From the Kitchen: Domoda
My anticipation to lose weight in Africa is far from a dream come true. I’ve yet to have a meal I didn’t like. Plus, dishes typically consist of A LOT of rice topped with meat and sauce, which is cooked in gobs and gobs of oil. My sisters say their goal is to make me so fat I am unrecognizable when I go back to America, so everyone will know how great Africa is. I’m doing my best to counter their evil conspiracy! One of the first words I learned in Jola was “nipon-pom,” which means “I’m full.” I learned it in attempt to stop my family from shoving food at me, chanting “eat, eat, eat more!” every meal time, but the phrase is only successful 50 percent of the time. Oh, Gambian hospitality!
My favorite meal is Domoda, which is cooked with the prosperous crop of peanuts.
Domoda
Domoda can be made with fish or meat. My sister, Maimuna, showed me how to cook the fish variety and I helped her prepare it for the family.
Me and Maimuna, 22
First, pound the fish (with skin) black pepper, garlic, onion and bullion cube. Roll into balls and fry in lots and lots of oil.
Fish balls!
Remove the balls and add tomato paste to the oil. Add more pounded onion, garlic, red spicy pepper, black pepper and bullion cube.
Add pieces of bitter tomato and simmer.
Simmering.
Mix ground peanuts with water and add to sauce.
Maimuna
Mmmm! Peanut butter!
Add salt, chunks of red pepper, more tomato. Put the fish balls back in the sauce and boil.
The sauce.
Serve on top of LOTS of white rice. Eat with your (right) hand out of a community food bowl.
Delicious Domoda
–JDF
We miss you, Jess! The food (and your new hair-do) looks great!
🙂 🙂 🙂
Here in Chile things are… er… chilly! We’re huddled by our space heater every night. It’s hard to imagine that somewhere else in the world you are suffering intense heat! haha
Keep the posts coming!
I’m so jealous that you are cold! I wake up in a pool of my own sweat every morning, sadly. Hahaha. I miss you both. Thanks for reading!
This does not look as good as the food you and your mom make for your luncheons! Maybe we can try it when you get back. Take care.
Nora
What is “bitter tomato”?
[…] I ate domoda: […]
[…] back to the kitchen to begin preparing the next meal. She did this around the clock – making domoda, meat stew on top of coos and other concoctions – for three days until the meat was […]