Sudani White Nile Fish

Trust me, there's fish under there!

Hands down, I think this is my favorite dish, so far.

I based this recipe upon one I found on the blog of an interesting guy named Mark Tanner. He learned to cook many Sudani dishes while staying in Khartoum, and the flavors in this dish just sounded so fresh, a lovely blend of sweet and savory.

Here's how I made it.

2-3 Tbsp oil

2 onions, sliced into rings

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 Tbsp dried cilantro

Cracked pepper, to taste

2 bell peppers, sliced into rings

2 tomatoes, sliced

4-6 pieces fish (about 6-8 oz. each of perch, cod, haddock, etc.)

1 medium sweet potato, thinly sliced

1 carrot, thinly sliced

1 lemon

½ cup golden raisins

½ cup dried apricots, cut into quarters

Preheat oven to 375°. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, oven-safe, high-sided plan. Sauté the onions for a couple minutes, then add the garlic and salt. When the onions are slightly browned, add the tomato paste, coriander, cumin seeds, cilantro and cracked pepper. Juice half the lemon into the pan and stir to blend.

Once the base is nicely combined and seasoned to your liking, layer the remaining ingredients in the pan. Start with the potato and carrots, then top with the fish, bell pepper rings and tomato slices. Sprinkle the golden raisins and apricots over the top.

Cover and transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the fish cooked, approximately 15 minutes. Serve one fish piece per person, with wedges from the remaining half of the lemon.

Cook’s Note: According to the author of the original recipe, this dish is best served with a pasta bake, but I prefer a lighter meal.

Something's Fishy...

So, here's the thing... I planned to prepare a fish stew tonight, my last Sudanese dish, but I just got home from work and figured out that I forgot to thaw the fish! OOPS!!!

My apologies to leave you hanging for another night, but I PROMISE that tomorrow you'll get the scoop on this interesting dish.

Thanks, everyone!

A Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Did you know that Sudan's capital city, Khartoum, is twinned with 12 different cities, including Wuhan in the People's Republic of China, Ankara in Turkey, and St. Petersburg in Russia?


Unfortunately, that's one of the few, non-violent bits of information I was able to unearth about Sudan, a deeply divided country in a corner of the world facing many challenges.

The secretary bird, a national symbol.

The Republic of Sudan is sometimes called North Sudan, distinguishing it from the Republic of South Sudan, which formally seceded on July 9, 2011, after decades of bloody civil war. Even as it gained its independence from the British Empire and sovereignty claims by Egypt in 1956, fighting erupted between the two regions and the First Sudanese Civil War (or Anyanya rebellion) lasted till a peace agreement was reached in 1972.


But tensions soon resumed between the Muslim desert lands to the north and the animist and Christian rain-forested regions to the south. And just a decade later, the Second Sudanese Civil War broke out in 1983 and lasted till the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed by the government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in 2005, but not before causing one of the highest civilian death tolls of any conflict since WWII.


Sudan's current head of state, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, took control of the country in a bloodless coup in 1989 and declared himself president in 1993, instituting national Islamic law. In 2004, shortly before the CPA was signed, military troops and government-supported militia raided Darfur, a western Sudan state, in response to criticism by rebels there, who claimed the Muslim government was neglecting the black African ethnic groups that live there. 


As estimated nearly 3 million people were displaced during the conflict in Darfur, with atrocities committed against another reported half million people. The International Criminal Court officially charged President al-Bashir with crimes against humanity in 2010, but so far he remains free and in power. Several attempts at peace agreements have been attempted since 2006, the latest being the Darfur Peace, or Doha, Agreement in 2011. A new perspective of autonomy and peace for these two nations appears to be holding, and the transition is under way.


But despite being born into a war-torn country, many Southern Sudanese youth are turning to sports instead of guns. Thanks in part to the popularity of NBA stars like Manute Bol and Luol Deng, basketball leagues and tournaments are sprouting up around the country and many young players are being recruited by American colleges. If peace holds, we may even see South Sudanese competitors in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.


Sources:
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/sudan
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/02/19/sports/SPTSSUDAN0219.html
http://dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudan

Fuul & Tamia

Well, I got right back on that horse and decided what better recipe to try after last night's dinner debacle than Sudan's national dish: fuul and tamia. And, oyee (hooray)! They're a smashing success! Here's how I made both:


Fuul
1 can (15 oz) lima beans, rinsed and drained (I couldn't find broad or fava beans.)
2 tsp sesame oil (You can also use tahini paste, if you prefer.)
4 dates, diced
1 plum tomato, diced
1 small onion, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 hard-boiled eggs, diced (You can also used fried eggs, if you prefer.)
4 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and cracked pepper, to taste.


