I can honestly say the only thing I knew about this country prior to this was that it was in Africa. Now I know exactly where it is Africa and the kind of food that is eaten there. I know a few more things, but this blog is about the food after all.
I searched for recipes and came up with the list below. The people who posted these recipes actually omitted many steps along the way, so I found I had to improvise or combine two recipes to complete a dish. Rarely were there accurate measures, everything was, to taste. So I would add spice, little by little until I got the right spice mix for my liking.
The food I found to be very flavoursome and I quite enjoyed eating the different spice mixes.
The dishes we tried were
Mahshi (Stuffed Capsicums)
Tamayya (Broad Bean Falafel)
Al Aswad Salad-Eggplant Dip
Kofta Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Sudanese Chicken Mafe
Overall Sudanese food is something we enjoyed. Some dishes I would definitely make again.
Here is the recipe:
9-10 capsicums, combination of red, orange, yellow and green
Meat filling
1kg of ground beef
1 red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground Coriander, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground Cumin, to taste
black pepper, to taste
½ cup white rice
Tomato Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil
340g tomato paste
350ml water
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon garlic powder
8 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
Prepare the capsicums: With a small knife take out the top stem, make a hole big enough for you to be able to remove the seeds and membrane.
Make the tomato sauce:
Place butter and oil in a large frying pan, add your roughly chopped tomatoes, saute for 4-5 minutes until the tomatoes begin to release their juices and start to soften.
Add the tomato paste, stir for 30 seconds, add the water, salt, cinnamon and garlic powder.
Simmer the sauce, gently over low flame for 10 to 15 minutes until sauce is cooked. Pour into the base of your baking dish.
Make the filling:
Place 1/2 cup of white rice in water, bring to a boil, simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, drain.
In a large pan add 1-2 tablespoons oil. Add onion, saute over low-medium heat for 3-4 minutes, add the garlic, saute for 1 minute, increase the heat , add the minced beef, fry just enough to remove the redness, breaking it up with your spoon.
Now add the salt, pepper, coriander and cumin, cook stirring for 1 minute.
Add the rice to the mince mixture and mix well.
Stuff the capsicums with the mince and rice stuffing.
Place over the tomato sauce in the baking dish pan.
Place in a preheated oven 175C/155C fan forced and bake covered for 1.5 hours to 2 hours, until the peppers are soft and roasted. During the last 10 minutes of baking, remove the cover and roast.
Serve hot.
Enjoy!
Here is the recipe:
1 large eggplant, diced
2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 green onion, diced
1 teaspoon lime juice, to taste
2 teaspoon peanut butter
water to liquefy peanut butter
Oil for frying
Shallow fry the eggplant in oil and keep stirring until it is golden brown, set aside.
Place the tomatoes in food processor or blender, and pulse.
Pour the tomatoes in a saucepan, bring the tomato sauce to a gentle boil.
With a fork, mash the aubergine, then add to the simmering tomato sauce.
Add lime juice and garlic, stir and remove the pan from heat.
Liquefy the peanut butter in some water and add to the eggplant mixture.
Add the diced green onion and mix well.
Chill in your fridge and serve with pita bread.
Enjoy!
Here is the recipe:
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup chicken stock
6-8 chicken thigh fillets
Cajun seasoning, to taste
1 teaspoon oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large capsicum, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 x 400g can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large sweet potato, cubed
1 large carrot or turnip, cubed
230g fresh baby spinach
Put peanut butter and stock in bowl and whisk till combined thoroughly.
Pat chicken dry and season Cajun seasoning.
Add oil in a saucepan, over medium heat, add chicken pieces in batches, brown on both sides for 2 minutes, set aside.
Add onion and capsicum, saute until onion begins, softens and is translucent. Add garlic, saute for 2 minutes.
Stir in peanut butter mixture, tomatoes with juice, and cayenne.
Bring to boil, add chicken with accumulated juices and cover pot with lid.
Lower heat and braise until chicken is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove chicken to bowl and keep warm.
Add sweet potatoes and carrot/turnip to pot and simmer uncovered till tender.
Add spinach, once it has wilted, add back the chicken to reheat. Check the spice now, add more cayenne needed, season with salt and pepper.
Serve with white rice.
Enjoy!
Here is the recipe.
700g beef mince
1/2 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup of rice, boiled in water for 10 minutes to get it halfway cooked, cooled
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Tomato Sauce:
1 teaspoon oil
1 small onion
4 large tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 green capsicum, sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
In a large bowl add mince, onion, garlic, cooled rice, salt, pepper, coriander, cumin and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly using hands. I now get a small amount of mixture and quickly pan fry it, taste the meatball mixture, add more spice or seasoning, if needed.
Shape into oval meatballs.
Add 1-2 teaspoons oil in a cast iron pan on medium heat, add meatballs, fry to brown the outside takes about 4-5 minutes. Remove meatballs, set aside, until needed
Make the tomato sauce: Add 1 teaspoon of oil to a pot, if needed, fry the diced onion for 3-4 minutes, add the garlic, saute for 1 minute.
.
Add the diced tomatoes, keep stirring, if it is catching, add a small amount of water to prevent burning. Cook until the tomatoes start to soften and release their juices.
Add the tomato paste and tomato sauce. Add the coriander, cumin, cinnamon and sliced capsicum. Give it a stir, taste, season with salt and pepper, add more spices, if needed.
Return the meatballs to the stew, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley, just before serving. Serve hot with bread.
Enjoy!