Authentic African recipes to eat like Black Panther with 'The Official Wakanda Cookbook'
Celebrate the flavors of Africa with recipes inspired by the Marvel comic.
Although Wakanda is a mythical place in Marvel's "Black Panther," the African cuisine that may have been eaten by the film's characters is now part of a new cookbook.
"The Official Wakanda Cookbook" by Malawian-American chef Nyanyika Banda has over 70 delicious recipes inspired by the box office hit.
Banda, who has worked in a number of acclaimed kitchens across the country including WD-50 and the Saveur Magazine's test kitchen, said the recipes were influenced by her studies and writing on African food.
From street food and entrees to spice blends and sauces, the highly anticipated cookbook published earlier this month has a range of recipes that appeal to every palate and skill level.
Check out a few full recipes below to recreate at home.
Baked Sweet Potato and Kale Eggs
Ingredients
1 large sweet potato
4 eggs, scrambled
3 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons kale pesto
Directions
To roast the sweet potato, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Coat the sweet potato with 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil, as well as 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. With a fork, poke a few holes in the sweet potato.
Bake in the oven until tender and the skin begins to get crisp, about 30 minutes.
In a nonstick sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add the kale pesto and cook for 30 seconds.
Whisk in the eggs until they’re incorporated with the pesto. Remove from heat.
To serve, cut the sweet potato in half lengthwise, and then cut each half again, crosswise.
Top each piece of sweet potato with a spoonful of egg scramble.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Beef Samosas
Ingredients
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 medium carrot, small diced
2 celery stalks, small diced
1 small yellow onion, small diced
1 small russet potato, small diced
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed chiles
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 bay leaves
20 sheets of 5-inch spring roll pastry wrappers
Water for sealing wrappers
2 cups vegetable oil
Directions
To make the filling: In a medium saucepan, heat peanut oil over medium heat.
Add carrot, celery, onion, and potato. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add ground beef and cook until browned, stirring often to break up the meat.
Once the meat is browned, add lemon juice, ginger, cumin, black pepper, chiles, onion powder, garlic powder, vinegar, brown sugar, salt and bay leaves. Mix in the pan, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove filling from heat, transfer to a baking pan to cool, and remove the bay leaves.
To fold the samosas: Cut each spring roll wrapper into 3 equal rectangles going vertically. Stack the rectangles and cover with a damp towel while folding to keep the wrapper from drying out.
Take the first rectangle piece and place it on a cutting board horizontally. Take the bottom right corner of the rectangle and fold it across to the left to form the first triangle for the pocket for the filling.
Take the top of the new triangle and fold it down and across to the left, aligning it with the flat bottom, making a new layer for the pocket.
Pick up the wrapper pocket and spoon in 1 tablespoon of filling. Fold the pocket across to the left again, leaving a short rectangle.
To seal off the wrapper, pat a small amount of water on the end and fold over. Repeat until you have used up all the filling.
To cook the samosas: Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan to 350 degrees. Fry the samosas until brown on each side, about 3 minutes.
Dried Fruits and Rice
Ingredients
2 cups basmati rice
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mixed dried fruits (mango, papaya, pineapple)
1/2 cup coconut oil
Water
Directions
In a fine mesh strainer, rinse the rice with water until the water runs clear. Transfer the rice to a large bowl, cover with water, and let the rice soak for 30 minutes. Strain the rice.
In a medium stockpot, bring 3 cups of water, the turmeric and salt to a boil and stir in the rice.
Cook the rice until al dente, about 4 minutes, then strain and return to the bowl. Mix the dried fruit with the rice.
In a large, nonstick stockpot, melt the coconut oil over medium heat. Cover the bottom of the pot with a layer of the rice and dried fruit mixture and press down into the bottom of the pot.
Scoop the remaining rice into the pot.
Using the end of a wooden spoon or a chopstick, poke 6 holes in the rice to allow for condensation to rise.
Cover the pot tightly and cook the rice over low heat for about 45 minutes, or until a nice brown layer has formed on the bottom of the rice and the rice is fully cooked.
To serve, either place a platter over the top of the pot and invert so that the bottom is on top; or scoop the rice out onto a platter and then, using a spatula, gently remove the crusty bottom and serve on top of the rice.
Village-Style Curried Chicken
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick
4 celery stalks, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons
5 garlic cloves, chopped
3 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
One 12-ounce can tomato paste
One 16-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1/2 cup yellow curry powder
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
1/4 cup lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Directions
In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and celery. Cook until translucent, about 2 minutes.
Add garlic and carrots. Cook while stirring occasionally for 2 minutes.
Add tomato paste and coat the vegetables. Pour in whole peeled tomatoes and curry powder. Add chicken.
Cover ingredients with water until almost to the top of the pan. Bring to a boil and then lower heat. Simmer for at minimum 3 hours until the meat has fallen off the bones.
Finish by stirring in the lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the stew alongside rice. The bones are kept in the broth, and the marrow is generally saved for last as a delicacy