In a medium bowl, I lightly mashed the lima beans. To that, I added the remaining ingredients, mixed it gently, and let it sit while I prepared its accompaniment.


Tamia
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
Fresh cilantro, finely chopped, to taste.
2 slices wheat bread
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp ground coriander
Salt and cracked pepper, to taste.


In a medium bowl, mash the chickpeas into a chunky paste. To that, add the garlic, onion, bell pepper and cilantro. Soak the bread slices with water and squeeze out the excess liquid. Break up the bread and add it to the chickpea mixture with the flour, baking soda, coriander, salt and pepper. Let sit for 15 minutes, then form into patties a few inches in diameter and no more than an inch thick. (With these measurements, you'll get about 8-9 patties.) If the mixture is too loose or sticky, you can add a little extra flour.


In a cast iron skillet, heat about 1/2" of canola oil till the surface ripples. Add 2 or 3 patties at a time and fry till golden brown, about 30 seconds on each side. Drain on a plate with a couple layers of paper towels to soak up the excess oil. Don't forget to pat the tops of the patties, as well. 


Let them cool till they're OK to handle, and use the tamia to scoop up the fuul - that's the traditional was to eat this meal.


The fuul has a fresh, herbaceous taste that pairs well with the smokier, savory tamia. Both dishes are a breeze to make, so I hope you give them a try!

Disaster!

My first kitchen catastrophe! I'd almost finished my first Sudanese dish and was adding some salt, using one of those plastic, pre-packed grinders. Well, the stupid thing broke apart on the second grind, and probably half a bottle poured into my beautiful pot of soup. That's NEVER happened to me before... Seriously, I could cry.

I was so intrigued by this lamb-based soup I'd found... Shorba (or Puree of Lamb Khartoum) is the first course in a description I found of a typical, formal Sudanese dinner. If you can’t find already-made lamb broth or stock, then you can easily make your own. In a large (ideally 6-quart) saucepan, gently simmer 1 decent-sized lamb shank in 8 cups of water with 2 tsp. of salt for about an hour.

Note: If you make broth this way, there’ll still be plenty of flavor in the shank meat, so definitely save it for another dish or even add it to this soup after its pureed or use some as a garnish when you serve it. However, if you’d prefer not to use meat, the original recipe says you can use 3 lbs. of lamb bones instead. (If you do, leave the bones in the pot as you make the soup to infuse as much flavor as possible. Remove them after you've cooked the veg.)

I made my broth yesterday using a shank then let it sit for 24 hours in the fridge. That way, it was a snap to skim the fat off the surface. To prevent warping, I let the pot come to room temperature before turning on the heat and finishing the soup.

Once the broth came to a boil, I added the following:

1 medium onion, cut into chunks

4-5 large carrots, cut into chunks

1 small head of cabbage, shredded or cut into chunks

½ lb. string beans, cut into chunks

A few cloves garlic, depending on your taste, chopped

I reduced the heat and simmered for 1 hour until the veggies were very tender. I was about to puree the soup with an immersion blender (and leave it slightly chunky for more interesting mouthfeel).

At that point, I was supposed to add:

4 Tbsp. peanut butter, thinned with the juice of 1 lemon

½ cup cooked rice (You can omit this ingredient, if you prefer.)

Salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Yes, you read that right. Peanut butter! Now, my wife is half Greek, so I’ve had plenty of lamb dishes that include lemon. But, lamb and peanut butter?! That's such an odd pairing, I just HAD to try it!

Alas, tonight is not the night. I started this little experiment to show that you can enjoy exotic tastes with just a few specialty ingredients that won't bust your budget. So, with about 15 bucks headed for the garbage, a second try just isn't going to happen this week. Another time, though, for sure.

Perhaps one of you, my intrepid readers, will give this recipe a go? If you do, be SURE you share your results with us here. Otherwise, I'll try this soon and report back to you then.

Week #2: Republic of the Sudan

Full disclosure: I actually selected this week's country last Wednesday. I was showing my co-worker the SpinGlobe iPhone app and this is where my first tap landed. Given the recent strife in the Darfur region of Sudan and in many neighboring African nations, I welcome to chance to highlight an aspect of the country which everyone can enjoy.

