Tablet Kokoye

            Back in February I had tablet kokoye, a delightful concoction of sugar, coconut, cinnamon, vanilla, and other spices.  I loved it, and I've been wanting to try making it myself ever since.  Well, I only have about five (5) more weeks here, so today I decided that I better make it pretty darn quick or it won’t get done. 

Some flooding in the market

            We had most of the ingredients here (the three coconuts needed came straight from the trees in compound— doesn't get much fresher!), but I had to go to the market for the sitwon (limes).  I also needed ginger, but I was told there was none in the market.  I had to ask Makila to go find that and some cinnamon sticks for me.  She found both, but I don’t know where.

Fresh coconut, ginger root, and limes

            Gertrude is one of those cooks who doesn’t follow a recipe. I had found a recipe online in early February, so I pulled it up on my computer.  Gertrude read through it, and then promptly pretty much ignored it.  When I cook, I have to follow the recipe otherwise what I make just doesn't turn out.  I trusted Gertrude because she has made it many more times than I.  I think the only thing we measured was the sugar; everything else she just added by eyeballing it.

            I got to do some “firsts” today—picking fresh coconuts off the tree, drinking fresh coconut milk, buying produce in the market (as versus Coca Cola and Prestige).  I had hoped to have the older girls help me make it, but Gertrude wasn't sure they could handle the knives safely.  Maybe next when I know what I’m doing more they can help.  My mom used to let best friend Leslie Hanson and me make chocolate chip cookies at our house.  I have great memories of that; I’d like the girls here to experience the fun of baking with friends and learning how to function in a kitchen. 

Slaving over a hot flame

Constant stirring!

            Anyway, after about 30 minutes of cutting, chopping, and grating, I was ready to put the big pan on the stove and stir.  For TWO hours I stirred.  And sweated over the pot.  And stirred some more.  The flame was too hot at one point because the sugar was bubbling up, but it was hard to adjust the heat because it was similar to cooking over a blow torch.  I am way impressed with the ladies who cook huge meals for the kids without burning much of it.  I digress.  I continued to stir.  Finally Gertrude said the concoction was the right consistency.  The other downside of cooking in this kitchen is that it is downstairs while the “salamanje” (where you eat) is upstairs.  By the time I got the pan upstairs, the liquid had already started to congeal.  Instead of dainty little tablet kokoye circles I ended up with big blobs.  They may not have looked pretty enough to submit to the 4-H fair, but they were edible.  The kids certainly didn't complain as they wolfed them down (of course, these kids eat just about anything!).  I’ll work on presentation next time. 

Tablet Kokoye

            All in all, it was a good day.  The whole weekend has been relaxing, and I’m ready for the week to begin.