Injera (Ethiopian Flat Bread)

In addition to being a bread, Injera is also used as an eating
utensil.
In Ethiopia and Eritrea, this spongy, sour flatbread is
used to scoop up meat and vegetable stews.
Injera also lines the
tray on which the stews are served, soaking up their juices as the
meal progresses.
When this edible tablecloth is eaten, the meal is
officially over.

1/4 cup teff flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup water
Pinch of salt
Peanut or vegetable oil

Put the teff flour into a mixing bowl, and sift in the
all-purpose flour.
Slowly add the water, stirring to avoid lumps.
Stir in the salt.

Heat a nonstick pan or lightly oiled cast iron skillet until a
water drop dances on the surface.
Make sure the surface of the pan
is smooth: Otherwise, your injera might fall apart when you try to
remove it.
Coat the pan with a thin layer of batter.
Injera should
be thicker than a crêpe, but not as thick as a
traditional pancake.
It will rise slightly when it heats.
Cook
until holes appear on the surface of the bread.
Once the surface is
dry, remove the bread from the pan and let it cool.

African Vegetable Stew (Vegetable Biryani)

1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup minced parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
5 cups water
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup dried lentils
1 cup uncooked regular rice
1 (16 ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 (10 ounce) package frozen green peas
3 sprigs fresh mint, snipped
Plain yogurt

Cook and stir onion, parsley, garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, pepper
and ginger in butter in Dutch oven until onion is tender.

Stir in water, carrots and lentils.
Heat to boiling; reduce
heat.
Cover and cook 25 minutes.

Add rice, tomatoes and salt.
Heat to boiling; reduce heat.
Cover
and cook 20 minutes.

Stir in peas, green beans and mint.
Heat to boiling; reduce
heat.
Cover and cook until peas and beans are tender, about 5
minutes.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt.

Yields 6 to 8 servings.

Avocado Broth

2 (10 1/2 ounce) cans condensed beef broth
2 broth cans water
3 to 4 drops red pepper sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 large ripe avocado, thinly sliced

Heat beef broth, water, red pepper sauce and lemon juice just to
boiling.
Add avocado.

Makes 10 (1/2 cup) servings.

Banana-Coconut Cake (Akwadu — Ghana)

5 medium bananas
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2/3 cup shredded coconut

Cut bananas crosswise into halves; cut each half lengthwise into
halves and arrange in greased 9-inch pie plate.
Dot with butter;
drizzle with orange and lemon juices.
Sprinkle with brown sugar and
coconut.
Bake at 375 degrees F until coconut is golden
— 8 to 10 minutes.

Yields 5 or 6 servings.

Piripiri (Mozambique)

This is used in Mozambique’s fish and chicken dishes, and it can
be used as marinade, basting sauce or a sauce for the table.

4 hot red peppers, crushed, or
2 heaping teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Juice of two lemons
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
8 sprigs of parsley, chopped
1 cup butter, melted

Mix all ingredients together.

African Chicken and Rice Casserole (Jollof Rice - Ghana)

1 (2 1/2 to 3 pound) broiler-fryer chicken, cut up
2 (16 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes (with liquid)
2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup uncooked regular rice
1/4 pound fully cooked smoked ham, cubed (3/4 cup)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 cups coarsely shredded green cabbage;
8 ounces green beans*
2 onions, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat chicken, tomatoes, water, 2 teaspoons salt and pepper to
boiling in 5-quart Dutch oven; reduce heat.
Cover and simmer 30
minutes.

Remove chicken.
Stir in rice, ham, cinnamon and red pepper.
Add
chicken, cabbage, green beans and onions.
Sprinkle with 1/2
teaspoon salt.
Heat to boiling; reduce heat.
Cover and simmer until
thickest pieces of chicken are done — 20 to 30
minutes longer.

Yields 8 servings.

* 1 (10 ounce) package frozen French-style green beans, thawed,
can be substituted.