Courtesy of McCormick
Keeping with its roots in ancient and ongoing African first-fruits celebrations, Kwanzaa is all about community, unity and culture. “Some years it’s a good harvest, some years it’s a bad harvest,” said Malaika Tawasufi, a member executive circle of Kwanzaa’s founding organization, The Organization Us. “Whatever the harvest, you are very thankful.” If you plan to host a Karamu feast this December to celebrate the year’s harvest, here are 15 dishes from across the African diaspora you can make at home.
Fresh Tomato and Cucumber Salad
Made of tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots and doused in a black pepper, garlic, olive oil and honey dressing, this East African side salad will add a welcome vegetarian option to your table. Plant-based and vegetarian options are a Karamu menu must-have. Addressing everyone’s dietary preferences helps to keep the meal unified.
Collard Greens
Although this classic Southern collard greens recipe calls for bacon bits, it’s best to keep them off your table. When preparing a Kwanzaa feast, you should “always look for reasons for inclusion, not reasons to exclude,” Tawasufi said. That means an abundance of veggie options and no prohibited foods from various groups, including pork.
Fried Sweet Plantains
Caribbean foods are also great for your table on Kwanzaa. For the best fried plantains, wait until your plantains are very ripe, otherwise, the bitter taste will overtake the sweetness. Then, follow at-home frying tips to keep the cleaning to a minimum.
Grilled West African Street Kebabs
Curried Meat Pies
These meat pies are packed with trademark African and Caribbean culinary flavors. To make yours, first prepare the homemade curried pastry crust. Then, using Jamaican curry powder, garlic and much more, season and cook the ground beef filling. Stuff the pastry with the meat mixture and bake.
East African Chicken and Lentil Stew
Soups and stews are cold-weather staples. This chicken and lentil stew in particular offers a new take on a famous Ethiopian doro wat chicken stew. But before you cook, prepare to grab just about every spice in your spice drawer. You will have to stir together nearly a dozen spices to make the required berbere mix.
For the East African Chicken and Lentil Stew recipe, click here.
Red Beans and Rice
Roasted Vegetable Suya-Spiced Flatbread
Common in Nigeria, suya spice is a smokey seasoning made by finely blending roasted peanuts and spices like garlic, onion, paprika, red peppers, salt and ginger. After preparing this easy one-hour veggie flatbread, it’s up to you to decide whether to serve it with a suya sauce, suya dipping oil or suya “pesto.”
For the Roasted Vegetable Suya-Spiced Flatbread recipe, click here.
Fried Catfish
Jollof Chicken & Rice
Brighten up your feast with this warm orange jollof rice seasoned with saffron, turmeric, tomatoes and crushed red pepper. The hearty rice recipe may be prepared alongside chicken and spinach for a three-course meal in a single skillet.
Caribbean Jerk Chicken & Rice
Ambrosia Salad
Apple Pie
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