fudu by fuduzim

fudu fu:du:

A cockroach knows how to dance, but it is the hen who prevents it from performing its art during the day

Contents Light Meals Heavy Meals Breakfasts, Desserts & Drinks

Introduction

ingredients… uh oh… yes we went there) and can be revered as another

“ Ukama igasva hunozadziswa nekudya”

platform of art to give pleasure and still be authentically Zimbabwean, while

capturing the eternal range of unique colors in the flag of variance that defines

ood has played more than just a functional role in our culture,

what it is to be Zimbabwean.

at weddings, holidays, family gatherings, business meetings and

dare I say funerals, it seems to provide the intangible essence

More and more nowadays, but even in the past, in certain pockets of families,

that strengthens the bonds between a people. Throughout Zimbabwe food

as with Maslow’s theory, those of good heeling , have spent occasions

is inextricably linked to our lifestyles and cultures with diversity just as rich.

consecrating food as a means of well being, promoting care and the rest that comes with time taken on nurturing the spirit with good conversation and

Writing about this takes me back to when I was growing up and observing my

memories around food.

mother who had the kind of wardrobe able to adapt to occassions and filled with fabulous timeless numbers… I know that while food is not clothing, the

We embolden those of you cooking in the next few weeks to look at your

same thing is true of GREAT food classics that linger in eternity, smells from

ingredients differently. Find ways to be creative with what may look like a

childhood that can ignite the taste buds and elicit THRILLS in goose bumps!

bland menu type, have fun mixing things up borrowing from other cultures to make Zimbabwean “now” foods… the very least that can happen is that it will

As our perception of dynamic accomplishments give birth to new and varied

be loads of fun and I can bet you friends and family will love it to bits, but at

art forms and practices we believe that food grows and diversifies as any

best you may stumble across a master piece. Whatever the case we will help

craftmanship or language and indeed must to endure and remain current

you celebrate by show casing your pictures and recipes on our blog. Good

in this world of text, speed and immediacy. Food is something to be played

with, fused around, hybridized with all the assorted media (spices, foreign

luck and be good

Light Meals

Iya’s Nyimo 4

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

1 : 4 0

Between two friends even water’s sweet enough

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

300g Nyimo (Monkey Nuts) Salt 4 Onions 5 Tomatoes Oil

Boil Nyimo

To create a soup, add tomatoes and onions and oil to the boiled nyimo Allow to fry until onions and tomatoes are broken down

Add water and mash slightly to make into thickened soup

SautĂŠed Sweet Potato 4

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 4 0

Our neighbours problems do not induce us to lose our appetite

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

400g Sweet Potato 2 Onions Chilli Ground peanut Powder

Cook sweet potatoes (boil)

Slice sweet potato and fry with chopped onions until golden Add chilli and groundnut powder to garnish

Mai Seiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fried Chilli Madumbe 4

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

1 : 2 0

Those who eat alone, die alone

Madumbe - A root indigenous to Zimbabwe, not dissimilar to the potato but richer in taste and texture

INGREDIENTS 500g Madumbe (Taro Root) Chilli to taste Salt and cayenne to taste Oil Ground Peanut powder (garnish)

PREPARATION Boil Madumbe for 30 Minutes until soft and starchy. Fry the sliced madumbe until crispy brown with oil. Add chilli, cayenne to suit taste

Arrange in a plate and sprinkle ground peanut powder to garnish

Mapudzi 4

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 2 5

Your plate will always be full if you give to others

INGREDIENTS 200g Mapudzi pods (family of Pumpkins) Sugar Lemon Cream

PREPARATION Boil Mapudzi until soft

Serve with any of the toppings listed to suit your taste.

Best served with sugar, lemon and cream or lacto

Creamy Pumpkin Leaf Soup 2

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 3 0

The man who has bread to eat does not understand the severity of famine

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

Handful of pumpkin leaves 3 tbsps cream Pinch of salt pinch of bicarbonate soda ½ tsp of peanut butter

Peel the pumpkin stalks and cut

Add leaves to ½ cup of water with soda and salt

Add cream when the leaves have disentergrated Add peanut butter

Avocado Starter 2

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 0 3

We will be grateful to the flavours only if they have borne fruit

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

Avocado Lacto/ Fresh Cream Sugar/Lemon and Black Pepper

Use a ripe avocado

Drizzle with sour milk Squeeze lemon

Add a dash of sugar and black pepper

Aliens and Fudu ‘’ There are only two things infinite, the Universe

manner of extreme high tech? What would sadza look like? Would we

and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the

dispense with the quantity and put it in tablet form, so you could swallow

former ’’, - Albert Einstein.

