Mbika with Meat

Ingredients

• oil (palm oil is most authentic) and/or water
• one to two pounds stew meat (or any meat), ground or cut into very small pieces (optional)
• two or three chile peppers, chopped
• one or two onions, chopped
• two to four cups mbika, egusi, pumpkin seeds, or pepitas (shells or hulls removed)
• Maggi® cube or Maggi® sauce
• salt, pepper (to taste)
• banana leaves or aluminum foil

Directions

1. Roast and shell the egusi or mbika seeds (or their substitute) if they are not already roasted and shelled. Crush or grind them into a flour.
2. Fry the meat, Onion, and chile pepper in an oiled skillet, until the meat is well browned.
3. In a large bowl combine all other ingredients, stirring until they are throughly mixed.
4. Add a little oil to the mixture (if desired). Add water as necessary until a thick paste is obtained. Add cooked meat, Onion, and chile pepper. Mix well.
5. Make serving-sized packets by wrapping the mixture in banana leaves or aluminum foil. (Hint: if using banana leaves, warm them for a minute in a hot oven or over the grill to make them more flexible. Remove the center ribs of each leaf by cutting across it with a knife and pulling it off. Cut the ends off each leaf to form a large rectangle.) Cook in a hot oven or on an outdoor grill for thirty minutes (or more), until hot all the way through and meat is done—or—steam on a rack in a large covered pot of boiling water.