This month's Kitchen Trotter box has arrived and it will be whisking us (or at least our mealtimes) off to Cameroon, a country whose traditions and culture are so diverse that it is nicknamed "Africa in miniature". I have no idea of what Cameroonian cuisine represents so this will definitely be a culinary voyage of discovery.
The first thing out of the box was a pack of African herbal tea, made with kinkeliba, a root that promises to cure all ills. I don't think this will get used but I have a work colleague who is big into herbal teas and natural remedies so I'm sure she'll love it. Next was a bag of White Bissap, dried hibiscus flowers.
On to the tins. First, a tin of pilchards in tomato sauce - not something I'd have associated with African food so I'm looking forward to seeing how they are used. Next was a tin of Bon Mafé, a sort of peanut butter that is widely used in Cameroon cooking or eaten straight from the tin ! This month's spice was White Penja Pepper.
On the left, a sachet of powdered gombo (okra) - I could have done with that when I made gumbo for a #readcookeat recipe recently, to give it its unique jelly-like texture. On the right, a jar of Spicy Pepper Sauce.
The final product, and the one that we found most fascinating - banana plant seeds. It will be great fun trying to make these grow and I'd always assumed that the plants grew from the tiny seeds in bananas.
On to the recipes ...
Fried manioc, also known as cassava, with gumbo. I fell at the first hurdle for this one because apparently it's not the right season for buying cassava.
The main meal is Cameroonian Mafé, a dish with chicken and peanut butter, served with rice.
The dessert is Little Hibiscus Cakes.
And the drink is Pineapple Bissap.
I'll be back with the recipes once I've tried them out !
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Oh, lots of exotic ingredients, how exciting! I have never heard of kinkeliba tea, hope your colleague will enjoy it.
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