Superkanja

http://www.congocookbook.com/

Superkanja may be Gambia's super soup, but the name is probably a combination of Portuguese and West African words. Sopa, the Portuguese word for soup; like palaver a word left over from the early days of Portuguese exploration of the African coast. Kanja, evidently a West African word for okra. (?) Superkanja is also called supa kanja, supakanja and kanjadaa.

Ingredients:

• one cup palm oil or peanut oil (or any oil)
• one pound stew meat (beef or similar), cut into cubes
• one onion, peeled and chopped
• one sweet red pepper, chopped (optional)
• one hot chile pepper (left out, or left whole and removed at serving for a mild dish, or chopped for a spicy hot dish)
• five to ten cups water
• one smoked or dried fish, cleaned, rinsed in water, and bones removed, broken into bite-sized pieces
• one fresh fish, cut into bite-sized pieces (optional)
• one to two pounds of greens (spinach, collards, kale, turnip greens, okra leaves, sweet potato leaves), stems removed, cleaned, washed, and shredded
• twenty to thirty okra, ends removed and cut into pieces
• one or two Maggi® cubes or Maggi® sauce; or chicken or beef bouillon cubes
• salt, red pepper (to taste)

Directions:

• Heat about a quarter of the oil in a large pot. Fry the meat until browned. Add the onion and pepper and fry for another minute or two.
• Add all remaining ingredients, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for one to two hours, until all is tender.
• When soup has reduced to your liking, stir in additional palm oil (if desired) and simmer for another ten to twenty minutes.
• Serve with plain boiled Rice.

Banana And Coconut Beef Stew

http://www.africhef.com/

Ingredients:

·2 lb lean beef
·5 firm, green bananas (ensure that they are not ripe)
·2 large onions
·1 large tomato
·2 cups coconut milk
·1 cup water
·2 tbsp vegetable oil
·½ lb peas
·6 oz snow peas, mange tout, washed
·salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Peel and dice the onions finely
Dice the tomato into coarse pieces
Peel the bananas and cut into 1 to 1 ½ inch pieces
Dice the beef into approximately ½ inch pieces

Place the meat in a saucepan, cover with water, add salt, bring to the boil and then simmer until tender.

Heat the oil in a saucepan and sauté the onions without browning. Add the tomato as well as the meat mixture. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Continue cooking until the tomatoes soften.

Add the coconut milk, stirring continuously and bring the mixture to the boil. Add the banana pieces and the peas to the stew. Reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the bananas are cooked, soft but not mushy.

The Banana and Coconut Beef Stew should be served hot, over rice or accompanied by one of the stiff maize porridges (Ugali).