Ugali & Sukuma Wiki
Sukuma Wiki (Collard Leaves)
Africa has diverse foods that you may request for.
Sukuma wiki is an East African dish made with collard greens, known as sukuma, cooked with onions and spices. It is often served and eaten with Ugali (made from maize flour).
In Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and other parts of East Africa, colewort are more commonly known by their Swahili name, sukuma, and are often referred to as collard greens. It is also commonly mistaken for kale.
The literal translation of the phrase ‘sukuma wiki’ is to “push the week” or “stretch the week”. It is a vegetable that is generally affordable and available all-year round in this region. It forms part of the staple dish in this region together with ugali or sima. Sakuma also is known agaar in Somali languages and its part of their culture.
Ugali
Ugali is a thick porridge made from white maize meal cooked in water or milk until it becomes a thick dough. A piece of ugali serves as a spoon. Make a dent in the middle (swallow), and spoon a bite of draw soup (ogbono and okra soup are two examples).
The dish is delightful with greens, stews, or protein. And it doesn’t overpower your delicious stew.
Chapatti
Chapati is a warm, soft bread that’s so versatile it can be served with any of your favorite curries or dips. It’s made using atta (whole wheat flour) and is similar to tortillas.
Its is an unleavened flatbread originating from the Indian subcontinent and is a staple in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa, and the Caribbean. Chapatis are made of whole-wheat flour known as atta, mixed into dough with water, oil, and salt in a mixing utensil, and are cooked on a flat skillet.
It is a common staple in the Indian subcontinent as well as amongst expatriates from the Indian subcontinent throughout the world. Chapattis were also introduced to other parts of the world by immigrants from the Indian subcontinent, particularly by Indian merchants to Central Asia, Southeast Asia, East Africa, and the Caribbean.
Jollof Rice
Jollof rice is a famous party food in West Africa and a constant feature in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Togo, and Sierra Leone. This dish is so good it’s even spreading into East African cuisine. Of course, everyone likes to put their own spin on it, and Ghanaians are no exception.
Jollof rice is a famous universal food in West Africa and a constant feature in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Togo, and Sierra Leone. This dish is so good it’s even spreading into East African cuisine.
Jollof or jollof rice, is a rice dish from West Africa. The dish is typically made with long-grain rice, tomatoes, chillis, onions, spices, and sometimes other vegetables and/or meat in a single pot, although its ingredients and preparation methods vary across different regions. The dish’s origins are traced to Senegal.
Regional variations are a source of competition among the countries of West Africa, and in particular between Nigeria and Ghana, over whose version is the best; in the 2010s this developed into a friendly rivalry known as the “Jollof Wars”.
In French-speaking West Africa, a variation of the dish is known as riz au gras. The Senegalese version, thieboudienne, has been recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage dish.
Jollof rice traditionally consists of rice, cooking oil, tomato puree, onion, salt, chilies, and often some combination of other ingredients such as tomato paste, bell pepper, garlic, ginger, thyme, curry powder, bay leaves, grains of selim, and bouillon cubes or stock; recipes vary from country to country and cook to cook. Chicken, turkey, beef, lamb or fish are often cooked with or served with the dish. In some countries, other vegetables such as cabbage, green peas, or carrots are included.
Some recipes call for long grain rice, some for short grain, some for broken rice, others for parboiled rice. Typically the tomato puree, tomato paste, onions, salt and chillies are sauteed in oil and simmered into a sauce in which the rice is then cooked.
West African countries typically have at least one variant form of the dish, with Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cameroon particularly competitive as to which country makes the best jollof. In the mid-2010s this expanded into the “Jollof Wars”.
The gastronationalism rivalry is especially prominent between Nigeria and Ghana, and has led to various events, including cooking competitions and social media campaigns, fostering cultural pride. In 2016, Sister Deborah released the song “Ghana Jollof”, which denigrated the Nigerian version and Nigerians for being proud of their version. Soon after, a physical fight over insufficient jollof supplies at a Ghanaian political rally sparked delighted mocking of Ghanaians by Nigerians.
Of particular sensitivity in jollof-making communities is the inclusion of non-traditional ingredients, which are defined country to country and are seen as making the jollof inauthentic. In 2014, a recipe released by Jamie Oliver that included cherry tomatoes, coriander, lemon, and parsley, none of which are used in any traditional recipe, caused outraged reactions, including the hashtag #jollofgate trending on social media, to the point Oliver’s team had to issue a statement.
Cameroon
The Cameroonian version, sometimes called fried rice, often includes red peppers, carrots, green beans and smoked paprika.
The Gambia
Smoked snails are a traditional ingredient in the cuisine of the Republic of The Gambia.
