One of the favorite junk foods in Tanzania is known as chips mayai, basically translating to chips and eggs. You can get more info here: http://migrationology.com/2013/11/chips-mayai-french-fries-omelet-a-staple-of-tanzanian-junk-food/'>http://migrationology.com/2013/11/chips-mayai-french-fries-omelet-a-staple-of-tanzanian-junk-food/
As the name suggests, chips mayai (also sometimes known as chipsi mayai) is the basic combination of fresh chips or French fries wrapped into an egg omelet and fried in lots of oil. If you're ever in Tanzania and notice a big black wok sitting outside a restaurant with a fire underneath it and bubbling oil frying chips, you can be certain they serve this classic dish. To make chips mayai, the French fries are first fried. Normally the potatoes of cut in quite large pieces, and then fried until a golden yellow in color. East African style chips are not overly crispy, they are a little on the soggy side, and that's the reason why chips mayai works so well.
So after the French fries or chips are finished cooking, they are thrown into a frying pan, and a couple of eggs are thrown on top. The result is the ultimate omelet that's hearty and very unhealthy, but it definitely tastes pretty decent. For this particular food video, I (Mark Wiens), was in Dar Es Salaam, and stopped at a small street food restaurant stall in the Upanga neighborhood. Feeling a little bit hungry, I decided to just order chips mayai. It just took a few moments, and my plate was delivered to me in all its glory. The Tanzanian omelet came served with a pile of salt on the side and also some fresh chilies. Also, the dish wouldn't be complete without a good dousing of East African style tomato sauce, which is similar to ketchup but a little more transparent and a little sweeter. Overall, chips mayai is a little on the plain side, but it tastes a lot better when it's combined with the chilies, and covered in the tangy tomato sauce.
Chips mayai is not my overall favorite food in the world, and it's far from being even close to a healthy snack, but it is one of the comfort Tanzanian foods and it's widely available anywhere you travel in the country.
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