Nshima is a traditional staple meal in Zambia and in most parts of Southern Africa. It is called by different names depending on the country one comes from. Nshima is rarely eaten without any relish unless the people have no choice. Some may eat it with salt just to add taste if they have no accompaniment such as relish or sour milk. However, the common practice is to consume it with an accompaniment especially relish.

In order to enjoy Nshima, it must be accompanied by a well-prepared relish and in this article, I will focus on how relish for eating with Nshima is prepared. I have chosen village chicken as the accompanying relish and will take you through the following steps needed when preparing it.

Ingredients

First of all, you need some basic ingredients in order to prepare the village chicken. The following are the basic ingredients:

  1. Cooking oil
  2. Salt
  3. Tomatoes
  4. Onion
  5. Water

Cooking Utensils

In terms of cooking utensils and equipment, you need the following:

  1. Clean cooking pot
  2. Clean cooking spoon
  3. Clean dish
  4. Gas or electric stove or Charcoal brazier
  5. A knife

Preparation Method

Once you have all the basic ingredients and your cooking utensils, then you follow these steps. Remember, the Chicken is already dressed.

  1. Get clean boiled water, after which you wash your hands and then get the chicken and start cleaning it by placing it in a clean dish.
  2. Cut the chicken stomach and remove all the intestines, liver, gizzard and other things which are inside. Others eat those things whilst others do not. In this case we will only use the gizzard and liver which will be cooked together with the external parts of the chicken.
  3. After you finish cleaning and removing all the inside organs, then clean the chicken again and then start cutting it into pieces.
  4. When you are done with the cutting, get a clean dish put the pieces and wash the chicken pieces in the clean water after which you put them in the pot, add some water, salt and cover the pot afterwards.
  5. Place the pot on the stove or brazier to boil and wait for at least 30-35 minutes.
  6. Once boiled and soft, add some cooking oil and start frying the chicken in the same pot.
  7. When it has been fried to the extent you want, add some tomatoes and onions. If you have other spices, you could also add them to make it more delicious.
  8. After that, then you keep mixing and stirring using a clean spoon to make them blend and mix.
  9. Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, after that your village chicken is ready and you can now serve and eat it with your Nshima.

Nshima is a good carbohydrate and you can enjoy it when eaten with good tasty relish. You can also add vegetables on the side just to make sure your diet is nutritionally balanced.