Monday, 6 May 2013

No. 47 - Cote d'Ivoire - Kedjenou - Kedjenou pronounce it?



Tempting as it is, I will not make pun of the poor chicken in this recipe. Surely in this day and age, chickens should feel free to cross roads without having their motives questioned. They will not bear the brunt of any bad jokes today.

Only the brunt of my father and a sharp knife.

Kedjenou

A stew by any other name, Kedjenou is Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast’s national dish. It’s the quintessential example of many countries traditional fare, the sort of cooking that has become a bit of a recurring theme. Take local easily sourced ingredients, bung it all into a pot and apply heat. The result is succulent falling-of-the-bone chicken and a delicious broth with a slight kick of chili.

Kedjenou (pronunciation unknown) is by no means ‘impressive’ or ‘ground-breaking’ but it makes damned good dinner.

1 whole chicken, cut into serving pieces
1 aubergine, peeled and cubed
3 tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 onions, sliced
2 chili’s, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon of thyme
2 bay leafs
salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 160°C. After you have tackled dissecting your chicken into drumstick, thigh, wings and breast, throw all of the above ingredients into an oven-proof dish with a tight fitting lid.  Seal with a few extra layers of tinfoil just to make sure. Bung everything in the oven for 2 hours and serve with couscous or rice. Easy as.




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