Welcome to Guinea-Bissau! We actually did this country a few weeks ago...things get busy, you know? Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa. It was colonized by the Portuguese, and the official language is Portuguese, but only about 14% of the population speak Portuguese! The majority of the population speaks a Portuguese-based Creole language. They are also the sixth largest producers of cashews! According to Google, the population is 2.15 million people and the capital is Bissau. Their national dish is...
Jollof Rice!
We've had this before in another African country, and it really is good. To go with the rice, we made Poulet Yassa, which is a chicken dish. There were a lot of hot peppers in this dish, so I was a little nervous about eating it. It was a fairly easy meal to make, which was nice for a weeknight. Here's what I did:
4 large tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 habañero pepper, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp curry powder
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil for cooking
- Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear and set aside.
- Blend the tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and habañero into a smooth paste.
- Heat some oil in a pot and add the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.
- Add the blended tomato mixture to the pot along with thyme, curry powder, and salt.
- Let this simmer on medium heat until it reduces and thickens.
- Add the rinsed rice to the pot and stir well so that each grain is coated in sauce.
- Cover with broth or water—just enough to cover the rice—and let it cook on low heat until tender.
- Enjoy!
1/4 C plus 1 tbsp avocado oil
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp red chili powder
1 habañero pepper, minced
2 tsp salt or to taste
1 C chicken broth
- In a large bowl, add the chicken pieces, onion slices, bay leaf and habañero.
- Mix together the quarter cup of oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, pepper, and salt, then pour this marinade over the chicken and onions.
- Coat well, cover and refrigerate for a few hours, preferably overnight.
- When ready to cook, remove the bowl from the fridge half an hour before you begin.
- Separate the chicken pieces out of the rest of the marinade.
- Heat the 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and then add the chicken pieces, brown them on both sides for just a few minutes per side.
- Remove on to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the onion slices (leaving the liquids in the bowl to be used later) and fry until they are caramelized.
- Add the browned chicken pieces back in along with the reserved marinade liquid and the chicken stock or water.
- Turn the heat down and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the liquid is almost all gone and the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Serve and enjoy!
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