Review of Gradmas traditional foods cookery

by Janet Hunja
(Kirinyaga)

African Granny Cooking

I remember my grandma with a strong Nostalgia. I can never forget the various types of traditional foods we used to get from her when we visited.

Those of us who knew what grandma were all about will agree with me on this one. Sweet potatoes, roast maize and beans, arrow roots, cassava and an assortment of greens!They were professionals in the way they prepared this food! they knew certain ways to make it taste really good.

Some of the recipes am providing are as old as 50 years and yes my grandma is still alive and well.

Terere Quiche
Ingredients

2 cups home baking flour
2 tbsp traditional salt
1/2 cup margarine or cheese
water to bind

Filling
1 bunch terere
1 cup onions chopped
1 cup cheddar cheddar cheese, grated (new addition)
11/2 cup milk
2 tbsp flour
3 eggs beaten

Preparation

-Put the flour and salt in a bowl and add in the margarine, mix until it resembles breadcrumbs and then add enough water to make dough.
-Role out the dough to line an 8 inch flan dish and crimp the edges of the dough to make a pattern, set aside.
-Coarsely chop the terere and blanch in boiling water
-Remove and drain into a bowl
-Add onions, cheese and flour then lay them on the pastry.
-Mix the milk and eggs together
-Pour over the terere in the flan dish
-Bake at 180c for an hour
-Try other ingredients for filling such as minced mutton or use white wine instead of the milk when working with fish or sea food.

Baobab flavoured porridge
Ingredients
50 gm cassava flour
50 gm maize flour
100 gm millet flour
50 g sorghum flour
20 gm baobab (mabuyu) flour
Sugar to taste (optional)

Preparation
-Mix all the 5 flours together in a container
-Boil 2 litres of water in a cooking pot and bring to boil
-Separately add 5 cups of cold water to the flour and stir to make a thin paste
-Add the flour paste in boiling water while stirring continuously until the porridge boils.
- Cook for 25 minutes.
-Remove from fire and serve warm.

Mursik

Ingredients
1 litre of fresh milk from Cow

Preparation
-Boil the fresh milk
-Leave it to cool in a clean place
-Keep in gourd for about 4 days
-Serve with Ugali