The Zanzibar Mix – Vithlani Style

Over the past few weeks, I have had a lot of requests from family and friends to share with you my recipe of what is termed the “Zanzibar mix”.
The mix as I shall be calling it from hereon, is a combination of chana bateta, dal bhajia, batatawada and cassava chips, peanuts, garnished with nariyal chutney (see previous post).

In our household this used to be on the menu most weekends.  The great thing about this dish is that each person has to create their own “mix” from the several items provided so each and every bowl of mix will vary slightly in taste even though the same ingredients are used.  Start to fill your bowl with boiled cubed potatoes, the chickpeas (grams) cooked in the gravy, then proceed to add the mini dal bhajias, batata wadas and top up with the Nariyal chutney, mogo chips and fried peanuts.  You may want to add chilli powder, more lemon/lime etc the creation  of this taste sensation is entirely yours.  You decide what flavours you like most and fill up your plate accordingly.

In Tanzania, there are some very popular vendors selling their version of the “mix” some made with coconut milk, some using boiled peanuts and potator crisps etc.  I think the name “mix” was given to it because of the obvious method of presentation;  a mixture of various foods.  I’m thinking that the vendors that sold chana bateta, dal bhajia, bateta wadas must have decided to use up all these items, add some sauces, and serve it up and thus this dish was born. An experiment that was sucessful and now a popular brunch menu. In Mwanza, my brother has “mix for his brunch on most days and I remember in Dar, people queue up for the famous Akhada Mix everyday.

As usual, I have added my own twist to this dish and I hope that you will enjoy it as much as all of our friends and family do.  It is a party favourite and I am sure you will be asked to share the recipe over and over again

There is quite a bit of preparation to do beforehand for the mix bit it really is worth the extra effort..

Firstly, soak your dal for the mini dal bhajia and the black gram ( see previous post for bhajia) the night before.    Also ensure you have the ingredients for the Nariyal Chutney and follow previously posted recipe for this.

Aside from the above, you will need a packet of mogo chips, and peanuts as well as enough oil for deep frying the bhajia, batetawada and peanuts.

Thus your main ingredient list should be:

oil for deep frying

black grams (soaked overnight and pressure cooked)

potatoes (steamed)

split black eyed beans (for bhajia) -soaked overnight and then ground

freshly grated coconut

white flour

gram flour

lime/lemon juice

peanuts

mogochips

Other ingredients from your pantry – turmeric, salt, chilli powder, citric acid.

 

 Chana Bateta                                                                        

1/2 cup whole gram (kala chana or brown chickpeas). Soaked overnight in 3 cups water before you plan to make the mix

2 cups water (appx) for boiling

3/4 tea sp salt

4 medium / large potatoes

Pressure cook gharm & potatoes. (you may wish to do these separately as both have different cooking times)

Set on the side.

Use 3 of the cooked potatoes for mix ( cut in to small cubes)

Mash 1 boiled  potato for making batetawada.

 Batetawada

 1 boiled potato smashed

 1/8 tea sp turmeric powder

 1/2 tea sp salt

 2 tab sp gram fl

 1/2 tea sp citric acid

make small round balls like marbel deep fry.

Dal Bhajia – follow the recipe from the previous post but make marble sized bhajias this time.

 Sauce:

3 cups water

3 tab sp white flour

1/2 tea sp turmeric powder

1/2 tea sp chili powder

 3/4 tea sp salt

Mix white flour with water add above ingredients boil add boiled potatoes & gram lemon juice

In the picture above you will see mini dal bhajia, potato and chickpeas (in gravy), mini btatawada, coconut chutney, deep fried peanuts and mogochips – all these are combined to form the perfect mix!

                                                                   

 1/2 cup pea nuts

Deep fry peanuts sprincle pinch of salt. Casava chips(mogo chips)

coconut chutny. see prevoius post                            

           

Nariyal Chutney

As promised, here is the recipe for Nariyal Chutney to accompany the Dal Bhajias.

1 cup freshly grated coconut (or frozen fresh if you don’t want to spend the time grating)

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 Haber Nero chillies (use one if you cant tolerate hot sauces)

juice of 1 freshly squeezed lime

1/2 cup water

handful of finely chopped cilantro

In a blender, add your freshly grated coconut, chillies, salt, lime and water.

Blend for 20 seconds (you dont want to turn this into coconut/lime juice)

pour the mixture into a bowl and sprinkle finely chopped cilantro.

The Nariyal Chutney is now ready.

 

Sekolo Mogo and Makai – memories of Oysterbay

Sundays in Dar-es-Salaam were generally reserved for spending time at the famous Oyster Bay.  This was time dedicated to hooking up with our friends, for our children to run free playing beach games while the men enjoyed cold beer and the women sat on picnic blankets catching up on the fashion,food,etc…  Freshly prepared mogo (muhogo or cassava), makai and vyazi tamu would be purchased from the local vendors and consumed in vast quantities followed by madafu (fresh young coconut water).

Those of you who know Dar well, will recall the inviting aroma freshly barbecued cassava root otherwise known as MOGO or barbecued corn on the cob – the sekeli makai being prepared by the locals.  Dar is a friendly place and you will find people are out in the evenings walking around and stopping at the local street vendors for a bite to eat.  Sekelo Mogo and makai are never too far away as the the various bhajia  shops or ice-cream parlours. The mogo, makai or vyazi tamu once cooked would be split in half whilst still hot and seasoned with paprika, salt and sharp lime..the local vendor would then wrap this up in newspaper and pass it on to you to take along. I know some of you would be horrified at the thought of your food being wrapped in newspapers but at that time, these things were normal practice and no one really complained…

In Charleston, when we want to re-create those memories of Oysterbay, we use our barbeques, and the rarely available fresh cassava root..quite often we resort to using our worktop toaster ovens which is okay if you are really craving the mogo but you miss out on the hot charcoal grilled taste along with that of the newspaper in which the locals wrapped up our precious picnic (though if you really crave the newspaper aroma then I am sure your local rag would do just fine but hey, I am not encouraging you to do this).

Here is how we make Sekelo Mogo and Makai Charleston Style:

1. wrap  a piece 10 “of peeled mogo (cassava root) in glad wrap and microwave for a couple of minutes.

2. Remove  the mogo from Microwave, take off the wrap and test to see if almost tender by inserting a skewer

3.  pop the mogo into a toaster oven and let it roast for a few minutes until it starts to slightly brown on the outside

4. use a fork to ever so lightly squash the mogo pieces – this adds to the texture making it “Crisp on the outside- fluffy inside”.

5.  lightly sprinkle paprika, salt and add a dash of fresh lime.

best eaten with Kachumbari or chutney…receiptes to follow.