Chez Fadi
Cameroonian and West African cuisine reinterpreted
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zucchini
Veggie

Vegan zucchini casserole with preserved lemons

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I love to cook and can spend hours in the kitchen creating a variety of meals for family and friends. I often lose track of time and the world around me, simply immersing myself in my own world. However, I must confess that this week I found it a bit difficult, and the usual joy and anticipation I feel before cooking just wasn't there. The very hot temperatures certainly didn't make it easy to look forward to cooking. So, a huge "hats off" to everyone currently working in the restaurant industry. This week, I often wondered how they manage to stand in the kitchen for hours in this heat and still keep all the guests happy at such a fast pace. You truly deserve my utmost respect for this achievement!

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sea ​​bream
from the oven

Oven-grilled sea bream with roasted vegetables and potatoes

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Have I ever mentioned how much I love fish? Well, I'll gladly repeat it: Yes, I absolutely love eating fish. I prefer to eat it whole, head, tail, fins, and bones included. Unfortunately, I haven't had much time to cook fish myself lately. Perhaps it's simply because I ate so much fish and seafood during my last vacation, and I felt a bit satiated for a few weeks. A few days ago, my husband came home from his weekly grocery shopping and brought these magnificent whole sea bream. And lo and behold, my craving for fish was back! I knew immediately what I wanted to make with them. What I wasn't quite sure about yet was what side dish to serve. After all, on a hot summer day, you don't necessarily want to spend a lot of time in…

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Njapche
Leafy greens

Pèhn-Njapche | Fufu with Black Nightshade Leaf Sauce

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First, a brief digression about a supposedly poisonous plant. Black nightshade, scientifically known as Solanum nigrum, is a species of plant from the nightshade genus (Solanum). When I first delved into the details of this plant, I was horrified to discover that many websites classified it as poisonous or even highly poisonous. I could only shake my head at this, because for as long as I can remember, we in Cameroon have always consumed this plant without giving it much thought. No one ever got poisoned! In Cameroon, this plant is known by many names as a leafy vegetable. Among others, it's called Njama-Njama or Légumes du village (village vegetables) and is very popular with almost everyone. One of the best-known names among my people, the Bamun, is Njapche. This delicacy is almost always served with Pèhn (corn fufu), and this combination creates the famous…

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Eid al-Adha
from the oven

Simple lamb recipe for the Feast of Sacrifice

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Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, is the most important festival for Muslims and is comparable to Christmas for Christians. Behind this three-day festival lie a few rituals and traditions that I would like to share with you. For as long as I can remember, every family that can afford it has sacrificed at least one of their own lambs for Eid al-Adha. Days or even weeks beforehand, the animal is purchased and well-fed and cared for in the days leading up to the sacrifice. The day before the festival, it is washed and given fresh food again. This all sounds somewhat gruesome, but these animals generally had a very good life beforehand, as they often came from small-scale farmers and therefore had plenty of space to roam and fresh food. On Eid al-Adha, after the Eid prayer, it is slaughtered by a qualified person. During the slaughter, the head of the family, or the person in whose household…

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tomato sauce
sauces

Meatballs in tomato sauce

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A wonderful Eid al-Adha to all Muslims worldwide! Tomato sauce is a favorite with almost everyone. A few days ago, while chatting with an acquaintance, he mentioned how special tomato sauce with meat used to be for him. This reminded me that I felt the same way. As a child, I always associated tomato sauce with special occasions, such as today's Eid al-Adha. Tomato sauce with chicken and rice or spaghetti was often served on holidays. On other days, we enjoyed all sorts of sauces, like Egusi (pistachio sauce), Mafé (arachides sauce), Okra (gombo sauce), and so on. But tomato sauce was always our favorite among us children. Then I came to Germany, and everything changed. Tomato sauce and chicken was often one of the few sauces we knew from home that could also be made cheaply in Germany. Back then…

