Black eyed bean fritters is a popular West African snack, which is also enjoyed by Brazilians and Cubans. The dish was introduced to West Africa by the Hausa's , who predominantly live in Nigeria and some parts of West Africa, such as Ghana, Sierra Leone, Cameroon etc
In Ghana it's referred to as Koosé and in other West African states such as Nigeria it's called Akara. Brazilians refer to it as Acarajé. and Cubans refer to it as Bollitos de Carita
It's safe to say this is a popular snack that cuts through various borders and cultures; as you'll also find it in countries such as Benin, Togo, Gambia and Mali.
It's made from soaked, peeled, blended Black eyed beans, mixed with spices and blended to form a batter. The batter is then fried into beautiful golden fritters and served with either sauce or enjoyed with porridge like (Hausa Koko from Ghana), Pap from Nigeria or filled with a spicy sauce with seafood in Brazil
This recipe provides one with a perfect outer crunch and moist flesh. Ensure you beat the batter till it feels aerated, this shouldn't take more than 3-4minutes. Be creative and add your preferred vegetables.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
200g of Black eyed beans
1 large Habanero Chilli
1 medium sized Onion
20g of spring Onions (optional)
60ml of water
600ml of Vegetable oil
1 teaspoon of salt
Method;
Watch how to prepare the perfect Koose or Akara below. Don't forget to subscribe, like the video and share.
Cocoyam is a root vegetable which is readily available in Ghana and it's rich in Vitamin B6 and magnesium. The Cocoyam leaves(African Spinach) are traditionally known as Kontomire in Ghana. They're rich in Vitamins A & C and contain more protein than the corm.
The leaves are used for , sauces, stews (Palavar sauce, Kontomire stew etc) and soups in Ghana. Cocoyams are used the same way one would potatoes and has a slight earthy taste.
It's popular in most Asian cuisines and readily available in both African and Asian grocers.
Dishes made from Cocoyam includes Fufu, Chips, Pottage to mention but a few.
During my childhood, Cocoyam wasn't as popular as Yam, hence I'm creating new ways of incorporating Cocoyam in everyday dishes.
I was rather surprised about a trip to Thailand (stayed in the Sarojin hotel, Khao Lak) where we were given complimentary snacks of Cocoyam crisp. My husband couldn't understand my excitement and I had to explain the limited ways it was used in Ghana.
I pinched myself to think an ingredient that wasn't popularly used had many uses and nutritional contents. My personal mission is to create as many recipes from Cocoyam.
Anyway, I found the Cocoyam in my local Asian grocers and I couldn't help but grab a few. Enjoy this simple vegetarian dish inspired by my Ghanaian roots.
Ingredients
300g of peeled Cocoyam cut into sizable chunks
1 litre of Vegetable oil
Half a teaspoon of salt
300g of wilted Spinach
4 Green chillies
1 large Onion
2 cloves of Garlic
1 stalk of grains of selim
Method
Watch how I made the Cocoyam chips and Spinach sauce below. Don't forget to subscribe and share.
'Tea bread' in Ghana, is similar to the taste of a classic white loaf. Traditionally, Tea breads, are oblong shaped like mini baguettes,have a floured surface, pale in colour, soft and fluffy in texture.
Most Ghanaians will only purchase fresh and soft bread (no day old or stale bread is appreciated). One will test the freshness and softness of the bread by touching (much to the annoyance of the hawker).
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN TEA BREAD You're guaranteed freshly baked bread early in the morning, hence waking up at dawn, to grab the attention of a hawker passing by is a must (unless you have a bakery close by or a shop that stocks fresh bread).
Bread is relatively cheap to buy in Ghana, hence baking bread at home is not promoted. The varieties of bread in Ghana were limited to Baguettes, Brown bread, Tea bread, Butter bread, Sugar bread, Sweet buns , flat breads, flats breads with Zaatar (Inspired by the Lebanese residents in Ghana), during my childhood and teenage years.
