Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Easy Cuisine ?

If you're anything like me, I'm sure that the idea of waking up first thing on a saturday morning to make sure that the stockfish you were soaking overnight is okay and might be ready for the soup you plan on making on later in day, is not your idea of great fun. Maybe, like me, you too silenty curse Stouffers and Healthy Choice for not having a jollof rice entree or chicken yassa in one of their brightly colored, ready in 10 mins or less, frozen wonder meals. Maybe you're not like me and you quite enjoy, the standing over a stove with steam sweating out your hair that you spent 4 hours (& $60) at the salon getting perfectly coiffed just the night before (not that I'm bitter or speaking from experience or anything) If you're too busy or have more vain reasons for not slaving all day in the kitchen, you now have options when trying to nourish yourself (and perhaps others)


Sheba Foods and M.A.W.A Kitchen (My Authentic West African) both have a variety of frozen(yaay), bottled, dry (just add water, gets no better) goods to help you prepare your next African meal.
Okay so it's only West African, but we have to somewhere people, I promise as soon as I find some just add water outfit that makes Ugali or Bobotie, I will blog it.

Sheba Foods products are available not only online, but they're also available at all Whole Foods stores and most Super Wal-Marts in the state of Georgia. I've tried the jollof rice, I'd definitely fry some onions, pepper etc. and mix it in and pass off as mine. They also have cooking classes at the cooks Warehouse, so if you're in the Atlanta area and you can't cook, or you want to learn to cook other types of African food, make sure you check for the details on the website.

M.A.W.A is based in North Carolina, and they are currently available in a few stores in the Raleigh area, New York and they're coming soon to Georgia. You can also order online. They are definitely Senegalese-centered, but that's a great thing, because their food is sooo good.

I think I worked up a serious appetite just posting this... shall I go home now and cook? If you feel inspired to cook egusi or now want to finally perfect that
Ceebu Jën recipe once and for all, go to The Congo Cookbook to find a recipe. Then freeze and mail to me :D