When I received a copy of a new cookbook through the post I eagerly ripped open the parcel, as I’d been looking forward to reading The Gambian Cookbook – Recipes from the Smiling Coast, ever since I’d been asked by the authors to review it.

Bread and coconut cake

My first impression was that this was a comprehensive book about Gambian cooking that was long overdue. Although the cover didn’t exactly shout cookbook to me, looking inside I found enticing recipes about how to cook well known Gambian dishes plus many I’d never heard of before. What particularly struck was the friendly style with which it had been written and the wonderful anecdotes that came with each recipe.

At the front of the book is a useful list of ingredients that the reader might be unfamiliar with giving suitable alternatives. For example, almost every main course recipe includes kani chillies, which are not generally available in the UK, although they are similar to scotch bonnet chillies, which are. Alternatively, ‘Aggy’s Hot Chilli and Spicy Sauce’ can be used to give a more accurate flavour. This and the frequently used Maggi cubes can both be bought online if you can’t find them in your local shops.

I found the last section interesting. Entitled ‘Toubab Dishes’ it shows how European influences have been enveloped into modern Gambian fusion cuisine. I also loved the suggestions on presentation including how to make a colourful tie-dye tablecloth, so typical of The Gambia – wonderful!

A Gambian Feast!

I recently invited a few friends to join me in trying out some of the recipes and we had a Gambian feast for World Food Night.

On the menu…

Pepe chicken soup – a seriously delicious spicy soup and possibly my favourite dish of the day

Domada – chicken in a tasty peanut sauce served with rice

Afra – spicy lamb kebabs, a popular Gambian street food

Banana cake – a yummy, easy to make cake

Bread and coconut cake – an even yummier cake

Banana and lime smoothie – one of the most refreshing drinks I’ve ever tried

Everyone cooked a different dish and we had a great time eating them all. We found the recipes easy to follow, the only criticisms were that there are a few omissions in a couple of recipes where the ‘method’ did not say when to add all the listed ingredients. This wasn’t a problem though and there wasn’t a single dish that wasn’t well received. Below is the recipe for our favourite dish of the day.

Pepe Soup – Chicken

The traditional chicken pepe soup is known as a cure-all and, amongst other things, is said to cure the common cold. Beware though – it packs quite a punch!

Time: 3 hours
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients:
250 grams of tomato concentrate paste
500 grams of chicken, cut in small pieces
2 litres of water
1 tablespoon of black pepper, finely ground*
2 tablespoons of kani chilli, finely chopped*
2 whole kani chillies
1 teaspoon of salt
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 large Maggi cubes
2 tablespoons of peanut oil

*Far less pepper and chilli was used in the version we tried and while it was hot it was comfortable to eat. How much you add really is a matter of taste but Gambians like it hot!

Method:
1. Mix the black pepper, chopped kani, garlic, and Maggi in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Heat the oil in a deep pan.
3. Stir fry the chicken until cooked, then add the paste from the blender and the water.
4. Bring to a boil.
5. Simmer until the stock has halved.
6. Add the tomato paste and stir until it has been incorporated into the stock.
7. Add two whole chillies.
8. Simmer for 10 further minutes.
9. Remove the whole chillies (which should be soft but not falling apart).
10. Serve steaming hot, with some crusty bread on the side.

This recipe has been reproduced with permission from “The Gambian Cookbook” (Dec 2011, ISBN 9781-908797-001 – Daryanani and Shah). The Gambian Cookbook can be purchased from leading online booksellers, or if you would like a signed copy from the publishers visit SaharanPress.

This really is a lovely cookbook and is so much more than a collection of great recipes. It gives the reader a wonderful glimpse into Gambian life.

You can read more about Gambian cooking in my recent post ‘Cooking with Ida’.

Following on from my earlier post about World Food Night, featuring a colourful bowl of fish benechin, I wanted to share with you the wonderful morning I spent with Ida Cham-Njai learning how to cook Gambian style!

I joined a small group of tourists on Ida’s cookery course one Monday morning and as soon as we arrive we are shown two clothes’ rails of Gambian traditional outfits. Everyone eagerly picks out their new look. I have always found Gambians love to see visitors embrace their culture in this way so I too select a beautiful bright green ensemble, including a matching head wrap, and get changed.

Few people in The Gambia have access to electricity let alone a fridge so it is common for women to shop at least once a day at the local market. We go to Tanji fish market where all our senses are overloaded with the sights, sounds and smells of the market – women are busy buying and selling, while the men are bringing in the latest catch in their colourfully painted wooden boats. Ida decides at the market what she is going to cook depending on what is available and looking good. Today fish benechin is on the menu and she selects a john dory fish and a red snapper. A small amount of dried salted fish will also be used for extra flavour.

