Cajun Fish

I learnt to enjoy eating fish after moving to Tanzania. It's fresh and doesn't have that fishy taste after cooking. This is very simple mid week supper.

Serving 2

Red Snapper but any fish fillet would be fine. Sprinkle generously on both sides of fillets with:

1. Olive oil
2. Cajun spice depending how hot you desire. ( I used one with grinder bottle, not the powder)
   
3. Sea salt
4. Garlic cloves crushed
5. Lemon juice
   
6. Corriander leaves chopped
   

Cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature and heat grill or frying pan lightly greased until it starts to smoke. Add fish and cook one side completely for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and cook the other side.

Serve with stir fried vegetables, pan roasted potatoes and tartar sauce.

Tartar sauce: Take 2 heaped tablespoons of mayo, add 1/2 lemon juice, 1 small gherkin with 1 tsp liquid, add seeded red chilli optional. Final sprinkle sea salt and black pepper.

Cooking For Two

Yogurt Mashed Potatoes with Jumbo Prawns:

1. Mash 3 boiled potatoes, add 2 Tb plain yogurt, salt n pepper to taste.Whip it good.
2. Cut julienne 1 cup cabbage, 1 medium size carrot, 1 medium green pepper. Heat frying pan or wok with 2 tsp olive oil and saute mix veg until crispy and done. Add salt n pepper to taste.
3. Steam or boil 4 broccoli flowers.
   
4. Marinate 8 jumbo prawns with 1 Tb olive oil, 2 Tb pressed garlic, 2 Tb finely chopped corriander leaves (cilantro), 1.5 tsp salt and pepper to taste. Let it marinate for at least 1 hour. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in medium frying pan and stir fry prawns for 5 minutes.
   
5. Slice 1 small onion and fry on low with 1 tsp olive oil until caramalized.
6. Assembly: Spread half cup of prepared mashed potatoes, add heaped 2 Tbs mix veg, then 2 broccoli flowerets, on top 4 prawns and finally caramalized onion. Drizzle tabasco if desired.
   

Bollywood Masala!!

In Dar we have cute "Little Theatre". It's a social club where local artists or not so artist but can join to learn or show any talent. This year for their annual ball the theme is Hollywood Goes To Bollywood". Interesting one; I personally never be able to thought that one out. May be because I don't watch bollywood movies anymore but I love all hollywood. I remember as a little girl (late 80) we used to watch indian movies secretly in Pakistan...and all night long. I remember summer holidays and sweet mangoes and all that my mom would prepare for the movie parties. So I thought I should reconnect with my past happy days and join bollywood masala. The auditions happened and I was the only desi girl to dance and teach. It was less challenging for me than all other girls who doesn't know the language and to dance thumkaas in ghagraas (heavy skirts). We all did it and finalized the song. Karen is one hyper woman who is a teacher , aerobic instructor and learned bollywood thumkaas so well encouraged me all the way to the end. The song is "Honthon Pe Aisi Baat" from the movie Jewel Thief. Its a sexy great song and all girls look sexy dancing as well. The show must go on Sat Oct 13th. The picture above is from our practice session. Where we practice and have all silly fun.

Garlic Prawns

Take 1kg peeled, tail on prawns, Add 8 big cloves crushed garlic, juice of 1 lemon, 5 tb semi-melted butter or olive oil, 1 tb parsley flakes. Marinate for 30 mins and grill. They will be gone fast.

Beef Mishkaki (Tanzanian Cuisine)

It's Tanzanian street food which I always loved the aroma but never desired to buy from corner street vender's or had guts to digest. I have to admit I do like mishkaki i.e small succulent morsels of marinated beef on the bbq from few acceptable restaurants here in Dar-Es-Salaam so I asked my house girl the recipe and together we now bbq the best...yes I am bragging about it. Here is the roughly estimated recipe.

Beef fillet or rump steak cut into small pieces 1 kg
Fresh Ginger 2 to 3 Tb
Fresh Garlic 2 to 3 Tb
Onion thinly sliced 1 medium
Whipping Cream 1 cup
Tikka/Bbq Masala 2 Tb available at indian store. I prefer brand Shan Masala, any brand be ok
Lemon juice 3 Tb
Salt 2 tsp
Oil 5 Tb

Fry the onion in oil until golden brown. Marinate beef with all above ingredients and refrigerate for 6 hours or over night. The longer the better tender beef would be.

