• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Tara's Multicultural Table

  • Index
  • International Recipes
  • Travel
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Policies

Kanda (Central African Pumpkin Seed Meatballs)

12 October, 2015 by Tara Leave a Comment

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

Recipe for Kanda- Central African Pumpkin Seed Meatballs simmered in a spiced tomato sauce. Top with parsley and serve with steamed rice.

Kanda (Central African Pumpkin Seed Meatballs)

With pumpkin season fully upon us, here is an interesting use for pumpkin seeds. In the Central African Republic, Kanda are meatballs made by pounding toasted pumpkin seeds into a powder and combining with ground meat, onion, and garlic. They are then simmered in a tomato onion sauce. It is a great way to spread out the amount of meat needed to serve more people, plus each bite includes a bit of toasted pumpkin seed flavor.

Another variation, Kanda ti Nyma, is made with okra and peanuts. These meatballs are also popular in Chad, often with the addition of sesame seeds.

Kanda (Central African Pumpkin Seed Meatballs)

I used a mixture of heirloom tomatoes, most of which were yellow, from my garden so the sauce is a bit lighter in color than if you were to use red tomatoes.

The original recipe called for adding 1/2 cup water to the meatballs to give them enough moisture to stick together. I actually didn’t need it.

If the sauce is too thin towards the end of cooking, remove the cover and increase the heat if needed to help reduce and thicken it.

I found shelled pumpkin seeds (Pepita) at Whole Foods. They are also available in the nut and seed section of many larger grocery stores and International Food Markets featuring Latin American and African ingredients.

Looking for more meatball recipes? Try Swedish Meatballs, Hutspot met Gehaktballen (Dutch Mashed Potatoes and Carrots with Meatballs), and Albondigas al Buyor (Greek-Jewish Meatballs in a Sweet-and-Sour Sauce).

Kanda (Central African Pumpkin Seed Meatballs)

Kanda (Central African Pumpkin Seed Meatballs) Recipe

Adapted from 196 Flavors

Print Pin

Kanda (Central African Pumpkin Seed Meatballs)

Course Main Course
Cuisine Central African
Keyword beef, Central African, meatball, pumpkin, pumpkin seed
Servings 6 -8 Servings

Ingredients

Meatballs:

  • 3 cups pumpkin seeds shelled and lightly toasted
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 small to medium onion chopped
  • 7 garlic cloves chopped
  • 1/2 cup cold water if needed

Sauce:

  • 1/4-1/2 cup palm or peanut oil
  • 1 medium onion thinly sliced
  • 4 large tomatoes peeled, seeded, and diced
  • 1-2 chili peppers seeds removed and minced
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 small bunch parsley stems removed and roughly chopped
  • Steamed rice for serving

Instructions

  • Using a food processor, grind the pumpkin seeds until they become a powder. Add the meat, chopped onion, and garlic. Pulse until the mixture becomes smooth. If it does not come together, add up to 1/2 cup water. Transfer the mixture to the refrigerator and allow to chill 30 minutes to an hour.
  • In a large pot, drizzle oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to turn golden. Mix in the tomatoes and chilis. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover.
  • Remove the meat mixture from the refrigerator. Form into golf ball size meatballs.
  • Increase the heat of the sauce to medium high and gently add the meatballs. Cover and cook, gently stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for another 30.
  • Fold in the chopped parsley and serve immediately with steamed rice.
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Filed Under: Beef, Meat, Middle Eastern/African Tagged With: africa, african, beef, central african, central african republic, meat, meatball, pumpkin, pumpkin seed, tomato

Previous Post: « Túrós Pogácsa (Hungarian Quark Pogácsa) and Culinaria Hungary
Next Post: Pecan Pie and Virtual Baby Shower for Lauren »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

About Me

tarasmctable (1 of 1)

Hello and welcome to Tara's Multicultural Table! Check out the index to find recipes from around the world and learn more about me here.

Subscribe to Tara's Multicultural Table via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,097 other subscribers

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Categories

Amazon

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program and earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Tara's Multicultural Table via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,097 other subscribers

Featured Recipes:

Cardamom Latte in two stone glasses with cardamom pods in the background.
Lavender Lemonade in two glasses garnished with lemon slices and rosemary.
Pastel de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Pastry) pile on a white plate.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 Tara's Multicultural Table on the Foodie Pro Theme