Herby Gari Fortor (Attiéké)

'Gari' is a popular West African food which is made out of cassava. It's used the same way one will couscous. The most popular use of Gari is for 'Eba' ( mixed with hot water and salt and cooked into a dumpling) which best accompanies sauces and soups like Spinach sauce, Okra soup, Melon seed sauce etc. Every student who attended boarding school (especially in Ghana) had Gari in their 'Chop box', a survival ingredient. The best boarding school recipes included a sweet variation of mixing the Gari  with milk, water, sugar and peanuts, (popularly known as 'Soakings') or alternatively sprinkle the Gari with water and mix with Shito ( a black pepper sauce made from chillies, dried shrimp or crayfish powder and dried herring powder, which is synanimous with Ghanaians). Another popular recipe for Gari is 'Gari Fortor', where the Gari is mixed with a spicy tomato based sauce and served alongside the ever popular 'Waakye' (the Ghanaian rice and beans). 

This recipe is inspired by Gari Fortor and it's easy to make. Be inspired and be creative, add Apricots or feta cheese for a different version and serve with your favourite protein.

Ingredients

Serves 6

2 cups of Gari 

1 shallot finely diced

1 green chilli, finely chopped.

50g of chopped coriander

2 tablespoonfuls of garlic infused olive oil

4 tablespoons of cold water

Method

In a bowl mix all the ingredients as above. 

Mix well till you have a breadcrumb effect

Add salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything and taste.

Be creative and add dried Apricot and serve with fried fish as below or with your favourite fish, poultry or meat. 

All photos are by the owner of this blog.