Thread beef into skewers and grill for 10 to 15 minutes or until done. Don't over cook, medium well tastes better.

ARE YOU OVERWEIGHT?

DO YOU KNOW YOUR BODY FAT? LEARN TO KNOW YOUR
BODY MASS INDEX, YOUR JOURNEY FROM FAT TO FIT

Have you gained weight? Do you still have that dress or jeans hanging back in your closet that once fit you and may be one day after losing few kilograms and inches you will wear it again for your special one. Weight is the issue we always holding on to the truth. I have seen patients especially young women who would not stand on the weighing scale in front of their family or friends. So you admit about your “big” status and yes it is not solely your fault either. Who to blame? Answer is food glorious food. Who can resist mouth watering, pile high mega size chips with fried chicken? And it tastes so delicious anyone can become ravenous and lick it off to the last grain of salt. You said: true but your honey loves eating junk food and he or she doesn’t put on weight. So now you are blaming your honey is making you fat! Keep in mind we are what we eat.

According to WHO, the projected prevalence of overweight individuals aged 30 years or more in Africa for 2005 was 24% for men and 36% for women. These numbers are projected to increase in next 10 years to 30% for men and 41% for women. WHO also estimates that at least 80% of premature heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes can be prevented through healthy diet and regular physical activity. This change of life style will in turn, would save almost 3 million lives during the next 10 years in African population. To further narrow down on facts, Professor Kinabu on September 14, 2006 at the book launch “The Executive Life Styles” mentioned that 50% of Tanzanians are overweight with the BMI of more than 25.

The epidemic of obesity is growing amongst Tanzanians so you are not alone but consider this your wake up call and all you need is strong will power plus confidence within yourself to migrate from being fat to fit.

First step to explore weight status is to find out your BMI, which is Body Mass Index. It is calculated by simple mathematical formula, and the value obtained gives an estimation of body fat based on height and weight. It is also an essential screening tool for all doctors and nurses initial physical examination. Assessing the BMI is vital for promoting your health.

There are many methods to determine BMI. Choose one that suits you from standard or metric method. Following is the metric calculation for both adult men and women of all ages. Take your present weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.

Example: weight 60 kg ÷ height (1.52)² meters = 26 is the BMI.

If you know your height in centimeters, simply divide height in centimeters by 100

Example: height 152 cm ÷ 100 = 1.52 meters.

Alternately you can log on the website www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi for BMI calculator.

Now that you have your results, interpret to determine if you need to lose or gain weight; or give yourself a hug for being just right. The normal BMI for adults 20 years and older is between the range of 18.5 ­­­­­­­­– 24.9. If your reading is below 18.5, you might be underweight and referring to a physician would be a good idea to rule out your nutritional status. A low reading is associated with higher mortality rates due to eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, bulimia or other medical conditions. A BMI over 25 is considered as overweight and those with a BMI over 30 are considered obese. Above 40 would be classified as extreme obesity.

Conversely, BMI is a significant tool for quick answer about obesity; there are few limitations as well. Many times I have seen patients with high BMI but they have appeared physically fit. For example athletes may have high BMI which is because of their muscular built. Muscle is denser and heavier than fat. Therefore, a heavy muscled person’s BMI can be misleading who weigh more than average for their height but do not carry excess body fat. Similarly BMI readings could affect obesity relationship in older individuals who have lost muscle mass. Also is not for pregnant and breast feeding women as there is different formula to measure their body fat.

It is imperative in addition to the calculation of BMI is your waist circumference measurement. Body fat that accumulates around the abdomen is another predictor of being overweight and at high risk for heart and other diseases.

To measure your waist circumference place a tape measure around your waist at the level of hip bone. Men tends to collect fat around waist and stomach, can I say “beer belly”.
In comparison, women carry more fat on their hips, buttocks and thighs. Men who have waist circumference more than 40 inches and women greater than 35 inches have excess abdominal fat and are prone to many health problems. Gentlemen it is about time to tackle your beer belly, you got nothing to lose but growing fat. Your pants will fit better and health will also improve.

High range of BMI and waist circumference puts you at increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke; and osteoarthritis and may cause loss of memory in the old age as well.

