COCONUT RICE (ANGWA MO)

Hello everyone, 

I hope you enjoyed this episode of the popular Ghanaian inspired Coconut rice with the spicy tomato sauce and fried fish. I particularly enjoyed preparing this dish and serving 'Uncle Ato' his portion. 

Coconut rice in Ghana is mostly paired with an omelette and it's the quick, fix dish when one is tired. Enjoy this old school recipe. 

Serves 6

Ingredients; 

Rice:

2 cups of Jasmine rice / Long grain rice/ Basmati rice/Brown rice 

1 cup of water / Vegetable stock/ 

Alternatively use 1 cup of Coconut milk and half a cup of coconut juice. 

1 finely diced shallots

4 tablespoons of Coconut oil

Salt to taste

Half a teaspoon of blended green chilli and onions. 

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

Fish

6  medium sized Sea Breams/ Red Snapper or your preferred fish (Gutted, cleaned and divided in two, by your fish monger )

100g of flour

1 teaspoon of freshly milled black pepper

Salt to taste

1 sprig of Rosemary 

700ml Sunflower oil

Tomato sauce

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. 

3 large Red Onions

2 large white onions. 

150ml of Groundnut oil

1 Shrimp stock cube

Salt and pepper to taste.

Watch the video on how to make the perfect tomato sauce. 

Method;

Sauce:

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, add the shrimp stock and cook for 25 minutes. 

Add the chunks of cut onions and cook for a further 2 minutes. Take your sauce off the heat and use when needed.  

Rice;

Wash the rice till the water runs clear and soak for about 5 minutes

Whilst the rice is soaking, melt the coconut oil in a saucepan, on a medium heat

Add the shallots and cumin seeds. Fry for 2 minutes till the onions starts to brown (Careful not to burn them)

Drain the water, off the soaked rice 

Add the rice to the oil and fry for 3 minutes. 

Tip: 

To intensify the coconut flavour of the rice, why not try using coconut milk instead of water or stock? 

Add your preferred stock/ water / Coconut milk & juice. 

Stir and increase the heat. 

Once the rice starts to boil, decrease the heat to a low setting. 

Cover with a scrunched baking paper and the lid. 

Cook the rice for 20-28 minutes or until fluffy

Fish

Tip:

Wipe the fish with a kitchen towel to get rid of any excess water. (Crispy skin secret)

Salt the fish and bring to room temperature.

Add the oil to a frying pan or wok

Place the oil on a medium heat for 3-4 minutes. 

Add the sprig of Rosemary and fry till crispy. Set aside for later. 

In a bowl add the flour, black pepper,  your preferred optional herb or spice (Rosemary, thyme, Sage) and mix well. 

Toss the fish in the flour, dust off any excess flour and gently lower the fish into the oil (All necessary precautions should be taken, when dealing with hot oil). Repeat this process until all the fish is fried. 

Tip;

Don't overload the wok or frying pan with the fish, as this will decrease the temperature of the oil, guaranteeing you a 'soggy fried fish'. 

Fry the fish for 3 minutes on each side and place on a blotting sheet  (to get rid of any excess oil)

Ato Brown (Director, ABNTV)

To serve: 

Best served with a crunchy mixed green salad and a chilled beer. 

All photos and recipe are by the owner of this blog. 

RED RED RECIPE

'Red red', a slang for black eyed beans cooked in a Palm oil stew in Ghana, is a popular dish. The distinct red colour of the Palm oil is what lends it's name to the description of this dish. 

It's very important to source the best spiced Palm oil , known as 'Zomi'. The taste for quality is by finding the distinct natural, aromatic and creamy oil taste, that it should have. 

Ingredients;

Serves 4

450g of Black eyed beans (soaked overnight in 1.5 litres of cold water)

1.2 litres of water

2 large, thinly sliced banana shallots / white onions

2 tablespoons of spiced Palm oil (Zomi)

4 large blended tomatoes

30g of blended ginger 

1 finely diced Habanero chili or 2 green chilies (optional)

Shrimp stock (Optional)

Salt and pepper to taste.

METHOD:

Tip: Soaking the beans overnight, helps cut your cooking time in half. For a quicker option soak the beans in warm water for 35-45 minutes. 

Black eyed beans

Drain the water from the soaked beans and wash the beans by running it under the tap

Pour the water into a saucepan and place on a medium heat.

Add the beans and cook for about 37 -45 minutes. (I prefer my beans with a slight bite hence I cook it for 30 minutes).

Set the cooked beans aside and place a saucepan on a medium heat.

Stew;

Add the Palm oil (Zomi) to a saucepan and warm it up.

Add the onions and fry gently for 2 minutes.

