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Passport & Plate - Guinea Fowl Paella

Equatorial Guinea | Thursday, March 5, 2015 | 4 photos

Ingredients
500 g guinea fowl breasts,
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves
500 ml stock from the guinea fowl bones
200 g long-grain rice
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/8 tsp turmeric
400 g tin chopped tomatoes
1 red bell pepper,
250 g black-eyed peas or any beans or peas

 

How to prepare this recipe
Preparation
Cut guinea fowl breasts into 3 cm strips.
Chopped onion
Minced garlic cloves
De-seeded red bell paper and cut into strips.
Prepare stock from guinea fowl bones
Cooking
1) Heat the oil in a pan and cook fowl strips untill they are almost done. Remove the meat and set aside.
2) fry the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion has softened
3) add the rice and fry for a few minutes.
4) After add the stock, oregano, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and turmeric.
5) Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 15 minutes.
6) Add the tinned tomatoes, bell pepper and beans. Stir, cover, and simmer for 5 more minutes, until the rice is tender.
7) Add the meat, cook for a few minutes to heat the meat then serve.

P.S. I used chicken instead guinea fowl

 

The story behind this recipe
This story happened in Bioko island, Equatorial Guinea. I was there for work – photographed local people, animals and local life in small island. I rented a room in one house for several days. Next day I came home from walk around Malabo and found there my landlady cooked dinner. She lives alone because her husband was dead two years ago and three boys moved to the continent for work. She invited me to seat and chat with her. I was so excited about that! I asked her about what is she cooking. “It’s traditional Guinea’s dish – Guinea fowl paella!” I know that Equatorial Guinea was influenced by Spain but I’ve never thought that these two culturas are so similar. But there is one question – fowls? “Wait a minute, young lady! Where are you thinking you are now? Do you think we have a plenty chickens here? It’s so small island! When my boys lived with me I could just said them – we’ll have a paella today, bring me some fowls. And they took not money but weapons for hunting. You know what – yes, we took some cultural elements from Spain but we did our best for made this guinea. The main idea of traditional, national food – you can prepare this without money and help. Becouse your country feeds you! Do Spanish make their paella themselvs? But we can! Our paella is sincere, it has a soul. We hunt our food, we have all ingredients! What is your national dish in Russia? In Africa we understand one thing – if your land doesn’t protect you, nobody can. What’s why I live here all my life. I was on the continent that’s why I’m pretty sure that our world based not on tortoises. And becouse I’m a teacher at school. But my island, my Bioko island is my home. My boys moved but my dead girl, my only girl is still here, my husband, my parents. They are around me, my memories. Your homeland is more than you think.” We share paella on dinner – it was so tasty and sincere.