This is my latest article on 'The Corporate South Sudan's Business Weekly' Enjoy:

Making your own yama choma (BBQ meat)

With the hot sunny days in Juba, what better way is there to lighten the mood than to have a barbeque?

A BBQ is a way of slow cooking meats over wood or charcoal. A BBQ is a good informal way to bring people together to unwind, and enjoy some food with good company.

In South Africa they call a BBQ a ‘braai’ which takes place almost every weekend, while watching sports, national holidays there is even a national braai day (heritage day). In the USA it’s called a barbeque (BBQ) in Kenya it’s referred to as yama choma.

It varies by the type of meat, sauce, rub or other flavorings used, at which point in barbecuing they are added, the role smoke plays, the equipment used, cooking temperature, and cooking time. You can include all types of foods; vegetables, fish, seafood, meats, pork, chicken, or even put some bread to roast. You can buy a goat or sheep marinade the ribs and shanks and put them on the grill.  The meats might be grounded for hamburgers or processed into sausages or kebabs.

If you don’t have a barbeque stand you can make an improvised one, by piling stones together in a  circle, place your fire in the middle and then place a chicken wire on top and you have a barbeque stand. 

To control the heat you pull the burning coals apart (to the sides) pile them closer together to increase the heat of the fire.

Make sure your meat cuts are not too thick, as it will take longer to cook.  Always marinate your meat at least 2 hours before cooking, (I prefer to marinate my meat over night gives it that juicy taste). The marinade will add flavor and keep your meat moist and tender.

Try these recipes:

 Chicken marinate

2 Garlic glove crushed

45ml Soy sauce
10ml/2 teaspoons clear honey

5ml sesame oil

10ml/ 2teaspoons crushed fresh ginger

8 Chicken portions

For meats

2 cloves crushed garlic

15ml Tamarind juice (soaked overnight)
5ml Black pepper and salt
Meat portions to fit 8 people

Basic fish marinade:

Fish steaks, or a whole fish
Garlic glove crushed
Black pepper and salt to taste
Lemon juice
Fresh dill

1. Mix all ingredients and rub onto meat then leave to stand for an hour before putting it on the fire.
2. Place the chicken, meat or fish on fire and allow cooking, turning continuously until the meat is thoroughly cooked or the blood is out of the meat.
3. Enjoy your barbecued meats with bread rolls or asida (ugali) and fresh green salads for a light summer meal accompanied by our hibiscus iced tea.

Remember a BBQ is incomplete without some chilled beverages and good music.

My little black book

For chicken and beef portions: Phoenicia
For spices: Phoenicia
For wines and assorted alcoholic beverages: Jit Supermarket
For fruits & vegetables: KonyoKonyo market they are always cheaper and have a variety

 

Asantewaa Eriyani lo-Liyong
Managing Director
Eriyani Hospitality: Catering & Events Company

 

For more delicious recipes or tips visit my blog:
asantewaaloliyong.blogspot.com

Time is moving swiftly and things are changin rapidly for Eriyani Hospitality and myself.

We have hosted our first cocktail function for a bank took good preparations and some forgetting of ice cold beverages in the hot Juba sun. However they said they enjoyed the evening and the food was delicious so we have the job to cater their functions.

For the cocktail evenign we prepared some delicious chicken kebabs, chicken wings, beef skewers, beef kofta (spicy meatballs), cheese skewers and fruit slices.

It was a success and the team did a great job especially the ladies from Eriyani Hospitality for their first cocktail evening.
Thank you ladies

Try this Hibiscus recipe its a great refresher drank in South Sudan and parts of the MENA region.

Hibiscus (Kerkede) iced tea

Hibiscus tea is a local drink that is enjoyed either hot or cold depending on your taste. It has a gorgeous ruby red color and slightly tartly in flavor. Besides being a tasty refreshing drink hibiscus tea when served hot acts as an antioxidant and lowers blood pressure. Kerkede the local name for hibiscus happens to be one of my favourite refreshing this is the right drink to quench your thirst in the hot Juba sun.

Ingredients

2 cups dry hibiscus flowers

3/4 cup granulated sugar (more if desired)

6 cups water

Ice

Mint leaves (optional)

Directions
Rinse and drain the dried hibiscus flowers in a large colander. Bring the water to a boil. Add the flowers and sugar and stir continuously while the mixture boils for one minute. Careful not to boil the tea too long or your tea will have a slightly bitter aftertaste. Remove from the heat and steep for 2 hours. Let the tea cool, and then strain it into a pitcher. Refrigerate until time to serve. Ladle into a tall glass filled with ice and garnish with fresh mint leaves (optional).

So refreshing!

Tip it can also be served hot with a slice of lemon

 

New beginings

It's good to be back.

I've started writing a column on a newspaper in South Sudan called The Corporate, South Sudan's Business weekly.  The column is about how to entertain, a few recipes here and there. A copy of the articles will be posted on my blog to update people, plus a recipe or two.

 

The begining of a new season for Eriyani Hospitality

We have decided to embark on a series of events to market Eriyani Hospitality services to businesses and individuals around Juba. We are still working on the name of the event thinking 'Entertaining with Eriyani '?
A friend has offered his compound for me to use to entertain my guests.
It all starts with a vision of how the event will go, the guests, the food, the set -up, the entertainment, the staff, marketing materials for Eriyani Hospitality that should be handed to guests and any other items to make the eventa success.

For the next few weeks I will take you through the journey of our ideas and preparations for marketing Eriyani Hospitality and my culinary art.

 

Surfing around looking for inspiration...

Surfing around...

Checking cafes out for inspiration who knows one day I will open my own and share my food with more people every day . I came across the following  pic from Sissi & Co Cafe in Australia hope you like the pic. Looks delish I know.  Their cafe inspires so much everything about the food, the shop layout and food display are just amazing. The colours are bright and exciting makes you want to book a flight to Australia just to visit Sissi & Co Cafe for more details check their website http://www.sissiandco.com.au/

It all started with a dream

My love for food, traveling and everyday life always brings me back to the kitchen cooking, laughing and creating memories. I believe there is nothing like great food and great company to enjoy life. The more I travel the more I experience the more I learn that food and drinks connects us more than we could ever imagine.
After fooling around I decided to jump off the cliff and be an entreprenuer so I started Eriyani Hospitality, actually the first name was Hospitality Solutions Catering you could imagine it sound more like a consultancy than a catering and events company. So we changed names to Eriyani Hospitality.
Eriyani Hospitality started in 2011 selling muffins to offices around Juba but registered in April  2012 we are one year old this month.  Eriyani Hospitlality has been a dream of mine for years since attending Cape Town Hotel School in South Africa. All I can say is that it has been an interesting journey.

Sometimes you might have a great and straight forward image or dream in your head however to implement it and create it is a totally different story, that doesnt mean you must not dream, because it all starts with a dream. Yep I said it everything starts with a dream before it is actually excecuted so don't you dare stop dreaming.

After months of serving boxed lunches to offices we have to decided to cater to our true calling, high end events for weddings, corporate functions and any function that will allow us to showcase our full potential and offer the best food and services in town with 'a touch of excellence'.

Welcome to my Blog and enjoy 'Eriyani's journey of food, life and everything in between'.

Cheers