Most popular African Spices in the USA: Mau Forest Dried Nettles
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African old school mothers were naturally calibrated. They took the art of eyeballing amounts and ingredients to a magical level. If you were brought up by one of those heroes you will definitely relate. The only measuring tool these queens had was literally the tips of their fingers. All you saw were dashes, dabs, pinches, sprinkles, dunks, and handfuls. Bam! And other times: Bam! Bam! Bam! Take that Chef Emeril Lagasse!
These natural chefs were not constantly referring to some encyclopedia. There were no written recipes or internet guides. There were no refrigerators. They did not have a PhDs in culinary arts (They deserve one). And don’t get me started about growing their own crops where you had to measure planting distance with your steps and arm’s length. They also deserve a Nobel Peace Prize for feeding all those squabbling family members into a food coma.
In this episode, we are proud to present to you Mau Forest Dried Nettles, a staple in Kenyan cuisine that goes well in Mukimo and the local porridge (Kiambu Grits). Mukimo is a “greens-loaded” Kenyan version of mashed potatoes. I could teach you how to make Mukimo with Dried Nettles but don’t hold your breath. My cooking skills are not up to par, to be diplomatic. You know you are a bad cook when your family prays after they eat. Or worse your dog goes to the neighbors’ to eat. That’s me on my normal day.
On the other hand, I come from a village where bone broth is considered a beverage (High cholesterol be damned!) So I know a thing or two about food. I would not recommend eyeballing spices though. Trust me on this. I tried it recently and I almost created a nuclear incident. It involved several spoonfuls of ground Carolina Reaper and Wasabi. My soup bowl literally melted under the rising radiation levels (Cough! Cough!).
Now go off and use the Africa spices to make yourself a mouthwatering dish. (Cough!) Remember vegetables are a must on a diet. We suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie. (And green beer if it is St. Patrick’s Day).
I won’t be impressed with technology until I can download food. But I like the fact that Africans living in the USA can now get most of the African spices on Amazon.
Please take the time to browse around, read my posts, and leave your comments—I welcome your thoughts. Let me know if my cooking jokes are funny or they just didn’t pan out. (Cough!)
Mahugu Nuthu is a top content creator at MHGcode.com a US-based business magazine that provides business analysis and personal finance tools while addressing provocative cultural and economic issues affecting Africans in Diaspora and in the continent.
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