Searching for Sudanese recipes only added to my enthusiasm. So many interesting dishes to try! I found a recipe for fuul in a World Community Cookbook I own called "Extending the Table: Recipes and Stories from Argentina to Zambia in the spirit of More-with-Less" that I bought a couple years back at our local Ten Thousand Villages shop. Fuul, the national dish of Sudan, is essentially a savory bean dip that's eaten as a main course and scooped from bowls with fingers or tamia (chickpea cakes) - I'll definitely be making both.

So, without having to shell out the price of airfare, I'm going to jet about 6,000 miles due west from Barbados to Sudan. I do hope you'll join me.

Fish Cakes with Sauce Marie Rose

Everyone who knows me knows I LOVE fried food, and this dish is no exception. When I first glanced at this recipe, I clearly didn't read it carefully, because I assumed I'd be making something akin to crab cakes until literally the point where I'd cooked and shredded the fish! I'm going to chalk it up to delirium from the gorgeously mild weather we'd had yesterday. (45? In January?!)


Despite the fact that my house still smells like a fry vat this morning, I adore these cakes. My recipe leans heavily on one I found at totallybarbados.com that uses salt fish. Folks in this neck of the woods call them hush puppies. And, boy were they good. So light and fluffy inside, with a delicate flavor. 

In truth, the fact that my batter sat for about an hour while I waited for our friend - who was on his way over when he got a frantic request to stop at the grocery for canola oil - probably helped immensely in terms of flavor. The herbs had time to permeate the batter, and the onions mellowed.


I hope you all try making these sometime. They are truly divine. But, perhaps if you're socked in with winter should wait till spring or summer to make these on your grill's side burner or with your windows open. If you can.


½ lb fish (firm, like cod, haddock, perch, etc.)
1 small onion, very finely diced

3 cloves garlic, very finely diced
1 Tbsp hot sauce (or to taste)
1¼ cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

½ cup milk

½ cup water

1 pat of room-temperature butter

¼ cup scallions (about 2-3), very finely diced
1 tsp each dried thyme, parsley, marjoram (or fresh if you’ve got it)

Freshly ground pepper and salt, to taste

Gently poach the fish. 

While that’s cooking, make the Sauce Marie Rose, so it has time to sit.

Sauce Marie Rose

½ cup low-fat mayonnaise


2 Tbsp tomato ketchup


1 Tbsp fresh lime juice


1 tsp sugar

Hot sauce, to taste

Once the fish has cooled enough to handle it, shred it into a large bowl. Add everything else and whisk together. You may need to add more flour if you want to fry nice, rounded spoonfuls. I didn't mind that the batter was still a little loose and was rewarded with funky bumps and shapes.

Heat the oil to 375°. (Be sure you use oil with a smoke point that’s appropriate with deep frying, like canola, vegetable, peanut or coconut.) Deep fry teaspoonfuls until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve them hot with Marie Rose Sauce or your favorite condiment. Our friend tried them with ranch dressing and loved it!

Barbados Bits

Here are some interesting tidbits I found while researching Barbados.

You can watch Barbados Olympians compete in swimming and track and field events at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. 

Who are some well-known Americans of Barbadian descent? LL Cool J, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, and Eric Holder. 

Photo: justice.gov

Despite its British history, Barbados was originally settled and named by the Portuguese, who left to continue exploring Brazil 84 years before the British arrived. 

Barbados is the only country outside the U.S. that our first president, George Washington, ever visited. He traveled there with his brother, who was convalescing, in 1751. 

Spicy Barbadian Chicken

I have to say, I was really excited to prepare this next dish... Again, most of the ingredients are staples in my kitchen, but it’s doubtful I’d ever have thought to combine ginger, habaneros, allspice, lime and molasses in the same dish. And a chicken dish, at that!

My preparation is based upon a grilled Barbadian chicken skewers recipe I found. Dragging our grill out of the shed was just too much of a hassle this week, even though I love to grill in winter, so I converted it to a baked dish.

I’d planned to serve this with a sweet potato recipe by Cat Cora, but that’d be an awfully heavy meal. We opted for a tossed salad instead. Those potatoes sound amazing though, despite the mixed reviews, so I’ll definitely save them for another time.

The entire time I prepared and cooked this dish, we marveled at how yummy it smelled. So fresh, thanks to the lime. And wheee, thanks to the peppers. Waiting for the brown rice to finish cooking was agony!

Finally, it was time for that first bite! AND?!?! Meh.

