In Bibi's Kitchen

I honestly hate cooking. But I have a toddler now and he loves solid food (and hates bland food) so I started looking for inspiration and ideas. I spent a lot of time in East Africa many years ago and love the way vegetables and lentils are cooked so was especially hopeful to find recipes that the whole family could enjoy. This book is amazing. The stories are beautiful and poignant. The photos are incredible. And the recipes are really wonderful and accurate. I played with some like the Berbere spice mix so my child could also join in and I made lentils with the mix for a party - people were so amazed, everyone kept asking for the recipe. The recipes to make greens, especially, are a big hit in our household and I frequently make one of them (there are sever variations and they are all easy). My son loves picking up the greens and eating them with his hands, they’re so good! Last week I made tamarind lamb from South Africa with the Zanzibar pilau rice (subbing honey for sugar) and my husband and son absolutely loved it and gobbled it all up. This book is such a revelation and as a South Asian, such a loving ode to the spices and lives that food involves. You can also play with it and make some recipes in the instant pot for the convenience and speed. I love love love it and have recommended it to so many people!

This is a great recipe book. I loved the concept - the stories of the grandmothers and the recipes. It's a very "usable" recipe book (unlike some that just sit on your shelf) - you can actually make the recipes and find the ingredients pretty easily.

This bookcook is the best I've owned. I love the recipes , as they seem delicious,very exotic and easy because the ingredients are widely available in stores here in Australia but also the stories of the women who made the recipes are exceptional! What a beautiful cook book ! Unique . Cannot wait to start to cook , Yummy!

I don't usually bother to write reviews but this one is so good I just have to!! I have so far made the Shaah Cadays (Somalian spiced tea), stewed spinach (this one is Eritrean, not certain on the exact name), Doro Wat (Eritrean stewed chicken in spices with egg) and Digaag Qumbe (Somalian chicken curry - served with banana). All of them have not disappointed and my entire family - very hard to please, my mum is a trained chef who has eaten and cooked food from many cultures - has enjoyed all of them thoroughly. I have bookmarked so many others to try and look forward to sampling those too. So many recipes in this book look promising and each flavour from the recipes I've tried so far has been unique. - Dietary requirements: There is a range of different types of food this makes - plenty of gluten free, dairy free or vegetarian recipes too. Obviously if you are vegan there will be many dishes you can't make but there is a substantial amount to please mostly everyone, even those with dietary requirements. A lot of this food is also healthy, full of veggies, spices, grains etc. Difficulty - I have not had much difficulty with any of them either, I think this is a book which is good for cooks from every level of expertise. Instructions are clear to follow. I think most people pressed for time should be able to make most of the recipes - they did not take me tremendously long. Many are ones you put into a pot and can leave alone for a good hour whilst you do something else too. Creative Process - The photos in this book are beautifully taken. I love the centre of the African women who provided these recipes, that we get to see them and hear from them through the interview and photos. I also like that one of the authors is Somalian so we know it is coming from someone who has experience of East African culture. I recommend for anyone, both those who are familiar with the cuisine and those who want to try something new!

A beautiful book that goes beyond just a cookbook.i am so happy i got this book! I just wish i got it sooner.