Benechin literaly means one pot and can be cooked with chicken or other meat but fish is probably the most common variation. While the fish sellers scale and gut the fish, we’re off to buy the other ingredients: tomatoes, carrots, spring onions, sweet potatoes, onions, aubergine, cassava, bitter tomatoes and butternut squash are gathered into baskets.

Back in Ida’s courtyard we grab a seat and gather round to prepare the vegetables, many of which are left whole rather than chopped so that they are easy to scoop out and place on top of the finished dish for serving. Others are pounded together in a large wooden bowl.

A smaller bowl and a gourd are used to mash up the chillies and garlic which will be used to make a chilli sauce. They are fried in some oil with a dash of salt and Dijon mustard. This would normally go into the main dish but as some of us may not be used to spicy food it is prepared as a separate sauce.

The vegetables are cooked in a large pot over a charcoal fire and as the pot is stirred a delicious aroma fills the air but we are told it will 2 ½ hours before it is ready.

While we wait Ida teaches us the traditional game of wuri bringing out the competitive streak in all of us and before you know it we have a mini wuri tournament taking place! Sitting in the dappled shade of Ida’s courtyard I feel quite envious of this out-door life style. (I’ll tell you more about wuri and where I first came across it in another post.)

With an hour’s cooking time left to go the fish goes in to the pot.

Half an hour later the fish and whole vegetables are removed and the spring onions which have been pounded up with some garlic are added together with vegetable stock cubes and diced carrot. Pre-steamed rice is stirred in and it’s left to simmer for another 30 minutes.

Our tummies are rumbling as we all sit down on a rug in the courtyard. Dinner is served! As is the tradition we are not given plates but all eat out of a communal bowl, which looks and smells delightful. We have no skill at rolling the food into small balls with our fingers as the locals would so I’m pleased to say we were allowed spoons. I think the verdict is unanimous. Fish benechin is delicious! The chilli sauce, however, was not to everyone tastes but my neighbour on the rug adored it and I couldn’t believe how much of it he ate as it really did pack a serious punch!

More of my photographs from the day are on Flickr  and if you fancy trying some Gambian cookery yourself look out for my up coming post reviewing The Gambian Cookbook.

If you enjoyed reading this post I’d love to hear from you and please do share it on Twitter and Facebook etc.

Ida, originally from The Gambia, studied hotel tourism and catering management in Twickenham in the UK but returned to The Gambia in 1989. Having spent some time working at the popular Senegambia Hotel and then the luxurious Mandina Lodges at Makasutu, she started running cookery courses from her home in Brufut with the desire to preserve and promote her culture.

The Gambia is known as the smiling coast of Africa for good reason and I love the smiles of this brother and sister playing around together at a Jola Festival where the brother was initiated.

You can read about the fabulous day I had and see more photos on my post Singing, dancing and some very loud bangs!

Previous Kat’s Travel Snaps

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!

This week’s photograph is of the children at Jeddah Progress Nursery School in The Gambia. Although The Gambia is a Muslim country they are very tolerant of other religions and it is not unknown for Muslims to join in Christian celebrations and vice versa.

I took this photo to raise money for this school last year and the children and teachers were more than happy to don Santa’s hat to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Hope you all have a wonderful time this holiday season.

It’s my last full day in The Gambia and I have lots to write about and many photographs to share with you. On Tuesday we went to the school in Dairuharu that we have helped build and even though it was the Muslim New Year (which is spent praying and then visiting friends, family and neighbours) many of the villagers came to meet us and to thank us for our support including the Alkalo (head of the village) and his assistant. It was a wonderful day and I will tell you more about our visit and the rest of the week in forthcoming posts – including a fantastic cooking lesson (Fish Benechin), interviewing Bajaly (a superb kora player) and Jonathan Groves (the brilliant chef at Ngala Lodge), as well as visiting other schools.

The visit to Dairuharu was without doubt the highlight of the week so this week’s photo is from that day, the head girl of the new school peeping out at us through the window.

Happy New Year to all my Muslim friends in The Gambia and all Muslims around the world.

So pleased to say that the first stage of Nyodema’s school build is finished!
One classroom, a store room and an office are complete.

This classroom was completed as a result of donations made by friends and family in memory of Lucy Ritchie from Bristol, England, who died in October 2008 at the age of twenty five. Lucy was someone who enjoyed helping others and new adventures in spite of an illness she suffered for the last ten years of her life. She particularly enjoyed travelling and had special memories of the Gambia where she loved meeting local people. She would have been so pleased to know that the generosity of those who loved her had created something to benefit others and enhance opportunities for children.

