Mchuzi wa nyama ya kima.. mincemeat sauce

Ingredients:
500gm of minced meat .. I used chicken
2 onions diced
5 tomatoes peeled and crushed/diced . You can substitute with 2 cups of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 bellpepper deseeded and diced
4 Tablespoon of oil.. used olive oil
1 tablespoon of garam masala/curry powder/swahili masala
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons of garlic/ginger/cilantro paste
1 heaped teaspoon of tomato puree
juice of  1 lemon
1 cup of water.
Salt to your liking

** option if eating with rice, bread  add
4-5 potatoes skinned and cut into cubes
**** if you like chilli you can add a whole one

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a sauce pan and then fry the onions till they are translucent. Add the spices and garlic paste and fry for a few minutes. Add the bell pepper and stir, let it soften. {If you are adding potatoes then add them now. Once the potatoes are brown.} add the minced meat and increase the heat slightly. Make sure you keep stirring. The mince meat will release some water and you need it to evaporate and the meat to brown.
2. Add the tomatoes and half a cup of water cover  lower the temperature and let cook for 30-60 minutes.
3.Stir time to time and you may add the remaining half cup of water.
4. Add the lemon juice and a whole chilli pepper if desired.

Serve with spaghetti, mkate wa mayai (swahili crepes), mkate wa ufuta (sesame bread), chapati or rice

Meat Cutlets - Katlesi za nyama

This is another version of meat chops eaten in East africa. It is a snack and easy to make food you can find it at most restaurants or Migahawa.And it's commonly cooked in Ramadan, too. This chop is a mixture of cooked seasoned meat and mash potatoes. I have previously posted another version with the meat in the middle. In this recipe I used potatoes you can always substitute it with potato granules.

Ingredients
Meat:
1.5 pound of ground beef /chicken
spices: 1 teaspoon of  each : cumin whole/powdered, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and any
other spice you like
¼ cinnamon powder
ginger,garlic, cilantro, bell pepper paste - 2 spoonfuls (I usually
blend them and store in the fridge).
1 medium onion - diced.
salt
1 teaspoon of oil/ cooking spray just to coat the pan
1-2 spoons of lemon juice
Optional: 1-2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper
8 medium potatoes, boiled and finely mashed.(Do not add water or butter)
¼ cup fresh cilantro or parsley finely chopped.
2 eggs,beaten
vege oil for frying
breadcrumbs for coating

Directions:
In a saucepan heat the oil and add the spices just want them to
create an aroma add the meat and ginger paste and let it brown. Add a little
water to make sure that the meat gets cooked thoroughly. Add the lemon juice and let all the liquids evaporate add the onions and chopped cilantro in and let cook for 5 minutes only. Put your meat aside and let it cool.

Once meat has cooled mix it with the mashed potatoes. You can taste for salt and add more salt or lemon juice or red chili flakes. Then take a fist of the mixture and shape it in an oval shape. Repeat this till you finish the mixture.

The final step
Beat 2 eggs, roll the cutless into breadcrumbs then dip each cutless in the egg wash and fry.Fry till are evenly brown. Drain on a paper towel. Best eaten as a snack or with a dip.

Notes:
1. Sometimes the mixture can be very soft and sticky... put it in the fridge for 30-40 minutes. Then make the shapes.
2. If you want to store in the freezer.. shape the cutlets then put them in a tray and freeze for 30-45 minutes. Then you can store them in Ziploc bags without fear of distorting the shape. I usually put 6-8 pieces in a bag and whenever I want to cook them, I defrost them on a plate lined with paper towelto absorb any water then I continue with the final step.

Croquette

Croquettes are small fried rolls usually containing mashed potatoes, minced meat ( beef, fish, chicken or turkey) soaked in eggs and encased in breadcrumbs. This is one of the common appetizers usually made during Ramadhan (Islamic holy month). They can be shaped into a cylinder or circular. In Kenya these are known as "CHOPS" and are usually sold at street sides.