your sadza tablets? Or would we have minute cripy/cracker sadza towers served with a rape puree with a sliver of garlic trotters. What would one

love Sci-Fi films, I love them for the sheer entertainment factor,

of our banquets look like in the future version of 3D high definition? I, for

I laugh and wonder that the aliens always land in the land of

one, see myself giving the alien visitors chocolate coated madora (mopane

milk and honey….clever that. Really, I mean why would they

worms) with dusted chili, or crumb coated locusts with a mazhanje

land here on the African continent with all our problems right? And I

smoothie. But that doesn’t go far enough, they sound like things I should

love too that they come speaking American, perfect actually, you have

be making now. It is fun to think about it though. Crispy sugary sadza flat

to put your funny hat on and go along with it. I mean if we were making

rolls with savory toppings, peanut butter rice with stuffed pork, mafat

Zimbabwean alien films we would do the same, right? Aliens arrive at

cook (fritters), deep fried with chicken and fish in the middle, I could go

Great Zimbabwe, speaking deep Chikaranga, with totems of their own,

on but it’s still not out there.

so we can make of that what we can, for all it’s worth, given that we have

ours. Our interiors of high tech, Great Zimbabwe minimalistic spears,

Would food be talking to us and telling us how to go about handling it,

with hidden fire power, handheld knives from our ancestry that glow in

the pig advises us, how to treat it and get the best from it. Or perhaps

the dark and inject anesthesia when fired. Mbanje used as a truth serum.

the vegetables while cracking a joke with us advise on the best course of

Cow hides that turn into flying objects, animals that speak Chikaranga

action when making a broth while giving tips on its nutritional properties.

and who we consult. You see it, right? Funny.

My curiosity is what would we be eating, assuming we have evolved in

A world where all things talk but know their function, value and place.

SautĂŠed Pumpkin 4

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 3 0

One who eats alone cannot discuss the taste of the food with others

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

2 cups of pumpkin Pinch of salt 1 onion Black pepper Handful of basil Oil

Bring peeled pumpkin to oil

Add to pan with oil and heat till hot

Add the pumpkin and chopped onion Season and sprinkle with basil herb

Chilli Matemba Relish 2 - 3

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 3 0

One who eats alone cannot discuss the taste of the food with others

INGREDIENTS 3 Cups (750g) Chilli 8 Cloves Garlic Â˝ Lemon 3tbsp Ginger 1 cup matemba (smoked fish taste close to anchovies)

PREPARATION Blend Chilli, oil, garlic, lemon and ginger until you have a grainy consistency Pour mixture into a bottle for storage after mixing in the matemba.

Fill the bottle with oil as it helps with the shelf life (Store in fridge)

Maputi 2

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 1 5

One who eats alone cannot discuss the taste of the food with others

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

Fresh Maize kernels

Add maize to hot pan with oil Brown the maize

Sweet Potato Chips 2

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 1 0

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

750g Sweet potatoes Oil 1tsp Paprika Tsunga flowers (Mustard Green Fleurs)

Cut sweet potato into thin slices (You can remove the skin if you so wish)

Deep fry in very hot oil for 5 minutes until they change colour (do NOT let them brown)

Deep fry Tsunga flowers

Serve with Tsunga flowers as garnish and sprinkle paprika on top

Madumbe Chips 2

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 1 0

INGREDIENTS 500 g of madumbe (Taro Root) Oil Salt to season 1 tsp paprika

PREPARATION Cut madumbe into thin slices (leave skin on)

Deep fry for 5 minutes until colour changes (do NOT let them turn brown)

Serve on a plate with a garnish of spring onions and sprinkle with paprika

Pumpkin Fritter 4

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 3 0

Man is like a pepper, till you have chewed it you do not know how hot it is

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

500g Pumpkin 1Â˝ Cups (375g) white flour Oil Sugar Pepper

Bring the peeled orange pumpkin to the boil (Make sure that it is sweet) Add sugar to improve sweetness

Mash and add flour to create round, flat patties. Deep fry in very hot oil till golden brown

Butternut Chips with fried green tomatoes

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 3 0

Until the lion tells its side of the story, the tale will always glorify the hunter

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

500g Butternut 1 cup sliced green tomatoes Salt to season

Cut butternut into thin slices

Deep fry in hot oil for 5 minutes until soft and crispy. Deep fry green tomato slices until crispy

Serve

Fast Fudu

collective minds while we are seduced and convinced that processed, fast foods, anything but the old is the way to go.

