Coconut Chapatis

While on safari in Tanzania, dinner at many of the lodges, bush homes and camps that we visited there was a somewhat traditional meal option. Very often we were served pumpkin soup to start with.   However, while we were camping in the Serengeti NP we had the opportunity to eat a traditional East African meal of curried plantains, curried chicken (which were probably really guinea-fowl), and some pork (probably wart hogs) in a sauce. Most of the dinner meals had rice or Ugali, which is a corn mush, for the starch. I wish I had taken more notes on all of the food but I was more into the animals. For breakfast each morning we were served a typical English breakfast buffet of bacon/sausage, grilled tomato, scrambled eggs and not so typical on an English breakfast buffet but typical in Africa, fruit galore. Because we spent most of the day in the bush we had box lunches with chicken, a hard-boiled egg, chips, and something for dissert like a candy bar/chocolate.

The one thing that was consistent with all of our meals no matter where we were was the Chapatis (Indian flat bread), which I could never get enough of. I’ve attempted other recipes but adding the coconut milk gave them a tenderness and a little bit of sweetness without giving them a strong coconut flavor. Chapatis are used to sop up sauces and to pick up bits of food in place of a fork.


4 c............. Flour
1 tsp.......... Salt
1 can......... Coconut Milk
as needed Ghee


1. Place flour and salt in a bowl and stir in coconut milk.
2. Divide dough into 9 equal balls and thinly roll out each one on a floured board.
3. Brush each with ghee and fry.

Be creative, have fun and enjoy!!!

Fried Fish w/ Coconut

A baby elephant that acted like it was going to charge us in
Tarangire National Park

A few years back my husband a parents had the privilege to go to Africa on safari. It was a dream of mine from when I was a very small girl. And it was more then I could have ever had imagined. We saw everything & lots of everything. We stayed in bush homes which are like Bed & Breakfasts, lodges, & we camped in the Serengeti for 5 nights.


At each place the food was wonderful. One night in particular while camping in the Serengeti we had a very traditional meal. It was so good. This fish dish is one of those things I have tried to match from memory. I will also be doing a cooking class with some of the other items that we had there. If interested it is on July 31. For my cooking class schedule of all my classes it is on the top left of this page.

Fish 

1 lb................. White Fish 

1 Tbs.............. Lime Juice
½ tsp.............. Garlic Powder
1 tsp............... Cinnamon
½ tsp.............. Thyme
½ tsp.............. Paprika
to taste........... Salt & Pepper
as needed...... Flour
as needed...... Peanut Oil

Sauce
2 Tbs............ Ghee
1 ea.............. Onion
1 ea.............. Garlic Cloves
1 can............ Coconut Milk
½ bu............. Spinach
½ lb.............. Shrimp

1. Sprinkle fish with lime juice.
2. Mix dry spices together and sprinkle over fish.
3. Let set in refrigerator for a few hours.
4. Meanwhile, heat ghee in large pan and add diced onion and chopped garlic.
5. Sauté until golden.
6. Place spinach and coconut milk in a pot and bring to a boil then puree.
7. Add to the onions with the shrimp and cook until shrimp are done.
8. Coat fish in flour and fry in oil. 

9. Place on a dish and cover with sauce.


Be creative, have fun & enjoy!!!