• These will make 20-30 pieces.

What you need:

• Minced beef- 3Ib
• 2 medium sized onions diced
• I ts fresh ginger ground
• 1 ts garlic ground
• 1/4 ts turmeric powder
• 2 green chilly (serrano) ground
• 2 ts kashmiri chili powder
• 2 ts garam masala
• 1 ts coriander powder
• 1 1/2 Ib potatoes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 eggs beaten
• breadcrumbs as needed

Directions:

• Cook the potatoes until very tender, mash them and keep aside
• Saute onions on medium high heat for about 2 minutes and add the spices
• Add the ground beef and cook until color changes, continue cooking until dry and allow the meat to brown slightly
• Mix the mashed potatoes with the meat mixture until everything comes together
• Shape the chops as desired- cylinder, circle or oval
• Dip each beef patty into the beaten eggs
• Coat the patties well with bread crumbs, one at a time
• Fry the patties, a couple at a time, and serve hot.

NB- can be served with salad, I also make dips..............Bon Apetite

Easy meat chops- Cutless, Kutlesi za nyama

This is another of my quick recipes. The old fashion way is to boil
potatos and later mash them. I usually prepare beforehandthe meat filling
and store it in the fridge or freezer. The filling is the same as meat
for sambusa, so if you make in excess you can use it in this recipe.

this recipe makes 18-24 meat chops
Ingredients
Meat filling:
1.5 pound of ground beef /chicken
spices: cumin whole/powdered, blackpepper, cayenne pepper, and any
other spice you like
ginger,garlic, cilantro, bellpepper paste - 2 spoonfuls (I usually
blend them and store in the fridge).
1 medium onion - diced.
salt
1 teaspoon of oil/ cooking spray just to coat the pan
1-2 spoons of lemon juice
1/2 cup of water if necessary

Shell
8 cups of Idaho mashed potatoes flakes/ granules
2 eggs,beaten
vege oil for frying
Optional :breadcrumbs for coating

Directions:
The filling
In a saucepan heat the oil and add the spices just want them to
create an aroma add the meat and ginger paste and let it brown. Add a little
water to make sure that the meat gets cooked. Add the lemon juice and
once the meat is cooked add the onions in and let cook for 5 minutes
only. Put your meat aside and let it cool.

For the shell
As I said its a quick fix - 8 cups of Idaho mashed potatos. Prepare it without adding butter but hold on the water - I usually let it be in a dough like consistency easy to mold and add 1 teaspoon of the cilantro paste mixture and salt .
Now make 18-24 small balls from this potato dough.
Take one ball divide in half and put one half in the palm of your hand and
shape it like a circle/oval being more thinner in in the center. Take
1 ½ teaspoonful of the meat filling and put it in the center. Then
carefully shape the other half of the potato dough on top of it and
close it. The goal you want to acheive is have a filling of ground
meat in between a layer of mashed potatoes which is in a
circular/oval shape.(Inshallah next time I cook will attach a photo
to this page)
Continue the same till your done with all of the potato balls.

The final step
Beat 2 eggs thoroughly, dip each meatchop in the egg wash and fry or cover it in breadcrumbs then fry.Fry till are evenly brown. Drain on a paper towel. Best eaten as a snack or with a dip.


Another alternative: The Egg chop- Kutlesi za Mayai
You put a whole boiled egg in the center and then have it covered
with mash potatoes made into a perfect ball shape.dip into the egg
mixture and fry.
Bon apetite.

Kadinbudu - Lady's thigh kofte

This is my favorite turkish kofte. I used the recipe from Binnur's turkish cookbook but made some slight changes. I always use ground chicken instead of beef & as I love spices when I saute the meat I add some curry powder, whole cumins, chilly powder & sumac. I usually like eating it as a snack with salad. And its great to pack for lunch at work. Afiyet olsun!!!