Moroccan Prawns with Avocado and Melon Salsa

Yesterday for lunch, i think I made the most delicious meal that I have ever made in my life to the point were i had a food orgasm which i think refers to a reaction that makes you tilt you head backwards, while closing your eyes and moaning deeply all because the food in your mouth tastes so delicious. Yes, my Moroccan Prawns and Avocado and Melon Salsa gave me that feeling yesterday. The recipe was slightly adapted from a book entitled well The Book of North African Cooking by Leslie Mackley (1998) and the ingredients i used for my version of menu include the following:

For the Prawns

40 pieces of large raw peeled prawns
2 garlic cloves finely cut into tiny pieces
I tsp of paprika and ground cuminn

1/2tsp of ground coriander, cayenne pepper and salt

1/2 bunch of green onions (scallions) finely cut into tiny pieces
4 tbs of olive oil

1 cup of rice(optional)

For the Avocado and Melon Salsa, I used;

1 avocado

1 tbs lemon juice (substituted for lime juice)

1/4 cantaloupe

1/2 bunch of green onions (scallions)

1 fresh sweet red pepper.

I began by removing the stone from the avocado and then I peeled off the skin. I cut the flesh into tiny cubes and placed them in a bowl. I mixed the avocado with the lemon juice. Although the recipe suggested that we use lime juice, I forgot to purchase it at the store which is why I used lemon juice instead. I cut the cantaloupe, green onions and sweet red pepper and placed them into the same bowl with the avocado and lemon juice. I mixed thoroughly and then placed the salsa in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

For the Moroccan Prawns, I mixed the spices together and then I added the prawns. I mixed them well and then let it stand for about 10 minutes. In a large frying pan, the olive oil was heated before placing the prawns and the green onions. I stir fried the prawns for about 8 minutes so as to make sure that they were thoroughly cooked.

I served this delicious menu with rice and yes it was simply divine to the point giving my first food orgasm from a meal I cooked.

(Out of town for the weekend, writing my dissertation while away and yes I will resume posting next week)

Menu from Morocco: Kebab Koutbane

So my first menu is from Morocco and last night I made Kebab Koutbane, a typical Moroccan dish that is also an excellent hors d'oeuvre to serve at any time (Sandler, 1970).

The ingredients I used were:
1lb of beef steak

1/2lb of beef suet

1/4 of finely chopped onions

2 Tbs of parsley

1/2 of olive oil

1tsp of salt

1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper

1/4tsp of garlic powder

1tsp of ground coriander

1/2tsp of ground cumin

I yellow pepper(optional)

I green pepper (optional)

I red pepper (optional)

I packet of bamboo skewers

I went to the local grocery store in state college to buy the ingredients and everything seemed simple and easy to find and purchase except for the beef suet. Fortunately for me, there was a butcher at this grocery store and he directed me to the section were the beef suet were kept.

Kebab Koutbane is simple and easy to make. I began by cutting the beef and the beef suet into small cubes. Then in a large bowl, I mixed the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, ground coriander, and ground cumin together. This blend of spices and oil is referred to as the Moorish Marinade. I then blended the beef and suet cubes with the marinade and I allowed the mixture to marinate for about 4 hours. This gave me enough time to go to the office as I had a meetings with my research advisor and another research assistant on our project.

After my day at the office, the beef and the suet had marinated well but prior to threading them on the skewers, I cut the remainder of my onions as well as the yellow, green, and red pepper i purchased into small cubes. Now, the traditional Kebab Koutbane recipe does not require the use of yellow, green or red pepper, but since i love pepper, I included them in my recipe.

I threaded the pieces of beef in my own unique style of threading. Sometimes I alternated the beef with the peppers, sometimes the beef suet with the peppers. I think the beauty of this recipe is to do what makes you happy. If you are a meat lover, thread plenty of beef before the peppers. If you love peppers, do the same. Now this is also the unique part of this recipe, you are suppose to grill or broil using a hot fire grill. Well since i didn't have a grill, I used my oven and an aluminum pan. I turned the oven to 450 degrees and I broiled the Kebab for about one hour.

When they were ready, I arranged them on a serving dish and I garnished with fresh parsley sprigs....

