Potato chip, crisp or fries

Garlic, masala and plain sweet potato fries

What comes into your mind about these two words?Many of us represent a class of people that will identify Chips as  the potato cut into long thin sizes and fried, commonly served in Fast food joints i. e fish and chips eateries. Wikipedia separates these two terms,  And of course professional food handlers/operators agree with it anyway depending on the region they come from. So here  are the facts ;
1. For the thicker cut  batons of potato sometimes referred to as chips But ordinarily they are fries. Ref.  French fries

Crisps

2.A potato chip ( American ) or crisp ( British ) is a thin slice of potato that has been deep fried , baked , kettle-cooked, or popped until crunchy. Potato chips are commonly served as a snack , side dish,or appetizer . The basic chips are cooked and salted ; additional varieties are manufactured using various flavorings and ingredients including herbs , spices , cheeses , other natural flavors, artificial flavors and additives .Ref Potato crisps
On the same measure,French fries are served fresh or are pre- cooked (blanched) then frozen and when ready to eat are ordinarily finished by either frying or baking /roasting  as when needed. They too(French fries) can be served plain, Chilli or Seasoned with fresh herbs and spices. 

Chips or not chips,  the end product to my best knowledge is either French fries or crisps. Chips, butons,allumettes etc are just but vegetable cuts…..

Plain Sweet potato fries

Ingredients: serves 2
– 4 pcs medium sweet potatoes

– Vegetable oil for frying 

Procedure  :

-Wash the potato and cut into 1/2 inch butons

-Fry till done 

-Serve either as a snack or accompanmet
Masala sweet potato fries 

Ingredients : 

–Ready made fries set aside

For the Masala sauce 

-1tbs oil or butter 
-1tsp garlic/ginger paste 

-2pcs fresh peeled tomato grated or chopped 

-1/2 cup  tomato sauce 

-1/4 cup Chilli sauce or two pcs fresh chillies chopped. 

-1tsp mixed spice powder 

-Lemon juice from 1/2pc lemon

-Black pepper and salt to taste 

-1 bunch Corriander leaves chopped. 

Procedure :

-In a pan, put the oil or butter, add the ginger/garlic puree, stir for a while 

-Add the tomato, let it cook for a minute, Add the spice mix, tomato and Chilli sauce,  stir well and let the sauce simmer for another minute. 

-Finally, add the lemon juice,  salt and pepper to taste. 

Pour in the fries,chopped coriander and  mix well to coat.  

Serve 

Sweet potato Garlic fries :

Ingredients,
–Ready fries 

-4 cloves garlic chopped 

-1tsp butter

-Lemon juice from 1/2pc lemon squeezed 

-2 to 4 sprigs coriander chopped 

-Chilli powder (optional) 

Precedure :

–In a pan or wok, add the butter,  let it melt but not burnt, 

-Toss in the garlic  and stir fry till stops sizzling. 
-Add the lemon juice and the chips, toss till well coated. 

-Sprinkle a pinch of the Chilli powder to spice them up if you so wish,if not then you can leave that one out. 
Serve

Food Retail (Deli) Trend

Delicatessen or Deli is a retail establishment which sells unusual prepared or cooked food  which is weighed   and packed  for your convenience. Food found in these delis defer from region to region  however the concept is the same across board(Whether in Africa or Europe) I must say that after a long time working in the hotel industry in different levels within  food and beverage operations I decided to venture my expertise in managing a deli kitchen  due to their  popularity within major retail chains here in kenya.
In Nairobi at the Tuskys supermarket on Kenyatta Avenue in the heart of the city, there is always a hive of activity in the deli section during lunch hour. These are not usual shoppers picking up groceries but hungry city workers and students here to buy take-away food . The same is replicated at the Naivas Supermarket at their Westlands Nairobi branch. 

Unlike in restaurants and cafes, there is no menu. You choose from what is on hot Bain Marie display — chips and chicken, steamed or fried rice,piping hot beef and chicken stew, chapati, various traditional vegetables, sandwiches and burgers among a wide range of traditional food

Selling ready to eat food in supermarkets is on the rise in Nairobi with Tuskys, Uchumi,  Naivas and other other upcoming supermarkets. Naivas and Tuskys are leading the way.  The rise of supermarkets Deli  in Mombasa has also gotten ground so  fast . Again, Naivas is leading the pack at their Nyali shopping mall. 

In Mombasa CBD, at the general post office stage (Digo  Road) Budget Supermarket is leading the pack. As soon as the door is opened for  business office workers, students  and even travellers flock in for breakfast. Snacks such as Samosas, sausages, sandwiches,maandazi,doughnuts and even traditional choices like arrow roots, sweet potato  and even chapatti freshly made are on display as early as 8am.Budget supermarket Deli have as well in there line special Breakfast snack packs which doubles up as office tea snack packs. Visit :  www.facebook/budgetrestaurant
 

First, the fact that the delis are inside the supermarket, made them convenient for shoppers who lead the typical fast-paced life of the growing middle class and low class due to its pricing. Many in this group seek ready-made meals — that can rival any home-cooked food as they also shop for other household items.

Many customers whom I talk to come at budget deli  in Mombasa for fresh food, says it about the convenience and trust that is driving most people to the supermarket deli food.

In the current  situation, life is quite dynamic,fast paced and you have to be time conscious. After sitting through traffic, you cannot have the energy to prepare yourself a decent meal. That’s why people  resort to buying  ready-to-eat meals from the supermarket,

 Health conscious Kenyan middle class are the main target market for these stores as they are  curious and want to try new things. These are people  someone who want to get home, enjoy their meal while watching a TV programme or movie before retiring for the day, they basically don’t have time to prepare the meals themselves. They will either buy takeaway or eat in,  as most of the delis have spacious eating /sitting areas. 
The pioneer of this trend in East Africa was shoprite store  in Dar-es-salaam  in Tanzania where I worked briefly as their catering team  leader. Thereafter Tuskys T-Mall on Lang’ata road adopted the trend which created quite a buzz and caught the imagination of both single people and families who needed well done ready-to-eat food from a convenient place. Soon, it became a trend with almost all new supermarket outlets featuring a deli. Now this is almost a must have in most supermarkets . this trend is a must to have for any supermarket to compete well in terms of customer base 

Whether buying breakfast, lunch or dinner, the food is always fresh and hot. The queues in these supermarkets food sections is testimony that a lot of people’s lives have been made easy by this one-stop shopping.

As a career Food enthusiast and a Chef I have observed that many people enjoy the food bought from a deli store because of the variety, pricing and the savings it makes.

To sum up, the choice is yours.You are able to save money on cooking gas, food items and time.If your work involves working irregular hours and cannot afford the luxury of cooking. Get your food from the Deli  and all you have to do is warm it in the microwave and eat. 

 The market response has been   overwhelming, thus explaining a lifestyle shift amongst  citizens .

The deli idea is one whose time has arrived, and the convenience sums it all.