Potatoe Salad Without Mayonnaise but still good!

THIS IS A BLUE RECIPE

This potato salad is a lovely alternative to the usual mayonnaise drenched one. It is simple to prepare and probably much better for you. We ate it with salty fried halloumi and it was the perfect accompaniment. Boil lots of potatoes so you can keep it for a few days and add it to packed lunches – we made the mistake of not doing this!


-500grams of baby new potatoes or small waxy ones that will keep their shape when cooked, halved or quartered depending on size
- 1 large clove of garlic minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (or experiment with other less sweet types of vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- salt and pepper
- large handful of chopped flat leaf parsley

- Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender
- Meanwhile combine the vinegar, oil, garlic, mustard. Salt and pepper – a good grinding of each. Taste for seasoning.
- Drain potatoes when cook through, return to the warm pan, add the vinaigrette combine well and cover pan with a lid to keep the potatoes warm and allow the heat to take the edge of the garlic – stand for 5 mins or so
- Before serving add the parlsey

Pancake Breakfast

For years we’ve been eating pancakes at weekends for breakfast and the recipe has changed much, but I think I finally have the best version down. The vanilla makes the pancakes so tasty and the milk powder adds richness. I like to use a mixture of butter and oil because you get that buttery taste without it burning, plus if you use something like Canola oil you are cutting down on the butter while still getting some of the taste. I like them with honey and fruit (mango, banana or berries) so I don’t feel totally unhealthy!

- 2 cups of white flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon of golden cane sugar (or normal white)
- 1 tablespoon of milk powder
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 500 mls of milk

- Butter and oil for frying

- Sift all the dry ingredients together
- Add milk and egg and beat well until smooth
- Heat a small mixture of oil and butter in a small frying pan (just enough grease to cover the bottom, no more)
- Pour in a ladle or so of batter – keep the heat moderate
- Fry until the top bubbles, flip and do other side
- Keep cooked pancakes in a warm oven while you do the other

Fish Fried Rice

A great way to use up cooked rice – we always boil more than we need and freeze the rest for quick meals like this one. To keep this as healthy as poss I used canola oil which has omega oils in it. Choose a firm fish that will keep its shape when cooked – I used Nile perch (one of the few types of fish we can get here) but any thick white fish should do like cod or haddock though it may flake a little.

For 2

- 1 tablespoon of canola, vegetable or light olive oil
- 1 tsp on cumin
- 1 tsp or ground coriander seeds
- 1 large cup of cooked rice
- 1 medium sized onion finely chopped
- 1 large clove of garlic finely chopped
- 2 stalks of celery finely chopped
- 1 large ripe tomatoe finely sliced
- 2 white fish fillets cut into large bite sized chunks
- 1 small chilli finely chopped – optional
- 1 heaped teaspoon of ginger
- 1 dessertspoon of rice vinegar or lime juice
- 1 dessertspoon of fish sauce
- ½ dessertspoon of tamarind or pad thai sauce
- 1 dessertspoon of soy sauce (depending on how salty/sweet you like it)

- Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over a medium hear

- Fry the spices for minute or so

- Add the onion and soften

- Add the garlic and celery and fry until the celery is fairly soft

- Add the tomato and chilli if using and cook until tomatoes are liquid

- Add the fish and ginger and fry fish on all sides

- Add the rice and the rest of the ingredients

- Cook until fish is tender

· You could also add any of the following – cashew or peanuts, beaten egg, fresh coriander , tuna or crab meat, bean sprouts etc, etc, etc!

In Search of the perfect Nshima

Currently this a favourite place of mine for nshima. They are really friendly and are just opposite the gallery where I spend a lot of my time these days.

The nshima was not as good as the first time, when it was soft and yielding with no dryness, but they give you a huge piece of chicken and 2 relishes. This huge meal costs K15,000 which is about $4 I think!

But the search for good places to eat nshima in Lusaka continues!