Chinaka

Description
Chinaka is a food that is cooked from a tuber, the size of small potatoes, found in the wild. It is cooked with peanut powder and spices. In rural Zambia it is eaten with the nshima meal. In urban Zambia it is sold at markets eaten normally as a dessert or snack. The result is a delicious Chinaka sandwich to which you can add the usual optional cheese, onion, or lettuce. This is a vegetarian's delight and dream.

Ingredients
2 Cups grounded Chinaka tuber 1 Cup grounded raw Peanut Powder 2 Cups Water 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda 1/2 Teaspoon Salt 1/4 Teaspoon red Cayenne Pepper (optional)

Directions
Pour two cups of water into a medium sized pot. Place on medium heat for two minutes. Add half a teaspoon baking soda, half a teaspoon salt, and quarter of a teaspoon red pepper. Stir until well dissolved. Add two cups ground Chinaka and one cup of raw peanut powder and stir slowly until thoroughly mixed. Contents will gradually boil, thicken, and sputter. Cover, lower heat, and cautiously stir every three to five minutes. Simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes. Remove from range and immediately empty the solid Chinaka on to a platter. Smooth the top of the chinaka with the back of a large spoon. Chinaka will thicken as it cools down. The chinaka should have the look of a large unsliced bologna. When cold, cut the chinaka into desired slices to be served as delicious sandwich cuts or served and eaten with other meals. Traditionally chinaka is eaten as dende, ndiwo or relish with the nshima Zambian staple food.