Comoros-- yummy!

I didn't think I have ever heard about this place, until Tim, my cousin's fiance, reminded me last night about the plane crash that occurred not too long ago where there was that teenage survivor. Not that it helps me understand the country any more, but hey, there is my connection to Comoros. Comoros consists of four islands off the east coast of Africa and right above Madagascar. The country was inhabited by Africans, Swahilians, Arabs, and the French. It also was where merchants stopped by boat before the Suez Canal was built. It's influence by so many different cultures probably is why they are also well known throughout Africa for their excellent cuisine. In turn, Comoros food turned out to be my favorite meal I have so far cooked. You can see the South Asian influence and spices with the mix of the African/island style food that blends together so well.

1. Poulet au Coco
http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-poulet-au-coco



Ingredients:
1kg chicken meat, diced 30ml butter 2 medium onions, chopped 4 garlic cloves, chopped 2 tsp curry powder 300ml coconut milk 1 tsp fresh thyme 6 spring onions, chopped 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
Method:

Fry the chicken in the butter until golden brown on all sides then add the onion, garlic and curry powder. Stir-fry the mixture for 5 minutes then add the coconut milk, thyme, spring onions and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, stir well and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Serve on a bed of rice and squeeze lemon juice over the top.

This dish was actually really easy to make, and it was delicious. It did not taste like any African foods we have had, but instead it had a very Indian-island-like flavor. The flavor was like Indian curry, but without the heat and a lot of fresh veggies. It was excellent on a bed of white rice. The recipe was direct and simple. I am already craving for this dish.

2. Le Me Tsolola
http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-le-me-tsolola



Ingredients:
2 green bananas, peeled 300g fish, cut into pieces 300g meat or tripe (or a mix) cut into pieces. 2 onions, finely chopped 4 tomatoes, chopped 400ml coconut milk salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

Method:

Fry the fish, meat (and/or tripe) in a little oil until well browned. Add the bananas to a pot and add the fish and meat to them. Add the onions and tomatoes, pour-in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Season well then cover and allow to simmer for an hour (add a little water if it becomes too dry). Serve immediately on a bed of white rice.

The coconut milk, tomatoes and meat made this dish hearty. The mixture of fish and chicken makes it a surf and turf stew--sort of like Carribbean food. One thing you must do is cook down the tomatoes for the 1 hour. It really infuses that tomato flavor into the coconut sauce and it gave it this milky-thick and pink consistency. If you like a tomato alfredo sauce, you'll like this. Because I used Orange Roughy, a very tender fish, I had to fry the fish beforehand, but did not place it back into the stew until 30 minutes into cooking the dish. It kept the fish tender, but not too flakey where it would fall apart. Otherwise, just follow the instructions and you will have yourself a very easy to cook, but delightful meal.

Although I did have such a surprise with preparing this dish and eating it, I must admit my excitement was not there anymore. I believe it is because I consistently keep getting African cuisine and I really wanted to branch out into other areas of the world. If this continues, I'm not sure how long I can last blogging about this. I might need to take a break or something. So I let Greg pick my next country and guess what? We are going to the Netherlands! Finally! Thank you someone up there. I needed this break. Finally, a country I actually know.

See you all in the Netherlands!
Arabic is the common language of the Comoros Islands and as they would say:

أ.ن. وجبة شهية.