Recipe: Spicy Plantain Chips

This recipe for plantain chips comes from Marcus Samuelson's Discovery of a Continent. Plantains are a staple food throughout Africa and are used as a starch, similar to the way we use potatoes. These chips are a great snack food to serve prior to a meal to whet the appetite. Green plantains work best here, as they hold up better during cooking.

Spicy Plantain Chips
Makes 2.5 cups

2 green plantains

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp confectioners sugar

1 tsp salt

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 c canola oil

Peel the plantains and slice as thinly as possible using a mandoline. Place in a bowl and cover with cold water to soak for 10 minutes to wash away excess starch. Drain, rinse and blot dry with a kitchen towel. Meanwhile, combine the cury powder, sugar and salt in a small bowl.

Melt the butter in a large, deep pot over medium heat, then add enough oil to come to a depth of 1 1/2 inches. Increase the heat to medium-high until the oil reaches 350 degrees. Working in batches, carefully lower the plantains into the oil with a slotted spoon and fry. Stir occasionally to prevent the slices from sticking together until evenly browned (about 4 minutes). Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Dust with the curry/sugar mixture and serve immediately.

Book Review - Mark of the Lion

I tend towards non-fiction books about Africa, perhaps to excess. I do read the occasional novel about Africa and usually enjoy them, but I was skeptical when I picked up Mark of the Lion by Suzanne Arruda, as I was initially put off by some of the more quirky period language in the book. However, as soon as I got a few pages into the story, I quickly ignored it.

The story follows Jade del Cameron, a particularly adventurous woman for the time period near the end of World War I. An American, she volunteered to serve in France as an ambulance driver in the war, before going to colonial East Africa to write magazine articles about Kenya and the exotic goings on there.

It doesn't take long before Jade is embroiled in mystery and danger in Nairobi and Tsavo stemming from a promise she made to a dying soldier. Jade holds her own in the frontier atmosphere and the author paints a vivid picture of the era of Karen Blixen's Out of Africa. Readers will find rich descriptions of the very early days of safari as they become immersed in Jade's adventures.

While some of the plot can seem predictable, Arruda weaves a story that keeps the reader interested, if not occasionally on the edge of their seat. The book is the first in a series, so if you enjoy it, there is the promise of more.

July - Botswana Game Report - Xigera Camp

This July game and camp report comes to us from our friends at Wilderness Safaris and Xigera Camp.

Hot water bottles, blankets and ponchos continue to be a great hit this winter, with temperatures dropping to as low as 7⁰ C at night and during the mornings. The campfire has been the perfect venue for cosy gatherings in the chilly mornings and evenings, with hot chocolate and coffee being the order of the day.

Water levels continue to drop after having reached their peak in May, and every day we need to reach a little lower to climb into the boats and mokoro.

Wildlife
At this time of year, when the water levels are still high, all the guest activities are centred around boating and mokoro rides.

Guests continue to be mesmerised by the awe-inspiring beauty of the area, and the chance to enjoy the exquisite vegetation, as well as the smaller animals such as frogs. Viewing hippo and elephant from a mokoro is also a special experience that leaves one with a sense of relaxation and harmony. Guests going out by boat on day trips towards Chief's Island have been lucky enough to spot lion crossing the water as well as the elusive Pel's Fishing-Owl.

Game viewing in general has been prolific, with regular sightings of giraffe, kudu, red lechwe, bushbuck, hippo, elephant and crocodile, among other species. A number of elephant have become comfortable around camp and often spent time feeding and sleeping around the camp. An old giraffe has also taken refuge around the camp, and was seen browsing off the trees above the tents daily.

Birds and Birding
The abundance of general bird life in this area, makes Xigera a haven for birdwatchers. Even the guests who are not avid birders have commented on the variety and quality of avian sightings, and how birding has opened another dimension to their safari experience.

As mentioned above, we have had various sightings of Pel's Fishing-Owl, as a pair have begun nesting along one of the water courses. Other regular specials include the Slaty Egret.

Camp News
The past couple of months have seen a hive of activity behind the scenes, with numerous renovations and upgrades taking place, most of which are now complete.

