Let’s travel northbound and visit different regions in our special continent, each one boasting its own unique flavours and stories. 

Food throughout Africa is as diverse as the grains of sand around the world. In our research for this issue, it’s become clear that not only do the ingredients, flavours and dishes change throughout countries, but across regions, biomes, cultures as well as communities and homes. Differences in climate, terrain, foreign influence and the effects of colonialism have influenced the kinds of fresh produce and livestock available in any given region.

As a result, the flavours from each microcosm of African experience have been built and protected for centuries through community, movement, joy, pain, heritage as well as necessity. While it’s simply impossible to narrow them all down into just a few pages, we’re paying homage to a few of our favourite dishes and the joy that they bring. 

Western Africa 

Characterised by starchy staples such as rice cassava and pounded yams, West African cooking is bountiful and colourful. Ingredients in this corner of the continent include aromatic chilli, garlic and red palm oil, while main attractions such as goat, okra and black-eyed beans are often featured on plates, too. 

Chicken Yassa 

Serves 6 

It’s the tart yet sweet, caramelised onions that pull this delicious meal together. Use mixed chicken pieces to save on cost. 

Ingredients

For the marinated chicken 

1kg bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks
½ cup lemon juice
1 onion, diced 
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
3 tsp Dijon mustard Salt and milled pepper  

For the yassa 

1 Tbsp canola oil 
3 onions, thinly sliced 
3 cloves garlic, minced 
1 tsp Dijon mustard 
3 cups chicken stock 
1 scotch bonnet chilli, halved 
2 bay leaves 
3 cups cooked white rice or couscous, for serving 
Handful chopped parsley, for serving 

Method

1. Place marinated chicken ingredients in a resealable plastic bag. 
2. Toss mixture together to coat and refrigerate for at least two hours, preferably overnight. 
3. Remove chicken from the marinade, then spoon out onions and set aside. Reserve marinade liquid. 
4. Heat a large glug of oil in a pot over high heat. Add chicken, brown in batches in a hot pan for 5-8 minutes, or until charred and caramelized. Set aside. 
5. In the same pot, add the marinated onions and the fresh onions and fry for 10 minutes until soft and caramelised. 
6. Add the garlic and mustard and fry for about 30 seconds. 
7. Return the chicken to the pot and pour in the marinade liquid, stock, chilli and bay leaves. 
8. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook on the stove for 1 hour until tender. 
9. Serve chicken yassa on a bed of fluffy white rice or couscous, topped with parsley.

Cook’s note:  These can be brushed with oil and baked in your air-fryer, too. 

 

Northern Africa 

Flavours influenced by Arabic-, French- and Spanish cuisine stews, copious amounts of veggies and syrupy desserts topped with honey as an assortment of nuts. 

Tunisian brik  

Makes 9  

This breakfast snack is usually made with a homemade pastry resembling phyllo. To speed things up, we used store-bought phyllo to create a pouch that’s just as crispy! 

Ingredients

3 potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt 
1 tsp ground cumin 
1 tsp ground coriander 
½ tsp milled pepper 
½ cup (20g) finely chopped parsley 
2 Tbsp harissa paste 
1 can (170g) tuna, drained well and flaked 
6 sheets phyllo pastry, defrosted 
Butter, for brushing 
3-4 small eggs, scrambled
1 egg white, whisked
½ cup Cheddar, grated ‘
½ cup capers, drained and rinsed 
Lemon wedges, for serving  

Method

1. Place potatoes in a pot of salted boiling water and cook until fully tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain.
2. Add potatoes to a bowl along with oil, seasonings, parsley, harissa and tuna. Mash into a coarse mixture using a potato masher or fork. 
3. Place 3 sheets of phyllo pastry on a work surface. Cut each into three strips to create 9 rectangles (about 12x30cm). 
4. Place a single strip in front of you, keeping the rest covered under a damp tea towel to prevent drying out.
5. Spoon 2-3 Tbsp of the potato mixture onto the left-hand bottom corner of the rectangle, leaving a 1.2cm border along the two corner sides. 
6. Make a well in the centre of the mixture, then spoon 1-2 Tbsp of scrambled egg into the space. Top with a small sprinkle of cheese and season. 
7. Brush the remaining pastry with egg white (this will act as glue) and continue to fold over itself until you reach the end. Press edge down to seal tightly. 
8. Repeat with remaining mixture and pastry to create 9 briks. 
9. Heat oil and shallow fry the pockets in batches until golden, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. 
10. Enjoy hot as a breakfast snack or pack into lunchboxes for school.

 

Lamb tagine 

Serves 4 

The term “tagine” refers to the pot used, as well as the dish being eaten. The conical lid guides steam upward into the cone, where it condenses and gently falls back into the base of the pot, making a tender dish with fall-apart meat. 

Ingredients

3 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and milled pepper
1kg Iamb stewing meat, cubed 
1 Tbsp butter 2 onions, grated 
3 cloves garlic, crushed 
2 Tbsp grated ginger
¼ cup ras-el-hanout spice
Pinch saffron threads (optional) 
2 cinnamon sticks 
2 Tbsp honey 
3 cups chicken stock 
50g dried apricots 

For serving 

3 cups cooked white rice
Handful coriander, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp slivered almonds, toasted (optional) 

Method

1. Heat oil over high heat in a tagine or regular pot, season the lamb and brown in batches for 10 minutes. Set aside. 
2. Lower heat and add butter and onions, then fry for 10 minutes until caramelised.
3. Add garlic, ginger, ras-el-hanout spice and saffron, then fry for another 2 minutes. 
4. Add cinnamon, honey and stock, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. 
5. Cook for 1 hour, add apricots then cover and cook until thickened, about 40 minutes. 
6. Serve lamb tagine spooned over a bed of rice. Scatter with coriander and slivered almonds.

