Coming from a house with a oven, a microwave and a full cupboard of spices and baking paraphernalia, we have found it difficult to come up with meals that fit our new situation. Having more time to cook, and less things to cook with we have found ourselves at an interesting crossroad.
Our first problem was one of equipment. Upon arrival, we were given a refrigerator and a set of dishes to use; nothing more. So naturally, one of our first orders of business was to purchase some of the things we would need to cook. We ended up buying a ‘cooker’ as it is called. Though I was initially hesitant at its capabilities, the cooker has proven to be quite useful.
As you can see, it has two burners and an oven. However the oven can only go to 250° which provides for some interesting baking. We also acquired a few basic kitchen items like stirring spoons, pots and a pan. Because of the difficulty in finding cooking utensils, we end up using a tea cup as a measuring cup and a real table spoon as a tablespoon.
The second difficulty we have been coping with is ingredients. Because you don’t find any supermarkets here, getting baking ingredients is a challenge. We have a limited number of spices (one called ‘Tanzania spices’ – a mix we have no idea what its made up of), baking powder but no baking soda, a bag of generic flour and a few other basic items. Not having a cookbook, we get our recipes off the internet. The recipes we get off the internet though, only resemble what we mix together and throw in the oven. When your recipe calls for thyme and baking powder – neither of which you have – you tend to get a bit inventive, more out of necessity than of creativeness. Some days we don’t get a chance to find recipes and end up guessing. (Mac n’ cheese is just macaroni and cheese, right?)
In addition to those ingredients we have a pile of avocadoes (the avocado tree in our backyard is dropping them faster than we can pick them up). Since neither of us is all that fond of guacamole (and we don’t have any chips to put it on) we have been searching for recipes with a large proportion of avocadoes. Using a banana bread recipe as a template, we have created a new dish – avocakes. These little green cakes, however unappealing they may look, actually taste quite good. They make tasty sweet cakes for desert. If your interesting in trying them out, check out the recipe at the bottom of the page.
The hardest part of cooking here is the variability of electricity. Often, when you want nothing more than a hot bowl of soup for dinner, the electricity is off and you are stuck with a cold cabbage salad or a P&J sandwich on week old bread. Now there is nothing wrong with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I adore them, but after the third meal, you really wish you had electricity to make pasta. Lack of electricity also makes refrigeration hard. After 48 hours with out power, you begin to question the safety of the chicken in the freezer.
With ample time in the evenings and a hour and a half lunch break, there is plenty of time to experiment in the kitchen. Experimentation makes for interesting meals and is definitely fun (though maybe not so entertaining for those who have to eat what you cook).
Avocakes
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbs cinnamon
- 1 cup of mashed avocadoes (about 3 medium avocadoes)
- 3/4 cup milk
Mix all of the ingredients together. Place heaping spoonfuls of the batter on a greased pan. Cook for 15 minutes at 250°.
If you want to get the whole experience, measure ingredients with teacups and spoons, find an avocado tree and go collect your own avocadoes.
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