Honestly, I didn't actually shop for these ingredients. My wonderful husband, Mason, grabbed these from the grocery store on his way home from work. Nothing in this recipe is out of the ordinary: avocado, lemon juice, fresh ginger, radish, and peanuts. If anything, deciding on a recipe was the hardest part about it. The majority of the Eswatini population relies on subsistence farming, so fresh, local ingredients are a must. Slaai literally translates to "salad" and can be made with anything from lettuce and avocado to beets and radishes. I finally settled on the most appetizing and also authentic recipe. 

The recipe I used: https://www.196flavors.com/eswatini-slaai/ 

The whole process took me 25 minutes. The first 5 minutes consisted of prep. I juiced a lemon, peeled and grated the ginger, and chopped the peanuts. Afterwards, I cut up several avocados and chose the best ones. The others were just a tad too ripe. Then, I threw the lemon juice, a touch of salt, and the ginger into a bowl and tossed in the diced avocado. The avocado marinated in the dressing for 20 minutes. In the meantime, I attempted to thinly slice a radish. It was ... not easy, but I got it somewhat thin. Finally, after everything was marinated, I added the avocado to a plate and topped it with peanuts and sliced radish. 

I asked Mason what he thought slaai would taste like before we ate it, and he said "Um, I'm scared." Well, it made a believer out of him. We both really liked this dish. The predominant flavor was the dressing-- lemon ginger zing. It was bright and fresh like a summer day ( <---that's a simile and if you identified it correctly, you get 5 points). The avocado was soft and the peanuts and radishes were crunchy. The contrasting textures was probably the best part of the whole dish. Mason could have done without the peanuts but to each his own! I enjoyed the crunchiness. Overall, I would likely make this again on a hot summer day. 

I would say 4/5 and Mason says 3.95/5. I have no idea why he's like this.

For more information on Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland) go to: https://www.thekingdomofeswatini.com/. 

Here's a sneak peek: This country has one of the last remaining absolute monarchies in the world, and it is the last remaining one in Africa.