Coconut

K is for Kuku Paka 

By / A to Z Challenge, Entrée, Poultry / 2 Comments /

Kuku paka is a chicken and coconut curry, from the coastal East Africa, the region extending from the Northern point of Kenya to the southern point of Tanzania. Kuku means ‘chicken’ in the Swahili language spoken in the area. The dish is also sometimes called ‘kuku na nazi’ (chicken and coconut).

A perfect blend of heady spices and creamy coconut milk, absorbed by chunky pieces of chicken, kuku paka shows African, Arabic, and Indian influences. 

Kuku paka is quite adaptable in that the chicken can be cooked in different ways – charcoal grilled, steamed or braised. Similarly, the sauce can be spicy or mild as per your preference. And as can be imagined, there are quite a few variations of the dish. For this recipe, I’ve used skinless, boneless chicken thighs.

Shrimp or firm fleshed fish can also be substituted for chicken in this dish.

Kuku paka represents rich and well rounded flavors. The dish is usually served with cooked rice, rotis or other flat breads.

K is for Kuku Paka 
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Print Recipe

K is for Kuku Paka 

Author: Ria Cooking Method:Stove-top Cuisine:East African Courses:Entrée Recipe Keys:Chicken, Coconut, Curry
Difficulty:IntermediateServings:6 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. In a food processor or blender, grind together tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic, chiles, cumin and coriander into a coarse paste.
  2. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Apply half of the paste to the chicken and set aside in the fridge to marinate for 1 to 4 hours.
  3. When ready to cook, heat a large pan, (preferably a grill pan) on high heat. Add 2 tablespoon of cooking oil till very hot. Place the chicken pieces in the pan, without overlapping and cook for three minutes.
  4. Reduce the heat to medium and turn over the chicken pieces. Continue to cook for another three to four minutes.
  5. Remove the chicken pieces to a plate and set aside.
  6. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and add the remaining ground paste. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook the paste on medium heat, stirring to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan and burn.
  7. When the paste becomes thick and is almost dry, add the coconut milk to the pan. Mix well, loosening up any bits on the bottom of the pan.
  8. Place the chicken pieces in the pan. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and continue to cook on simmer till the sauce has thickened, and the chicken is cooked through, maybe for another 20 to 25 minutes.
  9. When the sauce starts to stick to the chicken pieces, add the lemon juice to the pan and mix well.
  10. Check the seasoning and turn off the heat. Arrange the chicken pieces on a platter and serve with rice or flat breads.
Keywords:Coconut, Curry, East Africa, Kuku paka, Chicken

Old Fashioned Coconut Macaroons

By / Desserts, Eggs, Snacks / 2 Comments /

If there is any baked goodie that is easier to make than a fruit cobbler, it is a coconut macaroon. A soft slightly chewy center, with a light crisp outside… altogether yum!

 
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Not to be confused with ‘macaron’, the trendy sandwich cookie that has been all the rage recently… that will come later. This is about the egg white and sweetened coconut concoction that is airy and light. But not meringue light, it has some chewiness to it too.

 
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Macaroons have their origin in Italy, during the renaissance period. Initially they were made with almond paste. Later, for the sake of convenience, bakers started replacing the almond paste with either almond meal (powder) or dried sweetened coconut.

 
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The coconut macaroons were popularised by the European Jewish communities who found it suitable for Passover as it was unleavened.

 
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Macarons, the French version which were small round cookies without any coconut added, were developed by the chefs and bakers who accompanied the Italian noblewoman Catherine de Medici to the French court when she became the wife of King Henri 2nd. Like I mentioned earlier, more about them later.

 
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I have made the coconut macaroons with almond and cashew slivers as well, and they do taste great.

 
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However, adding a bit of colour makes you reach straight for them!

 
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Next time, I’ll try spicing them up with some ginger, cinnamon or allspice.

 
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If you would like uniformly shaped macaroons, you can pipe the mix through a star nozzle onto the baking sheet. I am usually too lazy for that; I just shape them into balls by hand.

