We need to give every country a fun four year old nickname. The truth is we weren’t the first to say CAR when referring to Central African Republic, but you’ll see how Sam’s ears prick up when I tell him what some people call this country.
Of course, the poverty crisis in Central African Republic is not fun and games so Sam and I do discuss how life is quite different. And we are very fortunate to try a meat dish that is a favorite special occasion dish that many in the country never get to taste.
THE PLACE AND ITS CUISINE
Take a guess as to where Central African Republic is. Even Sam knew that this was right in the middle of Africa.
It is landlocked although there is a good supply of waterways running throughout thanks tributaries of the Chari River and the Ubangi River, which once served as a trading post for the French.
The country has a vast number of natural resources (like gold, diamonds, and uranium) that could give them great economic wealth, but unfortunately they are not used properly or at all and Central African Republic is one of the poorest nations in the world.
They also could have wealth in crops. I read that the country has the resources to easily feed its entire population, but political crises have prevented this from happening. Sadly, there is lots of food insecurity in the country.
Meat can be scarce, although you will find roadside barbecue vendors serving lamb and chicken on sticks alongside the country’s famous fried bread (makara). In place of meat, you can find other proteins like caterpillars, grasshoppers, and cicadas.
As for crops, okra (also called combo) reigns supreme, along with tomatoes, bananas, cassava, and peanuts.
Traditional Dishes:
EGUSI SOUP – this could refer to a thick sauce or a soup, flavored with tomatoes, onions, and chili and thickened with a flour made from a variety of squash and melon seeds; this is popular not only in Central African Republic but places throughout west Africa
MABOKÉ – local river fish is steamed in banana leaves and served over a bed of vegetables and hot chili peppers
CHICHINGA – often sold on the side of the road, these are grilled skewers of meat, usually lamb or chicken
BANANA WINE – this is something I would love to try, as you can guess this is a wine made from bananas
CENTRAL AFRICAN FOOD IN NEW YORK
The food from CAR is quite similar to its neighbors in Chad and the Congo, so it’s not surprising that there is no dedicated restaurant to the food from Central African Republic in NYC.
Unfortunately, it’s not much easier to find food from other Central African nations in the city. There used to be one Chadian restaurant that recently closed in the East Village. Otherwise, there may be some spot deep into the Bronx, but I have yet to locate it.
THE VIDEO
Once Sam finds out this country is known as CAR, it seems like he will now want “to drive” from country to country. What are we gonna do about that pesky ocean??
He’s less interested in shaping the meatballs, and more eager in giving some cooking safety advice. Our conversations and cooking sessions never cease to surprise me. Don’t miss our journey to CAR!
THE DISH
There are two versions of this meatball dish and I waffled between the two options.
Kanda simply means “meatball” and by itself, it consists of ground beef, seasoning, and pumpkin seeds that is topped with a tomato sauce. I was interested to see what the seeds add to the meatballs, but I was more intrigued with the other option.
Kanda ti Nyma seems to eliminate the pumpkin seeds (I was tempted to combine both) and instead simmers the meatballs in a peanut butter sauce thickened with okra (called “ti nyma”).
I was kind of hoping if I toned down the spice and played up the peanut butter, Sam might be more inclined to try a traditional Central African dish. Read below to see if I was right or not.
This dish (which could have been prettier) is usually served with rice or fufu to soak up the peanut butter sauce.
THE RECIPE:
Kanda Ti Nyma from Central African Republic
This is one version of beef meatballs from Central African Republic cooked in a rich sauce that uses typical ingredients like peanuts, okra, and chili peppers.
Meatballs
- 1.5 pound ground beef
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 1 chili pepper (chopped)
- 2 eggs
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Sauce
- 1 tbspn vegetable oil
- 1 tbspn red palm oil
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 2 cups okra (cut into small pieces)
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- chili powder (to taste)
Form Meatballs
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Add ground beef to medium bowl along with onion, garlic, chili pepper, 2 eggs, salt, and pepper. Mix well and shape into balls.
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Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
Make Sauce
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Dissolve peanut butter in 1/2 cup of warm water. Set aside.
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Heat vegetable oil and red palm oil over medium heat in large frying pan.
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Fry chopped onion until translucent, about 7 minutes.
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Add okra and cook for 5-10 minutes until softened.
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Add dissolved peanut butter to pan with salt and pinch or two of chili powder. Bring to a simmer.
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Add meatballs and lower heat.
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Cook for 25 minutes, turning meatballs once during cooking.
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Serve with rice.
HOW WE SCREWED IT UP
If we get any points for looks, well, we’d get zero points for looks. This is the least appetizing dish we’ve made this entire journey.
And I certainly don’t blame Central African Republic or the ingredients. One of the problems is that my meatballs got way over cooked, turned super gray, and fell apart into mush.
A food stylist couldn’t have even saved this.
I backed away from using too much chili peppers for Sam’s sake, but really wish I had put more in. I also didn’t use much salt (due to the fact that salt is usually not used in Central Africa) so we ended up with pretty bland meatballs.
The peanut butter brought some nice flavor but I did cook it too long and it started to burn. I saved it, but should have used a lower heat from the beginning.
Flavorwise, the sauce was pretty tasty and along with bits of broken meatballs, it tasted much better than it looked (which truthfully wasn’t too hard!)
SAM’S REACTION
Sam took one look at the terrible looking plate of meatballs and he pushed it away. I guess it’s true we eat with out eyes first.
I was fooling myself thinking he’d try the peanut butter sauce.
But I was smart and I cooked some meatballs on their own without any of the sauce.
And after a few bites of a very plain (but prettier) meatball, he was sold. I’m glad I didn’t add tooo much chili pepper because he actually loved it. He ate a good deal of it. And the plain white rice. He always eats his rice.
NEXT TIME
We don’t have to go so far for our next country. In fact, we could indeed get in a car and drive there because Chad is right next door….
