An African Feast : Chutney, Fish, Coconut Rice: Swahili Food Is Simple and Serious

WHILE I WAS living on Lamu, an island off the coast of Kenya, I spent a lot of time with a young woman named Zainab, who taught me how to speak her language and cook her food. Cooking on Lamu is more time-consuming than it is in Los Angeles--everything is done by hand--but somehow there seems to be more time. The equatorial sun takes hours to burn across the sky, and grating coconut without a Cuisinart is a tedious art indeed.

One day near the end of my stay, Zainab decided that we should observe local custom and henna my hands and feet in the morning; in the afternoon, we would invite some guests, prepare a great meal and show them how pretty my hands looked and how well I’d learned to cook.

We had fresh fish from a fisherman friend of Zainab’s husband; it had to be used promptly because there was no refrigerator. Zainab coated the fish inside and out with spices, then left it to marinate several hours. To accompany the fish, she made a mango-potato chutney from hard mangoes that were far from being ripe. (Ripe mangoes, she explained, would disintegrate during cooking.) We also made coconut rice, flat chapati bread and a dessert of pasta in sweet coconut milk and sugar.

Zainab, known as one of the best cooks on the island, takes her food and meals seriously. “Promise me that when you get home, you’ll send me things from your kitchen,” she said as I left. It was equally important that I bring back to America a sense of how the Swahili people approach their culture and their food with dignity, tradition and respect.

SAMAKI WA KUKANGA

(Fried Fish)

6small, fresh, firm-fleshed whole fish or fish filets (sea bass, red snapper, catfish, tuna, monkfish)1 1/2tablespoons ground cumin1 1/2tablespoons ground cardamom1 1/2tablespoons ground cinnamon1 1/2tablespoons ground black pepper4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushedJuice of one lemonButter or oil for frying In small bowl, combine spices, garlic and lemon juice. Coat fish inside and out with spice mixture. Use immediately or marinate several hours. In large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter; add fish and fry, turning once, until fish is cooked through and easily flaked when pierced with fork. This fish is also excellent grilled. Makes 6-8 servings.

MCHUZI WA MAEMBE NA VIAZI

(Mango-Potato Chutney)

1 1/2 tablespoons cumin seeds or ground cumin1 1/2 tablespoons black peppercorns or ground pepper45 cardamom pods or 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cardamom3-4 3-inch-long cinnamon sticks or 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon8-10 small red potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces1/4 pound (1 stick) butter2 small yellow onions, chopped5 cloves garlic3 unripe mangoes, peeled and cubed1 8-ounce can whole tomatoes, including liquid 1/8 teaspoon curry powder 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)Salt to taste Using a mortar and pestle or an electric spice mill, grind cumin seeds, peppercorns, cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks. (Ground spices may be substituted, but try to obtain fresh cardamom pods and grind the whole pod.) Set aside.

Place potatoes in large pot of boiling water and cook 15-20 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat, drain and return to pot.

While potatoes are cooking, melt butter in small skillet over medium-high heat; add onions and garlic, and saute about 3 minutes. Do not brown. Add onion mixture, mangoes and spices to potatoes; stir in curry powder and cayenne. Over low heat, add tomatoes and their liquid and simmer, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Salt to taste. Serve with Wali Nanazi. Makes 6-8 servings.

WALI NANAZI

(Coconut Rice)

1 coconut or 1 package (14 ounces) unsweetened, shredded coconut2 cups or 2 packages (7 ounces each) brown rice4 1/2 cups hot water If using a fresh coconut, you will need a hammer and long nail. Hammer nail into the three soft spots on top of coconut, going all the way through meat to liquid in center. Pour liquid into bowl and reserve. Use hammer to crack coconut in half. Place coconut halves in 250-degree oven and bake 15-20 minutes (this separates meat from shell). Remove meat from shell, cut into chunks and grate, using grater or food processor.

To make coconut milk: Place shredded coconut in food processor or blender. Add 2 1/4 cups water and process for 30 seconds. Strain coconut milk through sieve or piece of cheesecloth into bowl containing coconut liquid. Squeeze or press coconut pulp to remove all moisture. Repeat process using same coconut pulp and 2 1/4 cups more water.

Prepare rice following package directions, substituting coconut milk for water. Makes 6-8 servings.

Martin Jacobs; food stylist: Nicole Routhier; prop stylist: Linda Johnson; plates from the Frank McIntosh Shop at Henri Bendel, New York.