Tanzania – Wali and Bamia Mix

by Tanomba Thati

Tanzania is a lovely country with a lot of tastes to give, among them are cuisines. Wali and Bamia mix is mostly prepared by Haya, Nyamwezi and Sukuma people settling in the north and central Tanzania. Wali means rice and Bamia means Okras in Swahili, sometimes the terms are applicable even in mother tongues languages.

Tanzania is located in the East part of the African continent, it is bordered by Burundi to the north west, Congo to the west, Kenya and Uganda to the north, Mozambique to the south and Indian ocean to the East.

Ingredients

• 1 kg of rice (any white rice)
• 15 Bamia (Okras)
• 5 big potatoes
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 onions
• 2 carrots
• 1 pepper ( for taste)
• Oil
• Salt

Cooking procedures

• Wash the potatoes with warm water to kill bacteria, peel off and chop into pieces.
• Wash other ingredients including onions, Bamia, carrots, tomatoes, pepper and then chop carrots and onions. Cut to three pieces of each Bamia, blend tomatoes and leave the pepper clean.
• Take cooking pot and add both of the ingredients; tomatoes, potatoes, Bamia, carrots, onions, pepper, salt and oil.
• Cover the top and boil for 3 minutes, uncover the top and mix the ingredients for better cook, cook for 2 minutes or until tomatoes are well mixed and form a heavy soup.
• Add more water while stirring until you get favoured soup. ( We won’t add more soup from here)Add the pepper but don’t break it, just for flavor, boil it for 10 to 14 minutes.
• Check for salt, leave it simmering.
• After the time, our Bamia mix will be ready for meal.
• Meanwhile, cook rice normally as usual the way you prepare it. It is better to boil water and add it rather than frying it, make it look delicious with our Bamia mix.
• Enjoy the cuisine from Tanzania with family members and friends.