Add the chopped chilies and grated ginger. Fry for 5 minutes and add the blended tomatoes.

Cook the tomatoes gently for 5-7 minutes and add the stock cube (optional)

Cook for a further 5-8 minutes (until the oil separates from the tomatoes).

Add the beans and it's juices and mix well. 

Cook the beans, gently for another 10-15 minutes or until the sauce thickens and has a double cream consistency.

Add salt to taste and serve with crunchy or plain fried Plantain 

Crunchy Plantain

Ripened Plantain 

 Ingredients;

3 ripened, peeled and sliced Plantains into a bowl

125g of blended cornflakes in a bowl

2 whisked eggs in a bowl

Salt

600ml Groundnut oil or Sunflower oil

Crunchy Plantain

 Method;

Add the oil to a frying pan and place on a medium heat, till it’s hot but not smoking.

Add a pinch of salt to the Plantain and mix well.

Dip the Plantain to the egg mixture, roll into the corn flakes and then fry for a minute and a half on each side or until golden.

Cover your colander with a couple of sheets of kitchen paper. 

Using a slotted ladle, remove the perfectly cooked plantain and place it in the colander. 

Continue the above process until you’ve fried all the Plantain.

Perfect to have it on it’s own or with beans stew.

Cassava / Yuca

Best served with Gari 

Gari

(A West African staple made out of grated cassava and dried, with a resemblance and uses to couscous)

Find more inspiring recipes on my YouTube channel, 'Ndudu by Fafa', like this 'party Jollof rice' recipe.  

All photos and recipes are by owner of the blog. Seek permission before use and always reference it to my page.

FRESH FUFU (without pounding)

Over a year ago, I was gifted Cassava and Plantain by my sweet Aunt. My excitement of receiving these African ingredients was short lived, as all I wanted was Fufu.

Fufu and Lamb light soup

You might wonder , why it was a problem and not proceed to boil the Plantain and Cassava, pound them separately and then together to achieve the traditional soft Fufu from Ghana (a traditional Ashanti dish). 

Cassava and Plantain

My dilemma, was I had no pestle or mortar as I reside in the UK, hence the possibility of borrowing the utensils from a neighbour wasn't an option. 

I craved the taste of freshly pounded Fufu and the powdered Fufu mix I had, didn't fit into my crave of 'Fresh Fufu'. 

My inspiration came from the powdered Fufu and Kokonte ( Cassava flour steamed into a dumpling ). 

Cassava

My understanding and interpretation of my inspiration was rather simple.  If the  Cassava, Cocoyam and Plantain could be processed naturally into flour and mimic the texture of Fufu, it might work if steamed and cooked, like one would Banku.

Un-ripened Plantain and Cassava
I love experimenting with ingredients and I was excited about this prospect.

This recipe was featured on my cookery show 'Ndudu by Fafa' on ABNTV, Sky 235 or Freeview 252. 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

300g of  peeled un-ripened Plantain cut into cubes.

460g of peeled  Cassava, scraped, de-stringed and cut into cubes. 

500ml of water for a soft Fufu or 400ml for a firmer Fufu.

Method 

Tip:

It's important, you use a very good blender. I used Vitamix (which blends everything into a silky smooth paste). 

Transfer the Cassava and Plantain into your blender and add 450ml of water. 

Blend into a silky smooth paste. 

Blended Fufu mix

Transfer the contents into a saucepan and place on a medium heat. 

Tip:

It's very important you stir the mixture consistently, to avoid any lumps. 

Using a wooden spatula, keep stirring till you have a smooth, thick steamed paste. This should take about 8-10min. 

Warning!

Please don't be tempted to leave it alone when you're in the process of thickening the batter. This is to avoid having lumps in your 'Fufu'. 

Add the remaining 50ml of water to the Fufu, cover the saucepan with it's lid, reduce the heat to a lower setting and steam for 8-10min

Information: 

Steaming the Fufu, cooks the mixture further and eliminates the raw taste.

Increase the heat to a medium fire and stir the mixture till well combined. 

Tip:

Please don't be alarmed, if your Fufu looks too soft at this stage,  it gets firmer once it's cooled down. 

Pour the Fufu into a bowl, smear the surface with a teaspoon  of water ( to prevent any film forming on the surface and leave to cool down completely. 

Once cooled, shape into your preferred ball and serve with your favourite soup. 

This recipe works with Cocoyam and Yam. Enjoy fresh Fufu without the hassle of pounding. 

'Ndudu by Fafa', always pushing the boundaries with African cuisines. 

Watch the video on my YouTube page 

Try the recipe, #NopoundingFufu on Instagram to be featured, share the recipe, don't forget to leave a comment and subscribe.

All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog.