They say the best way to understand a culture is through the cuisine, and we believe this to be wholeheartedly true.

The importance and independence of cooking is why Hope for Hearts has created a culinary training program for our girls at St. Elizabeth’s Academy. The girls are trained in practical cooking experience to help provide a valuable skill to their local communities upon graduation. Many alumni have fulfilled their dreams of opening their own food stands.

Ugandan food varies from the simplistic to the exciting. The basics being a type of maize porridge called ugali served with a peanut stew and topped with chicken, goat or tiger fish.

Their national dish is one of the oldest in the world and one of the most versatile. The matooke, a green banana found in East Africa, is considered a staple of most diets. Unlike traditional bananas, the flavor is savory like a plantain, making them perfect as a focal point for many meals. They are usually served boiled and mashed alongside stews.

Some Ugandan street food favorites are barbequed meat on a stick (Muchomo), African donuts (Mandazi), and samosas. The influence of Indian cuisine is prominent in Uganda due to the large immigrant population in the country.

The most popular street food dish is a rolled egg called a rolex. It begins with 2-3 eggs that are cooked like an omelet and is then stuffed with cabbage, tomato and onion. It is then combined with a chapati before serving.

The recipe we have chosen is a spicy banana curry that gives you a taste of Uganda with a fuller, more exciting flavor. The original recipe says to serve it over basmati rice, but if you want a more authentic meal, you can pair it with ugali instead.

Spicy Banana Curry

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup sunflower seed oil
  • 2 onions, diced
  • ½ cup curry powder
  • 1 ½ tablespoons ground cumin
  • 4 teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 4 teaspoons curry paste
  • 8 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 1 (10 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 2/3 cup plain yogurt
  • 2 bananas, diced
  • 3 tomatoes, chopped
  • ¼ cup flaked coconut

Directions

  1. Heat the sunflower oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Stir in onions, and cool until they are translucent and soft (about 5 minutes).
  3. Sprinkle in curry powder, cumin, turmeric, salt, sugar, ginger, chili powder, cinnamon and black pepper.
  4. Cook and stir until fragrant (about 1 minute).
  5. Stir in the curry paste and pressed garlic.
  6. Cook for about 1 minute.
  7. Pour in the tomato sauce and yogurt, bring to a simmer.
  8. Stir in the diced banana, and simmer gently for 3 minutes.
  9. Mix in chopped tomatoes and continue to simmer for another minute.
  10. Stir in the coconut flakes just before serving.

We hope you enjoy your taste of Ugandan culture. We believe our training programs set our children up for success, and helps break the cycle of poverty. If you would like to sponsor a child please visit our donation page.

Peace and Love,
Cristen Lyn

Valentine’s Day Recipe: Chocolate Glazed Cassava Balls

Valentine’s Day is almost here. If you’re looking for something sweet to share with your loved ones, try this Ugandan sweet treat from akitcheninuganda.com! Not only are Chocolate Glazed Cassava Balls tasty, full of flavor and texture, but they’re served in bite-size pieces making them perfect to share and not over-indulge on!

Valentine’s Day Recipe: Chocolate Glazed Cassava Balls

Chocolate Glazed Cassava Balls

Ingredients:

  • ½ Kg. Grated cassava
  • 5 Tbsp. Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. Baking Flour
  • ¼ C. Milk
  • A Drop of Vanilla Extract
  • Pure Chocolate Bar
  • Biscuits
  • Groundnuts

Directions:

  1. Squeeze excess water out of the grated cassava and then put it in a bowl.
  2. Add sugar, milk and vanilla and stir.
  3. Add the flour and keep stirring.
  4. Using your hands, form bite-size balls. Bake for twenty minutes or until slightly golden brown.
  5. Remove from oven and let them cool.
  6. In a separate small bowl, melt chocolate bar.
  7. Once fully melted, dip the rounded side of the cassava ball halfway in the melted chocolate.
  8. Repeat the method till all the cassava balls are coated with melted chocolate.
  9. Crush the biscuits and groundnuts and sprinkle them on top of the balls and insert toothpicks.
  10. Chill for 30 minutes.

