You Have To Try This Tanzanian French Fry Dish Before You Die
If one ever needed evidence of how much the world loves french fries, the proof is born out in the sheer number of recipes out there that are built around some form of fried potatoes. Insider compiled a collection of delectable and creative french fries recipes from around the world, like the Canadian gravy and cheese curd-topped fries known as poutine, fries topped with a savory sauce known as curry chips that are a late-night favorite in England, and Belgium's moules frites, which are fries served with steamed mussels. And then there's this dish that hails from the African country of Tanzania, one that french fry fans really need to try ASAP!
The dish, known as chipsi mayai, is essentially an omelet with french fries suspended throughout it — ingenious! Taste Atlas shares that chipsi mayai, which translates to "chips and eggs," may include onions and peppers. And it's often served with kachumbari sauce, which is made of tomatoes, chilis, and onions. Chipsi mayai is a popular street food in Tanzania, easy to find from vendors throughout the country.
This dish is an easy one to make at home
Chipsi mayai bears some resemblance to a Spanish tortilla, which Madrid Food Tour shares is also made with egg and potato. For this dish, the tortillas are made by gently cooking sliced potatoes in olive oil with onion, adding beaten eggs, and flipping the whole thing once it's firm enough to hold together. It's then sliced into wedges and can be served warm or cold. Explore Parts Unknown explains that chipsi mayai is different: the potatoes are cooked until crisp before eggs are added. They share that Tanzanian vendors add potatoes sliced into planks to a hot pan of oil, where they immediately begin to sizzle and cook. Some vendors even add mishikaki — pieces of beef that have been cooked on skewers — to the potatoes. When the french fries are really crispy, beaten egg is poured in, and in just a few minutes, the cooked omelet is transferred to a plate. Along with kachumbari salad, chipsi mayai is often served with chili sauce.
Chipsi mayai is easy to try at home, whether you fry up raw potatoes or bake up a batch of frozen french fries as Tickle Those Taste Buds does in their recipe. Add diced onion and pepper directly to the french fry omelet, or make a quick, homemade kachumbari salad like this one from Immaculate Bites. A hearty and savory dish of chipsi mayai would be perfect for a light dinner, weekend lunch, and heck, even for breakfast.