Grilled Tilapia

I love Tilapia. For me, there isn't another fish that is as tasty yet so versatile. Fried, boiled, steamed or grilled, it is always very good.

Ingredients:
2 whole Tilapia (scaled and cleaned. I personally remove the gills as well, but most people leave them in)
5 cloves garlic, 1 thumb size piece of ginger and 1/2 a medium size onion
2 cups rice
2 medium size onions + 1/2 for the rice
10 small tomatoes
6 - 8 chilli peppers
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 maggi shrimp cube
Salt

Blend the garlic, ginger and 1/2 onion. Pour over the fish. Crumble the cube over the fish with an additional 1/4 teaspoon salt and refrigerate for at least an hour. Brush the grill rack with an oiled cloth and place the Tilapia in the grill with high heat. Grill till the skin blisters and browns then flip over.

Wash and drain the rice

Pour 1 tablespoon of oil into a pot and fry for a minute or 2 then add the rice. continue to fry, stirring continuously so the rice doesn't stick.

Add 3 1/2 cups of water, 1 teaspoon of salt, cover and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat when it starts to boil.

When the water is all soaked up, add the frozen vegetables and continue to cook till rice and veggies are cooked through.

Slice the onions thinly....

... and blend the tomatoes and pepper.

Heat the rest of the cooking oil in a pan and fry the onions until translucent and the ends browning.

Add the tomatoes about a teaspoon of salt.

Fry until dry then add 1/3 cup of water and reduce heat.

Simmer until almost dry again then turn off heat.

When no liquid comes from the fish, it is done. 

Serve with the vegetable rice and gravy.

Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:
1 Whole Chicken
2 Small Onions
4 Garlic Cloves
Small finger-size-piece of Ginger
3 hot green peppers
1 hot red pepper
1 hot yellow pepper (ojengma)
1 pinch of rosemary
1 Maggi Cube
Salt

The most important thing is to use as fresh a chicken as possible. Wash it thoroughly and pat dry. Sometimes wash it in lemon or lime water, but I chose not to this time.

Now to cutting it ...

I usually start by removing the whole leg by cutting the flap of skin between the body and the leg. When you cut the skin and some of the flesh a little way in, hold the body steady and press the leg outwards, it should reveal a joint which you cut through to get a thigh and drumstick. Repeat the process on the other leg. Cut through the joint between the thigh and drum stick.Remove the wings so that you have just the torso left. Now, using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut along the sides to seperate the whole front from the back. Cut the breast into 3 or 4 pieces, depending on how big your chicken is and how big you want the pieces to be. Divide the back into 2 or three. Dont worry if these pieces are bigger, there is less meat here so it all balances out nicely. Remove all the skin. It is almost impossible to remove the skin from the wings so I just leave that.

Blend the Onions, Garlic, Peppers, Ginger and rosemary until completely smooth, then pour it over the Chicken.

Crumble the Maggi cube over the chicken and spices. Toss it arround until every piece is coated. Taste for salt and add a little to it. be Careful since tha Maggi cube has salt.

Cover it and leave in the fridge for 10 to 15, then toiss again and put on the fire to boil. The onions should provide all the moisture needed to get it started. Should the liquidc in the simmering chicken run low, add a little more 1/2  a cup at a time, you want to retain the spice and salt level so the chicken doesn't lose all the flavour. Do this for a bout 10 minutes, you want the chicken tender.

Arrange the chicken pieces on the rack and pop it in the oven. Put some water in the tray below the rack so that the chicken doesn't dry out as it browns. Turn the pieces over as they become brown. Remove them when the are evenly brown.

You can serve the chicken on a bed of Brown rice with gravy as I did, or enjoy it with drinks and friends.
Enjoy!!