Cooking Class in Zanzibar

Cooking Class with Mr.Okala and family

Jambiani, Zanzibar.

It was a hot and humid day in Zanzibar, when we arrived at Mr. Okala’s open air, stick built, restaurant/home. It had a thatched roof, a sand floor and palm fronds woven together as the siding. It was one room, with a few tables and chairs, and a door that led to the kitchen which read “Okala’s Restaurant.” We were greeted by Mr. Okala, and he welcomed us into the room. He was a tall, distinguished looking man, who wore a long white robe which, in Swahili, is called a kanzu. Mr. Okala spoke excellent English.

He began right away describing what we were going to do together. I was to cook with them, exploring local recipes. He explained that on this island, there is a fusion of Indian, African and Arab cultures that have blended together for many generations. Spices play an important role in the cuisine, as Zanzibar is known as the “Spice Island.” Today, he described, we will cook spiced rice, also known as pilau, which uses the most popular spices on the island. Also when we cook, we will use charcoal, as there is no gas or electricity. On one of the tables there was a small sized, grill filled with charcoal. When they have a large gathering, they use an open wood fire. It is common to see women carrying large bundles of firewood on their heads in the village. But for us today, charcoal is the best choice for fuel.

Mr. Okala said that today we will make spiced rice, along with coconut crusted fish and curry. The curry we will make is a calamari curry but the same recipe can be applied to fish curry, octopus curry and even chago, the meat that comes from the small shellfish that are gathered by the women along the shore. The curry will be made with coconut milk, from a fresh, island coconut. We will also prepare a mango chutney, which is used as a condiment much like ketchup or chili sauce would be used. And of course, we will make chapati, an Indian style bread.

Mr. Okala lit the charcoal and then put a mat on the floor. A round board was placed on the mat, along with an interestingly shaped, rolling pin. This little round board is what is used to make chapati.

On another table they had assembled the raw ingredients we would be using including: carrots, green peppers, red onion, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, okra, eggplant or aubergine, and green mangoes, along with a couple of fresh coconuts. For the spices, there was a plate that held cumin, cardamom, cinnamon and clove. Clove is known as the “king of spices” in Zanzibar. There was also pepper corns but I naively asked him what color pepper it was. The truth is there is only one pepper. The colors come from how it is processed, but at the end of the day there is only one pepper. (We learned this on the spice tour, which to be honest I did not know before.) I asked him why they make it in different colors, if it is really all the same. He said that some people like white pepper because you can’t see it in a light colored dish, green pepper looks nice on meat, and so on. The options make good business.

We started on the chapati, using the millet flour which was divided up into three containers; about one cup in each. Nadjima, Mr. Okala’s niece, who seemed to be very much in charge, demonstrated how to mix the dough, taking her bowl of flour and adding a little water at a time, all the while kneading it, using the side of the bowl and her hand. A little coconut oil was added to the dough to soften the texture. I followed her lead, using another bowl of flour.

I overheard Mr. Okala say to my husband that I looked right at home, and it was true. It brought a smile to my face. After several minutes of kneading, the dough was a soft, smooth consistency and it was formed into a ball. The ball was placed on the chapati board and rolled into a circle with a rolling pin. A hole was made in the center of the chapati using our fingers. We continued to make the hole larger as we rolled the side of the dough and ended up with a round, rolled piece of dough. This was then torn apart at one end and the folded up serpentine style, with the end tucked underneath. A little more oil was placed on top and it was set aside to rest.

Meanwhile, a pot was placed over the coals and Mr. Okala began to make the calamari. He explained that calamari (and octopus) have their own water inside them so they do not need water to cook initially. Once they begin to brown, and after the water has evaporated from the calamari, a little more water is added. A cover was placed and it is set aside on the low fire. Another way to make it tender, according to Mr. Okala, is to refrigerate it overnight. However, we were cooking very fresh calamari, caught earlier that day.

As we were cooking, I asked about the women who gathered the shells for what they call chago. To me, it seemed like it was an awful lot of hard work to gather those tiny shells for a meal.

Mr. Okala promptly explained that unlike the rest of the world, where there is hunger, no one in Zanzibar is hungry. Zanzibar is paradise! Where else in the world can you go out to the sea shore to get your meal, or catch an octopus or fish? You can also pick your fruits and vegetables from the land. His explanation completely changed my perspective of what we had witnessed on the seashore. As the women gather the meal from the sea, the children also enjoy playing on the beaches. We watched one little girl make sand balls, like one would form a snow ball. She would launch them at unsuspecting targets one of which was my husband, and then erupt in laughter.

It was now time to prepare the ingredients for the spiced rice. We first peeled the garlic and placed it in the wooden mortar, then cut up the red onion. We added them to the pot with a touch of oil. We stirred the onion, until it became a little translucent and brown and then began adding the spices. The rice was washed and set aside. We ground together the cumin, cardamom, garlic, ginger and clove in the mortar, using the end of the rolling pin that we had used for the chapati, as a pestle We held back on the cinnamon for just a minute.

Zanzibar has an abundance of cinnamon on the island, so it is used in many dishes. We learned on the spice tour that the cinnamon sticks we get at home are actually the bark of the cinnamon tree rolled up to make sticks. The spices, including the cinnamon, were added to the onions with water, which was stirred in slowly and in a quantity equal to the amount of rice. The rice was then added and the spiced water mixture was boiled. We slowly stirred it to make sure the rice absorbed the water. (At this point, we would normally put the spiced rice in an oven, but here they don’t have ovens.) So, charcoal was placed on the sand floor and the rice pot was placed on top of the charcoal. A lid covered the pot and additional charcoal was added on top, thus creating an oven environment. We let it cook until the rice was tender and a lovely crust of rice formed on the bottom. The crusty part of the rice, a delicacy, is served on a separate plate.

