Tag Archive for 'food'

White Sands Beach Hotel (Kendwa, Zanzibar)

Posted on August 10, 2010 in Tanzania by kenny. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Rating:

While we ate quite well in Stone Town, most of our meals on Zanzibar’s beaches were somewhat mediocre. The one major exception was a beachfront restaurant in Kendwa, at the White Sands Beach Hotel. The atmosphere at the restaurant is pretty basic, but the location is excellent, with nice views of the Indian Ocean from the outermost tables (where we were sitting).

On the waitress’s recommendation we ordered the prawn coconut curry, which was stupendous. The prawns were by far the largest we had in Zanzibar, and the tomato-based coconut curry was spicy and reminiscent of south India.

We also had the catch of the day, red snapper, which was seasoned with local spices and grilled. The fish was tender (not overcooked like much of the fish we had this week), and served with rice and tomato chutney.

If you’re on Kendwa beach (or at nearby Nungwi and sick of the same-old, same-old), definitely stop by the White Sands Beach Hotel and sample the coconut curry. Your tummy will thank you.

Prawn coconut curry
Amazing prawn coconut curry

Grilled snapper
Grilled red snapper

White Sands Beach Hotel
Kendwa, Zanzibar, Tanzania
+255 (0)777-411326

Spice Up Your Life

Posted on August 5, 2010 in Tanzania by kenny. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Armed with our newfound knowledge from yesterday’s spice tour, we spent the morning in Darajani Market acquiring some take-home scents of Zanzibar. The first few shops we walked by were staffed by aggressive hawkers that were all selling the same touristy-labeled packets of ground spices.

Further away from the market center, on a quiet street far removed from hawkers (and bloody cow parts), we stumbled across a shop with barrels of ground and whole spices available in bulk that reminded me a bit of Roopak in Karol Bagh. We were able to browse in peace, and then put together a small stash of coffee, vanilla, whole nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, and ground chilies (which was nothing compared to the local who arrived just after us with a long shopping list of large quantities to fill).

Now all we need to do is think of the best uses for these spices when we get home…cardamom-vanilla bean ice cream anyone?

Kenny with potential purchases
So many spices…how to choose?

Spices
Bulk spices

Cinnamon
Cinnamon

Aniello’s (Diani, Kenya)

Posted on August 5, 2010 in Kenya by lauren. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Rating:

While in Diani, we ate our best non-Olive Branch meal at a cute little Italian place called Aniello’s, recommended by Hassan from Kenyaways. The place has a romantic atmosphere, and seems to be a popular hangout for visiting Italians. Unfortunately the mood lighting made photography with our point-and-shoot difficult. But we shared a good pizza, crab ravioli, and a scoop of tiramisu gelato. I don’t remember the name of the pizza we tried, but it was the best pizza we’ve had in East Africa and featured two types of cheese, basil, and tomato sauce. The crust was thin and flaky, with the right amount of crunchiness. The crab ravioli were extremely fresh, although one needed to be a bit careful of the stray bits of crab shell hidden inside a few of them (oops!)

It’s a great little spot, and I’d certainly recommend it over most other options in Diani – for one thing, the pizzas are much better than those at Forty Thieves.

Aniello’s apparently has two locations in Diani – the one we chose was further north, across from the Barclay’s bank and just past the Nakumatt. There is another one in the Diani Shopping Center, although Hassan told us that the one we chose has the better menu of the two, most notably for the inclusion of the pizzas.

Pizza
The pizza looked better in person than this photo attests

Crab ravioli
Fresh crab ravioli

Aniello’s
Diani, Kenya

The Olive Branch (Galu, Kenya)

Posted on August 5, 2010 in Kenya by lauren. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Rating:

The stretch of sand occupied by Kenyaways, where we spent most of our time over the past four days, is a bit isolated from the action of Diani, to the north. Even beach resorts and hotels are quite spread out on that part of the coast. As such, it is extremely convenient that Kenyaways has a fantastic and reasonably-priced restaurant, the Olive Branch. We consumed all of our lunches there, and we wished that we had opted to stay for dinner on two of the three occasions that we ventured up to Diani for mediocre food.

During our four day stay, we sampled many different dishes, including the ceviche and smoked sailfish salad, falafel burger, Thai fish cake, prawn and avocado salad, grilled prawns, butternut-lentil-coconut curry, big garden salad, and the hamburger (Kenny, not me). The ceviche, served with toast, was quite tasty, although its consistency was more like a tuna fish salad than most ceviches I have tried. The falafel burger was certainly a standout, a delicious chickpea patty on a homemade bun, served with a fresh salad. I also loved the butternut-lentil-coconut curry, which tasted like Thai-Indian fusion, and was served with rice and chapattis. The Thai fish cakes were two juicy fish patties, pan fried but not greasy, served with a large helping of salad. They were delicious, and could also have been great on a bun as a fish burger. The big garden salad was extremely fresh, and featured greens heaped with a big spoonful of feta-like cheese, tomatoes, avocado, capers, and several types of nuts. Yum.

The restaurant staff, Alex, Hassan, and David, were always helpful and amazingly friendly. Hassan told us that the Olive Branch was the best restaurant in the area, and we believed him. He also recommended Aniello’s in Diani, where we had a very nice Italian meal.

If you find yourself at Galu Beach, definitely stay at Kenyaways for the laid-back kite surfing vibe (even if you don’t kite surf!), excellent balcony views, and perfect beach. And while you’re there, you could do much worse (trust us, we did!) than eating all your meals at the Olive Branch.

Big garden salad
Big garden salad

Falafel burger
Falafel burger

Ceviche and sailfish salad
Tuna ceviche and sailfish salad

Prawn and avocado salad
Prawn and avocado salad

Thai fish cakes
Thai fish cakes

The Olive Branch, Kenyaways
Galu Beach, Kenya
+254 (0) 728 886 821

The Cave (Diani, Kenya)

Posted on August 2, 2010 in Kenya by kenny. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , .

Rating:

To celebrate Vid’s birthday last night, we had dinner at the fanciest restaurant in town – The Cave. The restaurant is set inside two chambers of a natural coral cave that is open to the sky. While mildly gimmicky, the setting is really interesting, and the tasteful lighting added to the romantic atmosphere.

We started off with some of the house red, which was a surprisingly good cabernet-shiraz. We tried to order a few things that we thought Vid would order if she were with us in person rather than just in spirit. For appetizers we had the soup of the day (cucumber-mint), and a goat cheese tart. The soup turned out to be hot, which was unexpected, but it was enjoyable with primary flavors of chicken broth and cucumber (I couldn’t detect the mint). The goat cheese tart tasted like a frozen quiche from Trader Joe’s. I like TJ’s, but at Seattle-level prices I was expecting (at least a smidge) better.

On to the main course, with higher prices and greater disappointments. Little Vid’s mushroom crepes tasted much better than their caterpillar-like presentation. They were very cheesy, with lots of mushrooms inside. While it reminded me of upscale diner food, it was still satisfying. Our “pan-seared catch of the day drizzled with homemade pesto” was a breaded and fried tasteless brick that was doused in green lines of goo. We couldn’t bring ourselves to finish it. Given the mediocre results for dinner, we passed on dessert, but fortunately we had already satisfied our sweet tooth with a pre-dinner scoop of mango-coconut ice cream at Kenyaways (as Vid would have done).

Overall, The Cave has nice atmosphere, and the bar area would be a lovely place to have a glass of wine. However you should plan on going elsewhere for dinner, as the food is forgettable and very expensive.

The Cave
The Cave’s main dining room

Lighting
Mood lighting

Little Vid and her appetizer
Little Vid was also surprised by the average-ness of her appetizer

Little Vid and her main course
Main course: mushroom crepes

Forgettable fish
Veering away from the vegetarian side was not well-rewarded, this fish was terrible

Ali Barbour’s Cave Restaurant (a.k.a. The Cave)
Diani, Kenya
+254 (0)40-320-2033

Tasty Pancakes

Posted on July 22, 2010 in Uganda by kenny. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Last week we synthesized a number of pancake recipes on the web to a simple formula using even proportions (1 to 1 to 1 to 1) of:

  • cup whole wheat flour
  • tsp baking powder
  • egg
  • cup milk
  • Tbsp butter/oil

Add more baking powder for fluffier pancakes (today we used close to a tablespoon). You can also use alternative flours (e.g. millet, atta, all-purpose) for some/all of the wheat flour, or mix in some wheat germ or oatmeal to satisfy the health nuts.

Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients, then combine and stir. Ladle onto a hot griddle. Flip. Done. Delicious, especially when topped with African bananas, pineapple, or mangoes, and a bit of shredded coconut. Or even better when Lauren mixed some of the bananas and coconut into the batter for the last few pancakes this morning.

Atta pancake with mangoes and bananas

This recipe can also be used as a savory base, similar to the ragi waffles we made in Bangalore. On Saturday we mixed onions and coriander into a ragi-based batter that we consumed with marmalade and dahi.

Savory ragi pancakes
100% ragi (a.k.a. African millet) pancakes; ragi tends to cause rougher edges unless mixed with wheat flour

Asian Slaw

Posted on June 30, 2010 in Uganda by lauren. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

SlawAs exciting as it is to be able to cook with fire here in K-town, I do often enjoy a simple fresh salad. Here’s an Asian-y slaw we made last night, inspired by one of the delicious lunch salads served at Mihingo Lodge, and quite similar to one my mother likes to make using Napa cabbage. The proportions listed below are extremely approximate, as I was just making up the recipe as I went along.

Kenny devoured several platefuls. It was a good reminder that for an alleged negative-calorie food, cabbage can be pretty delicious.