“ Mcdonalds announced it is considering a more humane

“ We are living in a world where lemonade is made from

them and then kill them. You know, the same thing they

- Alfred E Newman.

way of slaughtering its animals. You know they fatten do to their customers’’- Jay Leno.

artificial flavorings and furniture is made from lemons ‘’

I get fast food, love it too and get that vegetables lack a sense of purpose

ost 2008 when we came out of a frenzy of food hunting and

when unaccompanied by a good meat, as I feel this is the fast food motto. It

gathering to such ludicrous proportions saw me enter the USD

is good for the young ones to be reminded occasionally what good organic

economy with a little high blood pressure. The blood pressure

cooking and flavors will do. I mean I really get it that our life expectancy,

brought on by the tenacious need to chase for and gather basically

if vegetables smelt like bacon, would soar. I stopped my fascination with

anything, the green back brought into the market an impression of peace

fast food at the age of 18; I picked it up again after watching alluring food

and a mushrooming of sadza joints that maize meal transformed beloved

ads on DSTV. Having been half starved to death on landing in South Africa

into a fast food. For as little as a dollar (USD) you are assured your pound

it became a ritual to gourd into mindless Kentucky or McDonalds, in fact,

of flesh popularly coined as local foods. In the ever unrelenting search for

whatever.

the dollar and all things that make money, sadza is a fast money spinner. It was a perfect feeding ground for post-starved-of-goodies psyche. And

It is a dying art form to eat good food or have a good palate. It is worth

as a foreigner you can be forgiven for wondering how Zimbabweans say

investigating the old and putting some of the recipes on the table, food

the things that you know for things you do not know. A lot of the varied

emotion, it should be entered into with abandon or not at all.

who they are through food. My mum used to say that don’t throw away

much richer choices of food are in the homes or lying subliminally in our

can have so many comebacks and a sense of renewal…..like mood, or love

Sweet Potato Balls 4

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 4 0

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

4 cups (1kg) 2 medium sized sweet potatoes 1 red tomato 1 tbsp chilli matemba relish Oil

Boil peeled sweet potato

Mash and shape into desired balls

Deep fry the balls in hot oil until they are a golden brown colour. Deep fry red tomatoes until they are crispy.

Serve on a plate with a drizzle of the chilli matemba relish

Three Bean Soup 4

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

1 : 3 0

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

1 cup sugar beans 1 cup white beans 1 cup kidney beans Salt 2-3 tbsps oil 1 onion 1 tomato

Bring all the beans to the boil Add the seasoning

When cooked add the onion and tomato with the oil and allow to cook through on low heat.

Cow Tongue

with spinach and three beans 2

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

Use three bean recipe INGREDIENTS 500g cow tongue Oil Salt Clove of garlic bunch of spinach

PREPARATION bring the cow tongue to the boil for 45 mins add oil

1 clove garlic Add salt

Allow to simmer at moderate heat until the flesh is tender Cut the vegetables and sautee with oil

1 : 0 0

Chilli Sweetcorn 4

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 3 0

INGREDIENTS 2 sweetcorn cobs 1 tbsp oil Salt

PREPARATION Bring corn to boil with salt

When cooked drizzle with oil and chilli

Herb Sadza

with gizzards and wild mushroom 2

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 3 0

A forest that forbids baskets must not grow mushrooms INGREDIENTS 2 cups of water 2 cloves garlic Handful of basil Cheese (cheddar) 200g gizzard 2 garlic cloves Oil Salt 500g mushroom

PREPARATION Herb Sadza (Maize Meal) Bring water to boil

Add Â˝ cup of maize meal a bit at a time stirring all the time until the porridge consistency starts simmering

Allow to simmer for 5mins

add in the rest of the mealie meal to form thicker consistency that will pour out of pot add the garlic , salt, cheese to mixture

pour on baking tray then drizzle with oil

Gizzards

Sautee gizzards in hot oiled pan 5mins Add in the mushrooms and season

Chocca Madora (mopani worms)

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

1 : 0 0

The most beautiful fig may contain a worm

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

1 cup madora Salt 50g chocolate

Clean and bring madora to the boil Season

Add to melted chocolate and allow to cool

Choc-Chilli Matemba 2

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 2 0

A small house will hold a thousand friends

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

1 cup matemba 50g chocolate Chilli Oil

Sautee matemba in hot oil 5mins

Add matemba to melted chocolate with chilli

Herb Sadza 2

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 3 0

INGREDIENTS 2 cups of water Maize meal 2 cloves garlic Handful of basil Cheese (cheddar)

PREPARATION Bring water to boil

Add Â˝ cup of maize meal a bit at a time stirring all the time until the porridge consistency starts simmering Allow to simmer for 5mins

add in the rest of the mealie meal to form thicker consistency that will pour out of pot

add the garlic , salt, cheese to mixture

pour on baking tray then drizzle with oil

Wild Mushroom and beetroot stirfry

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 0 5

INGREDIENTS 1 cup mushrooms Bunch of beet leaves Salt Oil Chilli

PREPARATION Sautee mushrooms in oil for 3 mins

Add chunky beetroot leaves with garlic and toss around for 2 mins Sprinkle with chilli

