A while back the random country generator pulled up Namibia! We were excited to see where this food adventure would lead us, low and behold – Namibia. We had previously cooked meals from other countries that I was somewhat familiar with in terms of food culture (Thailand & Argentina) but I really had no idea what the food scene was like in Namibia, or for that matter, I really did not know much about Namibia. Along with cooking up new meals and discovering new ingredients and flavors, learning about these countries’ histories, cultures, and traditions has been a great added benefit!

After browsing a few sites we saw that many of the recipes were meat heavy and called for different game meats that we do not have access to so we would have to improvise with what was available at our local grocery store. I also initially struggled a bit to find a vegetarian dish but I quickly found a sweet treat that I knew we would be making to end the night with – FAT CAKES! With a name like that I knew they would have to be good. They are basically just fried dough and reminded me a lot of New Orleans style beignets – super light and fluffy and dusted with powdered sugar!

It was kind of ridiculous how easy these fat cakes were to make that in fact I have to actively forget how easy they are to keep me from making them a weekly event!

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Menu

• Namibian Tomato Sauce 
• Namibian Spicy Peanut and Chickpea Soup
• Oshifima – Stiff Porridge
• Kapana – Grilled Meat
• Fat Cakes 

I really enjoyed making this meal. The recipes were straightforward and although they used ingredients I was familiar with, they were combined in new ways and left me feeling like I had added new attainable recipes into my rotation! 

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Tomato Sauce: I will say the tomato sauce flavors deepened the next day and it was great with scrambled eggs and toast. It reminded me of a shakshuka or huevos rancheros situation. The same goes for the soup, although I usually find soups to be tastier the next day as all the ingredients and spices come together. 

The Fat Cake recipes that I found were all pretty similar in ingredients and in the quantity they made! Since we were just cooking for two, I halved the recipe and it worked out great! I don’t recommend making more than what you will be having that day since they are fried and if you leave them overnight they may become too soggy/oily. 

With that said, I did have some dough leftover that I stored in the fridge overnight. The following morning I mixed in raisins, cinnamon and sugar into the dough and baked at 350F for 20-25 minutes and they came out like little tasty buns – delicious with jam and butter!

Namibian Spicy Peanut Soup: This was so delicious and I loved that it included so many nutrient rich foods – pumpkin/squash, chickpeas, and kale (and of course my beloved peanut butter). I mostly followed along with what the recipe said but I used cubed butternut squash in place of pumpkin. You could totally substitute it with sweet potato as well. I added some of the oshifima into my soup and it went great with it. I loved how the oshifima soaked in some of the soup broth while it kept its thick consistency. This is definitely a filling soup or could be served as a delicious side.

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