60. Congo

Bananes plantains 
Green plantains
it's so much faster and easier to cook them in the microwave! Give it about two minutes apiece, and they're done.

Gingery Grilled Quail

Ingredients

For the seasoning

• 1 packed Tbs. dark brown sugar
• 1 Tbs. sesame seeds
• 2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. wasabi powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 Tbs. olive oil; more for the grill
• 8 quail (6 to 8 oz. each), semiboneless or whole, spatchcocked if whole

For the glaze

• 1/2 cup mirin
• 1/2 cup sake
• 1 Tbs. grated fresh ginger
• 1 Tbs. finely chopped garlic
• 1 tsp. Asian (toasted) sesame oil
• 1 tsp. soy sauce or tamari

For the butter

• 1 packed Tbs. dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp. soy or tamari sauce
• 2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened

For the garnish

• Thinly sliced scallions
• Flaky sea salt (optional)

• Preparation

  Season the birds

  • In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, sesame seeds, ginger, coriander, wasabi, and salt.
  • Rub the quail all over with the oil, then with the seasoning, using most of it on the meatier side of the birds.
  • If using semiboneless quail, consider skewering them, using two skewers threaded through each side as shown in the photo, for easier handling.
  
  

  Make the glaze

  • In a small saucepan, whisk the mirin, sake, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and soy sauce over high heat, and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, whisking occasionally, until reduced to about 1/2 cup, 10 to 20 minutes. Set aside.
  
  

  Make the butter

  • In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, ginger, and soy sauce, and allow to sit for 5 minutes for the flavors to develop. Add the butter, and stir to combine. Set aside.
  
  

  Grill and glaze the quail

  • Prepare a high (500°F to 600°F) gas or charcoal grill fire. Oil the grate.
  • Grill the quail, breast sides down, until the skin has nice grill marks; 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the birds over, brush with the glaze, and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes on that side.
  • Finish grilling the birds over indirect heat: For a gas grill, simply turn off all but one of the burners and adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a temperature of 350°F.
  • For a charcoal grill, briefly remove the birds from the grill, then remove the grill grate. Use long-handled tongs to bank the hot coals to one side. Put the grate in place. Place an oven thermometer on the grate over the cooler area, close the lid, and let the coals burn down until the thermometer reads about 350°F.
  • Transfer the birds to the cooler side of the grill and continue cooking, breast side up, brushing with the glaze every couple of minutes until the glaze is used up and the quail are medium rare or medium, 8 to 10 minutes. You may want to rotate the position of the birds so the same ones are not always closest to the heat.
  
  

  Butter, garnish, and serve

  • Transfer the birds to a cutting board, breast side up, and spread with some of the butter. Tent with foil for 5 minutes. Cut into halves, garnish with the chopped scallions and salt, and pass the remaining butter at the table.

  • Saka-Saka (Leaves of Cassava) - Congo Brazza

  • 
    

    ingredients

    • 3 balls of frozen saka-saka (exotic store)
    • 4 fresh mackerel prepared by your fishmonger
    • 2 green peppers
    • 2 whole leeks
    • 2 eggplants
    • 1 beautiful zucchini
    • 1 jar of peanut paste
    • Palm oil (a whole bottle)
    • 3 bay leaves
    • 7 cloves of garlic
    • 3 onions
    • Salt (not much)

    

    Preparation

    • The day before, remove the plastic saka balls and put the contents in a casserole or a large Dutch oven filled with water. Let boil without the lid for about 1:30 with a little salt, all over medium heat, mixing occasionally.
    • The time elapsed, the green must start from, pour a little water, cover the Dutch oven and let it simmer, stirring regularly for about 6 hours. Wait until the preparation reduces. If the cassava leaves are still hard, continue cooking, otherwise leave until the next day, warming up just before going to bed and thinking about setting the oven on fire (to prevent the saka from cooling too much).
    • The next day, cut all the vegetables in large chunks, put them in the pan, then cook over medium-low heat for 2 hours, stirring often (here, we cook for a very long time because the balls of cassava leaves have remained several months in the freezer, otherwise you can reduce the cooking a little).
    • Saute the chopped garlic and onion, mix together and just put the whole mackerel on top so that they warm up.
    • Fifteen minutes later, remove the fish, remove the edges to extract the flesh. Stir in the stew, stir in the cooked vegetables with a large wooden spoon and let reduce another 45 minutes.
    • Then gradually add the peanut paste by diluting it well with the preparation, then slowly pour the palm oil. Simmer for ten minutes over low heat, then drop the bay leaves and salt slightly if necessary. Ten minutes later, it's ready. Warm up your saka-saka at the last moment before serving.

    The chef's council

    With this amount, you have it for the whole family! Freeze the surplus, it takes a month in the freezer without problem.
    Enjoy it with foufou (wheat semolina), plantains and / or rice, cassava (exotic store) or yam (to be cooked in a pot of boiling salted water like potatoes but cut -in very large quarters and add no seasoning other than the salt of cooking), all accompanied by grilled meat!
  • 
    

    MOAMBE CHICKEN (POULET À LA MOAMBÉ)

  • INGREDIENTS

    40 minutes

    • 1 3-4 lb (1.4-2 kg) chicken, quartered (or chicken pieces)
    • 6 tablespoons (88ml) organic red palm oil
    • 2 medium onions, diced
    • 3 cloves of garlic, pressed
    • 6 oz (170g) can of tomato paste
    • 14.5oz (411g) can of diced tomatoes
    • 1 in (2.5mm) ginger root, grated
    • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 1 cup (237ml) water
    • salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
    • ½ cup (125g) natural peanut butter

    INSTRUCTIONS

    Prep

    10 minutes

    Cook

    30 minutes

    Ready in

    40 minutes

    1. Dry chicken pieces well with paper towels
    2. Heat heavy Dutch oven with palm oil on high until shimmering, almost smoking
    3. Sear chicken in batches until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes per side, remove and set-aside
    4. Turn heat to medium-low and sauté onions until golden brown, add garlic stirring constantly and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds
    5. Add tomato paste, continuing to stir, cooking until paste darkens slightly, about 3 minutes
    6. Mix in diced tomatoes, ginger, red pepper flakes, water and salt. Return chicken to Dutch oven
    7. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes
    8. Pull off about 1-2 cups (250-500ml) of sauce and mix thoroughly with peanut butter. Return mixture to Dutch oven and simmer uncovered for 10 more minutes, until chicken pieces reach 165F (74C)
    9. Serve with rice and fufu or fried plantains

    10. GINGER MANGO LIME SORBET

        
        serves 4
        • 4 cups frozen mangoes
        • 3/4 cup ginger beer
        • 1 tablespoon honey
        • zest of one lime, plus 1 tablespoon juice
        Blend frozen mango with ginger beer, honey and lime zest and lime juice in a blender until mixture is a smooth sorbet consistency. Serve immediately or transfer into a container and freeze until ready to use.
    11. Water

    (Good Eats: Mighty Duck)