South Sudan

 Welcome to South Sudan!  In looking up facts about South Sudan, it does not sound like a great place to visit or live.  It's a very poor country, and the economy is one of the weakest in the world.  It is the youngest country in the world, when it gained its independence from Sudan in 2011.  The two main religions of South Sudan are Islam and Christianity, and the national language is English.  According to Google, South Sudan has a population of 10.91 million people and the capital is Juba.  Their national dish is...

 

Kisra!

Just like Sudan, their national dish is Kisra, which is kinda like a tortilla.  We served it with Kofta and spicy tomato sauce.  Kofta is a long meatball.  It was quite a simple meal, and one that came together fairly quickly.  Here's what I did:

KISRA

2 C sorghum flour
1 1/2 C water, plus 1 cup or as needed
1 C gluten free flour
Sesame oil

1. Mix the sorghum flour with 1 1/2 cups water and let sit overnight.
2. Stir in the gluten free flour and last cup of water, to form a thin batter (I had to use quite a bit of water to make the batter thin). 
3. Ladle some batter into a greased pan over medium heat.
4. Immediately take a scraper and spread the batter around smoothly. 
5. When the edges begin to curl up, the kisra is done. This should only take a minute or so.
6. Serve warm with a saucy dish.

(Source: Kisra)

 

KOFTA WITH SPICY TOMATO SAUCE

Sauce:
1 tbsp avocado oil
1 onion, diced (minus the 2 tbsp from the kofta)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup tomato sauce
Salt to taste
1 Serrano pepper, finely diced

Kofta
1 lb ground beef
2 tbsp onion, finely diced
1/2 cup of cooked rice
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp oil, for frying

1. For the sauce: Heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium high heat then add the chopped onion. 
2. Cook 3-4 minutes or until softened. 
3. Stir in the spices, tomato paste and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add the chopped tomato and tomato sauce. 
5. Season with salt and simmer 20 minutes, adding water if needed.
6. For the kofta: In a medium bowl, add the ground beef to the onion, rice, spices and salt. 
7. Mix well and portion into tablespoon-sized balls then roll into short little logs.
8. Fry in a large skillet with the 3 tbsp of oil set over medium high heat. 
9. Brown kofta on at least 2 sides. 
10. Once browned, transfer them to the simmering sauce, add the chopped Serrano and cook gently for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
11. Serve hot with Kisra and enjoy!

(Source: Kofta with Spicy Tomato Sauce)

The verdict?  We really enjoyed it.  The kisra was very tricky to make...I didn't enjoy that process.  The batter was either too thick or it stuck to the pan.  So it was not easy.  But, when they did come out, they were very tasty, especially with the Kofta and sauce.  This may be our new favorite way to make meatballs and sauce - they were very good.  They were full of flavor, had a kick to them, and just tasted delicious. We thought it would be good with zucchini. We ate the whole meal with rice as well, even though that wasn't traditional.

 

ME

Taste of Kisra (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): 5

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

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

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

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

 

ME

Taste of Kofta with Spicy Tomato Sauce (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

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

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 8

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Kofta with Spicy Tomato Sauce (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable):3

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor):7

 

Another country in the books!  Join us next time in the Philippines!