THE TASTIEST GHANAIAN SALAD RECIPE

A scoop of my freshly cooked Jollof rice, with a ladle of the Ghanaian Salad and grilled Chicken , was exactly what I wanted to taste. It’s the holy grail of flavours and textures, when it comes to must try Ghanaian recipes.

A typical Ghanaian Salad is creamy and has a few basic ingredients that can’t be missed out like, Carrots, Cucumber, Tomatoes, Pasta, Potatoes, Baker Beans, boiled Eggs, Mayonnaise and Salad cream. The inclusion of Vegetables allows one to be creative and add anything of their choosing from garden Peas, Sweetcorn, Celery, Peppers etc.

During my childhood I remember Mum using the Heinz tinned  vegetable Salad, which gave the Salad a distinctive taste. The inclusion of tinned Sardines, Tuma or Crabs gives this dish the added Protein it requires. 

The Ghanaian Salad is a decadent affair which is packed with calories and must be enjoyed occasionally.

 For a healthier version, use Guacamole and Olive oil  as your Salad dressing.

Watch how to make the tastiest Guacamole below;

This recipe gives you a step by step guide on how to build the flavours at each stage and a my usual twist. 

When I uploaded the picture of the Salad on my Instagram page ‘Ndudu by Fafa’, a lady stated ‘As for this dieer , I guess no infusions ‘. Little did she know I had my ‘twist’ and infusions imbedded already in this recipe.

You need to watch the video below to find out about my secret ‘infusion’.

To make this Salad, you’ll need the following;

50g of diced and cooked Potatoes 

50g of boiled Pasta

50g of steamed Green peas

3 diced medium sized steamed Carrots

2 diced Green peppers 

1 peeled, cored and diced Cucumber 

1 large finely chopped Onion

30g of chopped Spring Onions

2 hard boiled sliced Eggs (Use an Egg slicer)

2 Tins of Sardines 

1 medium tin sized Baked Beans

30g of Santini Tomatoes or any Tomato of your choice.

3 strips of Anchovies or 6 soaked Keta School Boys

3 tablespoonfuls of White Wine Vinegar 

Half a teaspoon of freshly milled Black peppercorns

30g of Mayonnaise 

30g of Salad Cream

Half a teaspoon of Salt

Method 

Taste your Salad before adding Salt, as the inclusion of Vinegar and Anchovies do provide a salty flavour.

Watch how I made this Ghana Salad in my YouTube channel, ‘Ndudu by Fafa’ below;

Don’t forget to subscribe, like the video, try the recipe and share.

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

WEST AFRICAN SPICED OXTAIL CASSEROLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS 

6 Grains of Selim ( Take the seeds out and discard)

 Roast the shells of the Grains of Selim

4 African Calabash Nutmeg 

1 tablespoonful of Grains of Paradise 

30g of Tomato paste 

2 large sliced Onions

400g of Oxtail

1 tablespoonful of Groundnut oil

1.5 litres of Chicken stock

2 tablespoonfuls of Dark Soy sauce

METHOD 

Add 300ml of Coconut milk for a creamy sauce. 

You can also add fresh Tomatoes and any vegetables of your choice. 

Best to take the seeds out of the Hwentia (Grains of Selim), as they have a bitter taste. 

Watch how to make this Oxtail Casserole with West African spices below on my YouTube channel, ‘Ndudu  by Fafa’. 

Don’t forget to subscribe, like the video, share the video and leave a comment with your feedback.

Best to serve this with the Ghanaian rice and beans, ‘Waakye’. Watch how to make Rice and Beans below;

SHITO RECIPE 

GARI FORTOR

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

THE GHANAIAN GREEN CHILLI SAUCE (PETTIE BELLE, KPAKPO SHITO)

'Shito' in the Ga language from the capital Accra, Ghana, West Africa means 'Chillies'. There are variations of the Chilli sauces in Ghana, ranging from the fresh type (which is more of a spicy, ground Salsa in an earthen clay bowl ) to the cooked variation which is the black Chilli sauce and Kpakpo Shito (The Green Chilli sauce). The sauces are usually enjoyed with Kenkey, Grills, Banku , Yam etc.

This recipe is for the famous Green Chilli sauce, known as 'Kpakpo shito'. It's known as 'Kpakpo shito' due to the type of Chillies used in preparing the sauce. Kpakpo shito are Pettie Belle Chillies, which have a unique spicy and fragrant taste. You can use other Green Chillies for this recipe particularly Jalapenos, however it's best to get the Pettie Belle Chillies for this recipe. 

I've included Green peppers in this recipe to help reduce the spiciness of the sauce, however this can be omitted completely or replaced with Green Tomatoes. 