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No category

Culinary holiday summary

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Manche werden sich sicherlich denken: “Noch eine weitere Woche ohne Rezept?” Ich kann das sehr gut nachvollziehen und hoffe, Ihr könnt auch den Grund dazu verstehen. Ich lasse Euch aber nicht allein, denn ich zeige Euch nachfolgend ein paar leckere Impressionen aus meinem Urlaub, welche ich Euch nicht vorenthalten möchte. Die Reise ging von Marbach am Neckar aus über Hamburg nach Dänemark und zurück führte der Weg noch über Bad Rothenfelde bei Osnabrück. Ich habe in den zehn Tagen, die wir in Dänemark verbracht haben, so viele Krusten- bzw. Meerestiere wie insgesamt in den vergangenen 12 Monaten davor gegessen. Irgendwann hatte ich Angst vor einem Eiweißschock oder vor zu vieler Harnsäure im Körper. Garnelen, Muscheln, Krabben, Fisch usw. hatte ich täglich auf dem Teller. Alles war so lecker… Hamburg Auf der Durchreise haben wir einen Halt in Hamburg gemacht. Nach einer obligatorischen Hafenrundfahrt auf der Elbe und einem schönen Spaziergang…

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Wedding
No category

Out of Office

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This week, for the first time in two years, I won't be posting any recipes or any other culinary content. This week is very special for me… So today, I'm just sharing some lovely pictures from my personal life… pictures that have nothing to do with cooking. Ribe, the city of beautiful doors. On our first evening, as we strolled through the small Danish town of Ribe – incidentally, the oldest town in Scandinavia – I was immediately struck by the beautiful, colorful doors. I'd been on cloud nine for days anyway, and this beautiful sight only intensified that feeling. I immediately thought I had to capture all of this somehow, in my heart and in pictures. See this post on Instagram. A post shared by Fadi N. (@chez.fadi)

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folere
drinks

Foléré/Bissap au gingembre et fraises | African mallow iced tea with ginger and strawberries

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Diese Woche scheint der Sommer nun endlich bei uns angekommen zu sein. Wie jedes Jahr bedeuten die ersten heißen Tage für manche von uns schwitzen. Und was hilft uns am besten gegen das Schwitzen? Für heiße Tage habe ich mir bereits vor längerer Zeit ein tolles leckeres Rezept von ausgedacht: Foléré. Foléré, auch Bissap oder wissenschaftlich auch Sabdariffa oder Roselle genannt. Bekannt ist diese Pflanze vor allem als Afrikanische Malve oder Karkade. Sie gehört der Familie der Malvengewächse an.Sie wird in Kamerun, aber auch im übrigen tropischen Afrika allgemein zur Herstellung von Säften, Sirupen, Kuchen und Süßigkeiten verwendet. Rezepte dazu gibt es zahlreiche. Ich selber mache es oft jedes Mal ein bisschen anders. Diesmal, habe ich zur Abwechslung einmal Ingwerstücke anstatt von Minzblätter verwendet. Zum Süßen habe ich mich für Waldhonig direkt aus meiner kamerunischer Heimat entschieden. Ein paar Scheiben frisch geschnittenen Zitrone dazu und dann noch ein paar frische…

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samosa
appetizer

Samosas Chez Fadi style

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It's time once again for a trip outside of West Africa. Today, our journey takes us to the other side of the world, namely to India, with the dish Samosa. Samosa, Samusa, or alternatively Sambusa (in East Africa), are small, triangular pastries filled with all sorts of things. The filling can include vegetables, meat, lentils, and much more. There are even versions with a sweet filling. Although originally from India, these delicious pastries are also very common in African cuisine, especially in East African cuisine, where they are very popular in countries like Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. The name and filling can vary slightly, but the shape and preparation are often very similar. My Samosa filling almost always consists of chicken or turkey, delicious vegetables, preferably Asian-style, and rice noodles. Samosas are very popular as an amuse-bouche. Usually…

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from the oven

Dibi agneau | Grilled lamb in the Senegalese style

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Ramadan Mubarak! Barka dasala! The month of Ramadan flew by again this year. To mark the end of this holy month, we have plenty of food and drink at home. During the three-day Eid al-Adha celebrations, there should be enough to eat and drink so that every guest leaves with a full stomach and feeling satisfied. For me, lamb is a must on the menu for both Ramadan and Eid al-Adha. Every year, I try a more elaborate preparation for this occasion, and sometimes even new recipes. This year, I ventured to make Dibi for the first time. I was very pleased with the result. Dibi is one of the most popular street foods in Senegal and West Africa in general. You can find it everywhere on the roadside or in Dibiteries (restaurants or food stalls where Dibi is sold). In Cameroon, the term Suya is commonly used for this…

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