Did you know?  

Tagine doesn’t need to be cooked in a tagine for it to be delicious. It can be made in a casserole dish, Dutch oven or a heavy-bottom pan with a lid. It’s usually cooked over coals, but can also be made over the stove, in the oven or even a pressure cooker. You can also use lamb knuckles, shoulder or shanks. 

 

Eastern Africa 

The fiery kick of Indian and Portuguese influence flows through East African cooking, where ladles of grains and seafood are lovingly prepared. While red meat has less of a hold on this cuisine, goat and chicken do feature often. 

Ugandan Rolex  

Makes 1 

We couldn’t miss this easy, classic dish of `rolled eggs’ made using fresh chapati folded up with a warm omelette. 

Ingredients

2 eggs, whisked 
Pinch of salt
5g coriander, chopped
½ salad tomato, finely diced
¼ red onion, finely diced
¼ green pepper, finely diced
Canola oil, for frying
1 chapati or roti 
Salt and milled pepper 

Method

1. Place eggs, salt, coriander and chopped veggies in a bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Add a glug of oil to a 24cm pan over high heat. 
3. Pour egg mixture onto the pan and cook for 1 minute or until firm but not fully cooked. 
4. Place a chapati (or roti) on top of the omelette, press gently to seal against the egg and cook for another minute. 
5. Carefully flip the omelette over, chapati-side down, and toast for another 30 seconds. Slide out onto a serving plate.
6. Immediately roll up chapati to create a swirled wrap. 
7. Season and serve warm.

Berbere spice mix

An essential spice used in Ethiopian cooking, it is fragrant with a slight kick – perfect for coating meat and adding flavour to stews.  

Ingredients

8 dried chillies, seeded and finely chopped 
3 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp ground coriander 
1 tsp onion powder 
1 tsp ground ginger 
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon 
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground allspice 
Generous pinch of nutmeg  

Method

1. Add berbere spices to a pan on low heat and toast for 1-2 minutes. Remove and stir together. 
2. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

 

Central Africa 

The centre of the continent is home to a more traditional approach to food. Without much foreign influence, food has remained simple. Cassava, plantain and spinach are grown and prepared locally, while grains such as sorghum and millet are firm favourite 

Sudanese Bashousa 

Makes 20-25 

This coconut cake has distinct Middle Eastern charm, marked by its semolina batter that is submerged in condensed milk sugar syrup. 

Ingredients

For the cake  

1 cup (220g) granulated sugar 
2 tsp (10ml) baking powder
1 tsp (5m1) bicarbonate of soda
1¾ cup (430ml) plain yoghurt
3 cups (540g) semolina flour 
½ cup (125g) butter, melted 
1½ cup (150g) desiccated coconut
2 Tbsp (30ml) tahini paste, for coating 
Small handful slivered almonds 
2 Tbsp finely chopped pistachios (optional) 

For the syrup 

2 cups (400g) sugar
2 cups (500ml) water
½ can (193g) condensed milk
2 Tbsp (30ml) rose water 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
2. Place sugar, baking powder, bicarb and yoghurt into a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside for a few minutes until the mixture begins to bubble. 
3. Stir through semolina, butter and coconut -the batter will be thick and dough-like. 
4. Line the base and sides of a 20x20cm square tin and brush over with tahini. 
5. Scoop batter into tin and smooth over with a spatula. Slice diamond-shaped portions into the batter and dot each one with an almond sliver 
6. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until golden, the cake only having risen slightly. 
7. For the syrup, place sugar and water into a pot over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil for 5 minutes until slightly thickened, then remove from heat. 
8. Stir through the condensed milk and rose water. 
9. Just before taking the cake out of the oven, heat the syrup until bubbling again, then immediately drench cake in half the syrup, allowing it to absorb before pouring over the rest. Set aside to cool completely. 
10. Re-slice the cake pieces. Serve with tea or package Basbousa in a container as a gift.

 

Puff puff

Makes 6-8 cups  

A Cameroonian version of amagwinya, these bites are also eaten throughout the continent, especially in Nigeria. 

Ingredients

2½ tsp (12.5ml) instant yeast
1 cup (250g) lukewarm milk
½ cup (100g) sugar 
3 Tbsp (45g) melted butter 
1 tsp (5m1l) vanilla essence
1 tsp (5m1) ground cinnamon
3½ cups (525g) cake flour
1 tsp (5ml) salt 
1½ cups (375ml) warm water
Vegetable oil, for deep frying
Icing sugar, for dusting 

Method

1. Place yeast and milk in a bowl with 1 tsp of the sugar. Stir and set aside for 5 minutes until frothy. 
2. Stir in the butter and vanilla then set aside. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining sugar, cinnamon, flour, salt and warm water. 
4. Add the milk mixture and stir until smooth. Cover with clingfilm directly on the surface of the dough. Set mixture aside to proof (rise) for 1 hour. 
5. Heat oil in a medium pot for deep-frying until shimmering hot. 
6. Add a small spoonful of batter to the oil to test the temperature: If it immediately starts to fry, the oil hot enough, but if it drops to the bottom then the oil needs to be hotter. 
7. Oil your hands and take a scoopful of the batter. Drop 1-2cm portions of batter by slowly opening and closing the bottom of your fist. The balls should be small and will grow in size once they begin to fry. (Use an oiled teaspoon instead, if you prefer.) 
8. Cook batter for 1-2 minutes, until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Continue with remaining batter to make 6-8 cups of deep-fried balls.
9. Dust puff puff in a generous amount of icing sugar.

Cooks note: For a sweet treat, serve with melted chocolate and jam 

 

By: Sjaan van der Ploeg
Photography by: Zhann Solomons
Text courtesy of MyKitchen magazine