Zambia: Goat and Green Bean Stew with Ndiwo Greens and Spiced Yellow Rice

December 01, 2022

Zambia: Goat and Green Bean Stew with Ndiwo Greens and Spiced Yellow Rice

The Republic of Zambia is a land-linked country siting at the crossroads between central, southern and eastern Africa. Zambia is the motherland (and name-sake) of the mighty Zambezi River which snakes its way through 6 African Nations. Famed for its wildly beautiful and untamed landscapes Zambia is brimming with national parks where lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and buffalo roam free. Said to be one of Africa's best kept secrets Zambia managed to avoid the gaze of European explorers until the end of the 19^th Century.

Colonised by the British in 1888 Zambia became an independent country just 76 years later. Zambia’s isolation from global influences for most of its history has ensured that its peoples’ culinary traditions and cooking methods have largely been preserved. Having said that, Zambians do share food practices with the 8 neighbouring African nations that surround their country.

Over the last century Zambian cooks have also embraced new ingredients from The Americas (that were introduced to Africa by European colonists) including maize, beans, cassava, sweat potatoes, tomatoes, and chilli pepper. In fact, maize is now the staple food across Zambia. With 72 different cultural tribes and 10 geographical provinces Zambian food does have some localised variation in food preparation methods but is surprisingly unified around key ingredients. Almost everywhere maize in some form or rice is served alongside popular delicacies including goat, sheep, beef, insects and wild greens.

Our

ZAMBIAN

menu included

GOAT AND GREEN BEAN STEW

with

NDIWO GREENS

and

SPICED YELLOW RICE

GOAT AND GREEN BEAN STEW

Ingredients:

· 11/2 kg goat meat bone in cut in chunks (or lamb neck chops)

· 200ml vinegar

· 200ml coconut milk

· 6 cloves garlic, crushed

· 1 tsp Salt

· ½ tsp crushed black pepper

· 1 tbs sunflower oil (or a bit more)

· I cup tomato sauce or 1 tin crushed tomato

· 1 tsp cumin powder

· 1 tsp cardamom seeds

· 1 onion, chopped

· I red capsicum (bell pepper)de-seeded and chopped

· 4 cups beef stock

· 2 large (or 6 small) potato, peeled and cut in chunks

· 2 carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks

· 250 grams green beans (or shelled peas or red kidney beans)

· Extra salt and pepper to taste

· 2tbs plain flour if needed

Method:

1. Mix the vinegar, coconut milk, garlic, salt and pepper and marinate the goat/sheep pieces for 6 hours in this mix

2. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pot (that has a tight fitting lid that will be needed later

3. Take the meat out of the marinade (reserving the marinade to be added later) and brown the meat on all sides in the hot oil for about 10-15 mins

4. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside on a plate

5. Now add the onion to the pot and sauté gently for 5 mins until transparent. If necessary add a bit more oil to help the process

6. then add the capsicum and cook for a further 5 mins

7. Now add the tomato, cumin and cardamom and simmer for about 5 mins, stirring often with a wooden spoon

8. Stir in the beef stock and remains of the marinade and bring to the boil

9. Return the goat/lamb to the pot and bring back to the boil, reduce heat, apply the lid to the pot and gently simmer for around 30-40 mins until meat is partially tender. During this time occasionally remove the lid to first skim off any froth or fat then stir the meat to ensure even cooking

10. Add the potatoes and extra salt and pepper to taste, pop the lid back on and cook for 10 mins

11. Stir in the carrots and simmer the pot for 2o mins with the lid off to reduce the liquid in the pot

12. Add the beans now, stir in and simmer for 10 mins

13. If the sauce is watery at this point sprinkle the flour across the top of the meat and stir through and bring back to the simmer

14. Gently keep cooking now and stirring occasionally until the meat is very tender and sauce is thick (and flour cooked out) about 10 mins

NOTE:

Zambians traditionally make a very similar dish to this with wild caught ‘bush meat’ such as gazelle or antelope which are in the same family as domesticated goats and sheep. Farming of goats and sheep in Zambia now provides important food resources, takes the burden off wild species and (according to the United nations) has brought stability to and income for female farmers in Zambia https://undp.medium.com/goats-bring-stability-and-income-to-female-farmers-in-zambia-981c80a6a025

NDIWO GREENS

NOTE: This dish can be prepared with a variety of greens including collard greens, sweet potato greens, pea/bean leaves, cassava leaves, chard, spinach or other wild edible greens

Ingredients:

· 4 cups of greens, washed, destemmed and chopped

· 1 large or 2 small tomato, diced

· 1 large onion, peeld and cut in small dice

· 1 tbs sunflower oil

· salt to taste

Method:

1. Put oil in a pan and heat

2. Add onions and cook gently to translucent (about 5 mins) stirring often with a wooden spoon to prevent browning

3. Add tomato and salt and keep stirring and cooking until a sauce forms

4. when the moisture from the tomatoes dries out it’s time to add the greens

5. Cook, stirring frequently for about 5-10 mins until greens are wilted. The time to cook the greens will depend on which greens are used

6. Taste and add more salt if needed

TIP: If the greens are cooked before the rest of the food don’t cover the pot with a lid as this may cause the greens to go grey. Just turn the heat off and let the greens sit in the pot uncovered and re-heat when ready to serve

SPICED YELLOW RICE

Ingredients:

· 2 cups fragrant long grain rice (eg Basmati)

· 2 tbs salted butter plus an extra tbs butter to serve

· 2 tbs sunflower oil

· 1 tsp turmeric powder

· ½ tsp salt (or to taste)

· 1/8 tsp paprika

· 1/8 tsp ground coriander seed

· 4 pinches ground nutmeg

· 1/8 tsp dry parsley

· pinch ginger powder

· hot chilli powder to taste (optional)

· sprinkle garlic powder

· 4 chicken stock cubes

· 4 cups of water

Method:

1. Wash rice in cold water until water runs clear then drain rice well

2. Take a medium sized pot that has a tight-fitting lid (which will be used later) and heat the butter and sunflower oil

3. Add the rice to the hot butter/oil in the pot and turn the heat down a bit (so the butter doesn’t burn) and sauté the rice for about 5 minutes using a wooden spoon to stir until all the grains are coated in butter/oil

NOTE: use a wooden or bamboo spoon here as this will impart a fresh woody flavour to the rice. Don’t use a metal spoon as it will give the rice a metallic taste

4. Mix in all the dry spices and sauté for a few minutes to evenly coat the rice in the spices and encourage the spices to release fragrance

5. Now crumble the stock cube over the spiced rice and stir that in

6. Turn the heat up to high and begin adding the water, stirring the rice constantly to ensure the spices and stock flavouring is taken up evenly into the liquid and not burned on the bottom of the pot

7. When all the liquid is added to the pot keep stirring until it comes to the boil making sure to use the spoon to scrap the bottom of the pot to prevent the rice from sticking

8. Now cover the pot and turn the heat down to very low and cook for 10 minutes. Don’t take the lid off again until ready to serve the rice

9. Let the rice sit in the pot on the cooling element for 10 minutes

10. When ready to serve add the extra butter and fluff the rice with a fork

These recipes are all Q-Zine originals informed by numerous sources including (though not limited to) the following websites:

https://zambiankitchen.com/how-to-cook-beef-stew/#google_vignette

https://zambiankitchen.com/delicious-ox-kidney-stew-recipe/

https://www.tasteatlas.com/most-popular-food-in-zambia

https://www.lusakatimes.com/2016/04/06/kitchen-kanta-goat-meat-stew/

https://zambiankitchen.com/how-to-cook-kalembula/

https://zambiankitchen.com/how-to-cook-chibwabwa-pumpkin-leaves/

https://www.tasteatlas.com/most-popular-food-in-zambia

https://www.lubzonline.com/yellow-butter-rice/#wpzoom-recipe-card