Heavy Meals

Sadza

(sorghum, wheat and rice sadza) with road runner chicken 4

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

1 : 0 0

Cooked Sadza, see page 72

A united family eats from the same plate

INGREDIENTS 1 road runner Salt Oil 1 onion 1 tomato Zviyo (Sorghum Sadza) Mhunga (Rice Flour Sadza)

PREPARATION Boil road runner for 45 mins Season and sautee with oil Add onion and tomato

Allow to simmer for 10mins on low heat

Gogo No.5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chicken Broth 4

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 3 0

A chicken with beautiful plumage does not sit in a corner

INGREDIENTS Â˝ a Chicken 300g of Potatoes Bundle of fresh potato leaves or Rape (Garnish) 4 Tomatoes 1 Onion Oil Salt and Ground nut powder

PREPARATION Cut chicken into small pieces and fry in very hot pan until light brown with oil Stir in your chopped onions and tomatoes in until they are well cooked

Add potatoes, salt and ground nut powder and allow to simmer at a lower temperature

When the meat is almost cooked, chop our bundle of vegetables very finely into cubes and allow them to steam for 2 minutes, turn and switch the stove cooking plate off. Leave lid on to allow the dish to cook through

Beef Trotters with okra and madumbe

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 3 0

A chicken with beautiful plumage does not sit in a corner

INGREDIENTS 1 Beef Trotter Salt to taste 1 or 2 table spoons of Imperial Curry 2 sprigs of corriander 3 Tomatoes 2 Onions Oil

PREPARATION Boil the prepared beef trotter in the pressure cooker until soft, it will start producing a thick sauce

Add tomatoes, onions, imperial curry, coriander, salt to taste and allow to simmer. Add water to create the desired amount of soup

Fudu for Living “ How much food is like a dance from some ancient

far can we really be individual, can we talk back to our elders, how much

ceremony. It leaves you filled with one of the

self expression is allowed before we are just downright rude? Fitting in is

worlds sweetest smells- no chiropractor, no yoga

integral in our family structures that it is seen rearing its head all the way

exercise, no hour of meditation in a music throbbing

into the pot. There is also assumption about what are the lines that you

chapel, that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts

can and cannot cross in social settings and this too is seen on the plate. I

than this homely ceremony” - M P K Fisher’’

am a devout carnivore, meat loving with all its aromas, texture and taste

describe that Aspirational Me. “Many aspects of my method are based

read making akin to Sadza is one of those almost hypnotic

on my feelings. For instance I always give my bird a generous massage

businesses.

before I put it in the oven. Why? Because I think the chicken likes it –

Someone asked today “seriously how much can you talk

more important, I like to give it” Julia Child

about food?” and that got me to thinking. It’s not food for food’s sake but how it makes you feel and think as it culturally lies in the have to do lists

Just like you can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle being

in our lives. You see there are things that are around us constantly that

cut off in traffic, make a speech at a family gathering, how they wait for

form parts of our routines that make the whole essence of who we are.

change in a supermarket or react in a short queue that takes an eternity

Who you are, what you want out of life and how you set about getting what you want out of life is ultimately played out in the role playing around food.

I have a view that our food is comfort food, practical but all the same conservative and that’s a reflection of our ideas about ourselves. How

to clear. The reality is food is the same.

“…a gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart that looks at her watch’’ - James Beard.

Samp & Matumbu with veges

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

2 : 0 0

Samp

Matumbu

Vegetables

INGREDIENTS

300g Samp (maize grains) 1 teaspoon Salt 200g Sugar Beans Vegetable Stock 2 Onions 3 Tomatoes 1 clove garlic 3 table spoons Oil

500g Matumbu Oil 2 Onions 3 Tomatoes 1 clove garlic Ground nut powder

15 rape leaves A Bundle of sweet potato leaves A bundle of black jack leaves Pinch of soda 1 onion 1 Tomato 1 Clove Garlic

PREPARATION

Boil samp and beans separately until very

Boil until meat is easy to splice apart.

Boil the black jack leaves with a pinch of

Mix vegetable stock into the beans and

together until the sauce begins to set

minutes

soft

mash them slightly adding water to get a thick creamy consistency.

Add onions, Tomato, garlic and oil

Fry the meat, add onion, garlic, tomato Add the groundnut powder to garnish and set sauce by adding water

Mix the samp and beans and add salt to suit taste.

soda and leave to boil in a little water for 2 Fry the cut sweet potato leaves or rape leaves adding the boiled black jack leaves.

