Around the world in 80 Cakes: TANZANIA - Chips Mayai and other street food

When in Tanzania we stayed in the town of Arusha. It is one of the craziest places we have been with constant noise and traffic. The sounds of the mosque, people shouting at the markets selling their wares, dogs barking and dalla-dalla's speeding up and down the roads honking their horns looking for passengers. Getting a dalla-dalla around town although a bit daunting at first is quite a experience! About 20 people squeeze in to the back of the mini bus, almost sitting on top of each other, with their shopping, tanks of kerosene for their stoves, and even chickens under the seats!

Arusha is the heart of safari country, so to satisfy the white tourists, there are many Mzungo (white person) cafes, and also a great variety of local food stalls.

Chips mayai
Chips mayai is a Tanzanian street food that you see being served up on most street corners. In Kiswhali, Mayai means egg. The finished dish is basically a French fry omelette.
To make the dish, the fries are made and kept warm. Then they are added to a heavy cast iron pan over a fire. Eggs are cracked into a bowl and mixed with tomatoes, carrot, green peppers and onions. This is poured over the chips and the whole thing is fried into light golden pancake shape.

Chipa Mayai - a chip omelette

Samaki

Samosas

1 inch piece ginger root

6 cloves garlic

2 pounds ground lean lamb (or beef if desired)

3 large onions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon mussala

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 tablespoon turmeric

Salt to taste

2 pounds frozen egg-roll dough, thawed

Flour

Oil

Makes 80 servings
Process ginger and garlic in blender until well mashed. Combine with meat, onions, mussala, curry powder, and turmeric. Sauté in a heavy frying pan, without adding any fat, over a low heat 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat. Spoon off fat.
Cut sheets of thawed egg-roll dough into strips about 3 by 6 inches. Fold one point up to form a triangular pocket. Folk over again, and then fill the pocket with some of the meat mixture.
Bring down the top and seal all open sides with a paste made of flour and water. You should end up with a neat, secure triangle of meat-stuffed pastry.
Deep-fat fry filled samosas, a few at a time, in oil, until golden brown. Drain and keep warm.
After frying and quick cooling, samosas may be frozen. To serve, thaw and place in a hot oven (400 deg. F) until very hot.

Fruit ladies