Nsima

“Nsima isn’t just an important part of our diet—our bodies depend on it the same way fish need water. If a foreigner invites a Malawian to supper and serves him plates of steak and pasta and chocolate cake for dessert, but no nsima, he’ll go home and tell his brothers and sisters, “There was no food there, only steak and pasta. I hope tonight I can sleep.”

-The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Nsima Recipe

Ingredients:1 cup cornmeal2-3 cups water
Directions:

Heat 2 ½ cups of water over medium heat so that it is beginning to steam but DO NOT BOIL
Slowly add cornmeal little by little, stirring constantly to avoid lumps
Continue stirring and bring to a boil
Lower heat and let mixture simmer for 2 minutes more, until thickened (add more water if necessary)

*To make like William Kamkwamba in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Let mixture cool and form into patties. Eat with stewed greens, seeds, and fish/meat*

Nsima is a staple food for many African nations, including Malawi (as in the book/movie The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind). A simple porridge-like mixture of ground cornmeal and water, many families eat nsima daily as their main source of carbohydrates. This food is relatively easy to make, versatile, and can be adjusted to the texture of your liking. It pairs well with any vegetable and protein source to make a complete meal.

Nsima.mp4

Malawian ʻAmaʻama (Fried Fish in Gravy)

This recipe comes from a version of Malawian Chambo from the website "Marty Made It", which was modified to use some more of our Hawaiʻi grown products. Although we can get tilapia, we swapped it for ʻamaʻama which are raised in our loko iʻa (fishponds). In place of apricots in the fruit chutney, we used locally grown papaya. Ingredients: 1 whole ʻamaʻama fish (cleaned and gutted)Lemon juiceFlour1 large onion chopped2 Tablespoons Malawi curry powder1 cup water1 carrot, chopped1 green pepper, chopped¼ cup fruit chutney
Instructions:

Clean fish and cut into fillets
Salt and sprinkle fillets with lemon juice
Roll fillets in flour, tap off any excess
Heat about 4 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan and fry the fillets for about 4 minutes per side and remove the fillets. Place on a plate until later.

On a heated skillet with oil, saute chopped onions over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until translucent.
Mix in 2 Tbsp, of the curry spice blend and fry with the onions for about 2 minutes.
Add 1 ½ cups of water, stirring so all the spice blend is evenly distributed.
Add in the chopped carrots and green pepper and turn heat to a simmer. Simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.
Add in fruit chutney and stir.
Place ʻamaʻama fillets back into the saucepan and make sure they are covered by the gravy.
Close the lid and let the fish rest for a few minutes.
Serve over nsima with lots of sauce. Enjoy!

Page updated

Report abuse