“Mmm…C’est bon!” is currently our son’s favorite French phrase, and it means “Yum…This is good!”.

As I was looking through my pictures from the last month, trying to decide what aspect of life to share with you today…I realized that I’ve never shared about the deliciousness of West African cuisine! So today is the day!

Disclaimer: I’m not an expert, but I’m trying to learn! That’s why I had these foodie photos on my camera roll. I’m hoping by the time we go back to Virginia on furlough, I will be able to cook one of these meals for friends and family to taste.

So in our corner of West Africa there are 3 main rice dishes that are cooked and eaten by most everyone. They are:

Yassa: White rice with onion sauce, & either fish, chicken or beef.

Ceebu Jen : Red rice with stewed veggies & either fish or meat. (AKA Jollof Rice in some countries)

Maafe: White rice with peanut sauce and meat (usually beef or lamb).

This past fall we hired a friend of ours to cook lunch for us once a week. She was looking for some extra income, and we were looking for extra language & cultural learning opportunities; so it was a perfect fit.  She loves to cook and is really good at it!  I often find myself sneaking into the kitchen asking her questions about how she cooks – since she cooks by memory and measures by sight, rather than by using a recipe. So last week while we were on “spring break” from homeschool I asked her to teach me to cook Yassa Poulet.

Pounding garlic & herbs

Stuffing the chicken

Yassa sauce rendering down

Washing the rice to remove the starch

Preboiled chicken ready to finish on the grill

The final product!

I wish you guys could taste it!…If you ever come to visit us you will not go hungry!

-Rachel