We're celebrating spots where you can enjoy the international flavors right here in our city.
This week, we head to Kilimandjaro Restaurant in West Philadelphia for authentic West African cuisine.
It's a great spot to pop in if you're cheering on the teams from the Ivory Coast and Ghana.
Youma Ba opened Kilimandjaro Restaurant in 2005.
"The dream was to have a beautiful African restaurant one day and also to make sure our kids, our people, know about African culture," says Ba. "I think that's why a lot of people have been coming here for over 20 years and loving our food."
With teams from the Ivory Coast and Ghana coming to Philadelphia for the World Cup, Youma's expecting record crowds.
"We are so excited," says Ba. "We're having watch parties for them, for the African community. We will have a celebration for them here. We also want to teach our brothers and sisters here in the United States what African soccer means to us. It means love, it means celebration."
She will have all of their favorite dishes ready, like jollof rice and peanut butter sauce.
"We have tomato stew, we have acheke, a food coming from the Ivory Coast," she says.
Ba serves whole fish and a tangy, onion-based yassa sauce, which she shares the recipe for.
Yassa Sauce from Kilimandjaro Restaurant:
Ingredients:
- Juice of 2 lemons
- Vegetable oil, enough to line the bottom of a pot.
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 4 onions, halved and sliced thin
- 4 carrots
- 2 bell peppers, any color
- 2 bouillon cubes
- 4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed and peeled
- 1 teaspoon habanero chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
Directions:
1. In a large pot, sweat out the onions, bell peppers, and carrots in vegetable oil
2.Once they are soft, add the salt and pepper, Dijon mustard, garlic, lemon juice, habanero chili flakes, bouillon, sugar, and vinegar
3. Cook until this comes together, and the onions are dark, sweet, and caramelized
Note: You have to keep stirring so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. The process should take about 20 to 25 minutes.
Serve over chicken, lamb, fish, or shrimp.
Enjoy!