Ghana
Ghanaian jollof rice is made of vegetable oil, onion, ginger, pressed garlic cloves, chillies, tomato paste, beef or goat meat or chicken sometimes alternated with mixed vegetables, local or refined rice, typically jasmine rice and black pepper. Ghanaian jollof typically does not include any green leafy vegetables.
The method of cooking Ghanaian jollof begins with first preparing the beef or chicken by seasoning and steaming it with a pureé of ginger, onions and garlic and frying it until it is well-cooked. The rest of the ingredients are then fried all together, starting from onions, pepper, tomato paste, tomatoes and spices in that order. After all the ingredients have been fried, rice is then added and cooked until the meal is prepared. Ghanaian jollof is typically served with plantains and side dishes of beef, chicken, well-seasoned fried fish, or mixed vegetables.
Jollof in Ghana is also served alongside shito, a popular type of pepper which originates from Ghana, and salad during parties and other ceremonies.
Liberia
Liberian jollof seldom includes seafood.
Nigeria
Although considerable variation exists, the basic profile for Nigerian jollof rice includes long-grain rice (including golden sella basmati rice), tomatoes puree and/or tomato paste, onions, pepper (scotch bonnets and/or habanero peppers; poblanos and/or bell peppers), vegetable oil, meat broth/stock and a various mixture of additional ingredients, including thyme, bay leaves, curry powder, white pepper, small amounts of nutmeg and stock cubes. Converted rice, which may respectively exist in the form of standard long-grain parboiled rice (often labelled as easy-cook rice , or Golden Sella basmati rice (similarly-parboiled and which has come to be especially commonly-used, gradually increasing in popularity since 2006) is most-appropriate for Nigerian one-pot rice-cooking, as it resists becoming mushy.
The important quality of rice used to cook Nigerian one-pot rice recipes, including jollof rice, is that it is parboiled. The decision whether to use any of the numerous brands of conventional long-grain parboiled/easy-cook rice (e.g., Tolly Boy, Mama Gold, Dangote Rice, Veetee, Village Pride, Tropical Sun, Mama Pride, Mama Africa, Cap Rice, Uncle Ben’s, Royal Stallion, Carolina Gold) or Golden Sella basmati-parboiled rice (further sub-branded, e.g., Asli, Tilda) is merely a matter of availability, convenience and/or personal preference and the sub-status of one or the other grain-group being conventional long-grain or basmati long-grain completely irrelevant. What matters is that it is parboiled (i.e., partially boiled at the husk when processing). Sella basmati rice, however, is considered more aesthetically pleasing to some.
Most of the ingredients are cooked in one pot, of which a rich meat stock or broth and a fried tomato and pepper puree characteristically forms the base. Rice is then added and left to cook in the liquid.
The dish is then served with the protein of choice which in theory may be any meat but often beef, turkey, chicken or croaker-fish; much less commonly lamb, pork, etc. and very often with fried plantains, moi-moi (bean pudding), steamed vegetables, coleslaw, salad, etc.
Several variations of prototypal Nigerian jollof rice exist, including coconut-jollof rice. Coconut-jollof rice is particularly often eaten by riverine and some Igbo Nigerians.
Senegal
UNESCO recognized Senegal’s version of jollof, thieboudienne, as an intangible cultural heritage dish. Teboudienne typically uses broken rice. Smoked snails are a traditional ingredient.
Sierra Leone
The dish is known in Sierra Leone, where it may not call for red palm oil but instead tomato paste.
Riz au gras
In French-speaking West Africa, including Beninese, Burkinabé, Guinean, Guinea-Bissauan, Ivorian, Nigerien, and Togolese cuisines, there is a variant called riz gras or riz au gras, which translates to “fat rice”, a reference to the short-grain rice usually used in the dish. Riz gras typically includes additional vegetables such as eggplant, carrots, and/or cabbage.
Cultural importance and worldwide popularity
Jollof is culturally important in much of West Africa to the point there is a common saying, “A party without jollof is just a meeting”. In Nigeria the term, “See jollof” means “see how much fun is being had” according to Nigerian food historian Ozoz Sokoh.
There has been increasing interest in West African foods in the western world. Jollof food festivals have been held in Washington, DC, and Toronto. “World Jollof Day” has been celebrated since 2015 on 22 August, gaining traction on social media and has helped increased the global recognition of Jollof rice. On 3 November 2022, the dish was honoured with a Google Doodle.
Some areas also have versions of two related dishes:
- Party jollof or party rice is traditionally cooked outdoors over a wood fire, which gives it a smoky flavor and a crusty “bottom pot” similar to tahdig or socarrat, it is prepared with fresh tomato and pepper mix, tomato paste, onions, vegetable oil, spices like thyme, rosemary, curry, meat stock, etc.
