Ndudu by Fafa: August 2015

Monday, 31 August 2015

Ndudu by Fafa: Lamb & Couscous salad

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