The rains are making an appearance and what better way to warm up than with a cup of spiced tea with freshly made kabalagala (Ugandan banana pancakes)?

Ingredients:

• Water
• Milk
• Ginger
• Mudalasin/ Cinnamomum Tamala (bark of the cinnamon tree or  dried bay leaf)
• Tea leaves
• Ripe bananas (about 6-8)
• Cassava flour 500 gm
• Pepper
• Oil

The Kabalagala:

• Peel and mash the bananas till almost watery
• Add half the flour(and 1 teaspoon of pepper if desired) and knead
• Add the rest of the flour until dough doesn’t stick to clean hands
• Roll out on a floured board and cut into desired shape
• Heat the oil till ready and fry the patties till cooked and browned (you can drop a grain of rice into your hot oil and if it comes back to the top and starts cooking, your oil is ready)
• Drain the pancakes of oil

The Tea:

• Bring water to boil with the ginger and mudalasin(This will make the flavor strong)
• Boil milk separately
• Add tea leaves to the water once it starts foaming(almost boiling and has bubbles the size of fish eyes)
• Sieve the spiced mixture into a tea-pot and milk into a jug. Serve with sugar if desired

Photos by Nze Eve