I introduce you yet another taste of my Zambia heritage, Ifisashi, a dish which incorporates peanut flour in the recipe. Ifisashi is a Bemba noun derived from the verb Ukusashila, which in a cooking context refers to the mixing of a dish with peanut flour.
Ifisashi is typically made with leafy vegetables such as collard greens, pumpkin leaves or as in the case of this recipe, my favorite, mustard greens. There are some recipes for making Ifisashi which involve meat, poultry or fish dishes.
Culturally, the peanut flour is made by pounding dried peanuts or as they are called in Zambia, ground nuts in a wooden mortar and pestle which stands on the floor at about 2-3ft. in my kitchen, the only wooden mortar and pestle I own seats on the counter top and is only half a foot tall; it does not suffice for grinding peanuts. I have therefore resorted to modern ways and use my food processor instead, I must say it performs perfectly well and it is efficient to use.
I like making Ifisashi with mustard greens, the combination of the slightly bitter and fresh crunchy vegetables and the creamy and nutty flavor of the peanuts creates a whole new level of deliciousness. I also love the health benefits of Ifisashi, you get the best of both worlds from a vegetarian dish which is rich in both vitamins and proteins.
- ½ lb. mustard Greens
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 1 plum tomato, diced
- ½ cup dried peanuts (Yields approx. 2 ½ oz. flour)
- 1 ½ tbsp. cooking oil
- 1 tsp. salt (to taste)
- [b][u]To Prepare Mustard Greens[/u][/b]
- (1) Place leaves on a chopping board in a bunch. Hold down leaves with one hand and cut off the stems and place aside. Chiffonade leaves about 1/8 of an inch apart.
- [url href=”http://periperichef.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/IMG_46833.jpg”][img src=”http://periperichef.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/IMG_46833.jpg” width=”714″ height=”457″ class=”aligncenter size-full” title=”periperichef_ifisashi_2″][/url]
- (2) Place the cut greens in a colander dish and wash thoroughly under a faucet with cold running water for about 2 minutes or as needed to remove grit.
- (3) Set aside to drain while you prepare the other ingredients.
- [b][u]To Make Peanut (groundnut) Flour*[/u][/b]
- (4) Using a food processor, grind the peanuts by putting the setting on pulse. Do this six consecutive times.
- (5) Pour the flour into a sieve and sieve until there is no more flour coming out through it.
- (6) Repeat step 4, two more times grinding only 3 times before sieving.**
- [url href=”http://periperichef.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/IMG_47072.jpg”][img src=”http://periperichef.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/IMG_47072.jpg” width=”720″ height=”480″ class=”aligncenter size-full” title=”periperichef_ifisashi_3″][/url]
- [u][b]To Cook Ifisashi[/b][/u]
- [url href=”http://periperichef.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/IMG_46931.jpg”][img src=”http://periperichef.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/IMG_46931.jpg” width=”720″ height=”480″ class=”aligncenter size-full” title=”periperichef_ifisashi_1″][/url]
- (7) Sauté onions on medium high for 3 minutes.
- [url href=”http://periperichef.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/IMG_47201.jpg”][img src=”http://periperichef.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/IMG_47201.jpg” width=”720″ height=”480″ class=”aligncenter size-full” title=”periperichef_ifisashi_5″][/url]
- (8) Add tomatoes and sauté for another 1 min.
- (9) Add mustard greens and the salt on top.
- (10) Cover and simmer, 1 min.
- (11) Mix all contents and let simmer for another 2 min.
- [url href=”http://periperichef.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/IMG_47251.jpg”][img src=”http://periperichef.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/IMG_47251.jpg” width=”720″ height=”480″ class=”aligncenter size-full” title=”periperichef_ifisashi_6″][/url]
- (12) Add 1 ½ oz. of the peanut four and mix. Cover and allow to simmer for 3 min. Mix one last time to stop the contents from sticking to the bottom. Simmer for 2 more minutes.
- [url href=”http://periperichef.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/IMG_4731.jpg”][img src=”http://periperichef.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/IMG_4731.jpg” width=”720″ height=”480″ class=”aligncenter size-full” title=”periperichef_ifisashi_7″][/url]
- (13) Your Ifisashi is ready. Server with[url href=”http://periperichef.com/zambia/nshima/”]Nshima[/url] or other carbs. If you desire, you can also compliment the dish with animal protein such as [url href=”http://periperichef.com/zambia/kuhu-chicken-zambian-pan-fried-chicken-in-tomato-sauce/”]chicken[/url], meat of fish.
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