Kabira’s Moroccan Mezze platter
When you think of Morocco, what comes to mind? For me it is sand, tea, very bright colours and spicey food.
But since I have never been to Morocco and will not be in the near future, thanks to the lock downs, I have had to contend with pictures and stories and my own imagination-untill this Moroccan Mezze Platter from Kabira country club. Thank God for food. It gives us a way to travel and experience new cultures.
Let’s break down the platter.
Eggplant
The skins are taut-like a well tailored jacket-fitting but not restrictive and the insides are soft but also firm. If you have not been baking your eggplant, you might want to give that a go. The red paste is harissa, a spicey sauce which i am told is popular in North Africa.
There aren’t a lot of places in Uganda serving food from the region and that is a damn shame because it is very interesting.
The meat balls
Except they are not meat balls. In fact, they are made with chick peas, corriander and a couple of other herbs and spices. These are hot. But it is not an instant heat. It happens after a few moments and it is a chilli that fills the whole tongue, not just the tip. You can ask the kitchen to make them hotter for you if you can take it.
It was fun to have them in 2 different shapes. It brings a bit of play to the meal and your eyes, which are the first thing to eat, will be intrigued.
The Naan
I imagine the Naan feels a little inferior to the spicy eggplant and veggie meat balls. But i assume that is why it is there, to give you a bit of a reprieve from the spices. It is light and very easy to eat.
To boot, you get 2 sauces. A light hummus and a coconut cream which with its cashew nuts is going to be a pop of flavour in your mouth. Bare with me here; the nutty flavour danced around in my mouth before i could properly name it. Ask for this sauce, trust me. Because the sauces are very cool, they bring a balance to the meal.
This salad was a winner
Fresh, fresh (it deserves to be said twice) bright red tomatoes. They felt a bit like berries. Firm and serious on the outside, only to collapse into juiciness when you bite into them. And for just a bit of heat and a coarse texture on the tongue, there was the black pepper. Not the powder, the grinds. There is a secret ingredient that goes in to this that makes it taste unlike your ordinary garden salad. I asked the chef what it was. And he told me. But his secret is safe with me.
The Moroccan mezze plattter goes for 80K, eat it to satisfy your hankering for a new experience.
PS: Kabira is taking the COVID safety precautions very very seriously. And i’m not just talking about the 3 sanitiser stations. They even have disposable menus! As in, you can carry your menu with you because they will not give it to someone else. I brought mine home, all the better to plan for my next meal.