Octopus Curry · Coastal Classic
Mchuzi wa Pweza
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Zanzibari fishers traditionally beat freshly caught octopus against shoreline rocks to tenderize it before it ever reaches the kitchen.
Fresh octopus is first tenderized by boiling, then simmered low in a ginger- and garlic-spiced coconut sauce with tomatoes until the sauce thickens and the octopus turns tender. It's a fixture of Zanzibari home cooking and seafood restaurants alike, usually ladled over rice or eaten with chapati.
Why it's made this way: Octopus has fed Zanzibaris for centuries thanks to the reef flats ringing the island, and the coconut-curry treatment reflects the same Indian Ocean spice trade that shaped so much of Swahili cuisine.
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Part of World of Street Food — 3248 dishes from 118 countries.
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