Jill & Ron Ritchie (Lucy’s parents)

On behalf of Nyodema I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped make this happen including…

The Gambia Experience client’s who first told us about Dairuharu
Pa Louis and Lamin from Karmic Angels, who project managed the build
Peter and Peter, who restored an old Mercedes and drove it from Bognor Regis to Istanbul and back
Lucy’s family and friends including, Hannah, who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro
The community of Bognor Regis for their kind donations

You can imagine my delight when, on a chilly morning between Christmas and New Year in a very quiet office, I received an email from The Gambia Experience clients Lou Hamilton and Paul Lang saying that they would like to make a short film about responsible tourism, The Gambia Experience’s School Development Fund and Nyodema (as well as being chairman for the community group Nyodema, I work for The Gambia Experience and lead the UK team for their School Development Fund).

Lou and Paul were going on holiday to The Gambia and as professional film makers they wanted to use their skills to ‘give something back’. As luck would have it I too was about to go on holiday there. I would be in The Gambia at the same time as them so offered to show them around some schools. I visit there once or twice a year partly as a holiday and partly for Nyodema. I couldn’t believe the coincidence that we were all going out and returning on the same flights.

Here is the result of an amazing week. I found it fascinating being involved in this project and would like to say a huge thank you to Lou, Paul, Ali and everyone who helped in the making of this film – a wonderful way to show people in the UK how they are making a difference to the lives of people in one of the world’s poorest countries.

For more information please follow these links:
Nyodema
Lou Hamilton/Createlab
The School Development Fund
Karmic Angels
Chris Diallo/Hands on Skin

I have recently returned from wonderful week in The Gambia with my fellow Nyodema trustee, Shelagh and our friend, Andrea. I have been to The Gambia a number of times but this visit was particulalry special and I wanted to share it with you. 

Andrea Encinas, originally from Trinidad, came to England as a nurse. She is now, an experienced vocal coach, the director of British Gospel Arts, books choirs for The South Bank Centre, sings with the London Community Gospel Choir (you may have seen her singing at the FA Cup Final at Wembley in May!) and is studying for an MBA in Arts Management.

Andrea at Jeddah Progress Nursery School

Well I’m pleased to say Andrea has fallen in love with The Gambia and I’m sure this will be the first of many visits.

We had a very hectic week. Singing (and dancing) at Jeddah Progress Nursery School, Brikama was definitely one of the highlights. Andrea taught everyone some traditional Afro-Caribbean songs and the school choir from Farrato sang a mixture of English and African songs for us. Andrea’s enthusiastic approach was contagious as children, teachers and parents joined in this cultural exchange.

The recently formed drama group performed a couple of delightful short plays including one about learning English the ‘Jolly Phonics’ way and another about malaria prevention. I can’t explain how it felt to see two little girls playing, Kathryn and Shelagh, handing out mosquito nets. These two days were an excellent way to strengthen the bond between Nyodema and the local community. There are two videos from this day on YouTube Singing and Dancing at Jeddah and the Malaria Prevention Play.

School play about using mosquito nets

Another Nyodema sponsored, teacher training course in ‘phonics’, took place over the next two days. This is a method of teaching English widely used throughout the UK and is proving to be a great success in The Gambia.During the week we also managed to fit in a radio interview on Unique FM, a singing workshop at a Gospel church in Bakau and a visit to Serrakunda market. Andrea also took part in a couple of informal yet inspirational performances with local musicians.

As Andrea had never been to the Gambia before we took a day out to explore the area, looking at different housing conditions etc. Andrea was shocked at the extent of the poverty in The Gambia (and since being back has already started raising money for Nyodema).

I mustn’t forget to mention the children’s clothes and toys that we distributed throughout the week, in particular, 14 cuddly toys donated by Elsie, the three year old daughter of another Gambia Experience staff member. After looking at some photographs of Gambian children, Elsie decided that she did not need all her toys. On Boxing Day last year she sorted out all the ones she didn’t play with anymore and asked her Mum to give them to children in Africa. This was entirely her idea. Well done, Elsie! Elsie was delighted to see the photos of her toys in Africa.

One of Elsie's teddies finds a new friend

Andrea and me

Our last night was spent dancing until the early hours to an excellent reggae/salsa band in a bar on the Senegambia strip. The following day Andrea and I said our goodbyes to the wonderful staff at our hotel (Sunset Beach in Kotu) who had made us feel so welcome and headed off to the airport.

Shelagh stayed on to organise the distribution of more mosquito nets and to meet the medical students from Florida who ran the first-aid teacher training course for us at Jeddah Progress Nursery School last year. This visit they ran a dental hygiene course for the teachers and supplied toothbrushes etc for the children.

Each time I visit The Gambia I learn so much, make numerous new friends and return home with many happy memories. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to this wonderful week. I’m very lucky to be part of ‘Nyodema’.

For more photos please visit Nyodema Flickr