 
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I like to imagine Nora (the chief protagonist of Henrik Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House) eating coconut macaroons, though Ibsen just uses the generic ‘makroner’ and not ‘kokosmakroner’ in the original Norwegian. Though coconut macaroons are a typical Christmas treat in Norway today, it is unlikely that coconuts were commonly available in the Oslo of 1879, the play’s setting. Still, I see Nora munching on coconut macaroons and they definitely had little specks of red glace cherries on them! 🙂 So here is to the Noras of the world…

 

~Ria

Old Fashioned Coconut Macaroons
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: European
Print
Ingredients
  • 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 4 cups sweetened shredded coconut
  • 10 glace cherries
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp coarse salt
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees farenheit.
  2. Prepare two rimmed baking sheets with parchment.
  3. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together the condensed milk, vanilla extract and the coconut.
  4. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites using a hand-held electric beater, till stiff peaks form, for about three to four minutes.
  5. Using a spatula, gently fold in the beaten egg whites into the coconut mixture, being careful not to overmix.
  6. Lastly sprinkle the salt grains on the mix lightly blend in with the spatula.
  7. With moistened hands, form small balls of about 1 ½ inches diameter and place on the baking sheets, 1 inch apart, giving the macaroons space to expand while baking.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven, for about 22 to 25 minutes, till the top of the macaroons start to brown.
  9. Transfer to a cooling rack and they are ready to go!
  10. Note: These can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three weeks, that is, if they last that long!

 

Kale with Coconut and Garbanzo

By / Beans, Greens, Sides, Vegetarian / 1 Comment /

Winter is here and the hardy kale is one of the staples of the season. Among all the leafy vegetables, it occupies a unique place, in terms of history as well as nutritional benefits. And it has an enduring role in almost all cuisines of the world. Being very versatile, it can be made into a variety of soups, pies, salads, sides… a wide choice indeed!

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Kale is a member of the cabbage family, though the leaves do not form a head in the center. Other members of the family include broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, and brussels sprouts.

The commonly available varieties are curly kale and plain kale, in a dark green to gray green colour. There are also varieties that come in white and purple colour, though not commonly available in the market.

Kale is one of the earliest known vegetable, having been cultivated for over 2,000 years. There is evidence of its consumption in Greece in 4th century BC. It was the most common green vegetable in Europe during the Middle Ages, mainly due to its ability to withstand the harsh winter weather.

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There are several indications of this leafy vegetable’s historical importance in current culture and usage. An example would be the prominence of the word ‘kale’ in Scottish phrases in use even today. A kaleyard or kailyard as it is spelt in Scottish, is a kitchen garden. And the phrase ‘off one’s kale’ actually means too ill to eat!

It is very easy to grow, being tolerant of extremes of weather. However, not all varieties of kale are edible as some are coarse and indigestible.

Kale is rich in vitamin C and K, and beta carotene, in addition to calcium. It is also known to possess anti-cancer and DNA repair properties, along with the ability to lower cholesterol.

The stems of the kale leaves are quite tough and need to be removed. Just cut along the two sides of the stem and to separate and discard it.

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The leaf part can then be sliced to the size you want.

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This dish is simplicity itself, yet tastes great, and is quick to make, with just a few ingredients.

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I have used curly kale and cooked it without adding any extra liquids, which is the best way to cook leafy green vegetables.

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You could easily substitute any other bean like cannellini or butter beans for the garbanzo beans. Best eaten with boiled or steamed rice.

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Did you know that the ornamental kale in white, pink and purple that you see decorating many a front garden is edible as well?

~Ria

Kale with Coconut and Garbanzo
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Sides
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Ingredients
  • 1 bunch curly kale leaves
  • 1 cup heaped, cooked garbanzo beans
  • ½ cup scraped coconut (can be fresh or frozen thawed)
  • 1 medium yellow or white onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp cooking oil
  • A pinch red chili flakes (optional)
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Remove the central stem of the kale leaves. Gather the leaves together into small bunches and slice thinly.
  2. Cut the onion into ¼ inch wedges.
  3. Crush the garlic.
  4. In a large pan, heat the cooking oil.
  5. Add the onion wedges and sauté till they are transparent.
  6. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
  7. Add the kale leaves and stir. The leaves will start to wilt right away.
  8. When they are fully wilted, add the garbanzo beans.
  9. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and mix well.
  10. When all the liquid from the kale has evaporated, in two or three minutes, add the coconut (and the chili flakes, if using) and mix.
  11. Remove from heat and serve right away, as lunch or a side to dinner.