Meal preparation in Kapsowar is a little different than meal preparation in North America. When the power goes out, plans for using ingredients out of the refrigerator, or using kitchen tools like an InstantPot or blender are also out the window. Basic ingredients are available in Kapsowar, but most "easy" or "ready-made" groceries have to be purchased in Eldoret. Add that to the unpredictability of an OB/Gyn's schedule, and you start realizing that a lot of flexibility and contingency planning are required. On the other hand, because our housework is labor-intensive, we have Gladys working in our home 5 days a week to help us with all of that work. She does a lot of our baking, some cooking, and a lot of meal prep and shopping for us.
Over the past five years, I've been building up a small repertoire of recipes for these various occasions. Chances are if you have joined us for a meal, you've sampled Bean and Cheese Enchiladas (with homemade enchilada sauce and guacamole), Pumpkin or Potato Curry with Jeera Rice and Gladys' Chapati, or Vegan Sloppy Joes with biscuits and coleslaw.
Over the past year or so, we've also had several members of our long-term community join us or be diagnosed with gluten and dairy allergies. Now I'm adding vegan and gluten free recipes to my mental cookbook. I've realized that cooking vegan or gluten free isn't actually as difficult as it sounds, but I had to adjust my approach. Instead of thinking of my favorite thing to eat (maybe pasta with alfredo sauce) and then trying to adjust the recipe to suit a gluten- or dairy- free diet, I've started making note of recipes that I cook that happen to be gluten- or dairy- free (or close to it) already. For example - making a chocolate cake gluten free is tricky using local or pantry ingredients. But making Monster Cookies or Oatmeal Bars gluten free is super easy, requiring no adjustment at all, or just a small amount of gluten-free flour. Most curries are already gluten free, and a lot can be made dairy free just by cooking in oil instead of butter.
Another note about meal prep in Kapsowar. In North America, I used to spend a lot of time running to the grocery store for missing ingredients while trying to prepare a meal. In Kapsowar, I've learned a lot about substitutions and eliminating ingredients. It's been really freeing to just cook with what's available, instead of making sure that I have every single ingredient and spice. I'm not saying my cooking tastes good all the time, but I hope that I'm improving over time!
After all that preamble...a few of my favorite recipes for dietary restrictions (adjusted to Kapsowar ingredients, etc)
Paneer Makhani (Gluten free, serve with rice; freezes well)
3 T butter, divided
1 large onion, chopped
2 tsp ginger (I use the prepared refrigerated minced ginger and garlic to save time and washing dishes)
3 garlic cloves
3-4 roma size tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (increase to 1 tsp if your family tolerates spice)
1/2 tsp tumeric
3/4 c water, divided
1/4 c whipping cream
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp sugar
2 cups cubed paneer - I fry this in oil to give it a little more texture. Paneer is pretty simple to make, but I usually buy it and freeze it, then pull it out as needed. The paneer can also be replaced with rehydrated soy chunks (called meal maker in Indian grocery stores) or probably some type of meat :)
Fresh cilantro to top
In an instant pot, saute the onion in 2 T butter for 3-4 min, then add the garlic and ginger. Add tomato paste, fresh tomatoes, salt, cayenne, tumeric, and 1/2 c water. Cook on high pressure for 3 min, natural pressure release for 5 min, then quick release the remainder of the pressure. Add 1/4 c water and blend with an immersion blender. (I often double the recipe, and remove half at this point to freeze for later.)
Add 1T butter, cream, garam masala, sugar, and paneer, then heat to simmering (I use the saute function for this). Serve with rice, cilantro to top.
Layered Refrigerator Salad (Can be made dairy free or gluten free by adjusting the ingredients, but I wouldn't attempt to eliminate the eggs. Mayo is dairy free, so eliminating the dairy is actually pretty easy)
Layer 1: 3c green leaf or romaine lettuce, washed and shredded (I use 2 heads of romaine or salinova(
Layer 2: 1.5 c small pasta, cooked, rinsed, and drained
Layer 3: 3 hard boiled eggs, sliced, sprinkles with salt and pepper
Layer 4: Red and/or green pepper, diced, one total (I've also used cucumber or shopped snap peas in this layer)
Layer 5: 16 oz frozen peas, thawed
Layer 6: 1c mayo plus 1/4c sour cream (I substitute an ingredient called Mala, which is basically plain yogurt) plus 1/4 c chopped green onion plus 2 tsp Dijon mustard
Layer 7: 1c cheese, shredded (I use gouda, cheddar, or something called "everyday")
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours, up to overnight
Pineapple-Star Anise Sorbet (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
(An ice cream maker makes this recipe much more convenient, but isn't strictly necessary. You can do a freeze/mix/freeze/mix process if you don't have an ice cream maker. The star anise in this recipe adds a nice contrast to the pineapple, which can otherwise be overly sweet.)
650g fresh pineapple
50mL water
200g sugar
1.5 - 2 pieces star anise
3T Lime Juice
Zest of 3 limes (if you're using fresh)
1 Tbsp Vodka (optional, prevents crystallizing)
Combine fresh pineapple, water, sugar and blend. Place blended "juice" and star anise in a pot and heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat, and place the lid on the pot. Leave for 40 minutes to cool and for the star anise to infuse the liquid. Remove the star anise, add the lime and zest if using. Place in the fridge until chilled (I usually do this overnight). Once chilled, churn in an ice cream maker or using your favorite method (I put mine in the KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment for 25 minutes). Freeze for at least six hours, overnight if possible.
