Relishes

Today I’m giving you 3 relish recipes to serve with your sadza. Remember, sadza can be eaten with anything. In Zimbabwe it is mostly served with greens and a meat dish. The greens can be cabbage, pumpkin leaves (muboora), chomolia or mustard greens (tsunga) and the protein is chicken, fish, kapenta, amacimbi and almost everything found on a cow!

Since we have the basic sadza recipe, here is one of my favorite relishes: mazondo (cow foot). It tastes better when saved with tsunga and the combination of the two brings out the authentic traditional flavors that were enjoyed with our ancestors years ago.

The cow feet are not skinned because the skin is the meat. There are two methods of cleaning the feet. The best method, at least for me, is to pour boiling water on the feet and use a knife to shave the hair of the hide. Alternatively you can place the feet on hot flames. It works but can you imagine hair burning. Then you have to remove the hooves which can be tricky and cut the feet into pieces which your butcher can do or use an axe.

The foot takes a long time to cook because it’s mostly the hide that will cook and they are most definitely an acquired taste. The best cow feet do not have too many flavors added to them.

Mazondo and tsunga

Ingredients

·         3 lb cow feet

·         1 onion, chopped

·         2 cloves garlic

·         Mustard greens

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1.     Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and add three cups water and bring to boil on medium high heat.

2.     Simmer for at least three hours and add more water as needed

3.     Chop mustard greens and add to cow foot. Cook to your liking and serve with sadza.

2. maguru (tripe) are among Zimbabwe’s top favored traditional food. It is important to wash your tripe THOROUGHLY first and cut off excess fat before cooking. You don’t want the whole house smelling of cow dung when cooking so wash it in warm water or with running water. Trimming off the fat prevents the tripe from emulsifying (kugwamba) from both in the pot and on the plate when eating.

Maguru nemuriwo (tripe and chomolia greens)

Ingredients

·         1 kg tripe

·         1 onion, chopped

·         2 cloves garlic, chopped

·         Small lemon wedge

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         3 medium tomatoes

·         ¼ tsp curry powder

·         ½ bundle chomolia/covo

·         oil

Instructions

1.     Cut tripe into medium sized pieces and put into pot

2.     Add enough water to just cover the tripe. Add salt, lemon wedge and garlic.

3.     Bring to the boil then reduce to the lowest possible heat. Simmer until tripe is tender and cooked through. Discard lemon wedge and excess water

4.     Add oil. Increase heat and fry for 3 minutes. Add onion and curry powder. Fry until onion is cooked.

5.     Add the tomato and cook for a further 3 minutes. Add the chopped vegetables, salt and pepper and allow them to cook. Serve with sadza.

3. Kapenta is a type of tiny sardine fish which can be eaten dry or fresh.

Ingredients

• 500 grams dried Kapenta
• 1 large tomato
• 1 medium onion
• 200mls cooking oil
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Put water in a medium pot. Allow the water to get warm over some medium heat. Remove the pot from the heat.
2. Put the Kapenta in a bowl and pour in the warm water. Wash the Kapenta twice. Drain the water after washing.
3. Put oil in a sauce pan and place it on the fire (stove).
4. When the oil is hot, pour the Kapenta into the sauce pan. Fry for 20 minutes stirring after every 5 minutes.
5. Grate the onion and tomato then later add to the Kapenta and allow cooking for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes stir and make sure the ingredients are well mixed.
6. Add salt to taste. Cover and allow cooking again for 5 minutes.
7. Remove from heat source and allow cooling. Serve with sadza.

sadza with matemba and muriwo

Now that I've given you my ideas, you can go ahead and Do It Yourself. You will be surprised you are going to enjoy it!