Add the onion, tomato, garlic and cook for 2 minutes

Fried Sadza Croutons

with peanut butter fish and muboora (pumpkin leaves) 2

s e r v i n g s

INGREDIENTS 1 dry bream fish Oil Salt Peanut butter 1onion 1 tomato Garlic Muboora (pumpkin leaves) Soda Salt Ground peanut powder

C o o k i n g

T i m e

Cooked Sadza, see page 72

0 : 4 5

PREPARATION FRIED SADZA CROUTONS Allow sadza to cool in tray

Cut crouton shapes out of the sadza

Sautee in oil with garlic

Allow for a light brown colouring

DRY BREAM

Boil fish for 30mins

Do not add salt as the dry fish has been cured with salt Sautee lightly with oil and add onion and tomato

Add 1-2 tbsps of peanut butter with ½ cup of water and allow to simmer on low heat Serve with chilli

MUBOORA (Pumpkin Leaves)

Bring the leaves to boil with a dash of soda and salt for 10mins Add ½ cup of milk when the vegetables are broken up Serve with dustings of ground peanut powder

Sadza 2

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 3 0

They ate our food and forgot our names

INGREDIENTS 2 cups of water Maize meal

PREPARATION Bring water to boil

Add Â˝ cup of maize meal a bit at a time stirring all the time until the porridge consistency starts simmering Allow to simmer for 5mins

add in the rest of the mealie meal to form thicker consistency that will pour out of pot

End of the Raining Season

want to sleep do not bother me I am in the zone. Despite the fact that

sugar should give you a burst of energy, this high follows all the ugly of

leave me alone while I do me…So be mindful when you are eating sadza

ho can tell these days with all that is going on with the

the addiction is gradual but it does exist, try not to eat any more than

weather. The food we are used to having at this time of

not your husband’s fistful but your own! Take small snippets as you eat

the year may not be around at the same time of the year

as opposed to whole handful, it will make you fill slower and give you a

in some time to come. What does this mean for our staples? It is already

chance to eat the vegetables and meat on the plate.

more expensive to find some of the traditional grains like millet sorghum

and rapoko which we make meals from. It seems everyone is growing

When you are done put the plate aside and walk away…run outside, to

maize and taking it to the millers to make mealie meal, or just using

the bedroom lock yourself up, call help line who cares which one, speak

highly processed maize meal.

to someone while the shakes set in…….and of course there is the double

I am really fascinated by this product, mealie meal that was brought into

whammy of alcohol and sadza and it does not pretty much matter in what

the country with good intentions, as cattle feed and rose to the human

order it all starts, sadza or alcohol, egg or chicken, this is the mother load

food chain In Southern Africa, and in Zimbabwe where I come from is

of double addictions and you can tell the victims by their lack of waist

pretty much the only main staple food. Mealie meal, commonly known as

lines or excess of waist…hee hee. At this point you call a spade what it

sadza, has the ability to quickly adapting the needy, drug affection of love

is and call those helplines and it does not matter who you talk to again,

hate, want… you don’t want you…. A complete emotional bulimia. If it

but know this, you are already on the 12 step programme to recovery. I

was not for the fact that it is completely without competition an addictive

have seen people start attacking their sadza in their plate with four to

substance with the traumatic side effects of weight gain due to the huge

five fistfuls on its wee some self as a way of working the plate and while

intakes of refined flour that cannot wait to sneak up and convert to sugar

this calls to me to join in while my stomach growls with envy, take a deep

once in the body… and like all addiction the quantity increases as one

looks for the next hit …which I must say feels like you having a good day,

breath and make different choices….

Mutakura (Snacks) 6

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

2 : 0 0

A fight between grasshoppers is a joy to the crow

INGREDIENTS 1 cup (250g) chibage (maize from the cob) 1 cup (250g) nzungu, peanuts 1 cup (250g) nyimo, monkey nuts Â˝ tsp of salt

PREPARATION Combine all the items together in a pot and bring to the boil for a good two hours until soft Season and gently knead so that they mix and blend together into different textures.

Breakfasts, Desserts & Drinks

Fudu Customs

uninvited guests to turn up in astounding numbers all in the name of

love. This is fine but, our custom insists on feeding all guests whether

they accept or refuse, without regard for the availability of enough food

rowing up I observed a custom where my mum would more

in the home. I assume, where we come from, that when asked if you are

often than not give gifts to visitors. The gifts would always

hungry around 2pm that all is well if you insist that you are not. I will

be of a food nature. I remember thinking how strange it was,

proceed to cackle with the best story revelers until I am told otherwise

quite frankly my child’s mind thought of gifts in the nature of money. In

or the clock turns to 6pm. I do think that cooking and wasting food is

my early twenties I observed that I was downright embarrassed by her

criminal and that we can all save each other monies by being candid as

practice thinking ‘do they really need these types of gifts’.

opposed to offended… to not get food when we are satiated… and there is a word for that; it’s called greedy.