(Recipe from Bea Sandler's The African Cookbook, 1970)

Welcome to North Africa

I plan to travel to North Africa one day, but in the meantime, I will begin by mastering their cuisine. This region of Africa lies alongside the Mediterreanean Sea and the Altantic Ocean and it is the site of one of the world's first great civilzation; Egypt. It is made up of seven countries: Algeria, Egpyt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia and Western Saharan and it is home to about 85 million people. Arabic is one of the official languages spoken throught North Africa and the most popular ethnic groups are the Arabs and the Berbers. North African cuisine is as diverse as it's people and it is often made with fresh simple ingredients infused with an assortment of spices that ultimately create delectable dishes. In the following weeks, I will introduce cuisine from North African countries such as Morocco (my favorite), Algeria, and Egypt. These countries where chosen because the books that I borrowed seem to showcase menus and recipies from these countries unlike the other countries.

Keeping Things Simple: Menus from different regions of Africa

To keep the art of mastering African Cuisine simple, the menu would be derivied regionally, in other words, I will begin by showcasing menus from all over North Africa. We would spend about two-three weeks in North Africa and then proceed to South Africa for the same duration of time, and then Central Africa, East Africa and finally West Africa.

I will try my best to demostrate things that I learn about the different countries in the region showcased, particularly highlighting what's unique about the culture as related to their menus and recipies.

The Journey

So I went to the library last weekend to borrow books on African cuisine and the selection was varied, but the one that caught my eye was The African Cookbook by Bea Sandler. It was originally published in 1970 and it was complied for people who love to learn about African cuisine from 11 african countries: Ethiopia, Sudan, Morocco, Senegal, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zanzibar, South Africa, Liberia and Ghana. While this book is definetly one of my inspirations, I also borrowed books that highlighted menus from other african countries such as of course Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Mali, Senegal etc. In all I borrowed 15 books and these books will serve as my inspiration and do not that I welcome any suggestions that you guys might have to offer.

Cooking is in my blood. If you know my mother, you would know that we were born to cook as she was a home economics teacher in Nigeria for over 35 years. She inspired many children in Lagos, Nigeria to learn to love the art of cooking, and so it's quite a shock that i never cared for cooking until now. Sometimes I wonder if being one of four girls (especially being the last girl) contributed to my inital lack of interest towards cooking because everyone in my family except me of course, cooked. All i did was wash dishes (and I am the best dishwash person ever).

I remember shortly before my papa passed away, telling him and my mother that it was a shame that I didn't know how to cook. She screamed at me and called me lazy because everyone in my family cooked. I was told to never go around saying that I couldn't cook because it would tarnish her image. My papa on the other hand, promised to teach me how to cook and he insisted that his style of cooking was the best. I never got to learn how to cook from my father as he died two weeks after this conversation. But I owe this journey to his memory, for I would not be where I am if not for him.

Cooking my way through dissertation writing by: Mastering the Art of African Cuisine

Yes, I was inspired by Julie and Julia and no, I will not be cooking any of Julia Child's delicious dishes, instead I will master the art of African Cuisine. For those of you who know me, I guess you would know that I have always said that cooking wasn't my thing or you may know how i love to order food from my favorite chinese or thai restaurant. And so you may ask, why then do you want to cook. Two simple reasons;

First, I have conquered by fear of cooking. How did I do it? Well, the last guy I dated loved to eat and so I thought cooking will keep him around. Well that didn't work, but he made me become passionate about cooking and I loved the way he would tell me that my food was simply divine. Cooking defintely put a smile on my face.

Second, I am currently working on a dissertation, and yes there are days upon days where i can't seem to write anything. I stare at my work all day long and accomplish nothing. Understanding that the joy of the lord is my strenght, I decided to cook for myself and it made my non-writing days, well simply divine as I was able to discover and learn about food from different african cultures.

Cooking has become my escape from the world of academia as it has allowed me to venture into places that I never dreamed of venturing into. I have become soaked in cultures, yearning for the day I will get the opportunity to live like Anthony Bourdain, travelling from one country to another all in the name of eating different kinds of food.

This blog is therefore my way of mastering the art of a type of cuisine that I have grown to love over my 20 something years of exisitence. I love food, all kinds of food, but most especially African foods as I am a woman with green white green (Nigerian) blood running through my veins. Now, I don't intend to showcase how only Nigerians, eat, but instead, I want to learn and demostrate how Africans eat so that I can better understand the culture. I will be done with my dissertation next year, but in the meantime, come with me as I cook my my through dissertation writing by mastering the art of African Cuisine.