10,000 Ways to Scramble a Continent
Illustration by Olivia Twist
Introduction by The Editors
Which came first, colonialism or capitulation? Whichever it was, we got some good (food) from it. We being the many parts of the continent which were colonized—many to the point of complete swallow. Good refers to the fraternity that comes when disparate people are thrown together into an unfamiliar idea called a country, or a continent. Regarding food, it is important to say that whatever blessings were born from culinary mixings, credit goes to the wonderful universe of African food that presupposed the culinary interdiction of the continent.
Below are four recipes from four chefs from the “four corners” of the continent. The recipes are all egg-based. Egg for us means a revolution, a birth and an independence. But we know how many revolutions end, cracked! The continent does not have four corners. It remains fragmented into multiple, beautiful and pained segments. We hope you try some or none or all of the recipes but we want you to try revolution, even if it cracks you!
#1996
Taktuka
By Jazia Hammoudi
Ingredients:
3 kg or 6½ lbs tomatoes
5 eggs
1 green pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
150 grams sugar
½ cup good olive oil
Packed with North African umami, Taktuka can be eaten at any time of day to restore vitality for the long walk to freedom. To prepare, start by blanching, peeling, and chopping the tomatoes. Cook them in olive oil on a low heat with chili and salt. Then char the green pepper on an open flame, peel and cut into strips. (Make sure to rotate the pepper regularly so that it is uniformly blackened. Wrap in a paper towel and gently rub skin off). Next, add sugar to the tomatoes and cook until unctuous. Transfer the tomatoes to a tagine—or any earthenware pot with a conical lid (for example, a donabe). Finally, crack the eggs in the sauce and arrange green pepper strips like flower petals. Cook covered on low heat to your desired doneness, six to eight minutes for runny eggs, 10 to 12 for firm. Serve hot with crusty bread and green tea.
#1995
Enkulal Firfir
By Maheder Aekalu
Ingredients:
4 chicken eggs
1 tomato
½ small onion
½ teaspoon olive oil
1 jalapeño
1 roll of bread
There is no better starter to a weekend in Addis Abeba than enkulal firfir—an Ethiopian-style egg scramble. This simple but hearty breakfast reminds me of childhood late mornings. To start, dice the onions and tomatoes and add them to a pan with a tablespoon of oil. Sauté for a few minutes and then add two beaten eggs. Finish with salt and diced green peppers to taste. Typically this is eaten with forno dabo rolls of white bread reappropriated with sesame seeds for the local palate. Ideally the bread is fresh and you tear off pieces with your hand to scoop out the delicious scramble and pop it into your mouth. When possible, dab your bites in mitmita, a dry aromatic hot chili spice blend that’s a perfect complement to its tangy and salty piquancy
Stuffed Falafel
For the falafel:
¾ cup dried chickpeas
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons loosely packed fresh
dill leaves
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon
juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
6 large eggs
Vegetable oil, for frying
For the dakwa dipping sauce:
½ cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon
1 tablespoon of white vinegar
⅓ cup water
2 green chili pods
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon chili flakes
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Stuffed falafel is a grown-up version of regular falafel—both are a staple student food in Sudan. You can find them in kiosks outside small neighborhood grocery stores where they are sold cheaply, often as a breakfast item, or an afterschool snack. To make your own, boil the eggs and peel them. In a food processor add the falafel, mix ingredients and blitz until almost smooth. Divide the mix into six equal patties and wrap the eggs in with the mix. Fry until golden brown. For the dakwa sauce place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth then serve it with your falafel eggs.
Coconut Quail Egg Roll
Ingredients:
5 quail eggs
2 chicken eggs
1 teaspoon butter
½ cup flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
Frying oil
This dish is an adaptation of the Nigerian motor park version of an egg roll. Egg roll, in my opinion, was an adaptation of scotch eggs that came with the British rule over Nigeria. Although scotch eggs are not hawked as a roadside snack, egg roll seemed to be the perfect meatless replacement that was provided as a filling snack on your journey out of Lagos. The hawker with a wood and glass box approached you, hitting the glass with his fork, and then offered you a few egg rolls as a guaranteed way of filling your belly on your road trip. The twist I’ve added is the coconut, breadcrumbs and the quail eggs. Think luxury egg rolls. To prepare it, boil and peel the quail eggs. Mix and rub dry ingredients with butter and one whisked chicken egg. Mould this mixture around the quail eggs. Dip in the second egg, which should be beaten, roll in breadcrumbs and coconut. Deep fry in frying oil of your choice. Let cool. Top with sweet chili sauce.
