about about 30 sec to a minute more
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Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Serve warm.