Having become a lot more rounded in my thinking, I see that it is a

perfectly wonderful action to bring foods gifts to the host or vice versa.

Understanding people and being a good host comes with being earnest

Good intentions are never out of fashion. So whether it is a bottle of

to be free to cook, feed, eat and talk. So when we visit, whether we are

wine, a live chicken, cooked food, vegetable seeds, fruit trees, fresh crab

eating or not maybe carrying something, like I said, it could be just fresh

or whatever the size your purse will allow the goodwill of showing love

vegetables could bring a little good cheer. I am partial to anyone who

through the giving of food items is something of a necessity. I, for one,

can bring me pumkin leaves when they are out of season. You might

am glad my grandmother passed this culture down to our mother and in

be blown away when given prawns or crabs when you visit me and not

turn to us. Kids exchange the sweets and goodies on the playing field, so

know what to make of it when I tell you that they only cost 2usd… just

why not grownups. I give fruit from my orchard.

give whatever, how little, however big give, you will get better at it and

In an economic climate such as ours, it becomes urgent to extend courtesy

it will make you feel good. And you may note to RSVP and not turn up in

to people who you are visiting or those you are hosting to carry food parcels and not dent their budgets. In our custom it is not unusual for

crowds when it is just the couple of you invited.

Rapoko Porridge with cream

INGREDIENTS Ground Sorghum (Zviyo) Cream Milk Sugar/Honey

PREPARATION Create a paste with the powder and bring to the boil with cream and milk,.

Allow for a running thickish broth. Add sugar or honey to taste.

It should be allowed to cook for 20 mins on medium heat. Serve

with a dollop of cream or fresh fruit

Mamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Maize Cakes 4

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 3 0

An abundance of food at your neighbourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s will not satisfy your hunger

INGREDIENTS 2 cobs of Fresh Soft Mealie 2 Eggs 1 cup flour 2 Table spoons of sugar Pinch of Salt Mealie Leaves

PREPARATION Remove the maize from the cob using a knife

Mix the maize, salt sugar, eggs and flour (which holds the mixture together) Divide the dough into handful size portions Wrap dough into maize leaves. Tie using leaves

Steam for 15 minutes

Mazhanje (Custard Apples)

with mulberry and sour cream 2

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 1 0

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

4 custard apples Pinch of cinnamon Drop of vanilla 30/40g butter 1 cup mulberries 3/4tbsp sugar Sour cream from kumusha (add vanilla drop) CrĂ¨me fraiche

Create syrup with the butter and sugar in a hot pan.

Add in the mulberries until soft allow them to still maintain their structure

Drizzle the cinnamon and vanilla

Allow to cool serve with the cream and quartered custard apples

Adventures with Fudu

The two gentlemen decide to participate in some “civil-challenging”

activity. The restaurant has a “whites only” sign outside and they boldly walk in and ask to be seated. The proprietor or the manager of the

t is not often that my father cooked, at least from the time I

establishment, a young white lady bustles to the fore and immediately

can remember, it is not that he could not cook or WOULD not

informs them that “blacks are only served through the window”.

cook… it is just that the kitchen was my mother’s domain. She

Thwarted. They leave the entrance and head to the window round the

was extremely territorial about it and it was the battleground for many

side. As they arrive at the service window, my father, to the surprise of his

a clash between my mother and my little sister, who was itching to show

counterpart, promptly jumps up and begins to climb into the restaurant

the skills she had picked up in home economics, but I digress… My father

kitchen, through the window! The kitchen staff is suitably shocked and

was a really good cook and made those solid wholesome manly meals, so

the young manager, who must have come into the kitchen to check on

the few times he was on leave and Mom was at work he would cook lunch

things, is greeted with a sight to drop her jaw and elicit a shriek of panic

for us when we got home. He is the one I learned to cook sadza from and

as our hero rights himself and looks around with satisfaction. By this time

my very first time out on my own I cooked it right. He also taught me to

the shriek has galvanized feet to patter, tongues to report and an African

drive and he is a smooth operator… of the car. I like to think I picked up

police officer to materialise at the scene as our hero explains calmly

enough from him to be just as smooth.

that he was trying to be served “through the window” as instructed.

