Recipe: Zimbabwe recipes - Corn Meal with Pumpkin, Peanut Butter Stew, Salted Groundnuts

Corn Meal with Pumpkin (Zimbabwe)
serves 4

Nhopi - this is a popular dish among Zimbabweans

1 cup corn meal
2 cups water
1/2 pound pumpkin, peeled, cooked and mashed (save some of the water after cooking pumpkin)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons peanut butter
(include any cooking liquid)
salt to taste

Bring the water to a boil in a good-sized saucepan and put in the corn meal. Cook, stirring frequently, until it forms a porridge.

Next, stir in the mashed pumpkin. Then add the sugar, peanut butter and salt and combine all ingredients well.

Continue to cook for a few minutes over low heat, adding about 1/2 cup of the retained pumpkin cooking water if necessary to make the consistency you prefer. Serve immediately with spinach or another leafy green.

Recipe from The World in Your Kitchen by Troth Wells, Second Story Press, 1993
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Peanut Butter Stew (Zimbabwe) Dovi
serves 4-6

2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 chicken, cut into pieces
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced and crushed
3 to 4 fresh tomatoes (or 1 large can of tomatoes)
1 teaspoon salt & 1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 chili pepper or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 pound spinach or pumpkin leaves

In a large stew pot over medium heat, saut onions in butter until golden brown. Add garlic, salt and hot peppers.

Stir for 2 or 3 minutes then add green peppers and chicken. Brown the chicken.

When all the chicken pieces are brown on every side, mash tomatoes with a fork and mix them into the stew, along with about 2 cups water. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Thin the peanut butter with a few spoons of hot broth and add half the resulting paste to the pot. Simmer until the meat is well-cooked.

In a separate pot, boil spinach or pumpkin leaves for several minutes until tender. Drain and toss with the remainder of the peanut paste. Serve stew and greens side by side.

Recipe from The Africa News Cookbook, by the Africa News Service, Inc., 1985
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Salted Groundnuts (Zimbabwe)
serves 2 to 4

1 cup peanuts (raw)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup warm water

Toast the peanuts in a frying pan, without oil, stirring frequently so they do not burn. (a cast-iron pan works well)

When the peanuts are very hot, dissolve the salt in warm water. Pour this over the peanuts and keep stirring while the heat is high. Suddenly all the water will disappear and the nuts will be coated with salt.

Continue to cook for three minutes to remove any moisture.

Recipe from The World in Your Kitchen by Troth Wells, Second Story Press, 1993

Zimbabwe has an interesting history. Its name means "house of stone," referring to the ancient city of Zimbabwe from which the Shona people ruled and conducted a gold trade between the 8th and the 15th centuries. Its more recent history echoes that of most of Africa dealing with a colonial past. The presence of Europeans and their descendants have influenced the cuisine of the country, but the majority of the people eat the food familiar in much of sub-Saharan Africa: corn, cassava, millet, pumpkin, peanuts and yams. The importance of peanuts, which were brought to Africa by the Portuguese in the 16th century, is seen in the recipes above.