PCV Tips ~ Cooking

When it comes to cooking as a Peace Corps Volunteer, you have to realize that you will most likely have to make adjustments to what you are used to.  You need to explore what options you have in the markets around the area in which you live.  This will of course vary from country to country.  In many countries, what will be available may vary from region to region even.  Also, keep in mind the cost.  Every country is different in how expensive or inexpensive food or anything else may cost (but Peace Corps will generally adjust the monthly living allowance to an appropriate amount based on the country you are in).  With all that in mind, you can begin to think about what you want to cook throughout your service (or if you want to cook at all)!

I should note now that I know cooking is not for everyone.  In many volunteer sites, there are often at least one or two restaurant options.  But the smaller the site, the more limited your options are.  If you are in an extremely small and rural site, there is the possibility of not really having any restaurant options.  But if you are lucky, you will have great neighbors and friends that will love to invite you over for meals!

Here in Ethiopia, you can find (organic) fruits and vegetables just about anywhere.  Each town has its own market days in which it is easiest to find what you are looking for.  Fruits that can be easily found just about anywhere include bananas, oranges, mangos, and avocado.  You can also find pineapple, apples, and some other fruits, but are more common in certain areas.  For vegetables, what you can commonly find includes tomatoes, potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, etc.  The basics essentially.

I find that I really do have to get creative with my cooking.  Lately, I have been doing variations of the same thing.  I will often cut up a ton of veggies and stir-fry them.  I will often add whatever spices I happen to have in my house.  Two spices that I often use are shiro powder and berberi.  These two spices are very specific to Ethiopia.  Sometimes I will make a sauce that includes soy sauce, a little peanut butter, and a little honey.  If you add the right amount of each, it actually turns out really well.  I have also gotten into the habit of scrambling eggs into my stir-fries.  In Ethiopia, it can be very difficult to get the amount of protein that you really need in your diet, so things like eggs and peanut butter I have found are great ways in which to supplement that.

Veggie Stir-fry

Rice, spaghetti noodles, and couscous are easily found in Ethiopia.  There are many times in which I will make one of these three things and add vegetables to it.  When I have a large variety of vegetables, sometimes I will make a soup with everything I have and will add pasta to it.  When I make soup, I usually start by sautéing onions and garlic.  After sautéing the onions and garlic, I slowly add cut up vegetables and let them cook.  As the vegetables are mostly cooked through, I add the desired amount of water.  I let it all cook and bring it to a boil.  Once it has come to a boil, I will add a chicken broth cube as well as any other seasonings that I want.   I mix it all together and let it simmer for a little while before eating it.

Tomato paste is also available in Ethiopia.  Sometimes I will sauté garlic and onions together and then add any tomatoes that I want.  I will let it cook a little bit and then will add tomato paste and any extra seasoning together that I want.  While cooking this, I will boil spaghetti noodles for spaghetti.  In addition to the spaghetti, I will sometimes buy bread.  With the bread, I will put some oil and garlic on it and toast it for garlic bread.  I have found that this meal is relatively easy to make and is a familiar one as well.  I feel like being able to make meals that are similar to ones that I have made in the states can be extremely comforting at times.

Another meal I have made before would be one that I would generally prefer as a breakfast meal.  For this meal, all you really need are eggs, bananas, and whatever extra spices you would like.  When I have made it, I have used about five bananas and four eggs (which I shared with another person).  First, mash up all of the bananas.  Then in a bowl, mix the bananas and eggs together.  In this mixture, add the spices that you would like.  When I have made it, I have added a little sugar, salt, and pepper.  Once the mixture has been completely mixed, add a little bit to an oiled pan.  It depends on how thick your mixture is, but it should cook similar to an omelet. 

When I cook in site, I usually fall into a consistency with what a cook.  This is totally fine.  But it can be very easy to get bored with the things you cook if you also do this.  If that happens, the easiest thing to do would be to have slight variations with the things that you cook.  This could mean alternating between things like rice, pasta, and couscous.  This could also mean even just making different types of sauces when making stir-fries.

You can even try making cultural food specific to your country of service.  The volunteers in Ethiopia have a cookbook that includes many Ethiopian recipes.  Sometimes it can be really fun to try to make these and some of the recipes are also very easy.

When it comes to cooking, here is my final advice:  Get creative.  Find what is available to you and discover what you like.  Even if you feel like what is available to you is limited, you can still make so many different alternations and variations.  And when getting creative, have fun!

Popcorn is super easy to make and has become one of my favorite snacks during my Peace Corps service.

Yogurt, strawberries, and cereal.  In many places in Ethiopia, it might be a little bit more difficult to find all of these ingredients... but was able to find them all in the capital (Addis Ababa).