In July I arrived in Ecuador to work for the Timburi Cocha Scientific Research Station, Payamino, for my year in industry. Fully prepared as I was to spend a year in the jungle, cut-off from civilisation, and living on rice and beans, I won't deny my delight in the fact the research station has flush-toilets, a cold shower (of sorts…), a satellite internet connection, and a kitchen. And the food has been far from your bog-standard rice and beans!
Tamara Williams (AKA Sámara, AKA Farmer Tea), a fellow zoology placement student from Manchester, has been bestowed the role of head chef – for good reason. We've had meals far fancier than those my usual broke-student-in-a-hurry diet would consist of, from red bean chili with tortilla wraps to lentil and cauliflower dahl with naan breads, even Irish colcannon! She's pioneered "steam-baking" at the station by making peach sponge and banana bread without an oven, so I'm quite happy I can resume baking even from the middle of the rainforest (
Image 1).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVoHBfPiTF50lsXAujziYfMolUrSJMeq2sgSFx3U8IHnT5KQ9GGgOcJMjcnMJ5Ta665sPxRG0_tbKlGWe9OOV1jXM4_QQ8IABgAphiV-UMytiDeQMhLxZKrrWfpNyTgXzmavq6W_r-r5Y/s640/Image1.jpg) |
Image 1 - Barmbrack, left; banana bread, right. As cooked in a pot inside a bigger pot of boiling water... |
No matter how delicious and satisfying the meals, however, fried sides and snacks have become omnipresent. Yuca (you may know as cassava,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassava) and banana, in its various encarnations, have almost become staples for us. Below are yuca chips (
Image 2), fried
maduro (mature plantain;
Image 3), and
guiñeo (elsewhere referred to as
bananitos, ndizzi, or finger bananas;
Image 4). Other ways we've enjoyed bananoids is as
patacones (fried
verde, green or unripe plantain; photos to come), and oat and banana "milk"shake, the latter made with powdered milk, as milk doesn't keep in the tropical heat without a fridge.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_4aiQJFrW3HmfV-UkIx8zfKxMdIERQn6oANhmaIMwL73qPwESwq0KO5icd6V86RwG9KdM0YSCx1bXZZluy597E24lCKI-mc-ADHJ26OMomydjO3fu0C9TkOSuR40RxQlKkLJrvZ27G6g/s640/YucaChips.jpg) |
Image 2 - Yuca chips |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgaz_N6CMjM62B14C4q_EDVHJDnIOxPnkAXX6_kD3pTUfvLrHumsnbe6-PeiMczfEa0WSO7rRKMFQxxZR7QjzRsJUO7tAWHDOCRn4yV5YGFPtd-wXG8UxAXHBRgflQ9IODsmw61euEz5A/s640/Maduro.jpg) |
Image 3 - Fried maduro (mature plantain)
|
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmgmxC9jRWO_8Y47lEWI9udb-hvl3DediAYknZJQE4SIZXi5ttyPthcy8sHOB9jAxOLpaR5wdKG99zpe0UdzzgXrLy6eRy-TupRp9D3PW5k1vxT1kYzYqncyVYbYQNwI6kynLZduTb1Y4/s640/Guin%CC%83eo.jpg) |
Image 4 - Ripening and overly ripe guiñeo |
Unfortunately, I am guilty of expanding the fried menu further by often taking over breakfast. Below are the recipes for kabalagala (Ugandan banana pancakes) and mofo menakely (Malagasy dough balls; Image 5).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTt40vzn46PbRcPMTYzTQhMdaJ1_pMXOHsX6COVuFCIzJLMv0pFRu8ip_POsQNty4X8AAnmTkbsv2UoyUr9yNXG-SM9uzqY5JK5bT8ZCA7qTdgkDVqpEVm-F9sWm0gTaLhMDbprL0vlM/s320/mofomenakely.jpg) |
Image 5 - Mofo menakely, Malagasy dough balls |
Fried corn or
choclo and pop-corn or
canguili, are popular snacks at the station as well, or now that corn is in season, we've been enjoying America's edible gold on the cob – at least we don't deep fry that! [
Image 6]
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-1OtD3aqeBJu4TI2rsazeVKNIoBbxh4wF3c8LS3LcQ2YjPSaqLIxIk-gzX3f1FdQEPbsASOJVHO_4cDlNUrstQfTAQcA-QBCvIG3wx8y4-sTmIJ3K6YTl0x0JHYt_UUSnKwkcao-61s/s640/Choclo.jpg) |
Image 6 - Sweet corn grown in Payamino |
Frieds aside, I have resumed the jam-making role I have at home. So below is pineapple jam [
Image 7]. Next I want to make one with the various fruits grown in the region, and have a Payamino jam to share. I predict this will primarily consist of
chihuilla (pineapple) and
cocona (
naranjilla).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQfe7Cpb4VJpCP-S9-pk8i40p7NNd141iPAssGqGGoNZVrafurboCaMue6pB0aDAqA3xkglSpg8V4fZWD2IepActr8xGK7sYSBrOgvCwPgX0dh2mCm1PRc6y8tyjQeVZeWCyVTDrSy3OY/s640/Pin%CC%83aJam.jpg) |
Image 7 - Pineapple jam |
NB - I will endeavour to stop posting about food and resume writing about camera traps and bromeliads and whatnot!
I saw something just like the corn you made on satellite tv the other night.
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