100g - 200g Small Dried Sardines(Kapenta)

1 x large white onion

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

200g fresh/dried pumpkin leaves

1 x Chicken Stock cube

1/2 Cup water

1 x tsp Soya Sauce

2 x tsp peanut butter

Small cabbage

2 x cloves garlic

50g Iwisa Super Maize Meal aka(Pap, Nshima)

Marldon Sea Salt

Cracked Black Pepper

2 x Red bird eye chillis

1 x green mild chilli

Sunflower Oil

Worcestershire Sauce

Brown Sugar

2 shots absolute Vodka

1 tsp Veg Oil

5 x cloves of garlic

1 x tsp Parsley

20g Butter

 

Method & Prep time 45 mins - 1hour

1. You need to make the Super Maize Meal in to a porridge by adding cold water to form a paste. Then boil on low for at least 30 - 45 min. The longer it boils the better.

 2. Then slowly add more of the Maize Meals and mix until have no lumps and a smooth consistency. When you see its getting almost to the texture you want it, stop adding Maize Meal and turn the heat low and cover with a lid. Let it steam for about 20 mins.

 3. After 20 minutes, give it a quick mix and it should be cool but hot in centre (This is when Pap(Nshima) is served hot . The left over Nshima (Pap) is what we use to make the Nshima cakes once it has cooled down completely, for this dish cut the Nshima into 2 rectangles about 2cm thick pan fried in a little oil and seasoned, just before plating up!

 4. Place 5 gloves of garlic in a glass ramekin with a pinch of salt and 20g of Butter bake for 30 mins at gas mark 6. Add parsley and leave in warm oven ready for plating.

 

 5. Chop a large onion and place in a pot with sunflower oil. Fry until light and golden. Next add a dash of soya sauce, a tin of tomatoes,a splash of golden syrup and few shakes of Worchershire sauce. Season with black pepper, salt and vegetable bouillon, then add 1/2 cup water and Kapenta, simmer for 40 min on a low heat stirring occasionally (I like to use a homemade chicken stock instead of water for a deeper richness and flavour).

6. Roll the leaves and cut lengthways to from long strands. Put tsp of sunflower oil in a pan and fry the leaves adding a little water. Cook for 20 - 30 minutes. Add 2 tsp of peanut butter and stir just before serving.

7. Finely chop the chilli’s (removing seeds if too hot). Place in a small ramekin, lightly season, add 2 shots of Vodka, sprinkle with brown sugar put aside ready to serve.

8. Finely chop the white cabbage. Place in a large pan and cook with 2 tsp of sunflower oil. Seal with lid and stir occasionally, until the water has evaporated. When the cabbage begins to fry in the pot a little,put aside with lid on ready to plate up.

9. Plating up- Pan fry Nshima cakes until golden brown, place on kitchen roll to remove excess oil place on the (warm) plate slightly to the left. Next take tablespoon of the Kepenta and tomato and onion sauce and place it on top of each the rectangular shapes and align neatly. Twist Pumpkin leaves on a fork (as you do with pasta) place on the top right plate and try to form a perfect circle with the pumpkin leaves. Do the same with the cabbage and place just below the pumpkin leaves hopefully creating same size and shape. Take garlic gloves out of oven and place gloves just below the cabbage and drizzle parsley butter sauce over the garlic but also lightly over the whole dish. Finally take a teaspoon of the chilli and vodka and carefully place in between each of the Nshima cakes, Season with black pepper and serve.

Minced beef used in this picture not Kapenta ( (Lake Tanganyika sardine Limnothrissa miodon and Lake Tanganyika sprat Stolothrissa tanganicae sardines Wikipedia ) for illustration purposes only.

© Malcolm Riley