Pumpkin Chapati (Flatbread)
Ingredients:
- 4 cups white flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 2 tbsp butter
- Lemon rind
- Half of a large pumpkin, diced, boiled, and pureed
- Onions, chopped fine
- 2 cups warm water
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together to form a dough, kneading well. Pinch off pieces of dough and form into balls. Roll out each ball with flour. Place in a lightly greased hot frypan and fry on each side until browned. Remove to plate and keep warm.
This bread is traditionally served with chicken, beans, or a beef dish made with beef, onions, fresh tomatoes, water, beef bouillon, and pepper boiled together.
Their Story:
The Katatoka family are relatively new to Canada, arriving in Winnipeg in the spring of 2016. They’ve since relocated to Niverville for a more peaceful way of life. Peace is important to them, having escaped the Congo to find it. Their home country has been ravaged by political unrest and war for decades.
“We didn’t have peace in our country,” says father Justin Katatoka. With 11 children, he and his wife, Scolastique, left everything they knew for a better future for their kids.
The family fondly remembers Christmas celebrations in their old hometown of Bukava, East Congo. Back home, they say, Christmas preparations didn’t start in November. All was left until the week before Christmas, decorating a tree and preparing food for the distant family members who would travel in to celebrate with them.
Though the season means a break from busy lives to spend time together as a family unit, their love of the celebration is simple and pure.
“We are Christians first and we respect the day,” says son Chris. “It’s the time we remember Christ Jesus.”
The family hopes to exchange gifts this year, a luxury they’ve not always known. As for the extended family they left behind, communications will be impossible with limited electricity and internet access back home. But they hold them in their hearts all the same.
