Food!

     I will probably post frequently about food.  My blog is named after food, after all.  I should probably explain the title now.

          I love spicy food and thanks to the Piri-Piri pepper there was no trouble finding food I liked in Mozambique.  Piri-Piri is native to southern Africa and is made into a sauce to accompany almost any meal in Mozambique.  What is great about Piri-Piri (now referring to the sauce made from the peppers) is that it is a little different everywhere you go.  Sometimes it's chunky, sometimes it's citrus-y, sometimes it's thin, you just never know what you're going to get.  I love them all.

          It is “tempo de fome” right now in northern Mozambique.  We just came out of the dry season and are entering the rainy season so everything has been planted but nothing is ready to be harvested yet and the stores from the previous harvest are running low.  Prices of the basics – tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, cabbage – are skyrocketing. Crops will start being ready for the harvest come March or April, variety will increase, and prices will drop.  I’m really looking forward to it because spaghetti is definitely a comfort food but the tomatoes are way too expensive right now to make it with any frequency.

            What have I been eating, though?  Good question.  If you know me it’s probably no surprise that I don’t remember half the time what I ate for breakfast.  Don’t worry, I do remember to eat most of the time, I think.  Things are definitely easier with a roommate in that respect.

            I’ve performed experiments with powdered milk, custard powder, and margarine that doesn’t need to be refrigerated.  I think I can legitimately call anything with Rama (the margarine) an experiment.  That stuff is weird.  I splurged on eggplants one time (one turned out to be rotten, not a good experience).  Mostly I cook with tomatoes, potatoes, onions, green peppers, eggs, pasta, rice, and powdered milk.

Here are some of the goodies I’ve been making:

This is the first food I helped make in Mozambique.  My first full day with my host happened to be my birthday and so they let me bake a cake instead of kill a chicken.  I have repeated this recipe in Montepuez and I dare say my version was better.  Baking is the only thing I can claim in the kitchen over my host mae.  Anyways, it’s a basic yellow cake with lime zest in it.  I glazed mine with some lime juice and sugar.  And I didn’t burn it.

“Alfredo” experiment with powdered milk and Rama.  Pretty good.

Ginger fried rice

Tomato basil pasta with basil from my yard!

First attempt at spaghetti

Spicy tuna pasta salad

Don’t I make a pretty omelet?

Garlic spinach and rice.  Still steaming :)

Mireya’s curry matapa!  A spicy spin on a classic Mozambican dish made traditionally with cassava leaves (but pretty much anything green, chopped, and boiled beyond recognition will do), coconut milk, and peanut flour.

Homemade nan bread and hummus with cucumber salad.  Great meal for a hot day… Aka any day.

Burritos that Will and I made with homemade tortillas, refried beans, and guacamole!

Now this was a masterpiece for sure.  Unfortunately not one that we’ll be able to make often as cheese is an expensive treat and this took three precious processed “white” need-not-refrigerate slices