African bird Stew (relish to accompany papa/sadza or polenta)

See the hunting fishing and gathering page on the tabs lower down on the right hand side of this blog. You will see how to prepare your birds for cooking. However I know that in many countries pigeons, doves and other small birds are available commercially so why not give this a try. If you are African, living out of Africa, then take a trip back to your early roots, when your grandparent regularly ate food like this. Its good healthy and tasty!
For a good pot of bird stew relish you will need 4 to 6 doves depending on their variety or size. If you are fortunate to get red eye doves, green pigeons or rock doves, then 3 may be enough. If you have an enterprising lad who has collected you a number of assorted small birds then aim for about 750 grams of meat.

A large onion or two small
three quarter cup Sunflower oil. (yes I know its a lot, but it is the basis of the relish and carries the flavor.)
2 tomatoes or half a cup of chopped dried tomatoes. (by far the nicer choice if you have got) I have come across a few indigenous Africans over the years who have opened tomatoes and dried them on the roof of their huts. So using dried tomatoes would be authentic.
Chillis to taste. I use 2 for this amount of meat.
Its now very simple. Cut the birds into quarters. Then brown the birds 1 onion and garlic together slightly and then add the other ingredients. Cover with water and simmer for a long time. Many African women have the pot simmering on the side of the fire for half a day. On the stove top I cook for 4 or 5 hours. Wild birds can be very tough and you need to break down all the sinews thoroughly. In the last three quarter hour add the second onion roughly chopped. Pumpkin if available or cabbage is sometimes added now also.
Then take off the pot lid and reduce the liquid to very little water and mostly oil. That is your bird relish. It is normally fairly salty and eaten by dipping sausage shaped balls of papa/polenta with the fingers of the right hand into the juice and eating. A little piece of bird or vegetable is occasionally picked up with one of the fingers alongside the pap ball and eaten with the papa.
Invite some people over, take away all the cutlery and serve it on two dishes in the middle of the table. They will love it! It makes for a very social meal. I have done something similar for many overseas visitors and they absolutely love this brush with African style food. By the way, water in a bowl is brought before the meal for guests to wash hands, and also afterwards. A towel is supplied.

 Warning for Westerners who eat "traditional style" with Africans. DO wash your hands before eating. Do not use your left hand for eating. It may be used to hold a piece of meat or bone and transferred to the right hand to eat. If you re-dip your ball of polenta/papa into the gravy, turn it around so you dip the un-bitten end. This is a general guide which applies to most African tribes in the region, but I would love some of my African followers to add or correct me if you think of something. Wait for the senior man present to finish the last piece of meat, but DO NOT follow the western habit of leaving a piece. It insults the cook.  (Westerners like leaving the last biscuit or piece of cake. This is the most daft senseless European custom I have ever encountered!! I have had quite heated arguments with some guests who refuse to eat the last piece of food on a plate or dish!)