Ceviche & Ugali

Paul and I sponsor two children through Compassion International. We were both sponsoring children separately and then we got married and of course are still sponsoring both kids.

Jonathan (he goes by Jesus though) lives on the south side of Quito, Ecuador. He is 11 years old and is currently in 4th grade. He enjoys school, playing the flute, basketball, running, art/drawing and hide-and-seek. He lives in a single parent household with his mother and helps her around the house with errands, feeding the animals, cleaning and making his bed. We enjoy getting letters from Jonathan since he always updates on how things with school and his family are going.

Paulina lives in Mbulu, Tanzania. She just turned 11 years old and is currently in 3rd grade. She also enjoys school, playing with dolls and house, jump roping, singing, and group games with balls. She lives with her father and mother and helps them by gathering firewood, collecting water, washing clothes, cooking, gardening and looking after her siblings. Paulina mostly writes to us about what she is learning from the Bible and how her schoolwork is.

I wanted to share a recipe from both Ecuador and Tanzania where our kids live:

In Ecuador, dishes are generally bland and seasoned only with salt and pepper. Llapingachos are mashed potatoes stuffed with cheese, fritada is fried pork with avocado and corn, and cuy is guinea pig, eaten by the Indians of Ecuador.

Ceviche

2 cups of fish, cut into cubes
2 small, chopped hot peppers
1 peeled and chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1-1/2 tsp. minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup tomato juice
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 Tb. of parsley
1 Tb. of coriander
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients and let them stand in refrigerator overnight. Serve cold.

The most popular food in Tanzania is ugali, a porridge made by boiling cornmeal. This dish is comparable to the grits eaten in the southern United States. Ugali is often eaten with stew, vegetables or meat. Goat, chicken and mutton are the most commonly eaten meats. Roasted corn is also popular and is sold on almost every street corner. Hot tea is a popular beverage and is always served when people are socializing.

Ugali

Creamed wheat or grits
chicken broth
salt to taste

Cook the cereal in the chicken broth, according to package instructions on the cereal box and eat with stew, vegetables or meat.