Soya (Beef on Skewers)

Soya is finely sliced meat on skewers and it was popularized by the Haoussa from Northern provinces of Cameroon. To this day, it is still one of the best dishes you will enjoy there. You will find hundreds of young men grilling the meat along the streets of Yaounde and Douala, the two largest cities. They gather their stands starting at 6 PM - never  earlier even though most people will gladly eat soya for lunch or breakfast (I know I'll do it). The feast lasts until 12 AM or even later with the music from pubs and bars setting the tone for the night. Even vegetarians enjoy that open-air party. We do have grills outside my dormitory but sometimes it is too hot outside to stand next to a grill. I decided to have the party indoor and it was quite entertaining with the fire alarm going off every time the oven door was open. I guess I successfully recreated the ambiance of the streets of Yaounde because soya is always enjoyed with some loud music around whether from bars or from a fire alarm. I still don't know what seasoning they used on the soya but I was willing to figure something out using my memories. 

P.S: In the US, we always add veggies on the skewers but soya is just meat. I added some dices of red bell peppers for color only.

Ingredients

Beef (tender meat)

Nutmeg

Vegetable oil (or any kind you have)

Salt and black ground pepper

A brush

Skewers

How to ...

1. Thinly slice the beef and align them on skewers. 

2. Brush the meat with oil and season with a mixture  of salt, black pepper, and ground nutmeg in a 1/2 : 1: 3 ratio. Don't be shy when seasoning the meat.

3. Grill them (I used the oven at 450 degrees) and brush with more oil to keep them moist.

4. Here is my best attempt. I have to add that it smelled and tasted amazing. 

Crepes

I once read about what makes a good post. For most people, it seems like contextualizing the dish wins the audience. Well, there is not really a context for my crepes. I felt like having crepes this day and thus made them. I eat what I dreamed about. I am sometimes compelled to go to the store late at night because I have an urge (not a craving). It is more like the light goes on in your head and you picture the perfect meal for your breakfast tomorrow. What does this have to do with crepes? Well they were my picture perfect desert for this day and I wanted to share it with you.

Ingredients

2/3 cup of all-purpose flour

1 cup of fat free half-and-half

2 eggs

Pinch of salt

Pinch of white sugar

Non-stick cooking spray

1 tbsp of oil

How to ...

1. Mix all ingredients to obtain a smooth and running batter.

2. Heat a skillet and spray it with some cooking spray.

3. Pour a little more than 1/2 cup of batter onto the skillet and wait until the crepe can slide on the skillet to flip it.

4. Sprinkle some cocoa powder and serve with chocolate pudding or any topping of your choice but seriously, crepes and chocolate are a match made in the kitchen :-)

Tuna Salad

Tuna salad gets some bad publicity for having that mushy texture but it tastes amazing. Here is an improved version of my tuna salad. I used to make it simpler but adding tomatoes and red onions twists it at the perfect angle. There not much to say about it other than I like to make it the night before so it chills. In the morning, the salad tastes even better because flavors have had the chances to mix. You can use chunky tuna pieces if you really dislike the texture. I love it anyway because it's all about the flavor.

Ingredients

1 can of tuna in water (drained)

1/3 of red onion

1 large tomato

3 tbsps of sweet pickle relish

4 tbsps of fat free mayonnaise (tastes better than regular)

Bread

How to ...

1. Mix drained tuna with cubed tomato, diced onions, relish, and mayonnaise. 

2. Cool salad in fridge for 1 hour at least.

3. Serve on toasted french bread (my favorite).