Saturday, February 20, 2016

Botswana Film - The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (2009)


Technically a television series rather than a film but still, it's a non-documentary video that tells a story about the country, Botswana, so we watched it and loved it.

Great show, easy to binge, full of humor, great characters and it is 100% set in and about Botswana.  Even though we have never been to Botswana we felt like we had after watching this series.  Full of very specifically Botswanan problems and situations the producers did a great job of bringing outsiders into that life in a very light and easy-to-watch way.

Some international films we watch are a slog or just plain depressing but even though this tackled heavy subjects at times it never felt like we were doing homework.  It was fun in and of itself and definitely HBO quality.

Botswana Pictures
















Botswanan Recipes

http://www.marga.org/food/int/botswana/cabbage.html
Margarita's International Recipes
A Botswanan Menu
This simple dish can be served as an accompaniment for cornmeal and/or seswaa. It was OK, but it lacked "oomph". It probably could do with some more spicing, though I'm not sure from what. The original recipe does ask to "add herbs" but it doesn't specify what those herbs might be or in what quantity so, of necessity, I skipped them.

Cabbage

Ingredients

oil for frying
1 medium tomato, shredded
1/2 onion, shredded
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/3 head of cabbage, shredded
Instructions

Heat the oil and fry the tomato and onions for 5 minutes. Add the oregano and ginger and mix well. Add the cabbage, mix, and cook partially covered on low heat until the vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally. The final product should be soft but not brown.








http://www.food.com/recipe/botswanan-chicken-groundnut-stew-475060
Botswanan Chicken Groundnut Stew

OTAL TIME
1hr 20mins
PREP 20 MINS
COOK 1 HR

This traditional recipe from Botswana is for a classic stew of chicken cooked in a tomato, peanut butter and chili sauce. Adapted for a dinner featuring African-inspired foods.
INGREDIENTS Nutrition

SERVINGS 4 UNITS US
4 chicken thighs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup water
1⁄2 cup peanut butter
1⁄2 cup tomato paste
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon chili flakes
1 (15 ounce) can tomatoes, diced

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the sauce by combining the sugar, chilli flakes, ginger, peanut butter and tomato paste in a bowl.
Slowly stir-in the water a little at a time until the sauce is smooth.
Add the oil to a large pan and fry the chopped onion until translucent. Add the chicken and continue frying until the chicken has begun to brown before adding the bell pepper. (Can add a chopped and seeded hot pepper if you like a little more heat!).
Continue cooking until the chicken is nicely browned all over.
Pour-in the peanut sauce and diced tomatoes and stir well.
Cover and reduce the heat to low simmer.
Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Taste and add salt if needed.
Serve over rice or rice balls.







http://www.food.com/recipe/lemon-and-condensed-milk-biscuits-botswana-478869

Lemon and Condensed Milk Biscuits (Botswana)

TOTAL TIME
30mins
PREP 15 MINS
COOK 15 MINS

This recipe was featured on week 34 of my food blog, "Travel by Stove." I am attempting to cook on meal from every nation on Earth, and Botswana is my 34th stop. Unless otherwise noted, my Travel by Stove recipes are taken from authentic or traditional sources, and this recipe has been posted without any alternations or additions to the ingredients. This recipe originally appeared in "Mma Ramotswe's Cookbook." When I made these I used too little flour, so mine were more like cookies (as pictured in my photo). Yours will be thicker and more biscuit-like.
INGREDIENTS Nutrition

YIELD
24 biscuits
UNITS
US
2 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup caster sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
7 fluid ounces condensed milk
1 pinch salt
8 ounces unsalted butter
1⁄2 teaspoon lemon juice
powdered sugar, for dusting


DIRECTIONS

Cream together the butter and sugar, then add the condensed milk and keep blending until well mixed.
Add the lemon juice and grated zest, then sift together the dry ingredients and add that too. Keep blending until the ingredients are well-incorporated.
Take teaspoons of dough and roll them into balls, then place them on a greased baking sheet and flatten gently with a fork.
Bake at about 335 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, or until starting to brown underneath. Let cool, then dust with powdered sugar.