Food plays an important part in African Christmas festivities, with people cooking their favourites that are available at that season. These recipes can be enjoyed any time of the year.
Chicken by Choice
Chicken is popular, raised by urban and country dwellers alike.
Kumusha Chicken (Country Chicken Stew)
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:
- 2 x 1,5 kg (3 lb) chickens, jointed
- 25 ml (2 tablespoons) cooking oil
- 1 medium onion, sliced or chopped
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 250 g (1/2 lb) mushrooms, sliced or whole if they are small
- 500 ml (1 pint) stock or a cube of chicken stock dissolved in water
- 25 ml (2 tablespoons) tomato puree
- salt and pepper (optional)
Method:
- In a saucepan with a lid, heat the oil and fry the chicken for 6 to 8 minutes. It should turn a golden brown.
- Pour off any excess fat. This can be used for other frying.
- Add the onion and mushrooms and fry until they start to brown.
- Put in the remaining ingredients ingredients, ending with the stock.
- Stir well and bring to the boil and simmer with the lid on for 1 hour or until the chicken is tender.
- Check flavour and add seasoning if necessary. Sufficient flavour may have been provided by the stock cube.
- Serve with mixed vegetables and rice or creamed potatoes or sadza
Try Goat
Another meat of choice in Zimbabwe is goat, not raised in the city but brought in live from the rural areas, for sale to urban dwellers. This meat is also available slaughtered from some urban butchers.
Goat meat is also considered a delicacy in other parts of the world. Cabrito is Spanish for baby goat. The Italian equivalent is capretto. This is meat from very young, milk-fed goats between 4 and 8 weeks of age. The meat is tender, juicy, tasty and very lean. Chevon is a french word that is used to describe the meat and prepared dishes that come from very high quality young finished goat meat. Chevon is considered to be goat from 48 to 60 pounds; about 6 to 9 months of age.
Goat Stew
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of boneless goat meat, cubed
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1/2 green pepper, deseeded and cut into small cubes
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon paprika
- juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 500 ml (1 pint) boiling water
Method:
- Wash the goat meat in cold water, drain, put in a shallow glass dish and sprinkle the lemon juice over it.
- If possible let it marinate for one or two hours or overnight in the refrigerator. This will help in getting rid of any undesirable smell that the goat meat may have.
- Put the meat into a saucepan, turn the heat on until it starts to cook. Watch carefully, when the liquid has evaporated, add the oil and fry the meat until it is golden brown.
- Add the onion, fry for one ot two minutes, until transparent. Put in the tomato, green pepper and the seasonings, cook for 5 minutes; stirring occassionally.
- Pour in the boiling water and cook for about 60 minutes or until meat is tender. Add more more liquid if necessary. A thick sauce should form.
- Serve with potatoes, rice or sadza.
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