Campfire Skillet Zimbabwean Sadza Cakes with Tomato Relish and Fried Eggs

Build a campfire and let it burn down to an even bed of coals, then set a grate about 6 inches above them. Bring 3 cups of water and the salt to a boil in a cast-iron pot on the grate.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups white cornmeal (mealie meal), plus 2 tbsp for dusting
• 3 cups water, plus more as needed
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil or bacon drippings, divided
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 4 ripe peak-season tomatoes, chopped (about 1 1/2 lb)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne or 1 small chili, minced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 large farm eggs
• 1 small bunch fresh cilantro or covo greens, roughly chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Build a campfire and let it burn down to an even bed of coals, then set a grate about 6 inches above them. Bring 3 cups of water and the salt to a boil in a cast-iron pot on the grate.
2. Whisk 1 cup of the cornmeal into the boiling water in a slow stream to avoid lumps. Reduce to a gentle simmer at the cooler edge of the coals and cook, stirring often with a sturdy wooden spoon, for 10 minutes until thick and glossy.
3. Beat in the remaining cornmeal a few spoonfuls at a time. The sadza will get very stiff; keep working it against the side of the pot for 5 to 7 minutes until it pulls away cleanly and no raw cornmeal taste remains. Scrape onto an oiled plate and let cool 15 minutes.
4. While the sadza cools, heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a cast-iron skillet over the coals. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes until softened and lightly browned, then stir in the garlic, paprika, cayenne and tomato paste and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Simmer 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the relish thickens and the tomatoes collapse into a jammy sauce. Slide the skillet to the edge of the fire to keep warm and scrape into a bowl.
6. Dust your hands with cornmeal and pat the cooled sadza into eight flat cakes about 3/4 inch thick. Wipe out the skillet, add the remaining 2 tbsp oil, and fry the cakes over the coals for 3 to 4 minutes per side until deeply golden and crisp.
7. Push the cakes to one side of the skillet and crack in the eggs. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks still run, basting with the hot oil.
8. Plate two sadza cakes per person, spoon over the warm tomato relish, and top each with a fried egg. Finish with the chopped greens and a good grind of black pepper.
9. Sadza is the daily bread of Zimbabwe, a stiff cornmeal staple usually eaten with the fingers alongside stewed relishes called muriwo or nyama. Leftover sadza is traditionally never wasted: it firms up overnight and gets fried the next morning into these crisp-edged cakes, which is exactly what makes it such a natural campfire breakfast. Cooking it over an open fire is closer to the original than any stovetop version, and the smoke that gets into the tomato relish is a bonus you cannot buy.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 520 kcal
• Protein: 18g
• Fat: 24g
• Carbohydrates: 58g
• Fiber: 6g
• Sugar: 7g
• Sodium: 610mg