It is during these times, cooking or on long drives, when it was just the

Fortunately, the police officer is the cousin of our hero’s side kick and

two of us that he told me the most wondrous tales of adventure during

marches them off and then warns then sternly to be more careful next

his youth. A fantastic story teller, he has managed to keep me enrapt from

time.

when we were little children sitting around his feet to now, with a quiet,

Whether participating in my society, driving or cooking sadza I am

naughty jaunt of a smile on his face he would launch into recounting

inspired by my heros, my father and mother. come and share stories

a moment in his life. One of the stories included one of his partners in mischief, set sometime before independence, involving a restaurant.

around what identifies us as Zimbabwean in the culture and history we

share around our fudu

Mazhanje

(Custard Apples) with Mulberry Drizzle 2

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 1 0

INGREDIENTS 4 custard apples Âž tbsp sugar (to suit own taste) Â˝ cup pistachio and almonds or pecan nuts 2 cup mulberries 30g butter

PREPARATION Create syrup in a hot a pan with the butter and sugar

Add in the mulberries and the quartered custard apples but allow for texture

Drizzle with the nuts.

Mulberry Dessert INGREDIENTS Vanilla muffins/sponge cake Custard Jelly (strawberry or raspberry) Whipped cream Chocolate/ strawberry mousse 30g butter 2/3 tbsp sugar (to suit palette) 3 cups mulberries and strawberries Nuts if preferred

PREPARATION Prep all the cake, custard, jelly, and mousse whipped cream

Bring the fruit, and sugar and butter together in a hot pan allow to Sautee but maintain the texture of the fruit.

Find suitable glasses to serve in, and then create layers of cake, fruit, custard, mousse, jelly, fruit and cream.

Store in the fridge until ready to serve, its optional to place pecan

nuts on top

Honeycomb A great natural source of carbohydrates which provide strength and energy to our bodies, honey is known for its effectiveness in instantly boosting the performance, endurance and reduce muscle fatigue of athletes. Raw honey retains high levels of antioxidant and antibacterial activity as well as active healthy bacteria and enzymes. The natural vitamins and minerals in raw honey include calcium, iron, magnesium, sulphur, copper, manganese, zinc and potassium, plus Vitamin C, B1, B2, B3, B5 and Vitamin B6.

Fatcooks (Fritters) with Gooseberry 2

s e r v i n g s

P r e p

T i m e

0 : 3 0

INGREDIENTS Fatcooks as per Recipe 3 cup gooseberries Âž tbsp sugar 30g butter

Create syrup in a hot pan with the sugar and butter, add in the

gooseberries and allow sweating but maintaining the texture of the berries. Use as a topping to drizzle on the fatcoeks

Fatcooks (Fritters) 4

s e r v i n g s

C o o k i n g

T i m e

0 : 4 0

INGREDIENTS 2 cup flour Pinch of salt 1 tsp soda 3tsp taste to suit palette 1 egg optional Water/ milk optional

Add all the dry ingredients together with the egg add in the water or milk and form a thick consistency. I prefer my fatcooks made

with water. You can also use zest from lemon or orange to create flavor

Place tablespoon fullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in hot oil and deep fry till golden brown

Masau

The masau is a tropical fruit tree species. Though not indigenous, it has widely naturalised in southern Africa and is found throughout Zimbabwe. The fruits are rich in vitamin C and can be made into fruit powder, fruit slices, juice and jam for the local market. The fruit is eaten raw, but also as candied fruit, fruit in syrup, fruit leather, jam and juice. Ripe fruits are preserved by sundrying and a powder is prepared for out-of-seawson purposes.

Avocado Starter 2

s e r v i n g s

P r e p a r a t i o n

T i m e

0 : 0 3

A ripened fruit does not cling to the vine

INGREDIENTS Ripe Avocado Sour Milk Lemon Sugar Black Pepper

PREPARATION Use a ripe avocado

Drizzle with sour milk Squeeze lemon

Add a dash of sugar and black pepper Mash

Milky Baobab Juice 4

s e r v i n g s

P r e p

T i m e

2 : 0 0

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

1 cup baobab powder or 2 cups actual Baobab Pulp 3 cups milk Sugar or honey to suit palette

Soak the baobab and milk until the liquid starts to thicken (leave for 2 hours), remove pulp.

Taste and add sugar or honey depending on taste, however if the fruit is fresh it should have a natural sweet and tangy taste

100

Paw Paw Smoothie 4

s e r v i n g s

P r e p

T i m e

0 : 1 0

INGREDIENTS 1 kg paw paw Â˝ a litre greek or plain yogurt 2/3 cups ice Honey to suit taste

PREPARATION Place all the above ingredients in a juicer and blend till smooth, serve when still chilled

101

102

Mulberry Smoothie 2

s e r v i n g s

P r e p

T i m e

0 : 1 0

We will be grateful to the flavours only if they have borne fruit

INGREDIENTS 1 cup mulberries (make sure they are sweat 1 banana Â˝ yogurt 1 cup ice blocks

PREPARATION Throw all ingredients into juicer and blend till smooth, serve in a glass and sprinkle paprika on top.

