The Girl, the "Butter"and the Fish....

I remember being about 10 or 12 years old when i had my first memorable cooking encounter. My mother had gotten this amazingly fresh Tilapia from the market (City Market) in Nairobi, and we were supposed to prepare it for diner. We observed Lent protocol to the tee; so definitely no red meat on Fridays. My sister asked me to batter the fish that she had left on the counter top.

About an hour later she came back to check on my progress, and found me up to my elbows in in several sticks of unsalted BUTTER!!! She chocked back her laughter, and proceeded to explain to me the difference between BATTER and BUTTER. I could see she was trying her best not to keel over laughing.... and I'm glad she didn't... I felt encouraged to do more, to do better, always anxious to please her because I believed she was the most talented cook and chef-in-the-making!

• So here is a simple pan fried recipe for you my dear. I promise to explain it to you clearly, when it's your turn to batter the fish!
  
  
  
  Love Mama
  
  
  
  
  
  PAN FRIED TILAPIA
  BATTER


• 1 Egg1/2 Cup of lemon rind


• 1/2 cup of buttermilk.


• Salt


• Pepper
  Mix the above ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

DRY MIX

• 1 Tablespoon of Curry Powder


• 1 Teaspoon of Paprika


• 1 Teaspoon of Shalimar Fish Masala mix


• Salt to taste


• Fresh ground pepper


• 2 cups of white corn meal
  Mix the above ingredients thoroughly in a wide shallow bowl.

COOKING (4-5 Minutes total)
Coat each Tilapia fillet on each side with the wet mix and then into the flour mix.
A single dipping of each ensures a thin crust, easy for shallow frying the fish.
Make sure each side of the fillet is coated evenly with the flour and spice mix.

Heat a non-stick pan with enough olive oil or canola oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
Once the pan is the right temperature (not smoking), place the fillets (2 at a time) on the pan. Cook each side at medium heat until crispy and golden brown before turning over.
Allow to cool on a metal grille instead of a plate, to keep the crispy coat intact.

Serve with Rainbow Cranberry salad (see recipe below) and your choice of a starch such as boiled rice or Ugali. (see recipe for Ugali below)


RAINBOW CRANBERRY SALAD
Prep: 5-10 minutes

1 Pack of Rainbow salad (fresh vegetable section of your supermarket)

1/2 a red onion

1/2 a green bell pepper

1/2 a red tomato

1 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 cup of organic dried cranberries

2 tspns. of vinegar

2 tbsps. of Miracle Whip

Salt

Black pepper

COOKING (4-6 minutes)

Heat a skillet and add the extra virgin olive oil

Cook the onions and bell peppers until the onions just begin to caramelize.

Add the tomato, salt and pepper. cook until the tomatoes are slightly tender.

Remove from the stove and set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix in the bag of salad, vinegar and miracle whip.

Toss until the miracle whip is properly mixed into the salad.

Add the cranberries.

Add the onion, pepper and tomato mix and toss thoroughly.

Put salad mix in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Rainbow cranberry salad can be served slightly warm, or completely chilled.



UGALI

• 4 cups of water


• 1 cup of milk or buttermilk to make it creamier and bolster flavor


• 2 ounces butter or margarine


• 1 pound white corn meal


• Salt
  

COOKING (10-15 minutes)

Mix half the flour and about a quarter of the water in a bowl with a wooden spoon until it is a smooth paste.
Boil the rest of the water with the butter and a pinch of salt, and then add the paste, stirring steadily for at least a minute and bring it back to a boil.
Then add the rest of the flour a little at a time while you keep on stirring.
Keep going until the mixture has turned into a stiff dough.
When ready, flip over onto a flat plate as you would a cake.
Leave covered until ready to serve.

Cut into wedges and serve with pan fried tilapia, rainbow cranberry salad, and lemon wedges.

*substitute any of the above mentioned dry spices for the tilapia for anything in your pantry that will add flavor to the crust for the fish. Do not be afraid to stray from the recipe and experiment with a few different items in your kitchen! :)