Burkina Faso

 Welcome to Burkina Faso!  According to Google, Burkina Faso has a population of 20.32 million people and the capital is Ouagadougou.  Interesting fact: the name Burkina Faso means "Land of Incorruptible People".  It's national dish is...

 

 

Riz au Gras!

Translated, this dish means "Fat rice with beef and carrots".  And that is pretty much exactly what it is!  It's a simple dish, but has a punch!  We also made Chips d'Igname, which is yam chips.  And I even remembered to take pictures!  Here's what I did:

RIZ AU GRAS

3 tbsp Avocado Oil

1 Onion, chopped

4 Garlic Cloves, chopped

1 lb Stew Beef, cubed

1 C Rice

2 C Beef Broth

2 Carrots, cut into sticks

3/4 C Tomato Puree

1 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Chili Powder

1 Habenero, diced

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1.  Heat oil in pan.  Once hot, add onion, garlic, and Habenero.  Saute until translucent.
2. Add stew meat, and brown.
3. Add rice, carrots, tomato puree, and beef broth. Stir until mixed.
4. Add oregano, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. 
5. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until rice is cooked through.
1. Side note: if the rice starts sticking to the bottom of the pan, the recipes said that this was a good, yummy thing.  Mine did not stick to the bottom, but that made for easier clean up!
6. Once rice is cooked through, spoon up and enjoy!

(Sources: Riz au Gras and Riz au Gras)

CHIPS D'IGNAME

1 Yam

Oil, for frying

Salt, to taste

1. Peel the yam, and cut it in half.
2. Boil some water, and cook the yam for about three minutes.  Drain water and set aside.
3. When the yam is cool enough to touch, grate the yam.
4. Heat the oil to about 350 degrees.  
5. Bunch the yam shavings into balls/mounds and drop into the oil.
6. Let the yams cook for about two minutes, and use a slotted spoon and let drain on paper towel.
7. Salt and eat immediately!

(Source: Chips d'Igname)

 

 

 

The verdict?  It was a simple meal, but had a lot of punch!  It was a bit more than your typical "rice and meat" meal, which was fun, but nothing to write home about. We ended up picking out the meat and carrots for leftovers - ha!  The yam chips didn't turn out the way they were "advertised".  They did not get crispy, and they did not stay in their ball form.  Instead, it separated, and we ended up having yam fries, which were pretty good!  They were really good on the rice - it helped to mellow the spiciness.

ME

Taste of Riz au Gras (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 4

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 5

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Riz au Gras (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 5

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 6

 

ME

Taste of Chips d'Igname (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 4

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Chips d'Igname (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 5

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 5

 

Another down!  Thanks for joining us!  Next time, we will be eating the cuisine from Panama!