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.
   

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.