“I miss my family, the food, the smell of the earth when the rains hit the sun-baked soil and dust! I miss watching the sunset and the sound of the day ending and the smell of the smoke from the fires,” says Tombizotwa (Zola) Sibanda, from Bulawayo in Zimbabwe.
“What brought me to Ireland in 2002 was the need of a better life for myself and family. Like many countries, Zimbabwe has had a lot of challenges, and seeing this, we wanted better for ourselves. I am very proud of my hometown, for the hospitality of the people – what we call ‘ubuntu’.
Recipe taken from Food Without Borders: Home Cooking From Ordinary People with Extraordinary Stories (Tusla Education Support Service)
Ingredients
- 2 cups of maize meal
- 3 cups of water (you can add to taste)
- 1.5 cups of long-grain white rice
- 2 cups water
- 2 onions
- 3 different peppers
- 6 tomatoes
- 3 carrots
- 1kg beef and 1kg oxtail OR 6 chicken drumsticks
- 5 garlic cloves
- Meat rub:
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- Olive oil
- 1 tsp curry
- 1 tsp paprika
- Place maize meal in a pot with the three cups of water. Place on the hob at a low temperature and stir continuously until it becomes a thick paste – try not to let lumps form so the consistency is smooth. Slowly add boiled water (stop when you reach the consistency that you prefer) and allow to simmer, with the lid on until it reaches boiling point.
- Reduce to a simmer for a further 15 minutes until you feel that the porridge is ready. Then stir in more maize meal to your desired thickness. Leave to cool and then serve with vegetables and stew of your choice. The quantity of ingredients used will depend on how much stew you want.
- Rub the meat in the mix and then brown in a pan. Once browned, boil the meat for about 40 minutes, gradually adding water until tender. Meantime, fry the chopped tomatoes, onions, peppers and garlic in a pan. When cooked, blend them to a soup-like consistency and add to the meat. Simmer for 15 minutes. The stew is now ready to serve.
- Wash the rice and then place in a pot and cover with water (two cups of water for every cup of rice) and cook slowly over a low heat until the rice is tender. If you want your rice to be spiced, I added turmeric, mild curry, paprika, pink salt – one small teaspoon for each.
