Cameroon, Balkans – Moussaka

by Verdzekov Bernard

This is another simple cuisine but may be complicated for some people who have never tried preparing it. It is delicious and nutritional. A cuisine is a traditional cooking habit, practiced by different cultures in different areas around the world. Each culture or rather tradition has a unique cooking style that is so important to them. In Cameroon they are so many tribes like that. And like I have been saying in my previous writings on local cuisine, the cooking habits used in the preparation of the cuisine vary from tribe to tribe. The cuisine I am about to write about below is Moussaka. This is a dish common to the Greek people or rather the Balkans of the east region. I prepared this dish here in Cameroon and I know how delicious it is. Though I faced some difficulties during my first trial, it all got balance when I made it habitual because the dish was delicious. I cooked for friends and family and they confirmed how delicious it was too. Eggplant are common in Cameroon too. That was what gave me the opportunity too Because eggplant serves as one of the main ingredients in this dish. The dish presents itself like humbugger but it is not. The ingredients below, if you love to add some more like red win, garlics and other ingredients of your choice, you may do, but just follow guide below and don’t miss out.

Ingredient

• Ground dry pepper 
• Butter %-7 table spoon
• Onions
• Lamb or beef 
• Romano cheese
• Tomatoes 
• 5 eggs 
• Flour 1/2 cup
• 3 cups of milk 
• Eggplant 5-7.

Process

• Chop your onions and keep aside.
• Wash your tomatoes, chop and keep aside.
• Chop your eggplant into a medium shape and keep aside. What I mean here is, the slices shouldn’t be too big or too small. 
• With salt and oil mix with pepper, rob your chopped slices of eggplant and cook until it is lightly brawn.
• Grind your beef or lamb using a processing machine and fry with onions until meat losses color. If you don’t like the fat that emits from the meat, drain it. 
• Then add your chopped tomatoes and tomato paste, that is the processed tomatoes into the pot, add salt to taste if necessary, with maggi and pepper cook with medium heat until the content of the pot has thickened and reduced.
• Crack your egg open and add into the meat mixture. Make sure you do this when the meat mixture has cool.
• Prepare your béchamel sauce. Melt 5-6 table spoon of butter, stir in the flour and cook for about 3min.
• Add your milk and stir or whisk well. Let it boil, reduce heat and allow it to simmer then you whisk well to make it smooth. Add your cheese, beat your egg yolk and add into the sauce.
• Oil your saucer tray pan you use in placing things in the oven, add your eggplant, then add meat sauce, then cover with eggplant, then meat sauce again then lastly, your eggplant. Spread your prepared béchamel sauce over the eggplant and then put in a pre-heated oven of not less than 350 degrees and baked for about 45-50min.

Enjoy…