Fishing is also a major part of the Ghana economy, as a result, many Ghanaian dishes are based on fish. Local plants based food as such as coconut, plantains and many more are also highly prized and used in the country’s cuisines. Chillies are also an important component of Ghanaian cuisine and provides significant vitamin C in the diet. Another feature of Ghanaian cookery is the use of boiled eggs as a garnish.
Here are is a classic Ghanaian dishes for your enjoyment:
Ghanaian Kenkey with Fresh Fish Stew.
Ingredients
450g fresh fish (any firm white fish)
4 hot chillies (eg Scotch Bonnet) pounded to a paste
2 tbsp tomato puree
3 tbsp ground, dried, shrimp
4 medium onions, finely sliced
4 fresh tomatoes, chopped and pounded to a paste
6 tbsp Kpakpo Shito
300ml water
150ml red palm oil
1 garlic clove, pounded to a paste
1 tbsp freshly-grated ginger
salt, to taste
Method:
Clean the fish, remove the gills and cut into steaks. Wash the flesh with lime, lemon or vinegar then rinse in water and marinate in the garlic, ginger, chillies and salt. Set aside for 30 minutes before continuing.
Heat a little oil in a pan and fry the onions and tomatoes for a few minutes. Add the ground shrimps and tomato puree and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, or until cooked. Add the water and the marinated fish (along with any remaining marinade) and simmer gently for about 25 minutes, or until the fish is cooked. Serve hot on a bed of rice or with boiled yams or plantains.
Kenkey
Kenkey (also known as Dokonu or Komi) is one of the staple foods consumed in Ghana. It’s a steamed dough ball made from fermented corn (maize) and usually wrapped in corn shell..
Ingredients:
2kg maize flour (eg cornflour or cornmeal) and white cornmeal is preferred
Method:
To prepare Kenkey from scratch the maize flour first has to be fermented. It’s mixed with just enough warm water to wet it before being allowed to ferment (covered with a clean cloth) for two to three days to form maize dough. It has slightly sour aroma when properly fermented.
The resultant dough is kneaded with the hands until it is thoroughly mixed and has stiffened slightly. At this point it’s divided into two equal portions. Half the fermented dough is placed in a large pot along with 250ml water where it’s partially cooked for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly and vigorously (at which point it’s called aflata). At this point the uncooked half of the dough is added and mixed-in well. The resultant aflate–dough mixture is divided and shaped into serving-sized pieces before being wrapped tightly in banana leaves, cornhusks, greaseprof paper or foil. The wrapped dough is then placed on a wire rack above a pot of boiling water and are steamed for between 1 and 3 hours.
The final dough balls are the kenkey and are typically served with a sauce (typically a hot sauce) such as Palaver Sauce or any meat or fish dish.
Mmmm, enjoy a little flavour of the recipesfromGhana!
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