Viens manger!

Unless you have a host family and you eat every meal with them each day, volunteers generally get really good at cooking. I’ve definitely cooked more here than ever before. After almost 10 months (!), I’m still not a big fan of pate or fufu (the two main dishes made here). I can eat them occasionally, and they really are pretty good, especially with peanut or sesame sauce, but I’m definitely not an everyday yam eater. I feel like I’ve become pretty good at making my own food, especially the following:

Chocolate chip pancakes (extra chocolate for me, thank you)
Tomato Cream Pasta
Banana Cake
French Fries
Sweet Tea
Hot chocolate
Hashed Browns
Guacamole
Pasta Salad
Vegetable Pot Pie
Beans and rice
Spaghetti Bolognaise
Brownies
Chocolate Chip Cookies

Breads and desserts are hard, since I only have a dutch oven, but we have a toaster oven at the volunteer house in my regional capital that I frequently make veggie pot pies and brownies in...yum. My favorite feast that I eat actually almost everyday for at least one meal is Rice with Veggies and Peanut Sauce. It is amazing and I can’t imagine ever getting tired of it! Here is the recipe for a serving of one Camilla (but could feed two people):

Measure 1 cup of uncooked rice and add it to two cups of boiling water. Stir, reduce heat to low, and cover with lid for ~ 20 minutes.
In the meantime, chop up ½ - 1 onion (depending on the size) and add to skillet heated with a tablespoon of vegetable oil.
Cook onion until tender, then add chopped up, bite-size pieces of eggplant. (The eggplants here are small, roughly the size of a golf ball, and pretty bitter. I add about half a cup of water and place a lid on the skillet, letting the eggplant steam cook for about 5 minutes to get rid of the bitterness).
Next, add ~ 8 T of peanut butter and enough water to get the desired consistency and peanut-butteryness.
Add carrots sliced width-wise, pieces of tofu and a handful of cashews (along with whatever else veggies are desired or accessible).
Stir in ~1/2 T of vinegar, ~1 T of sugar and ~1 tsp of crushed piment, or to taste.
Mix well, let simmer for 3 – 5 minutes, add on top of cooked rice and EAT!

-Hungry Cami