Recipes | I've Been Cooking

Agashe

Agashe is a Sudanese/Chadian-style grilled meat skewer coated in a spiced peanut rub, then flame-grilled and served with bread, lemon, and onions. It’s smoky, spicy, and nutty with a bright citrus finish.

🇸🇩 Sudan$$

Calentita

Calentita is a Gibraltarian baked chickpea flour tart—crisp at the edges and tender within—perfumed with olive oil, garlic, rosemary, onion, and a touch of paprika. Naturally gluten-free and vegan, it’s a simple, satisfying street-food style snack.

🇬🇮 Gibraltar$

Pain au beurre

A soft, lightly sweet Caribbean braided bread, similar to brioche, scented with vanilla, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Rich with butter, milk, and eggs, it’s perfect warm with jam or hot chocolate.

🇲🇶 Martinique$$

Kaaba

A rich, cube-styled black cocoa cake inspired by Middle Eastern flavors, built with medjool dates, tahini, honey, and black sesame. Moist, gently spiced, and finished with a silky cocoa glaze and toasted nuts for texture.

🇬🇲 Gambia$$

Botokoin au sésame

Botokoin au sésame is a Togolese-style sesame fritter: airy, lightly sweet yeast dough perfumed with nutmeg, fried until golden and rolled in toasted sesame seeds. Crisp outside and tender inside, it’s a comforting West African street snack.

🇹🇬 Togo$

Kaimati

Kaimati are crisp-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside Swahili fried dough balls soaked in a fragrant cardamom–saffron–rose syrup. Sweet, aromatic, and perfect for celebrations or tea-time.

🇰🇪 Kenya$

Empanada

Golden, flaky beef empanadas filled with a savory mix of ground beef, onions, peppers, olives, raisins, potato, and hard‑boiled egg—classic, comforting, and perfect handheld pies.

🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands$$

Gibraltar Levanter Meringue

A Gibraltar Levanter–inspired pavlova-style meringue: crisp on the outside, marshmallowy within, scented with lemon and orange blossom, then crowned with lightly sweetened whipped cream, strawberries, and crushed pistachios.

🇬🇮 Gibraltar$$

Udon

A comforting bowl of kake udon: springy wheat noodles in a light dashi–soy–mirin broth, lightly sweet and savory, topped with scallions and toasted sesame. Simple, quick, and deeply satisfying.

🇯🇵 Japan$

Isombe

Isombe is a hearty Central African (Rwanda/DRC/Burundi) stew of cassava leaves simmered with peanut butter, palm oil, aromatics, chili, and smoked fish, traditionally served with rice, plantains, or ugali. Rich, earthy, and comforting, it’s a staple celebratory dish with deep greens and nutty depth.

🇷🇼 Rwanda$$

I've been...

Agashe

Calentita

Pain au beurre

Kaaba

Botokoin au sésame

Kaimati

Empanada

Gibraltar Levanter Meringue

Udon

Isombe

I've been...

Agashe

Calentita

Pain au beurre

Kaaba

Botokoin au sésame

Kaimati

Empanada

Gibraltar Levanter Meringue

Udon

Isombe