THE GHANAIAN ICE KENKEY RECIPE

'Ice Kenkey', is a popular gluten free and pro biotic smoothie or milk shake made with fermented, steamed Corn dumpling known as Kenkey in Ghana.

 

The process of making Kenkey includes fermenting the corn, milling it into a smooth paste, mixing it with water and cooked till you form a pliable dough. The cooked dough is then mixed with an uncooked dough , shaped into ball and wrapped into a corn husk. The ball is then steamed or boiled into what's known as Kenkey. Kenkey originates from the Ga tribe in Ghana, who are from the capital Accra.

 

Kenkey is a serious affair in Ghana, as it's enjoyed anytime of the day including breakfast,  with either a spicy Tomato salsa (Raw Pepper), Black chilli sauce (Shito) with proteins such as fried Fish, tinned Sardines, Omelette's, Avocado or and Prawns.

The left over Kenkey, which could be a day or two old (even a week long for best results), is then used for the Kenkey smoothie or milk shake. 

Traditionally, the water residue from which the Kenkey is boiled in, is reserved as the liquid for the mash Kenkey or 'Mash Kay'  (popularly named by all boarding school students). 

The Kenkey is then mashed (using clean hands) till you have a smooth consistency or blended into a smooth consistency using a blender. You can use water, milk or flavoured milk as the liquid for your Iced Kenkey. 

 

The Kenkey is then sweetened with Sugar ,  and enjoyed cold as 'Iced Kenkey'. 

Iced Kenkey has come a long way from a simple blend of fermented Kenkey , Water and Sugar to a modern interpretation of adding spices, fruits, using of milk and flavours. 

I made my own Kenkey a week ago (recipe coming soon) and fermented the leftover  Kenkey for a week in a dark warm place for this recipe. I included Yoghurt in this recipe and used lactose free milk but you can use any milk you prefer. I once used Tiger nut milk which was equally delicious. 

 

You can flavour the Ice Kenkey with either Vanilla paste or a pinch of Cardamom or omit them altogether. The inclusion of Cardamom helps with your digestive system , acts as an antioxidant and a diuretic for your kidneys . It's closely related to the benefits of Ginger and Turmeric. Cardamom is available in most supermarkets or Asian grocers ,whilst Kenkey is readily available in most African grocers across the U.K.

My personal and favourite place to get Kenkey here in the U.K. is from Rashbelle Ventures. I send an email and they deliver to my doorstep with a minimum spend. 

rashbelleventures@gmail.com

Let's start blending...

 

Ingredients 

1 ball of Kenkey

 280ml of chilled Water or 250ml of Milk and 2 tablespoonful of natural Yoghurt 

Quarter of a teaspoon of Cardamom powder (optional)

Half a teaspoon of Vanilla paste ((Optional)

1 tablespoonful of Sugar

30g of roasted Peanuts or Groundnuts

 

Method 

Take the Kenkey out of it's husks and place in a blender.

Add the Milk or Water and Sugar.

Blend into a smooth consistency and transfer into a bottle and refrigerate until chilled.

Serve with roasted Peanuts and enjoy!

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