If you have a sedentary lifestyle meaning sitting or inactive most of the day at home or even in the office, let me put it bluntly that you are abusing your body. Find at least 10 to 15 minutes each waking hour to engage yourself in some sort of activity like walking, stretching. Adopt a hobby or project with your partner, friends and family to get yourself moving plus it will improve your relationship, now that is a bonus. Regular exercise every day for only 30 minutes will show positive health results. A small weight loss of just 10% of your current weight will reduce your risk of developing diseases associated with obesity.

To conclude, if your body mass index is above 25 and waist circumference greater than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men, please consult your doctor for a complete physical examination. Eat sensibly and exercise regularly to lose weight and have better health and life.

Never Too Young To Die

STROKE IS ANOTHER LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AMONGST TANZANIANS.

Juma 43 years old, father of two children had first episode of stroke when he was 39. He claimed himself to be a healthy man and hardly visited doctor before stroke. He worked as a consultant and made comfortable living for his family. On January 7, 2005 at a meeting after lunch Juma started a throbbing headache that didn’t get better after taking pain killer. He ignored and continued with meeting and finished his work. At home he tried to rest but felt uncomfortable with weakness in right side of his body. He made it through the night and managed to report to work the next morning. Juma felt better so he changed his mind to see the doctor due to the fact that hospitals are busy and the services are often slow. Life went smoothly until after one year when Juma got same symptoms but he thought he will get better after 24 hours but instead his condition got worse to the extent that he completely lost sensation in his right side of the body. Colleagues rushed him to the hospital but unfortunately Juma’s brain suffered from low oxygen far too long. Juma was diagnosed as having a stroke that resulted in complete paralysis. Juma stays at home now and his wife works as a school teacher. They never thought life would take a turn like this facing such disability and suffering before retirement.

Potential consequences of stroke can affect financial, social and psychological aspect of an individual or family. Stroke is the third largest cause of the death in the world. According to an article by RW Walker et al. in Lancet 2000 titled ‘stroke mortality in urban and rural Tanzania’, about 5.5% of total deaths in adults more than 15 years were attributed to cerebrovascular accident. This observational study was carried out over a 3 year period with 3 surveillance population of Dar-es-Salaam, Morogoro and Hai district. The author concluded that high mortality because of cerebrovascular accident in adults is most likely due to untreated hypertension.

WHAT IS STROKE? (CEREBROVASCULAR ACCIDENT)

A stroke occurs when the normal flow of blood to part of the brain is blocked or interrupted due to a clot or burst of a blood vessel. Blood carries oxygen to the brain therefore, due to this obstruction brain will not receive blood and oxygen and eventually brain cells will die causing stroke symptoms.

CLASSIFICATION:

Two types of stroke:
Ischemic Stroke
Hemorrhagic Stroke

Ischemic Stroke: (Brain Attack): It is an urgent medical situation just like a heart attack. 75 to 80 percent of strokes are Ischemic, caused by a clot or narrowing of an artery due to fatty deposits. Brain cells will not receive blood and oxygen thus will die causing stroke symptoms.

Hemorrhagic Stroke: Caused by bleeding in the brain resulting from head injury or a ruptured of weakening or bulge in an artery.

A Transient Ischemic Attack or TIA is a temporary interruption of blood flow to the brain. Stroke symptoms clear within 24 hours but without treatment the individual is at high risk to develop stroke during the following five years.

RISK FACTORS:

High blood pressure
Atherosclerosis (Thickening and hardening of the artery due to fatty deposits)
Diabetes Mellitus
Stress
Obesity
Anticoagulation Therapy
Oral Contraceptives

WARNING SIGNS: IMMEDIATELY RUSH TO THE HOSPITAL IF YOU HAVE ANY OF THESE SIGNS.

1. Sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg especially on one side of the body.
2. Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
3. Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
4. Sudden loss of balance, trouble walking and dizziness.
5. Sudden, severe headache with no cause.

Ref: http://www.strokeassociation.org/

COMPLICATIONS:

If signs and symptoms of stroke are ignored, damage to brain will occur, causing paralysis, disability or even death. Stroke may cause problems with thinking, judgment, memorizing, and difficulty in understanding or forming speech. Depression and uncontrolled emotions may occur.