With Love,
Cristen

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and thanks to akitcheninuganda.com we’ve found a fun, recipe that makes the perfect treat to celebrate. The recipe makes 25+ pies, so feel free to share this sweet taste from Uganda with friends, coworkers, and family!

Red Plum Jam Mini Pies

Ingredients:

  • Zesta Red Plum Jam
  • 2 cups Baking flour
  • 1/2 cup Margarine (blue band)/ Butter
  • 1/2 cup Cold water
  • 1 tbsp. Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt

Directions:

  1. Sift flour in a bowl. Add salt and sugar. Mix well.
  2. Add margarine and using your hands mix it in the flour until the mixture becomes coarse.
  3. Next add the water, a tablespoon at a time, while mixing. Keep adding little water until a firm dough is formed. It should not be very wet and should not stick to your hands so much (you may need more or less water).
  4. After you have formed a firm dough, put it back in the bowl and keep it refrigerated for 15 minutes.
  5. After 15 minutes, remove from the refrigerator and, on a floured surface, cut the dough into two equal parts.
  6. Using a floured rolling pin or a glass bottle, roll the dough out till it is thin enough. Using a circular cookie cutter or glass, cut out as many circles as possible. The size of the cutter determines the size of the pies. If you want them large, use a larger cutter and vice versa. Using a rolling-pin, roll out the scraps and continue cutting out circles until the dough is over.
  7. Spoon ½teaspoon of the Zesta red plum jam into the center of half of the pie circles. Make sure to leave enough of a border around the filling to seal them shut. Do not overfill!
  8. Brush around the edges of the dough with a finger dipped in a whisked egg. This will be the “glue”.
  9. Place a second dough circle on top each filled circle then use a fork to press the edges together.
  10. Cut a hole on the top of each pie with a sharp knife and place on prepared sheet pan.
  11. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  12. Bake the pies for 15 minutes, or until they’re golden brown.

With Love,
Cristen

Brrr… with much of the country still in the thick of winter with freezing temperatures and heavy snow, the desert is not immune to colder than normal temperatures. As January is National Soup Month, it’s time to warm up with a tasty stew recipe that will help you eat like a Ugandan. Here’s one we’re excited to try thanks to our friends at food.com!

Ugandan Groundnut Stew

Ingredients:

  • 450 g stewing beef
  • 6 Tbs smooth peanut butter
  • 2 medium onions (chopped)
  • 450 g ripe tomatoes (chopped) or 400 g tomatoes (chopped)
  • 3 fresh chili peppers
  • 450 g carrots (or a mixture of carrots, turnips and courgettes)
  • 1 pinch mixed herbs
  • 2.5 cm piece fresh ginger, grated, or 1 tsp dry ginger powder
  • salt and black pepper

Directions:

  1. Remove seed from chillies and chop them finely.
  2. Mix chillies with peanut butter, ginger, herbs, vegetables and tomatoes.
  3. Place meat in a saucepan with a tight fitting lid and add the vegetable mixture and some seasoning.
  4. Put on the lid and cook very gently for about 1.5 hours or until the meat is tender. Don’t worry about the lack of liquid because the meat and vegetables will make enough.

Kufurahia! (Swahili for Enjoy!),
Cristen

Let’s talk Ugandan tea. I love to try something new, and today I am sharing with you a tea recipe – Uganda style. To be made in the proper African way, tea needs to be “cooked”. But in Uganda, tea is cooked and spiced. This means you will see many recipes start with boiling milk first to make the tea richer and creamier. Grab a good book, sit under the night stars, and sip some Ugandan style tea. Here is a recipe to try.

African Tea - Uganda Style - Ginger Tea

Ugandan Ginger Tea Recipe

Vegetarian, Gluten free
8 mins to make, serves 1

Ingredients

  • 1 1-inch piece Ginger, fresh
  • 1 1/2 tsp Loose black tea, leaves
  • 2 tbsp Sugar
  • 2 cups Milk

Directions

  1. Combine the milk, tea and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
  2. Wash a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger. Pound until flat – juice should begin to ooze.
  3. Add the ginger to the milk-tea mixture when it begins to boil.
  4. Reduce the heat, letting it all simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Peace, love & kunywa (drink)!
Cristen