How kitchen porter Zakaria Ouattara really eats

Thea Everett

Deputy editor (audiences) Thea loves to be in the kitchen and has a particular interest in cooking on a budget and deep frying. She thinks Sri Lankan and Indian food is the food of the gods. She looks after the brand’s social channels and newsletter – and contributes features and recipes.

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Kitchen porters (KPs) are the unsung heroes of restaurant kitchens – keeping the space clean, safe and organised for the team – and in this week’s Fridge Raid, KP Zakaria Ouattara shares a taste of his life.

Zakaria moved to London in 2016 from the Ivory Coast, where he had worked as a trackman in charge of railway maintenance, and became a vegetable seller before pursuing a career in restaurants. He currently works at The Laundry, an all-day bistro in Brixton, and lives in Hastings with his three children and wife of 10 years.

Zakaria shares the wildest incident he’s dealt with at the restaurant, his opinion on the staff meals – and the cheeky corner shop treat he enjoyed this week.

How kitchen porter Zakaria Ouattara really eats

Pick ‘n’ mix

What would you typically find in your fridge?
Cassava couscous, crayfish, chicken, tilapia (type of freshwater fish), milk, sweet potato leaves and yogurt for the kids.

What snack would we find in your bag/coat pocket?
Plantain crisps, all the time.

What’s the most underrated ingredient?
Plantain powder. People don’t know what to do with it but it can go in every plantain dish possible, such as alloco (fried plaintain), klaklo (plantain fritters) and plantain pudding, and always makes it taste better. You do need to use it along with fresh plantain however to really ensure that strong plantain flavour.

What do you cook when you want to impress?
Usually attiéké, which is fermented cassava couscous. I like to serve it alongside tilapia straight from the oven with a red tomato sauce and fried plantain.

What’s your most-loved utensil in your kitchen?
The big old round porridge pot.

It’s time to knock off; what’s your usual drink order?
Pineapple or ginger juice – but never mixed together. That’s a no-go.

The main meal

How does your job affect how you eat?
I eat the staff meals so sometimes I miss my favourite food – but then occasionally I bring some with me to heat up. I like the staff meals as you can eat as much as you like until you’re so full. If I had to make staff meals I would always make burgers with cheese.

What’s the most unusual thing to ever happen during a shift?
One Sunday I had to help the floor staff get a fox off the terrace that had decided to make its home under the flower pots. I’ve also been locked out of the back fire escape a couple of times by accident. It’s happened so often I now know how to get back in.

Cheeseburgers would be on the menu if Zakaria made the staff meal

When did you learn to cook?
When I was very small and could just about stand up. Jollof rice is the first dish I remember learning to cook.

What attitudes towards food did you grow up with?
Food and mealtimes were very important to my family – my mum was always cooking. All of us had to be at every meal, every day – and I have nine brothers and sisters, so that’s a lot of people to feed.

What were your school lunches like as a kid?
Always jollof rice with chicken on top – it was good.

How do you manage your food budget?
Food is so expensive in the UK. I make sure there is no wastage at home; we can’t afford to throw away anything so sometimes we just mix it all together and eat what we have. We have to keep track of costs all the time, but sometimes we enjoy pizza as a special treat.

Do you have any strong food preferences or restrictions? How do they affect you?
I follow a halal diet so no alcohol and it’s very hard to get good halal meat where I live in Hastings, so I do 98% of my shopping in London. Also I know if I eat yam it makes me feel much heavier so I try to avoid that.

What’s your go-to dinner when you only have yourself to please?
Plantain foutou. To make it you boil plantain, add plantain powder, then mix it in a blender. The blended plantain needs to be cooked in a big pan over heat, stirring and stirring until it becomes so thick that it comes together into a big ball. You then carefully take it out of the pan and roll it into small balls, before dropping the them into your stew to enjoy. I either eat it with chicken stew, eggplant stew or, if I’ve been to my special shop in Peckham, crayfish stew.

What’s your favourite restaurant for a special occasion – and what should you order?
My local African Caribbean restaurant – but I’m not revealing the name as I want to keep it for myself. I always have the jerk chicken, it’s the absolute best.