You can always add honey to suit taste

103

Nutritional Chart WHAT IS IT? Milk

WHAT IS IN IT? Vit A, B2, B12, D, E, K, Calcium, Iodine, Phosphorus, Potassium, Omega 3, essential fatty acids Sour milk (Mukaka wakakora) Vit A, B2, B3, B5, B12, C, D, Folic Acid, Calcium, Iodine, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium, Zinc Nuts, Nzungu, Monkeys Nuts, Nyimo Vit B1, B2, B3, E, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Zinc, Omega3, Essential fatty acids Pumpkin seeds Vit B2, B3, B5, E, K, Beta Carotene, Calcium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Omega 3 and essential fatty acids. Pumpkin leaves, Muboora, Black Jack, Omega 3 Nzine Green leafy vegetables, Cabbage, Vit C, K, Beta Carotene, Folic Acid, Rape, Spinach, Sweet potato leaves Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc 104

WHAT DOES IT DO?

Reduces bone thinning

Muscle building protein, joint friendly and helps diminish appetite Encourages formation of red blood cells, reduces fatigue, an anti inflammatory that protects joints Strong immunity booster Keep blood vessels strong

WHAT IS IT? Upfu (Maize meal), Polenta, Mhunga, Rukweza

WHAT IS IN IT? Vit. B3, B5, C, Folic Acid, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc

WHAT DOES IT DO? Blood sugar stabilizer, prevents anemia as it helps absorb iron by up to 50% Energy, endurance for athletes

Wheat, Gorosi, Brown Indigenous Rice Vit. B1, B2, B5, E, Folic Acid, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese Phosphorus, Zinc Garlic Vit B1, B6, C, Folic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Good for over worked joints and healthy heart, anti inflammatory. Good Manganese, Potassium, Selenium, Zinc, Copper weight loss component called allicin and boosts immunity Hohwa, Nzeve, Mushrooms Vit. B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, E, Folic Stabilizes blood sugar levels and helps Acid, Calcium, Chronium, Copper, control sugar cravings Iron,Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium, Zinc Okra (Derere) Vit. B1, B3, B5, B6, Potassium, Selenium, Zinc Regulates blood sugar levels Sweet Potato Vit. B1, B3 , B5, B6, C, E, Beta carotene, Folic Acid, Calcium, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium, Zinc Chicken has excellent source of Chicken (free range), Indigenous road Vit. A, B2, B3, B6, B12, Iron, tryphophan, good amino acids that runner Magnesium help provide serotene levels which are Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium, linked to mood and appetite Sodium, Zinc 105

WHAT IS IT? Pork Lamb Beef Bream, Matemba Madumbe, Tuber root

Rabbit Locusts, Mathimbi, Majuru, Ishwa Maize Cobs Litchi Avocado

WHAT IS IN IT? Vit. B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, Potassium, Selenium, Zinc. Vit. B1, B2, B3,B6,B12, Iron, Phosphorus, Selenium, Sulphur, Zinc. Vit. B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, Iron, Phosphorus, Selenium, Sulphur, Zinc, Omega 3 Vit. B3, B12, Calcium, Iodine, Magnesium, Potassium, Selenium, Omega 3 Vit. B1, B3, B5, B6, C, E, Folic acid, Calcium, Iodine, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium, Zinc Vit B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, Iron, Phosphorus, Zinc

WHAT DOES IT DO? Has protein, vitamin B complex which provides energy Helps give cartilage their elasticity Essential fatty acids Good for athletes

Energy food

Helps revive the get up and go

Vit B3, B5, C, Folic acid, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc Vit B1, B2, C, Copper, Potassium. Keeps a strong heart Vit B1, B2, B5, C, E, K, Folic acid, Good for strength and endurance Copper, Iron, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Carotenoids, Monosaturated fats

106

WHAT IS IT? Onion Nhanga, Pumpkin, Mapudzi

Short Banana (like plantains) Mango Paw-paw

Guava

WHAT IS IN IT? Vit. B6, C, Folic acid, Chromium, Copper, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium. Vit B1, B3,B5, B6, C, E, K, Beta carotene, Folic acid, Calcium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium, Zinc Vit B3, B5, B6, C, K, Beta carotene, Folic acid, calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc Vit B3, E, C, Beta carotene, Potassium

WHAT DOES IT DO? Helps break down fats and speed metabolism Great for the immune system. You can tell they are ripe by tapping for a Hollow sound Instant energy booster Soothes overworked body tissue, great for muscle and nerves

Vit. B3, B5, C, Beta carotene, Folic acid, Calcium, Iodine, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium, Zinc Boosts the immune system Vit. B3, B5, B6, C, E, Beta carotene, Folic acid, Calcium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Magnesium Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium, Zinc

107