Kati Kati is in the house – people! You know I wouldn’t just do you like that. Make fufu and Njama then leaving you hanging. Come on now- I am a nice person. Are you ready for some fingerling chicken -African style? Louder! Ok. You are ready So let’s get started! Kati Kati is one of the most ancient and distinctive dishes of the Nkom people, in the Northwest province of Cameroon. Yes, they do date back in time and they are definitely different- in a good way.
Made the traditional way, it starts with fresh-butchered organic chicken -roasted over open flame with salt and freshly grind pepper only. Then it is lightly simmered in palm oil with Maggie (chicken bouillon) and served with corn fufu (polenta) and vegetables. Here is my own version of this chicken; I upped the spices a tiny bit – not much; granulated garlic, onions powder and cayenne pepper (hot dried pepper) before grilling. Included tomatoes to make some sauce.(I hope you don’t mind) . This is what makes this chicken so tantalizing. If you are not into palm oil or adding oil to your chicken-I hear you! Forget about the oil-serve with any starchy side oil of choice. Use fresh chicken, if you can. In my neck of the wood (los Angeles) we have tons of places to get them a little bit pricy but worth it. There are several varieties – hen, rooster and the regular chicken (soft chicken). I like to get the rooster it is lean but the most flavorful of all the chicken- not too tough like the hen and can be fully cooked on the grill. What’s not to love! Now, don’t even think of throwing away any parts of the chicken. Forget the breast and thighs – the neck, gizzard, feet and back are the best part !!!! No kidding! Heck, I need to get my moneys worth. You need to see me munching on them when no one is watching. I will wrestle with dogs for these bones. Beware! Keep your dogs away! Ok, back to serious matter, I have reduced the amount of oil usually call for in Kati Kati because is just not necessary. HOWEVER, you may add more if you please … don’t let me stop you. Even if you want to want to add enough to swim in it, have a pool party. Who am I to say no. See I am giving you options here. So go make it Don’t forget to serve it with this stir-fry vegetable (njama njama) and fufu (cornmeal). Please let me know how you like it. Enjoy!