- Native rice, also called concoction rice, uses red palm oil and smoked, dried fish and is seasoned with locust beans (also known as iru or dawa-dawa), uziza seeds and/or scent leaf, (respectively known as nchuanwu, arimu and ahuji in Igbo; ntong in Efik-Ibibio; efirin in Yoruba, añyeba in Igala, aramogbo in Edo; etc.), occasionally sprinkled with cut olili (local mint). Concoction rice is a term that may refer to either this or an ‘economically-friendly’ version of either this or conventional jollof rice but in the latter, too, red palm oil (or groundnut oil) is more frequently used to cook it than vegetable oils.
Egusi Soup
Egusi, also spelled egushi, are the protein-rich seeds of certain cucurbitaceous plants, which, after being dried and ground, are used as a major ingredient in West African cuisine. Egusi is a Yoruba word, and the popular method of cooking it is deeply rooted in Yoruba culinary traditions.
Egusi seeds are used in making egusi soup; the soup is thickened with the seeds. Melothria sphaerocarpa, which egusi seeds are from, grows throughout central to western Africa and is used by different ethnic groups in these regions to prepare the soup, and the origins of the soup are deeply rooted in the Yoruba culinary Egusi soup is a very popular soup in West Africa, with considerable local variations. Besides the seeds, water, and oil, egusi soup typically contains leafy greens, other vegetables, seasonings, and meat.
Leafy greens typically used for egusi soup include Efo Tete, scentleaf, okazi/afang (wild spinach), bitterleaf (onugbu), pumpkin leaf (ugu), uziza leaf, celosia and spinach. Other commonly used vegetables include tomatoes, okra and bell peppers. Typical seasonings include chili peppers, onions, salt and locust beans. Also commonly used ingredients are beef, goat, chicken, fish, periwinkle, shrimp or crayfish as sources of protein.
In Nigeria, egusi is common throughout the country, and the seeds are used in making stews and soups. The Igbo refer to it as “egwusi,” a borrowed term from the original Yoruba word “egusi.”
In Ghana, egusi is also called akatoa, egushi or agushi, and is used for soup and stew, most popularly in palaver sauce.
Pumpkin Leaf
Pumpkin leaves are edible and nutritious, offering a mix of flavors like spinach, green beans, and broccoli, and are a good source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They can be prepared in various ways, such as stir-fried, added to soups or salads, or eaten raw.
Pumpkin leaves have a delicious vegetal “green” flavor, much like spinach, string beans, and broccoli florets, notes Ziata. They’re also less bitter than kale and Swiss chard.
Best of all, you can enjoy pumpkin leaves as you would most other leafy greens. For example, in West Africa and India, pumpkin leaves are often used in dishes like soups, stews, and curries. “They would also be fantastic even just sautéed with a little olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, and spices,” says Ziata.
Before serving pumpkin leaves, wash them like lettuce. And while freshly picked iterations are best for quality and flavor, you can certainly save some for later, says Ziata.
Pilau/Pilawo
Pilau is a rice dish, or in some regions, a wheat dish, whose recipe usually involves cooking in stock or broth, adding spices, and other ingredients such as vegetables or meat, and employing some technique for achieving cooked grains that do not adhere.
Pilau is delicious on its own and can be served as a stand-alone meal, however, if you want a full African experience simply pair with Kachumbari – a cool and refreshing salad made with tomatoes, red onions, cilantro and a spicy pepper like serrano chili pepper.
Some cooks prefer to use basmati rice because it is easier to prepare a pilaf where the grains stay “light, fluffy and separate” with this type of rice. However, other types of long-grain rice are also used. The rice is rinsed thoroughly before use to remove the surface starch. Pilaf can be cooked in water or stock. Common additions include fried onions and fragrant spices like cardamom, bay leaves and cinnamon, pilau masala, cloves and black paper.
Pilau is usually made with meat or vegetables, but it can also be made plain . On special occasions saffron may be used to give the rice a yellow color. Pilau is often made by adding the rice to hot fat and stirring briefly before adding the cooking liquid. The fat used varies from recipe to recipe. Cooking methods vary with respect to details such as pre-soaking the rice and steaming after boiling
Millet or Sorghum Bread
The interesting thing is that millet or sorghum bread It always has cassava flour, but it can be just cassava flour or cassava flour plus millet/ sorghum flour and cassava flour.
Boil water, then add the flour and stir rapidly. Stir over medium heat, breaking up the clumps of flour. Eventually, it will begin to stick together in a big ball. Once it is a fairly sticky, thicker than pudding consistency, and it can hold its shape, it is ready to eat.
It is best eaten with beef, fish, chicken, goat or pork stew.
It is also eaten with legumes like chick peas or bean stew. Groundnut or sim sim paste are no bad.
Leafy vegetables march the food too.
Its a special meal in parts of East Africa, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and DR Congo.
Zanzibar Pizza
Matooke /Bananas(Plantain)
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