Recipe: Savory South African Sweet Potato Stew with Eba Dipping Dumplings

Savory South African Sweet Potato Stew with Eba Dipping Dumplings

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• boil :

  to cook a food in liquid heated to the point of gas bubbles and steam forming (boiling point is 212 F at sea level).

• dice :

  to cut foods into small pieces of equal size so that the food is cooked evenly or looks uniform and pleasant when used in the recipe.

• knife skills :

  Bear Claw (growl), Pinch, Plank, and Bridge (look out for trolls). 

• measure :

  to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

• roll :

  to use a rolling pin to flatten dough; use your hands to form a roll or ball shape; or move a round food, like a grape or a meatball, through another food, like sugar or breadcrumbs, to coat it.

• sauté :

  to cook or brown food in a pan containing a small quantity of butter, oil, or other fat.

• season :

  to add flavor to food with spices, herbs, and salt.

• shape :

  to form food into a specific shape by hand or with a cutting tool—examples are cutting cookie dough into shapes with cookie cutters, forming bread dough into a roll or crescent shape, and rolling ground meat into a meatball.

• simmer :

  to cook a food gently, usually in a liquid, until softened.

• stir :

  to mix together two or more ingredients with a spoon or spatula, usually in a circle pattern, or figure eight, or in whatever direction you like!

History of Stew!

• Humans have been making stew since ancient times! Food historians say there is evidence of a stew made in Japan sometime during the Jōmon period (14,000-300 BCE). Tribes from the Amazon Rainforest used turtle shells to cook stew over a fire. Other cultures used the shells of mollusks to boil their stew.
• A stew is a combination of solid foods, usually tough meats and vegetables, cooked on the stove or in the oven in a liquid, like water or stock, sometimes with added wine, at low temperature for one to three hours. The meat becomes tender, and gravy is created due to the slow cooking process, making the stew thick and hearty.
• Brown stews are made with seared red meat, browned and diced vegetables, browned flour, brown stock, and sometimes red wine. The diced vegetables are called a "mirepoix" (MEER-pwah), part of French cuisine, typically consisting of carrots, celery, and onions. A stew may also include legumes, noodles, rice, or potatoes.
• White stews can be called "blanquettes" or "fricassées" and consist of lightly seared but not browned lamb, poultry, or veal cooked in a white stock. Diced, braised vegetables with light color, like celery, cucumber, green lettuce, parsnips, or potatoes may be added. 
• Many countries have stews in their cuisine. France has "beef bourguignon" or "beef Burgundy," a dish of beef stewed in burgundy wine. They also have a fish stew called "bouillabaisse." Vietnam has "bo kho," a richly-seasoned beef stew. "Feijoada" is a bean, beef, and pork stew from Brazil and Portugal. "Főzelék" is a thick vegetable soup from Hungary. South India has a stew made with lentils and vegetables called "sambar."
• What's the difference between soup and stew? Soups are typically cooked in less time and are thinner in consistency than thick stews.

Let's Learn About Africa!

• The African continent is the second largest worldwide in size and population. Asia is the largest. Africa's total area, including islands, is 11.7 million square miles, and 1.3 billion people live on the continent. It is a little more than 2 million square miles bigger than North America, which has a population of 579 million.
• Currently, there are 54 recognized countries in Africa. As of 2022, Sticky Fingers Cooking has featured foods from the West African region and the countries of Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa.
• Many scientists believe human beings originated in Africa, making it the oldest inhabited area on Earth. 
• Ancient civilizations, like those of Egypt and Carthage, contributed to the history and culture of Africa. Ancient Europeans, the Greeks and Romans, also explored Africa, and Alexander the Great, an Ancient Greek king, established the city of Alexandria in Egypt in 331 BCE.
• During more recent history, from the late 19th to early 20th centuries, several modern European countries colonized many African nations and brought their cultural influences to the continent. These countries included Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. 
• Today, although they are independent, the government and media of the previously-colonized African nations may communicate in the languages of the Europeans that occupied them. However, the African people themselves usually speak in their native languages. 
• The climate of Africa is diverse. The continent's northern half consists of arid and semi-arid deserts and shrubland. The central region has savannas (a grassy plain with few trees), tropical rainforests, and some semi-arid desert in the east. Finally, the southern area has savannas, tropical rainforests, and semi-tropical dry forests.
• The Sahara Desert extends over a large portion of North Africa at 3.6 million square miles! That is larger than the United States (without Alaska and Hawaii)! It is the world's largest hot desert. Only the polar deserts of the Arctic and Antarctic are bigger.

• Football (soccer) is probably the most popular sport across the African continent. In Egypt, kids may also participate in tennis, squash (like handball), and wrestling. In addition to soccer, Nigerian kids also like to wrestle and play volleyball. Soccer, rugby, and cricket are popular in South Africa. 

• A few of the snacks that South African kids may eat include "koeksisters" (plaited fried dough dipped in sugar syrup), "biltong" (dried cured meat, like jerky), and "rusks" (a dried cookie, similar to biscotti). Kids in Nigeria may have "chin chin" (crunchy diced, fried bread), "puff-puff" (sweet, fried doughnut balls), or "dodo" (sliced, fried plantains) for an afterschool snack. Egyptian kids eat snacks like almonds, pistachios, grapes, raisins, dates, cucumbers, pita, and cheese.