Our brand new walking bridge sports a drawbridge that now allows boats to pass through, even with water levels at their peak. On the other side of the dining area we have created our famous 'sand pit': a patch of sand that captures the tracks of any animals that may walk over the bridge and into camp. So far it seems that only the monkeys have been brave enough to make the crossing. There have been a number of leopard tracks milling around the bridge; possibly the elusive felines are still wary about the new bridge.

The main area has also undergone redesign with the bar now looking onto the channel. The buffet area has been repositioned and a small, cosy library area has now been included. A new, lower foot-bridge (with drawbridge mechanism to allow boats to pass) has also being built to avoid disturbing the view from camp. A new star deck has also been built for dinners, star talks and private dinners.

Perhaps most exciting of all has been the installation of our new solar power system. This system means that we can now provide the whole main camp with power generated by the sun, allowing us to do away with diesel-guzzling generators, and so further reduce our carbon footprint adding to a true ecotourism experience.

Photos courtesy Wilderness Safaris

Recipe: Bacon-wrapped Eland wors

I don't want to lose you straightaway because the recipe calls for Eland. You're not going to find it in your local market, but try a different type of cocktail sausage or get regular-sized sausages, cut them up into 2 inch pieces and go for it. This is a delicious recipe; great for summer grilling and definitely has a safari/South African braai vibe.

The African Kitchen is also a great cookbook. Lots of great recipes that will make you feel like you're back on safari, and great photos scattered throughout.

Bacon-wrapped Eland Wors with Mealies and Lemon Leaves
Adapted from The African Kitchen by Josie Stow and Jan Baldwin
Serves 6

Ingredients
3lb 5oz eland wors or other cocktail sausages
*you may also substitute regular sized sausages cut into 2-inch chunks; 18 pieces total
24 slices bacon
12 prunes or pitted dates
3-4 mealies (ears of corn)
1/2 c olive oil
24 lemon or bay leaves
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Whatever sausages you use, ensure that you have 18 2-inch pieces of sausages. Wrap a slice of bacon around each sausage. Cut the remaining bacon slices in half and wrap them around the prunes (or dates). Slice the mealies into 1 1/4 inch rounds.

Thread the bacon-wrapped sausages onto the skewers, alternating them with the lemon leaves, bacon-wrapped prunes and mealies. Each skewer should end with a sausage. Brush the kebabs with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper just before cooking.

Cook on a grate over hot coals (preferably under a shade tree out in the bush!). Turn the skewers occasionally to cook throughout. Alternatively, broil for 10 minutes, turning, until the wors is cooked. The perfect meal on a stick. Yum!

Movie review: Mugabe and the White African

This film is a personal account of land seizure in Zimbabwe. A government policy put in place under Robert Mugabe's regime dictated the seizure of white-owned farms and land, to be redistributed to the poor. The reality of the policy was unlawful land grabs that often involved beating, torture or the deaths of the affected farmers, while the stolen land was given to friends of Mugabe's government.

The film follows Michael Campbell, one of the country's few remaining white farmers, as he battles to protect his land. He and his family sue Mugabe for racial discrimination and human rights violations. The film follows the progress of the case, while documenting threats to the family and impacts to neighbors during the seizures.

The story flows at a determined and somewhat slow pace, though any faster and some of what happens might be hard to take in. It is deeply affecting to witness what happened to white farmers during the land seizures, as well as to see their strength in trying to fight for their land, their workers and their Zimbabwe.

Celebrate Nelson Mandela Day!

Today is Nelson Mandela Day. This recognition takes place every year on July 18th; Madiba's birthday. The day is a call to action for people everywhere to take responsibility for making the world a better place, one small step at a time, just as Madiba has always done.

Mandela spent more than 67 years serving his community, his country and the world at large. On this day, people are encouraged to devote just 67 minutes of their time to changing the world for the better, in a small gesture of solidarity with humanity, and in a small step towards a continuous, global movement for good.

MAKE THE CHANGE: BECOME A MANDELA DAY CHANGEMAKER

Change was the gift given to all South Africans by Nelson Mandela. Now it's YOUR turn. In the spirit of Madiba and his vision to spread justice and freedom for all, this is your chance to step up to the plate and become a part of a continuous global movement for good. By becoming a Mandela Day Changemaker you can show that actions speak louder than words by giving a little of your time to make a change that's close to your heart. (or by giving a little of your time to make a difference to the life of someone less fortunate.)