However in recent times, the eating habits of Ghanaians are moving towards a healthier spectrum , hence there's an influx of healthy, whole meal , multi seeded breads etc (which are available in specialist bakeries) sprouting across the country.
When I first arrived in the UK, I purchased a loaf of bread from a supermarket and I didn't like the taste. It didn't taste natural and fresh to me (flavours I was accustomed to), hence I stopped buying bread, till I discovered my local bakery.
Even though my local bakery serves me well, I can't help but miss my Ghanaian fresh bread and bake my own.
This week I'm paying homage to the typical Ghanaian (myself) who will only eat freshly baked bread, with either an omelette, Avocados, butter or jam.
Tip
If you're using Yoghurt, reduce the amount of water by 50ml.
Relive that nostalgic feeling by baking your own Tea bread. An unsweetened light and fluffy bread.
Ingredients
330g of strong bread flour
175ml of lukewarm water
1 levelled teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of Yoghurt (optional)
10g of dry action yeast
1 tablespoonful of butter
1 teaspoonful of sugar
20g of flour for dusting
Method
Add the salt , then flour, sugar, butter and yeast to a mixing bowl.
Using the dough hook of your mixer, add the lukewarm water and start from a medium setting (to avoid flour spilling everywhere) . Once the mixture is combined into a dough, increase the speed and whisk for 7-10 minutes or until you have a shiny soft dough (as shown below).
In the mixing bowl, add some flour and roll the dough into a round shape above.
Cover the dough with a kitchen napkin, soaked in warm water and leave the dough in a warm area.
The dough should rise (double in size), within an hour.
Some recipes shape the bread at this stage, leave it to rise and then bake.
However, I prefer to proof the dough , before baking.
Flour a clean surface and place the dough in the middle.
Knock the wind out of the dough and roll into a round shape.
Using a knife, divide the dough in two, shape it into an oblong shape (look of a mini baguette).
Line a baking tray with a baking sheet. Sprinkle the baking sheet with flour or coarse corn flour.
Transfer the oblong shaped dough to the baking tray.
Cover with a warm wet napkin or oiled cling film.
Place the dough in a warm place for about an hour for proofing.
The dough will double up in size at this stage and might fuse into each other. (To avoid the dough touching , use a bigger baking tray).
Personally, I like it touching, as I enjoy tearing the warm bread apart.
Preheat your oven to 160*c
Place the bread in the middle of the oven.
In another baking tray, add half a cup of water and place in the bottom of the oven.
Bake the bread for 20-25 minutes. The water will provide steam in the oven, which helps the dough to cook within, delay the browning process and give the bread a light crust .
Keep an eye on the bread to ensure you get the pale beige colour.
Tap the bread and if you hear a hollow sound, it's cooked.
Remove the bread from the oven, cover with a clean napkin and leave it to rest for about 5 minutes.
The Ghanaian Chicken light soup is a firm favourite mostly at weekends. People tend to enjoy it with Fufu which is labour intensive in its preparation, hence the choice of enjoying it at weekends, where one has more time.
I've taken the hassle away from making fresh Fufu, with a pounded texture but no pounding required.
Watch the video below on how I did that and don't forget to subscribe and share.
I've tried to use various Organic Chickens for my soup to achieve the 'Efi3 Akuko' taste, that most authentic Ghanaian Chicken soup have. The closest to achieving that taste is by using the Duchy Organic Chicken from Waitrose. Please note you can use any Chicken you can afford.
Treat yourself to a bowl of fresh Fufu with light soup this weekend and hashtag #Ndudu to be featured.
Don't forget to subscribe, like the video, try the recipe and leave a comment
Ingredients
1.2kg of Organic Chicken
30g of Ginger
1 Habanero Chilli
1 teaspoon of Aniseed
1 large Onion
1.5 litres of Chicken stock or 2 stock cubes with 1.5 litres of water
