Try this recipe with Rock Cornish game hens. They are most compatible with the sweet potatoes and bananas. If game hens are not available use chicken. This is a great dish. Don't forget to serve Pilli-pilli as a side dish.
In a 6-quart heavy pan:
Saute: 1/2 cup ONIONS chopped coarsely
Sprinkle: 4 2 1/2-lb. GUINEA HENS or any game hens cut in 8 to 12 pieces each with
Saute on all sides until golden brown.
Add: 2 cups CHICKEN STOCK or WATER
Correct the Seasonings It may need a few drops of Tabasco.
Cook: 2 cups WHITE RICE in
Serve the African fowl over the rice.
In an electric skillet (or large saute pan):
Brown: 3 2 1/2-lb. CHICKENS, cut up in small pieces and seasoned with salt and pepper, in
Remove pieces of chicken as they brown.
Add: 1 cup ONION, chopped finely and
Blend in 2 Tbs. FLOUR.
Add: 2 cups CANNED WHOLE TOMATOES, broken up by hand
Simmer covered for 45 minutes.
Serve over rice (in Portugal mashed potatoes take the place of rice).
In a 4-quart saucepan:
Simmer: 1 5- to 6-lb. FOWL (hen) until fowl is tender
Strain the broth.
Cut fowl away from bones and skin, leaving meat in large chunks.
Slice the carrots.
In a 2-quart saucepan:
Melt 2 oz. BUTTER
Add 6 Tbs. FLOUR and cook until roux thickens.
Add: 3 cups CHICKEN BROTH
Stir until medium sauce consistency.
Beat: 2 EGG YOLKS with
Beat a little sauce into the eggs and then add mixture to pan.
Cook slowly until sauce thickens a little more.
In a 4-quart deep dish (oblong or round):
Lay out the meat uniformly at bottom of pie dish.
Arrange: 3 HARD-BOILED EGGS in slices over the meat and
Spread the sliced carrots over the ham.
Cover with the sauce.
Roll out 1 package PIE CRUST, prepared according to package directions, 1 inch larger than size of dish.
Fold in half and lay it over the pie, then gradually unfold it so that it covers entire dish.
Press along the edge firmly and trim excess. Score in several places to allow steam to escape.
Brush with: 1 EGG thinned with
Bake at 450'F for 10 minutes and reduce heat to 375'F for 30 minutes longer until golden brown.
Prepare the green peppers while the chicken is baking. In the Congo the green peppers are actually burned in the fire until they are quite black and then cooked with the chicken.
Cut 4 2 1/2-lb. CHICKENS in quarters.
Brush with 4 Tbs. MELTED BUTTER and
Sprinkle with SALT.
Arrange chicken quarters on a baking sheet breast side down.
Bake at 350' for 30 minutes and turn them over breast side up.
Blend: 1/2 cup PEANUT BUTTER with
Brush peanut-butter mixture over the chickens to cover completely.
Bake for 15 minutes longer until chicken is done.
Remove from oven.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup CHOPPED PEANUTS uniformly over the chicken.
Blanch 3 GREEN PEPPERS in boiling water until the skins loosen.
Remove skins and seeds and cut peppers into 1-inch strips.
Saute the peppers in just enough VEGETABLE OIL to keep them from burning, and until quite dark brown.
Sprinkle the sauteed peppers around the chicken upon serving.
Serve with yellow rice on a large platter or with Rice Bujambura (page 133).
In a 1-pint saucepan:
Cook the Giblets of 1 6-lb. ROASTING CHICKEN in water to cover.
In a 2-quart bowl:
Combine: 2 cups COOKED SWEET POTATOES or YAMS, mashed
Blend in 2 oz. MELTED BUTTER.
Clean chicken and wipe thoroughly dry.
Stuff bird with above mixture. Also stuff the neck.
Criss-Cross the legs of chicken in front of opening and tie with a clean cord.
Fold skin of neck around back of chicken and skewer down with a strong toothpick.