Next, was the preparation of the coconut for the curry and the coconut, crusted fish. Mr. Okala whacked open a coconut with a piece of rebar, breaking it into two pieces but saving the water in a bowl. He kindly offered the nutritious water for us to drink, which was most welcome in the sweltering heat.

The coconut meat in the shell was handed off to Nadjima. She sat sideways on an implement they call a goat, because of the sound it makes when you grate the coconut. It is very much the same sound a goat makes while chewing. I observed Nadjima and then was asked to try it myself, which of course, I wanted to do. It was harder than it looked. You have to use two hands and you need to gently turn the coconut while you do it. I used too much force and grated one part of the coconut to the brown, instead of evenly around. I am sure I will get the hang of it with a little practice. They call this instrument a mbuzi in Swahili. (I decided right then, I must get one!)

The grated coconut was then squeezed to release the coconut milk. The milk can be heated up to make coconut oil. This is a very organic way of consuming coconut oil, as opposed to the coconut oil made from copra, which is dried coconut meat. This milk will be added to the curry and the grated coconut will be used for the coconut crusted fish.

When we began to make the curry, Mr. Okala said we would be using a lot of spice but not necessarily adding heat. The spices simply add flavor and the only thing that could be a little bit hot is the pepper. He finds that people misunderstand using spices in food, as adding heat. (Chili could of course be added to the curry if you like it hot.) We began to make the curry by peeling and chopping the eggplant, green mango, red onion, carrot, green pepper, okra and tomato into small pieces. {A green mango is an unripe mango. A lime can be substituted if you do not have green mango.) On a side note, they chop the vegetables without a cutting board, simply by holding the vegetable and carving it using a knife. It is not too easy especially with a dull knife, which I seemed to always end up with, perhaps a safety factor. We put all the cut up vegetables into the same pot as the calamari, which was already on the grill and added a little salt to taste. We then added spices; cumin, cinnamon and yellow curry powder, just about a teaspoon or so. We stirred this and added garlic, a couple of cloves and coconut milk and covered it to simmer.

To make the coconut, crusted, filet of fish, we had two pieces of fresh, white, local fish fillets. First, a marinade was made with the juice of one lime, with a little salt and black pepper. The filets were added to absorb the flavor. Meanwhile two eggs were whisked vigorously until frothy. The filets were first coated in flour, then dipped in the egg, then covered with the freshly, grated coconut. A beautifully seasoned wok with cooking oil was placed on the hot coals. The filets were then added and cooked until golden brown, flipping only once with a slotted spoon/spatula.

As the cooking lesson progressed, it became dark outside and Mr. Okala’s beautiful daughter, Awena, and two of her girlfriends arrived and began watching intently. They introduced themselves and then asked us our names. They graciously offered to hold the light for my husband Dan, so he could continue to photograph the lesson. It was so much fun to watch them critique the pictures when he displayed them on the back of the camera, giving him a big smile and thumbs up when they liked the shot.

The mango chutney was next on the list. First, a green mango was peeled and chopped into small pieces, along with a red onion. A few cloves of garlic were put into the mortar and pestle, with cumin and cinnamon. A little oil was added to a pan and placed over the hot coals. Everything went in, except the tomato paste, which was added last, along with a little bit of water. It was stirred occasionally and left to simmer, until done.

Last up was to finish the chapati. We took the serpentine rolls and placed a little flour on the board and rolled them out to fill the round board. Some oil was placed in the frying pan and the bread was cooked until little brown spots appeared. It was flipped over and cooked on the other side.

They were placed back on the board where Mr. Okala cut them into slices.

Everything was now ready for our feast. We observed the girls setting the table, with only two place settings. It was at this time, we insisted that the table be set for everyone. There was no chance we were going to sit alone to enjoy the fruits of our collective labor. After some prodding and us explaining that the sharing of the meal to us is the best part, everyone eventually brought a plate to the table and sat with us. We began by cutting up the two fish filets into pieces so that everyone could enjoy it. All the cooked dishes were placed on the table, along with a couple of candles. The ambience was spectacular and even the birds were singing their songs, just outside.

The meal was outstanding and the conversation even better. Mr. Okala spoke of the work he does for the community. He believes conservation of the precious resources on the island of Zanzibar and the sea is critical to its survival. He told us that tourism is now the number one economic driver in Zanzibar, overtaking the export of cloves and we must be vigilant in protecting the land.

He was curious how we found him and the little village of Jambiani. I told him that whenever we travel, our greatest joy is to get a true cultural experience, exactly like the one we were experiencing with him and his family. It was through research and help from the Red Monkey Lodge that we found him and his village. He was thankful that we had. It was gratifying when the girls called to the neighbor kids to come and enjoy the food, as they shared their places at the table. After great conversation and many laughs, we ended our meal, full and satisfied in every way; an experience that we will forever cherish. Mr. Okala kindly escorted us back to the Red Monkey Lodge and we said our goodbyes to our new friend.

Asante, Sana, Mr. Okala and family, simply thank you for very much in Swahili.

After this experience, I am now the proud owner of an mbuzi (a goat) which I carried around in my luggage for the duration of our travels. I had so much fun explaining that the reason the bag was so heavy was because I was carrying around a goat.

Until next week,

Warmest Regards,

Darlene

You can click below for the recipes, they were awesome!