Ingredients

  • Half head of cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 2 carrots, shaved with a peeler or mandolin
  • Handful of sliced almonds
  • Sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp ginger, minced (optional)
  • Soy sauce (to taste)

Instructions

  1. Combine cabbage and carrots in a large bowl
  2. To make the dressing, combine sesame oil, a dash of soy sauce (just a little for color, or more if you like salt), ginger, garlic, and sesame seeds. Whisk it up.
  3. Sprinkle the almonds on top, dress the salad and eat

Kampala Confidential

Posted on June 29, 2010 in Uganda by lauren. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

As loyal readers of our rice cooker mishaps may have anticipated, one of the most exciting aspects of having a real apartment here in Kampala is having a real kitchen. Making oatmeal using our plug-in kettle and gorging on raw fruits and vegetables worked out well enough in Thailand, especially as we were living in the land of delicious tropical fruits. But it’s also nice to be able to fire up the stove (even if it is an electric one) from time to time and cook something, even if that something is absurdly simple, like an egg.

We haven’t been experimenting with the local cuisine much here, as we did in India; I suppose I’m a bit less inspired by matooke and rice than I was by channa, dal, garam masala, and the mystical powers of the pressure cooker. But our huge Kenya-based grocery chain has locally-source versions of most of the Western-style conveniences we’re accustomed to, and a respectable array of Indian ingredients, thanks to the healthy Desi community here (although no channa to be found yet, oddly enough). Which means we’ve started revisiting many of our favorite recipes, most of which emphasize fresh vegetables, whole grains, and beans (with special thanks to Mark Bittman, who got us on into an almost-vegan-until-dinnertime routine late last summer). And our Indian kitchen experiences taught us a few special tricks, like making chapattis to use as tortillas for Mexican dishes.

We’ve also started baking bread again, using the same recipe we taught P Nik in Mae Hong Son. It’s easy to get whole wheat atta, semolina, and other fun flours here, so we’ll probably branch out and try a few different experiments next week.

Tomato and Coriander Chutneys

Posted on June 25, 2010 in India by lauren. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

When Kenny and I go to Delhi, we like to stay at Saubhag Bed and Breakfast, run by our own adopted Indian auntie, Meera. During our visit last month, I complimented Meera on her delicious tomato chutney, and she promised to send me the recipe. Here it is, with a bonus recipe below for coriander chutney. I haven’t tried either yet (the second will be difficult, as I am mixie-less here in Kampala), but I am hoping to try my hand at the tomato soon.

Meera’s Sweet Tomato Chutney

Ingredients

  • 2 kg tomatoes
  • 1 kg sugar
  • 1 large onion (80 gm)
  • 7 flakes garlic
  • 1 large piece ginger (30 gm)
  • 5 tsp salt
  • 4 tsp chili powder (10 gm)
  • Garam Masala (2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp pepper, 4 small pieces cinnamon, 5  cloves)
  • 3 tsp acetic acid (concentrated vinegar)

Instructions

  1. Blanche and peel ripe red tomatoes. Cut into small pieces (I put them into the blender for a few minutes).
  2. Cut onion and garlic very fine, grind ginger
  3. Add sugar to tomatoes. Put in onion, garlic and ginger. Cook on fire.
  4. When chutney turns a little thick, add salt, chili powder, cumin, pepper, cinnamon and cloves.
  5. Cook for a few minutes more. Turn off fire and add acetic acid.
  6. Cool chutney and enjoy!

Meera’s Green Coriander Chutney
Ingredients 

  • 1 medium bunch coriander leaves
  • 1 small onion
  • 5-6 flakes garlic
  • ¾ tsp freshly ground cumin
  • 3-4 green chilies
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • ½ lemon squeezed
  • Salt to taste

Instructions 

  1. Grind all above
  2. Add one heaped teaspoon plain yogurt if desired

Wanna Buy a Rolex?

Posted on June 12, 2010 in Uganda by kenny. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Ugandan food is not nearly as famous as the local cuisine from our earlier volunteer locations. However, when researching our newest project we came cross a video of a Grameen employee sampling Ugandan street food. Ever since, we’ve been hankering to try a Ugandan rolex – an egg fried with minimal vegetables that is rolled up in a chapatti (“rolled eggs” ~= “rolex”). While we’ve had little luck finding such a treat near our apartment, today we lingered near Kasubi Tombs after our visit and got to experience the life of a local for an evening.

First up, World Cup football. Across the street from Kasubi Market is a bar called Shaloom. We paid 500 shillings admission (about $0.20), which entitled us to some of the small plastic seats spread in front of a 25” CRT television set and 2000 shilling beers (<$1). The power only went out twice over the course of the Nigeria v. Argentina game, and fortunately no goals were scored during that time. We were the only mzungos in the crowd, and we got to see the locals make fun of the Argentinean coach anytime he appeared on the TV.

Second, road-side entertainment. At intermission I took a walk down the road from the bar and was invited to sit and chat with a mechanic on a small wooden bench. He was drinking porridge from a metal cup, and explained how he was going to fix the generator in front of him. After I declined some porridge, his friend handed me some roasted corn. Seeing how it would be impolite for me to refuse multiple offers, I partook of the corn….which only had two rows of kernels remaining on it!

Finally, after the game, it was rolex time. It was everything we had imagined it to be.

Ordering my first rolex
Ordering my first rolex

Cooking a rolex
After freshly cooking a chapatti, they fry up the eggs

Eating a rolex
Yum!