Force wings around back (this will also hold down skin of neck).
Spread with softened SEASONED BUTTER (see page 227) uniformly on all parts of skin.
Place on a baking pan breast side down, using a "V" rack (purchased in a department store).
Roast at 325'F for 30 minutes.
Turn Bird and continue to roast breast side up for 30 minutes.
Brush from time to time with more softened butter if required.
You may like the brown-bag method of roasting chicken. If so. place chicken in a brown paper bag after brushing with seasoned butter. Roast breast side down at 300'F for 1 hour. Tear away bag, turn, and permit chicken to brown to desired color, breast side up.
This Nigerian recipe is an ideal way to use leftover beef and chicken. Together they make a most appetizing combination. Keep the cold loaf for sandwiches and hors d'oeuvres, etc. It is wonderful for picnics as this loaf is good hot or cold.
In a 2-quart bowl:
Combine leftover chicken and beef to make 2 Ibs. (4 cups firmly packed).
Chop finely or put through a meat grinder.
Add: 1 tsp. SALT
Correct the Seasoning
Pack into a well-greased 2-lb. Ioaf pan.
Bake at 350' for 1 hour.
Unmold and cut in slices.
Use as a meat loaf and serve with your favorite TOMATO SAUCE or CHICKEN GRAVY.
Pearlu Rice is one of the most popular dishes in Liberia. It is a "dinner in a dish" entree and all that is required with it is a green salad such as our Jungle Salad (see page 133).
Serve Pearlu Rice in a large bowl, and allow everyone to help themselves.
Cut 1 3-lb. CHICKEN in 8 serving pieces.
Wash, drain, and dry. Spread out and allow to stand for 15 minutes.
Dip in flour seasoned with SALT, PEPPER, AND PAPRIKA.
In a 9-inch heavy skillet:
Brown chicken in 1 cup COOKING OIL, on all sides.
Transfer to a 6-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot.
Brown 2 Ibs. HAM (oven ready) cut in 1-inch cubes on all sides, in the same skillet.
Add to the pot: 1/2 cup ONIONS chopped coarsely
Blend: 2 quarts WATER
Add the liquid to the pot.
Simmer covered for 30 minutes.
Remove chicken from the pot.
Add 2 1/2 cups BROWN RICE (uncooked).
Cook for 45 minutes, adding water if necessary during cooking.
Return chicken to pot about 5 minutes before ready to serve.
Imoyo refers to the name given dishes of this type by slaves liberated from Brazil who settled in Lagos. Very often onions, peppers, and tomatoes are not cooked but added raw at the last moment. Imoyo is generally served with cassava flour dumplings cooked in the drained chicken stock.
In a 4-quart saucepan:
Place: 2 3-1b. CHICKENS cut in serving pieces.
Simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Add: 4 TOMATOES, cut in halves.
Simmer until vegetables and chicken are cooked.
Correct the Seasoning
Drain vegetables and chicken from the stock and place in serving bowl.
Add 3 Tbs. BUTTER and permit to melt over them.
Use the stock for cooking rice, Ugali, or yams.
It is customary to add 1 or 2 hot red peppers to this dish in Africa, but because of the delicacy of the coconut and the chicken, we suggest that Pilli-pilli be served with the dish separately. The recipe for Pilli-pilli is on page 128.
In a 6-quart Dutch oven or electric skillet:
Saute: 3 medium ONIONS cut in 1/2-inch slices
Add: 4 medium TOMATOES cut in 1/2-inch slices and
Add 2 3-lb. FRYER CHICKENS cut into 8 pieces each.
Saute mixture about 5 minutes.
Add: 2 cups COCONUT MILK (see page 226) and
Simmer gently covered for 30 minutes until potatoes and chicken are done.
Remove the chicken pieces.
Stir the stew thoroughly but carefully so as not to break up vegetables.
Ladle the stew onto a serving platter and arrange the chicken on top. Sauce should be quite thick.
To order a copy of The African Cookbook, please contact:
African Studies Main Menu