Jambo! Habari!
I am about to share with you all the best Zanzibar Mix recipe. I follow this recipe very dearly because it is my mom's authentic homemade recipe. This recipe is absolutely finger licking good and you will love the presentation and taste of the dish. So let me begin by explaining what Zanzibar Mix is. Zanzibar Mix is one of the most popular street-foods of Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania and Zanzibar. There are so many local vendors on the streets that sell Zanzibar Mix. But keep in mind, there is always a slight variation in taste and flavor. Everyone has a different way of making Zanzibar Mix. The ingredients you put in the Mix and Bhajias are very important. So essentially the Mix is a bowl of softened cubes of potatoes in a bowl of smooth flour-based coconut sauce, crispy mouth-watering bhajias, fried potato or cassava crushed chips, and a blend of coconut and red-hot chutneys drizzled on the top. Mmmmm. Delicious is the right word! But I have included boiled kala chana (black small version of chickpeas that are extremely nutritious and iron rich) along with boiled cubed potatoes. This is WHY my mom's recipe below is special because the combination of kala chana and potatoes makes for a much tastier dish. Plus, the recipe for the bhajias below is very unique and different than what you normally get served on the streets. So give this recipe a try! It is very dear to my heart because my mom has taught me this dish. She gets very excited and happy whenever I make it because this dish is a little complex to make.
So if you haven't already tried Zanzibar Mix before, enjoy this recipe!! And if you have been using a pre-existing recipe, give this one a try too. You will thoroughly enjoy it. :)
So here comes the much anticipated homestyle mom's authentic Zanzibar Mix recipe:
For the Homemade Mix:
Ingredients:
1.1 cup soaked and boiled kala chana (small black chickpeas)
2. 10 potatoes washed, boiled, and cubed into small pieces
3. 10 cups of water
4. Salt to taste
5. Turmeric powder to taste
6. 1 tsp red chilli powder
7. Fresh juice from half a lemon
8. 1 can of coconut milk
9. 1 tbsp of graham flour
10. 1 tbsp of all-purpose flour
Procedure:
1. Soak one cup of kala chana over night in warm water. Once soaked, pressure cook by adding water and a pinch of soda bicarb until well cooked (softened). After pressure cooker is cool, open, and strain the kala chana and rinse the chana with warm water.
2. Similarly, make sure that the 10 potatoes are cut into half each and cooked in the pressure cooker until well cooked, but not overly mushy. Once the potatoes are removed from the pressure cooker and cool, cut them into small pieces.
3. In a large pot, mix boiled kala channa and boiled potatoes together.
4. Add 10 cups of water.
5. Enough salt to taste.
6. Enough turmeric powder to taste.
7. Add 1 tsp of chilli powder and fresh juice from half a lemon.
8. Boil the mixture. When the mixture is starting to boil, add 1 can of coconut milk, and boil the mixture for another 10 mins.
9. In the meantime, make a paste of 1 tbsp of graham flour and 1 tbsp of all-purpose flour by adding a little bit of water. Once the paste is made, add it to the Mix and let the Mix boil for another 15-20 minutes on lower temperature.
10. Once cooked on low temperature, the Mix should be ready.
For the Homemade Bhajias:
Ingredients:
1. 1 cup of uncooked black eyed beans
2. 1 cup of uncooked mag ni daal
3. 1/2 cup of urad daal (black gram)
4. Salt to taste
5. Oil to fry
Procedure:
1. Soak all of the three above-mentioned lentil/daals (black eyed beans, mag ni daal, and urad daal) for 8 hours in warm water.
2. Once soaked, grind the raw combined mixture little by little in the blender making sure that it remains a little coarse and not completed crushed.
3. After the mixture is grinned properly, add salt to taste.
4. Make little dumplings by hand and deep fry these little bhajias until you have crispy light-brown yummy fritters.
For the Homemade Coconut Chutney:
Ingredients:
1. 2 small thin green chillies
2. 1/2 cup of coriander
3. 1/2 cup of shredded coconut
4. Salt and fresh lemon juice to taste
Procedure:
1. Grind all the ingredients in a blender by adding a little bit of water. You want the chutney to remain thick and not become too watery.
How to Serve Zanzibar Mix:
Per serving, pour the mix coconut sauce of kala chana and potatoes, then add bhajias, and then sprinkle crushed potato or cassava chips (whatever you have at home), and lastly, drizzle some coconut chutney on the top. My recipe is finger licking good! You are in for some deliciousness. :)
Please see in the picture above how to present Zanzibar mix.
Hii ni kichocheo bora milele!