Sunday 30 August 2015

GHANAIAN WAAKYE STEW RECIPE


Waakye is the 'Ghanaian' Rice and Beans cooked infused with Millet leaves. It's a popular dish in Ghana for brunches and lunches.

Waakye 
I personally think 'Waakye' is an extravagant street food ( not only can it be time consuming, it has many accompaniments , including 2 types of sauces (Waakye sauce and Shito, the black chilli sauce), Spaghetti, Salad, Gari Fortor, Fried Plantain, assortment of meat and fish to mention but a few. 


The Waakye sauce is somewhat an open secret especially amongst the 'Northener's' of Ghana, who specialise in this sauce. I hold a personal belief the Northerner's of Ghana are the best, when it comes to cooking with spices (can't wait to explore). 
I remember this recipe from my  Hairdresser, Hajia about how to achieve the dark intense flavour of the Waakye sauce. I've added my own tweak to it for that Ndudu twist. 


Ingredients 
125g of Tomato purée mixed with 150ml of water to a smooth paste. 
700g of fresh sun ripened Tomato cut into chunks 
3 large Red peppers cut into chunks (optional)
20g of roughly chopped peeled Ginger
10 fresh red chillies
10g of crushed Guinean pepper or Grains of Paradise. 
1 teaspoon of the Ghanaian mix spice with a Pimento base. 
3 large Red Onions
150ml of Groundnut oil
1 Shrimp stock cube
Salt and pepper to taste. 



Method;
Add the oil to a saucepan and place on a medium heat. 
Blend the onions, Grains of Paradise, Ginger and chillies into a paste. 
Add the 'Onion blend' to the oil and fry till the volume reduces in half. 
Add the tomato purée and cook till it turns into a paste. This should take about  12-15 minutes. 
Blend the tomatoes and pepper till smooth. 
Add the tomatoes to the saucepan and stir till well mixed. 
Reduce the heat to a low setting and cook for 25 minutes, by which time the sauce has reduced by half . 


Add the mixed spice and shrimp stock. 
Cook for a further 15 minutes and constantly stir. Watch the sauce turn into a dark rich colour. 


I prefer not to add salt to the sauce at this stage. The sauce is at it's best, 24hrs after cooking. This allows all the spices to infuse naturally. The Waakye sauce is time consuming, hence I make a large portion to last a few weeks. Place the Waakye sauce in an airtight container and place it in the fridge.
After 24hrs or when I'm ready to use the sauce , I then add the required salt. 



All the photos and recipe are by the owner of this blog. Subscribe to my YouTube page for more recipes. 


Saturday 29 August 2015

NUTTY GRANOLA RECIPE

At the end of each month, I go through my larder and create something from the  leftovers.If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know, I frown on wasting food and always find a way to revamp my leftovers.  
On this occasion I had different, half used nuts and thought of making Granola with my usual 'Ndudu Twist'. 


I wanted to achieve a refreshing and seemingly, lightly spiced Granola, hence the decision to include the rind of a lemon and Ginger powder.



This recipe is incredibly nutty, however you can reduce the nuts, (use whatever nuts you prefer)and add coconut shavings or dried fruits, if you so wish. This recipe is adaptable, hence get your creative juices going and make your own version.

I've chosen to add egg whites to this recipe, as it enables the Granola to have it's distinctive light clusters. If you're not a fan of eggs, why not use the juice of a fruit, an Apple purée or Tiger nut milk, maybe? (Imagining the flavour with the Tiger nut milk now)...hmm, moving on swiftly..
If it's difficult to get maple syrup, why not use honey ,the juice of Sugar cane or freshly blended sweet Pineapple as alternatives. 

Ingredients 
300g Whole rolled Jumbo Oats
70g of Sunflower seeds
70g Pumpkin seeds
100g of Cashew nuts
80g of Almonds
30g peeled Pistachios
80g of Pecan nuts
80g Chopped Brazillian nuts
120g of Maple syrup
40g of coconut oil
1 peeled rind of a Lemon (optional)
2 large beaten and frothy egg white
1 tablespoon of ground Ginger (Optional)
Half a teaspoon of  salt

Method;
Preheat your oven to 140*c


Add the oats to a baking tray or a deep rectangular dish. 


Mix the Sunflower and Pumpkin seeds


Add the seeds to the tray. 

Ginger Powder 


Sprinkle the mixture with the Ginger powder


Peel the rind of a Lemon (this is optional)


Add the lemon peel to the mixture

From bottom left, Almonds, Brazilian Nuts, Pecans  & Cashew Nuts


Add the nuts to the mixture


Melt the coconut oil and add to the mix

Maple Syrup


 

Add the syrup to the mix


Add the frothy egg white and salt


Mix till well combined. 


  Suddenly found some leftover Pistachios, hence I've sprinkled a few over the mix. Mix everything together. 


Using the back of a spoon, pat the surface with some pressure to pack the mixture tight. This will also help with the 'cluster' formation of the Granola.

 Place the Granola in the preheated oven and  
bake for 20 minutes. 




Remove the Granola from the oven and turn the  gently, using a wooden spatula (careful not to break the clusters) and place it back in the oven.
Tip;
Turning the mixture encourages an even bake and crunch. 



Bake for another 20 minutes and remove the Granola from the oven. Leave till it cools down completely. 

Transfer into an airtight container and this will last for a month (I doubt it'll last that long, as you'll be helping yourself to seconds each time) 

Best served with your preferred cold milk or as a topping for your Yoghurt and Ice cream.



All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog. 
Seek permission before you use any of my pictures & recipes. 
Always reference back to my page (when permission is granted). 





















Thursday 27 August 2015

BLACK RICE WITH WILD SEABASS RECIPE

My first experience of tasting the Venus Black rice was in Paris. It had a nutty taste that was tossed in butter and served with seared Scallops. 






You can imagine my excitement when I found this at Sandy's (my local fishmonger). I decided to treat myself to a Pan fried, Wild Sea Bass with my black rice, hmm... I hurriedly purchased the fish and rice, made my way home with a nostalgic Parisian holiday memory and an accomplished smile on my face. 


Black rice has existed for centuries in China, but it was reserved only for emperors and a small circle of Chinese nobility. The Black Rice is cultivated in specific areas of the Po Valley in Italy.
The best accompaniments are Fish, Shellfish and Meat. 


It's a pleasant aromatic wholemeal rice that cooks in 40 minutes (if not soaked)releasing a special aroma of both sandalwood and freshly cooked bread. The Black Rice is known for its nutritional and aphrodisiac properties (also known as the forbidden rice)



This is a tried and tested recipe and is a perfect dinner party dish. I prefer cooking the rice in a fish stock, however you can cook it in your preferred stock or with water. Enjoy!




Serves 4
Ingredients
Rice
250g of washed Black rice
1 tablespoon of butter
1 teaspoon of salt
600ml of water or fish stock

Fennel & Tarragon butter
30g of butter
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1 large thinly sliced fennel bulb
Chopped 10g of Tarragon
Rind and juice of 1 Lemon
A pinch of milled white peppercorn
10g of thinly sliced fresh ginger.
Salt to taste


Fish
4 medium sized cleaned and filleted Wild Seabass
3 tablespoons of Coconut oil / Groundnut oil
1 teaspoon of butter
Sea salt


Method;
Wash the black rice under cold water for about 3 minutes (to rid of some starch) or better still soak overnight.

Place the rice and stock/water in a saucepan. 

Place on a medium heat and cook gently for 30-35 minutes. 

Tip:

Best to use a heavy bottomed sauce pan, cast iron saucepan or clay pot, for a quicker cooking time 


Fennel & Tarragon butter


Melt the butter in a saucepan on a low heat and add the olive oil. 

Add the sliced Fennel and Ginger. 

Fry gently for about 4 minutes. 

dd the lemon rind and fry for a further 2 minutes.
Add the lemon juice and cook for 3 minutes.

The Fennel and Ginger should be soft and translucent in colour.
Add the chopped Tarragon and stir. 
Take off the heat and leave to infuse. 



Fish
Sea Bass fillet


Using a kitchen towel, blot the fish dry. 
With the skin side up, sprinkle with sea salt. 

Tip;
To achieve the perfect crispy fried fish, ensure you blot the fish dry, sprinkle with salt (salt absorbs moisture) and leave till it reaches room temperature, before frying. 

Place a frying pan with Coconut or Groundnut oil on a medium heat. 

Once hot, place the Sea Bass, skin side down to the frying pan. 

Fry for 2 and a half minutes on the skin side.

Turn, cook for 30 seconds on the fleshy side, remove and place in a plate. 



Crispy Pan fried Wild Sea Bass

Plating

    

Scoop the Fennel and Tarragon butter into a bowl. Add a portion of rice and mix well

    

Add the fish and serve. 

Best served with a chilled glass of Chablis or Prosecco. 


All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog and you should seek permission before you use. 

Find more recipes on my YouTube page, 'Ndudu by Fafa'. 















Friday 14 August 2015

JOLLOF ARANCINI RECIPE


Jollof rice is a favourite West African dish and Arancini is a Sicilian favourite made with risotto. 'Jollof' is rice cooked in a rich, perfectly spiced tomato sauce. My inspiration came from a (personal favourite) holiday to Sicily. We arrived late for an afternoon lunch (Siesta)and the only place opened, served these huge Arancini balls. There were variations and  the one I picked had the famous 'Bronte Pistachios'stuffed inside.(Bronte town, is on the western part of Mt. Etna). 

Bronte pistachios are the best I've ever tasted. This is a perfect recipe for leftover Jollof rice , either with Mozarella or 'Wagashie' (the Ghanaian cheese). For the breadcrumbs ( you can also blend an old 'tea bread') for the Jollof Arancini. I'll incorporate pistachios in my next recipe. Click here for the Jollof recipe 
 
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Serves 4 (as a starter)
 This is a fusion of cultures. 
Jollof Arancini 
Ingredients 
400g of cooked Jollof rice 
200g of shredded Mozarella
50g of chopped spring onions (stalks only)
150g of Jollof sauce or roasted pepper sauce
4 leaves of Pineapple sage or 15g of lemon thyme. (Alternatively, use your preferred herb e.g Coriander, Parsley etc)
600ml of Sunflower oil
150g of Panko breadcrumbs
1 beaten egg


Method
In a bowl, add the Jollof rice, Mozarella, spring onions, your preferred herb and sauce. 


Mix everything together, till well combined


Roll a 100g of the mixture into a ball (as shown above)
Refrigerate for 30min to an hour. 


Remove the Jollof balls from the fridge. Place a saucepan on a medium heat. 
Add the Groundnut oil. 


Using two separate bowls, add the breadcrumbs and beaten egg. 


Dip a ball in the egg (making sure the whole ball is covered)


Then place the ball into the breadcrumbs and coat all surfaces  ( as shown below)


At this stage your oil should be ready . (Test the oil is hot by dropping a breadcrumb). If it sizzles, it's ready.


Place the ball on a ladle and gently drop into the hit oil (take all necessary precautions, to avoid any burns).


Fry till golden, which should take about 4 minutes. 
Remove from the oil to a blotted kitchen paper. 
Serve your Jollof Arancini with green salad or Avocado. A perfect starter for your next dinner party. 


Enjoy with a chilled beer or dey cider.


Watch how to make this on my YouTube channel, 'Ndudu by Fafa'. 

Don't forget to subscribe and share. 
All photos and recipe are by the owner of this blog. 
Check my YouTube page 'Ndudu by Fafa' for more recipes