Burundi

 Welcome to Burundi!  Burundi sits right below Rwanda in Africa, and is one of the poorest countries within Africa.  Their diet is mostly carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.  They don't eat much meat because it is too expensive: it accounts for 2% or less of the food intake in the country.  According to Google, Burundi's population is 12.89 million people, and the capital is Gitega.  Their national dish is...

 

 

Boko Boko Harees!

It is a bulger wheat dish, so I wasn't able to taste it.  I did make a salad called Kachumbari to go along with it, which I was able to taste!  So Handsome Husband and some Fabulous Friends ate the Boko Boko Harees and I had leftovers.  Unfortunately, I totally forgot about the salad so we had it the next day.  It was a pretty simple dish to make.  Here's what I did:

BOKO BOKO HAREES

3 1/3 C bulgur wheat 

1 whole chicken, broken down and de-boned

1 tsp salt 

Chicken giblets 

1 cinnamon stick

5 cardamom pods

1 small onion, sliced and separated into rings 

2 tbsp turmeric

1/4 C water 

3 tbsp sugar 

5 cups water 

6 tsp butter, divided 

1. Soak the bulgur wheat in water for 3 hours. Note: bulgur wheat absorbs a ton of water, so err on the side of too much.
2. Drain the wheat and place in a pot with the chicken and enough water to cover.
3. Add 1 tsp salt, cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. 
4. Let cook for about 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, cut up the chicken giblets into very small pieces.
6. In a small pot, mix the turmeric powder with water. 
7. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until you get a thick paste. Remove from heat and set aside.
8. Transfer the giblets to a small pot and simmer with about a half cup of water and 3 tbsp of the turmeric paste. 
9. Add a pinch of salt and the sugar, and simmer for 10 or 15 minutes, or until the giblets are cooked.
10. Fry the onions in the 3 tbs butter, until they are crispy.
11. Take the chicken out of the pot and shred it, then return it to the bulgur wheat. 
12. Add 3 tbsp of the butter and stir until well-incorporated. The wheat should be soft and the dish should be the consistency of a thick dough; if it's not, keep cooking until it reduces down, or add more water if necessary.
13. Serve with the turmeric sauce and fried onions.

(Source: Boko Boko Harees)

KACHUMBARI

1 Serrano pepper, seeded and chopped
1 onion, sliced
4 tomatoes, sliced thinly
Juice of one lemon

Salt to taste
Fresh cilantro, chopped, to taste

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

1 small cabbage, shredded

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2. Toss gently so that all the ingredients are nicely coated with the lemon juice.
3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

(Source: Kachumbari)

The verdict?  I'll let Handsome Husband tell you...The salad was actually really good.  We liked the crunch and the tangyness of the salad.  It was quite fresh and a great summer salad.  And we were so excited to start our evening events that we forgot to take pictures!

Handsome Husband here.  The Boko Boko Harees was a lot like grits or the Cream of Wheat cereal I sometimes had as a kid, but a little heartier and with much more flavor thanks to the spices. It definitely needed a lot of salt, but was surprisingly tasty and almost a comfort food -- as long as the turmeric past and the giblets were left out. I'm fine with either of those things in general, but they really didn't seem to go well with the wheat. The turmeric was very strong and overpowering, and the giblets have an odd taste to begin with and it was even more odd combined with the wheat.

ME

Taste of the Boko Boko Harees (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): NA

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

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

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of the Boko Boko Harees (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing):6

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

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

 

ME

Taste of the Kachumbari (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

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

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

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of the Kachumbari (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing):7

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

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

 

Another one down!  Join us in Tonga next!