There is way too much lime in this recipe, especially the zest - it actually came out kind of bitter! Next time, I'd use maybe 2-3 limes at most and maybe no zest. Certainly less zest, if I keep it in. Mount Gay rum is excellent. I wouldn't even consider buying Bacardi or Captain Morgan now. But, I was shocked it didn't help to sweeten up the dish. And perhaps most surprising? The dish was barely spicy. 

All in all, though, the flavors really work together. I'd absolutely try this recipe again, but it definitely needs tweaking... Here's how I made it. Maybe you folks can suggest how to improve it? Your suggestions and feedback are most welcome. Thanks, gang!

4 cloves garlic

1 medium onion, cut into chunks

2 habanero peppers, seeded

5-6 scallions, roughly chopped

1 Tbsp dried thyme (or use fresh if you have it)

1½ tsp ground allspice

1” piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

¾ cup Mount Gay rum

½ cup molasses

4 limes, both zest and juice

Salt and pepper to taste

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Using a food processor, blend the first 7 ingredients until smooth. Pour sauce into a large glass or plastic bowl, and whisk in the rum, molasses, and lime zest and juice. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and then submerge it in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate, ideally for up to 24 hours.

When you’re ready to cook your meal, preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the meat from the marinade, place it in an ovenproof dish, cover with foil, and bake for 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile, boil the marinade in a small saucepan and reduce slightly to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste, if needed.

Barbados: Did You Know?

I’ve been doing my homework, and I really wish I had some travel miles to cash in. With a snow and ice storm looming here, Barbados’ seemingly perfect climate and white sand beaches are beckoning. An average daily temp of 76°, 3,000 hours of sunshine annually, refreshing northeast trade winds… Sounds like paradise to me!

But, visiting the island doesn’t mean trading in modern conveniences. Barbados boasts island-wide telecommunications and infrastructure, so it’ll be easy to tease your friends on the wintry mainland with tropical emails and "wish you were here" photos. Definitely plan some shopping during your trip, too. The favorable exchange rate – roughly two Barbadian dollars for each American dollar – means bargains abound.

At just 166 square miles, the relatively tiny island is situated east of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Atlantic Ocean. Barbados, with its long-standing Christian history, is divided into 11 parishes all named for saints with the exception of the southern-most parish, Christ Church.

Photo: flagspot.net

Barbados was a British colony till its independence in 1966. The country’s official language is British English, which is used in all formal and written communication, but the Bajan dialect is frequently spoken in casual settings. (Better brush up on your reading, writing and arithmetic before you visit there, too. Barbados takes great pride in its free educational system and 97% literacy rate.) The Barbadian flag, designed by Grantley Prescod, features blue border panels representing the sky on the left and the sea on the right, and a center gold panel represents sand. The broken Neptune's trident in the middle symbolizes Barbados' break from its British colonial status.

America has some culturally significant ties to Barbadian history. South Carolina reportedly was first settled by Barbadians. Also, an American named Irving Burgie wrote the lyrics to the Barbados national anthem as a tribute to his mother's heritage.

African and West Indian influences are also evident in the island’s cultural heritage, traditions, arts and – especially pertinent to my endeavors – its cuisine. Not surprisingly, seafood is a dietary mainstay, especially flying fish, which is abundant in local supply. Pair flying fish with a traditional dish made with cornmeal and okra and you’ve made cou cou, the national dish of Barbados. (Certainly, cou cou is a recipe I should prepare as part of my Bajan cookery but, respecting my wife’s deep aversion to okra, I scratched it off my list.) And, of course, tropical fruits like breadfruit, papaya, pawpaw, mango and cassava feature prominently, as well.

Perhaps, though, Barbados is most famous among Westerners for being the purported birthplace of rum. Widely considered the world’s oldest distilled spirit, it was first made 370 years ago from the island’s copious sugar cane crop. According to legend, returning English sailors flaunted their Barbados rum as evidence they’d successfully crossed the Atlantic. Mount Gay Rum, the oldest existing brand, was first distilled in 1703.

So, prepare a traditional rum punch and toast this wonderful island nation. You’ll need to blend the right amounts of sour, sweet, strong and weak to brew the best rum punch. Here’s a good place to start: Add a dash of bitters to 1 part lime juice, 2 parts simple syrup, 3 parts Barbados rum, and 4 parts water or shaved ice.

Cheers!

Sources:

http://www.barbados.org

http://www.tripadvisor.com

http://www.visitbarbados.org

http://www.totallybarbados.com

http://www.worldflags101.com