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You'll fall in love with these fresh rolls! Pair them with a delicious green curry dipping sauce to complete the meal.

Introduction

I fell in love with the simplicity of fresh rolls since traveling to Bali. They’re on every menu and they all taste amazing! It might just be the tropical heat that makes them taste so good, but I ate my weight in them. It was on my agenda to master making them at home and I decided that filling them with lots of crunchy green stuff would be the game plan. I love that these are all green because, let’s face it, most of my best recipes are brown so it’s nice to change things up! Even if you can’t quite get the hang of rolling them on your first go, it all tastes the same in the end. And just wait until you get that creamy green curry dipping sauce in your mouth. It’s fantastic!

Google / Social Description

Canjeero, are thin pancakes made from a fermented batter. The pancakes are quick to cook and enjoyed in the morning for breakfast.

Introduction

Canjeero, sometimes also called lahoh, are thin pancakes made from a fermented batter. They are similar to Ethiopian injera but lighter in flavor, smaller in size, and faster and easier to make. Instead of ground teff (same thing as teff flour), water, and nothing else (which is how injera is traditionally made), the sourdough starter for canjeero is made with a little bit of yeast, which helps speed up the fermentation, along with ground corn (easier to find in the United States than teff, but you can try teff flour if you have it or any type of ground grain such as sorghum). That starter is then mixed with more water, all-purpose flour, a little baking powder for reassurance, and some sugar and salt for flavor. The mixture can sit for as little as 4 hours or up to overnight (injera typically takes days to ferment). The pancakes are quick to cook and are most typically enjoyed in the morning for breakfast. You can spread each pancake with a little butter, ghee, or sesame oil and sprinkle with sugar if you’d like. Serve with hot tea or, for a special treat, alongside cups of Shaah Cadays (Somali Spiced Tea with Milk). You can also serve canjeero with savory foods in the morning or alongside lunch or dinner. They’re also great for scooping up stewed meats like Somali Beef Stew.

Google / Social Description

These fried plantains are best made with bright yellow plantains. Serve on their own for a snack or as a side to complete a meal.

Introduction

As Ma Vicky taught us, plantains are a huge part of Tanzanian cooking, and there are tons of varietals and different ways of preparing each. These simple fried plantains are best made with bright yellow plantains that are somewhere in between the firm, starchy-green under- ripe plantains and the super-soft, super-sweet, almost-black overripe plantains. Fried in a little butter (or ghee) and finished with a splash of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of both salt and nutmeg, these plantains ride the line between sweet and savory. Serve on their own for a snack or alongside Zanzibar Pilau, cooked vegetables, and grilled meat or fish for a complete meal. You could even sprinkle them with a bit of brown sugar as they cook, finish them with a splash of rum, and serve with vanilla ice cream for a Tanzanian version of bananas foster.

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Banana leaves play the dual role of imparting a floral, sweet, and grassy flavor to the fish as well as keeping it moist.

Introduction

The method of cooking fish in banana leaves inspired this recipe. Banana leaves play the dual role of imparting a floral, sweet, and grassy flavor to the fish as well as keeping it moist. In this recipe, I am more interested in highlighting the slightly bitter-earthy taste and the chewy texture of the collard leaves themselves, along with the tofu that has been soaked in a Jamaican-inspired marinade. Check the technique: After removing the fibrous stems from the collards, I blanch the leaves to soften them a bit. After that, I wrap the leaves around the marinated tofu, adding a sprinkle of crispy garlic before closing it up. Next, I sear the collard packets in a little peanut oil, then serve them over cilantro sauce with a garnish of cilantro leaves and crushed peanuts. If you are having any doubts about the awesomeness of this dish, I will share a quote from Kate Williams, the recipe tester for this book: “My tofu-hating husband loved this, so that’s really saying something!” Use a quality extra-firm tofu like Nasoya. This dish is best eaten with a fork and knife.

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Serve this dish in shallow bowls with thick pieces of crispy French bread to sock up the delicious sauce.

Introduction

You won’t find any barbecue sauce in the model/chef/restaurateur B. Smith’s dish of shrimp in spiced butter sauce: “Barbecue shrimp” is just the name Louisiana Creole cooks assigned to shrimp braised in wine, beer, or a garlic-butter sauce.

I like to make this dish spicy, in a cast-iron skillet, and served in shallow bowls with hunks of crisp French bread to soak up the sauce. It’s classic NOLA. Shaking the pan back and forth during cooking time is a trick that helps give the sauce more body than stirring.

Google / Social Description

The greens combined with the radishes, eggs, bacon, and tomatoes, this makes for a quick and easy, yet flavourful dish.