Chipsi Mayai

I don’t know if Tanzania has a “national dish”, but one dish you can order at just about any restaurant or that can be found in little wooden shacks on the corner of any village or city is called chipsi mayai.  It is delicious and to be honest, so many volunteers here have wondered why Americans haven’t caught onto this easy to make and delicious to eat dish.  So, here is a recipe for those of you who like to cook:
Ingredients:

1. 4 medium potatoes
   
2. 2 eggs
   
3. Oil (for frying)

Method:

1. Peel potatoes and cut into the size of steak french fries
   
2. Heat enough oil to cover the potatoes until drops of water cause “boiling”
   
3. Put potatoes in the hot oil and cook until soft, turning occasionally so they cook evenly.
   
4. Remove potatoes from oil and place in frying pan with 1 TBSP of oil.
   
5. Beat two eggs and pour over the potatoes in the frying pan
   
6. Cook them together for a few seconds and then flip using a plate (invert the frying pan over the plate and then slide the chips mayai  off the plate and back into the pan with the uncooked side down on the heat).
   
7. Press the chipsi mayai into the pan with a spatula as it cooks.  After a minute or so, flip again using the plate and press again with the spatula
   
8. Continue cooking until the egg is completely cooked.  

Most Tanzanians eat it with a tomato or chili sauce over top, you can use ketchup.  The name comes from “chipsi”, which is just basically British English for french fry with a Swahili accent and mayai means eggs in Swahili.
If you try it out, let me know!