Burundi- Simple Cuisine

The oddest thing about picking Burundi is the fact that it is right next to the Republic of Congo. What are the chances? Well, the changes of picking an African country is quite high as there are 47 independent countries in Africa relative to the 190 countries in the world. I have a feeling I'll be in Africa a lot. It's interesting to see how the cuisine changes throughout Africa. Although Burundi sits right next to the Congo, there are major differences that set them apart. First, Burundi was occupied by the Germans and Belgium, not the French. They are also a landlocked country, so vegetation will be different. Plus, they are a really poor country. These all contribute to the types of ingredients and recipes I will be finding there. One thing that I did find interesting was the influence of spices from the middle east and South Asia in their dishes. My research for this country was limited as most of their dishes related to plantains, bananas, or kidney beans. There were not too much variation in their recipes.

Boko Boko Harees (Chicken with Bulgur Wheat) Recipe
http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-boko-boko-harees



Ingredients:

600g whole or bulgur wheat
3 chicken breasts
3 sets chicken giblets
1 large onion, grated
1 small onion, sliced and shredded
3 tbsp turmeric paste
5 tbsp sugar
1.2l water
6 tsp ghee
2 tsp salt

Preparation:

Place the wheat in water and allow to soak for 3 hours. Drain the wheat at the end of this time, then place in a large pot along with the chicken and grated onion. Add enough water to cover this mixture by 3cm. Add half the salt, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

Meanwhile make a sweet turmeric sauce by cutting the chicken giblets into very small pieces and simmering with the turmeric paste and 120ml water. Add a pinch of salt and 3 tbsp sugar to the mix. Cook gently for 10 minutes then allow to cool

Once the wheat is thoroughly cooked and softened (about 30 minutes) remove the chicken breasts and shred finely. Add the chicken back to the wheat and stir to combine. Add 3 tsp ghee and continue stirring until it is well mixed-in. The wheat paste should be of the consistency of a thick dough. If it's too runny cook further to thicken the sauce.

Now fry the remaining onion in the left-over ghee. Cook until they turn crispy.

To serve, allow the chicken and wheat mix (Boko Boko) to cool until just warm and serve in a bowl accompanied by the fried onion and turmeric sauce in separate bowls.

Finding tumeric paste was difficult. I even went to an Indian supermarket and they did not have it. So, I just made my own tumeric paste with tumeric powder, water and oil. Even with this mixture, the tumeric sauce was very sweet and bitter. It has this metallic like flavor, which honestly was not appealing. The bulgur and chicken dish was almost like a Congee dish. It reminded me of the day after Thanksgiving where my mom uses the bones of the turkey to make Congee for us. It was a very simple, but filling dish. I enjoyed it. I think I'm just used to eating congee-like meals with salty preserved vegetables and meat dishes. Not just by itself. So this dish almost seems like there was something missing. The tumeric sauce also had giblets, which are the kidneys, heart and liver of the chicken. This is the first time when I've used the whole part of the animal in my cooking. I appreciate this simple meal and can find myself making this dish when I'm sick and want something bland to eat, or when it is a cold day when I crave a hearty rice dish. I would probably add ginger and green onions to kick up the flavors a bit.

Beans and Bananas Recipe
http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-beans-bananas



Ingredients:

500 ml dried red kidney beans
4 green bananas or plantains
2 tbsp palm oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp salt
Hot chilli pepper to taste

Preparation:

Soak the beans for at least 3 hours in plenty of water, Drain, place in a pan, cover with plenty of water and boil for 40 minutes, or until tender. Drain.

Peel and chop the bananas then add the oil to a pan and brown the onions. Add the beans and bananas to the oil, season with salt and pepper then stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add 1l water and simmer until the beans are completely cooked and the liquid has reduced to about 250ml. Serve hot as an accompaniment.

I used plantains that I found fresh from my Spanish supermarket. The recipe is straight forward and easy. I did get the kidney beans from a can, so I did not have to soak it or cook it because it is already done. Very easy! I'm a fan of this dish. Greg was not. The salty flavor of the kidney beans and the sweetness of the plantains complemented each other well. The colors of this dish was amazing. It's interesting to see that they would eat this as a main dish while I would probably eat this as a side dish to huge meat dish. The contrast just makes you think. For them its survival, for us its something we take for granted. Burundi cuisine was probably the least appetizing that I have cooked. It is definitely food for survival more than food for enjoyment.

This time we did not have guests over. Instead I got to pick the next country:



Gambia! Another African country. Why did I not pick a country in Europe or Asia or South America? I must say I'm tired of cooking African cuisine. I want something different. Well I guess Gambia might surprise me. Regionally, it is different from the other African countries.

In Burundi, they either speak Kurundi or French, but I was unable to find a translation in Kurundi, so I will do it in French again:

Bon Appetit!