SHARE YOUR MANDELA DAY DEED

Honor the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela by making your “Mandela deed” part of history. Visit the Mandela Day Activities to pledge your support and describe how you plan to commemorate the day. Then document your act of kindness on Mandela Day and share it with the world. You can comment here, and also send your feedback, pictures and experiences to nmf@nelsonmandela.org.

"It is in your hands to make of our world a better one for all.”
— Nelson Mandela, 25 June 2008 , from By Himself: The Authorised Book of Quotations

Special thanks to our partners at South African Airways for this content

Recipe: Fish Fanditha

This recipe was inspired during a trip to the Maldives by its award winning cookbook creator, Jeremy Mansfield. I was inspired to buy this Zhoozsh! cookbook in Joburg airport a few months ago, as the recipes looked easy, inspiring and fun - and indeed they are!

Fish Fanditha
Adapted from Zhoozsh! Faking it, by Jeremy and Jacqui Mansfield

Pat dry 1.75 lbs hake medallions or steaks (halibut, cod or flounder will also work well here); lay them in an ovenproof dish and squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the fish. Add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Deseed and julienne a red, yellow and green pepper and lay them on the base of a separate flat-bottomed bowl. Sprinkle over 1 1/4 c couscous, followed by 2 tsp each of ground cumin and turmeric. Cover the mix with boiling water and let stand for 8 minutes or until all water has been absorbed. Fluff the couscous with a fork.

Using your hands, arrange about 1/3 couscous mix on top of the fish and press it flat to make a crust. Drizzle with oil and bake at 400 F for 12 minutes. Arrange remaining couscous on the serving plates and top with the crusted fish.

Serve with fresh tomato, lemon wedges and fresh cilantro, drizzled with olive oil.

Interested in following your safari with a visit to the Maldives or another wonderful African beach destination? Give us a call and we'll work with you to find the perfect fit!

Travel + Leisure Top Honors

No. 1 World's Best Hotel Overall - Singita Grumeti Reserves
No. 2 World's Best Hotel Overall - Singita Sabi Sand
No. 1 Best Hotel Spa in Africa & the Middle East - Singita Kruger

South Africa’s Singita Game Reserves has taken top honours in this year’s US Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2011 readers’ survey, scooping both 1st and 2nd places among the World’s Top 100 Hotels, as well as securing the winning slot for Best Hotel Spa in Africa and the Middle East.

Having been rated against the finest hotels around the globe, Singita Grumeti Reserves, located along the Western corridor of Tanzania’s legendary Serengeti National Park, is ranked No. 1 on the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2011 list of Top 100 Hotels Overall.

Flagship Singita Sabi Sand, home to Singita’s founding lodges Singita Ebony and Singita Boulders, as well as exclusive-use retreat Singita Castleton, followed hot on its heels as No. 2 on the coveted list of Top 100 Hotels Overall.

In a remarkable achievement, a third Singita product, Singita Kruger National Park, which encompasses Singita Lebombo and Singita Sweni Lodges with its spectacular setting overlooking the N’wanetsi River, not only made it onto this coveted Top 100 Hotels Overall list too (ranked No. 39), but it was also voted Best Hotel Spa in Africa and the Middle East in the same readers’ survey this year.

Singita Grumeti Reserves embodies the philosophy of ‘touching the earth lightly’, and is an exemplary model for the new African eco-philanthropy that ‘gives back’ through significant conservation and community projects.

The Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2011 will appear in the August issue of the American Travel + Leisure magazine (due for release on 22 July). The survey results are based on readers’ ratings.

The Singita properties aren't alone on the list of 'Bests' in Africa. Six of the top 10 properties in the top 100 list were in Africa. Other favorites such as Mombo and Le Quartier Francais, Londolozi and the Cape Grace could be found on the list as well. Cape Town appeared in the top 10 list of cities, and all top 10 family hotels on the Middle East and Africa list were found in Africa.

To learn about available specials we have for these properties or book any of them on a customized safari, give us a call!

Photos courtesy Singita and Le Quartier Francais, some text courtesy Singita

Recipe: Fresh Steamed Fish

There's nothing like serving a light dish in the evening to reduce the impact of summer's heat. This dish comes from Uganda. In East Africa, the recipe is made with a whole fish, either with or without the head. It works well with red snapper.


