Ombidi with oshifima
Ombidi is a Namibian spinach stew often served with oshifima, a stiff and creamy millet porridge.
Servings 2
Equipment
- 1 High-powered blender (optional, for making flour)
- 1 spice grinder (optional, for making flour)
Ingredients
Oshifima
- 400 mL water
- 120 mL millet flour see note
- salt to taste
Ombidi
- 200 g fresh spinach
- 100 g onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tomato, diced
- 2 tsp oil, e.g. canola
- 1 pinch thyme
- 1 pinch ground coriander
- 1 pinch cumin
- 1 pinch paprika
- 1 pinch chili flakes
- 1 pinch ground, dried ginger
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Oshifima
- If grinding millet to flour, do this now. I ground approximately as much millet as I needed flour using a high-powered blender and measured the flour afterwards.
- Bring the water with salt to a roiling boil.
- Carefully pour in the flour in a stream while stirring or whisking to avoid lumps.Tip: you can try to mix the flour with some cold water and pour in the water and flour mix instead.
- Bring to a simmer, stirring continuously. The oshifima burns easily. Keep simmering and stirring for 5-10 minutes until it goes thick.
- Pour into a serving bowl and cover. Let the oshifima cool while you prepare the obimi. The oshifima will thicken as it cools.
Ombidi
- Chop onion and tomatoes and mince the garlic.
- Sweat the onion with the oil in a pot on medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and sweat for another minute.
- Add the tomatoes and let cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes are done.
- Add the spinach and close the lid. Let wilt for a few minutes.
- Stir the ombidi and add the spices and salt to taste.
Ready to eat
- Serve the ombidi with the oshifima straight away. Break of pieces of the oshifima with your fingers, roll into a ball and use it as an edible utensil to scoop up som ombidi.
Notes
If you can't find millet flour, you can grind your own from whole millet using a blender or spice grinder. Sift the flour afterward to remove any coarse grains.