Cooking with Juliet - Observing

Juliet came yesterday for another cooking lesson.

 I very loosely define these cooking lessons with Juliet. Having observed three women who have shown me how to make something, I have found they put "some" of this and "some" of that. Everything is in proportion to what "tastes good". Having no idea what the ideal is suppose to taste like, leaves me at a disadvantage. 

Elder Dumevi had distinct feelings for what he wanted to hand out to families in the ward, so we asked what he wanted Juliet to make this month - and we'll probably ask him again next month.  His immediate first choice was ground nut soup. I noted Juliet made it with different ingredients and it tasted different than the last time. I can enjoy it much better as I have become accustomed to the tastes and flavors here. It is a good thing I like spicy foods. [Well not as spicy as Jonah would eat her noodles!] The mellow flavors of the peanut sauce hits your mouth and then after you swallow there is a soft burn of the spices. It is great.

Juliet simmered dried fish and skinless shin bones of beef and at the end she added three different fish

I taste tested her peanut sauce and it was wonderful. To the peanut sauce she added all the different meats that had been simmering. She always adds onions, garlic, ginger, salt and an oil. Today it was sunflower oil that she started sautéing the onions in.

She brought a cool looking spoon to stir and mix her soup.

When she turned the rice over in the big pot, the handle was above her head

  

These are the hand sized rice balls she made for people to pinch off and eat up the soup with

Adding all the meats to the peanut sauce

Juliet also made an egg stew for me. She had the same sauce she makes for Jollof rice and cabbage stew, but this time added whipped up eggs for a scrambled egg stew. It was tasty though the texture is different from the cabbage stew.

Finished ground nut soup!

The lady at the front desk of our building was interested one day when I told her about the cooking lessons. Ever since Juliet has given her a portion on her way out. The lady's name is Petra and she expressed a thanks for the ground nut soup.