Fresh Steamed Fish
Recipe adapted from Cooking the East African Way
by Bertha Vining Montgomery and Constance Nabwire

1/4c vegetable oil
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 lb fish fillets or 1 whole fish, approximately 2 lbs

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add onions and saute until transparent. Add garlic, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Mix well. Place fish in the center of the tomato mixture. Cover and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the fish is tender and flaky.

Serves 4-6

June Zimbabwe game report

This report comes courtesy of our friends at Davison's Camp.

This month Hwange National Park proved to be one of the best places for safari adventures, offering a host of exciting game with special antelope appearing on every drive.

The open 'vlei' attracted the super predators, which made drives entertaining. We saw three different prides of lion, and we were very lucky to see a couple of hunts, sometimes their relentless enemies - the buffalo - fighting back, even threatening the lives of the king of beasts.

Leopards were even more cooperative, allowing stunning photographs, some on kills, some hunting and sometimes even engaging in territorial battles. On one occasion, one of the vehicles witnessed a leopard stalk and catch a Helmeted Guineafowl; as if this was not enough, the feline then moved on to main course and killed a steenbok. The rosette-clad cats wandered around camp on numerous occasions, breaking the silence of the night with their rasping sawing coughs, and leaving only their footprints right around the main area's fire pit. Hyena are being their usual mischievous selves and have been stealing and robbing kills from the above cats.

A female cheetah and her young fluffy cubs were seen at Back Pans. These sleekly spotted felines are a rarity in Hwange, seen only occasionally, and it was particularly exciting to see the cubs, and indication that the cheetah in the concessions are doing well. Watching these felines hunting just before the sun was about to set was a magical experience. One cheetah successfully took down a wildebeest on the Ngamo Vlei.

A fascinating sighting was that of bat-eared foxes, which were seen teaching their pups how to hunt.

The sable antelope are still frequent visitors to Ostrich Pan; their young calves are growing rapidly, with tiny spiked horns protruding from their darkening chocolate coloured faces. The stately jet-black males proudly stand watch, surveying the scenery as their herds frolic in the midday sun.

Enormous herds of buffalo have been enjoying open grasslands around Davison's Camp. The old warriors known as dagga boys are fearless, marching along very close to lions without a hint of unease for their own hide.

Spending half an hour will never be enough to watch elephants by the waterhole. It is a whole dance played out: the opening act is the dash to the water's edge, then much swinging and curtsying is done, right down into the water. The second act, after a short interlude as they move from the water to the closest dust patch, is one full of great trunks picking up the top layer of sand and throwing this over their backs, resulting in a dense haze in the air and beautiful sunsets of silhouetted elephants.

Drama and spice was added to one of the game drives when a lion had a buffalo by the neck on the ground and an elephant came to the suffering bovines rescue.

Ngweshla Pan offered a good sighting of our ever shy rhino on various occasions, much to everyones great joy. Even people who did not see them firsthand were excited to see the pictures.

Photos courtesy Davidson's Camp.

Book Review - The Fear

The Fear: Robert Mugabe and the Martyrdom of Zimbabwe is a damning account of the post election violence in Zimbabwe in 2008. After nearly 30 years in power, Mugabe lost the presidential election to opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai. Mugabe denied the results and unleashed a brutal crackdown on the people of Zimbabwe. This is a disturbing and violent read, but at the same time the book highlights the incredible resilience of the Zimbabwean people.

The author, native Zimbabwean Peter Godwin, travelled to Zimbabwe during this post election violence at great personal risk to bear witness to the events that the world was largely ignoring. This book is most appropriate for people deeply interested in African politics, and those of Zimbabwe specifically.

Recipe: Abrow Ne Ase

This Ghanaian dish is not dissimilar to succotash, though the beans used here are black-eyed peas. The dish is traditionally served with corn on the cob broken into small pieces. For ease, we are using fresh off the cob (or frozen) corn and canned black-eyed peas. This makes an easy side dish or vegetarian entree and would certainly be at home at a 4th of July picnic. Recipe adapted from The Africa Cookbook by Jessica B. Harris.

Abrow Ne Ase (Boiled corn and beans)

Serves 6-8 as a side dish

4 c fresh corn cut from the cob (or frozen, defrosted)
2 c drained, canned black-eyed peas
1 c water
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine corn, black-eyed peas and water in a medium saucepan and cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.