The sauce has been microwaved for 20 minutes, to allow the sauce to maintain it's fresh Green colour. 

Most people will include Stock cube to the sauce, however I've omitted that. You can use powdered Shrimp instead. This recipe is an inspiring one, hence you have the flexibility of been creative. 

Ingredients

50g of  Pettie Belle Chillies

1 large Onion

1 clove of Garlic

10g of fresh Ginger

30g of Green Peppers

Half a teaspoon of Salt

20g of Coconut oil

Method

Watch how to make this sauce below on my YouTube channel, 'Ndudu by Fafa'. 

Don't forget to subscribe, like the video, try the recipe, comment and share. 

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

STEAMED ROASTED CORN AND TOMATO SAUCE DUMPLING RECIPE

Dzenklpe or Dzemkoume is a gluten free dish made from roasted Corn flour and a perfectly spiced Tomato stew. It’s enjoyed by the Ewe’s of Ghana and Togolese. Ghana has a similar recipe called Aprapransa. This recipe is versatile in the sense that you can include dried Herrings, Crabs, Prawns or any Seafood of your choosing. 

The best flavour to include into this recipe is that of the brown Crab Meat to the sauce, then garnish with your white Crab meat and enjoy. In the spirit of improvising, I used what I had available.

I used my smoky Salsa sauce as the base for this recipe and cooked Prawns.  

The video for the Smoky Salsa sauce is available on my YouTube channel, ‘Ndudu by Fafa’.

 Let’s start cooking;

INGREDIENTS 

350g of my Smoky Salsa sauce (Reserve 100g for serving)

20g of Shrimp powder 

300g of roasted Corn flour

300g of cooked Prawns or Dried Herrings

1 large peeled and sliced Avocado 

1 levelled teaspoon of salt to taste

METHOD 

If you’re using dried Herrings, add it to the sauce and cook for 7 minutes on a low heat. Once you add the roasted Corn batter, it will soften the fish.

In the absence of roasted Corn flour, you can use the normal Ghanaian Corn flour used for Akple. 

However, placing the Corn flour on a baking tray and in a preheated Oven, at 180*c, for 10 minutes, will roast your Corn flour perfectly.

Alternatively, if you’re using precooked Prawns, toss it into the remaining sauce, warm it through and serve.

Watch how to make your own Dzenkoume or Dzenklpe below;

Don’t forget to subscribe, like the video, try the recipe, leave comments with your feedback and share with family and friends.

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

KELEWELE MUFFIN RECIPE

Kelewele is a sweet and spicy Ghanaian snack made from ripened Plantain and spices. A must try vegetarian and gluten free recipe. 

I first made these Kelewele muffins for my Mum about  5 years ago and I’ve since enjoyed making them.

Let’s start cooking;

INGREDIENTS 

2 over ripened Plantain

1 medium sized Onion

6 Green chillies (quantity is subject to your preference)

1 teaspoonful of Aniseed 

1 levelled teaspoon of All spice ( Pimenton)

7 pieces of cloves

2 tablespoonfuls of roasted Corn flour or Self raising flour

1 Egg

2 tablespoonfuls of Coconut oil

Salt to taste

Oil to grease your muffin tin 

METHOD 

Watch how to make this delicious spicy and sweet Muffin on my YouTube channel, ‘Ndudu by Fafa’. 

Don’t forget to subscribe, try the recipe, like the video and share with your family and friends.

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

AROMATIC GARLIC PRAWNS RECIPE

A bite into this succulent and aromatic Garlic fried Prawns, will leave you wanting more. It’s an easy to follow recipe that includes how you can devein and de shelling your Prawns.

The benefit of de shelling your Prawns means you can make a beautiful stock out of it for another dish. I’ll upload the stock recipe soon.

In the meantime enjoy this beautiful recipe with either Bread, Rice or Spaghetti.

Ingredients 

1 kg of fresh Prawns or Shrimps from your Fishmonger 

6 cloves of Garlic 

2 stalks of Lemongrass 

3 Green or Red chillies

20g of chopped Spring Onions or Onion flowers 

20g of chopped Coriander or Parsley 

2 tablespoonfuls of Olive oil or any oil of your choosing.

20ml of Prawn stock

Juice of half a Lemon or 1 Lime

Salt to taste

Method 

Watch how to prepare this succulent dish below;

Don’t forget to subscribe, like the video, try the recipe and leave comments with your feedback.A great help if you can also share with your family and friends.

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

KILOMBERO JOLLOF RICE (AN AROMATIC RICE FROM MALAWI)

A few pleasantries with my butcher,  as he handed over my purchases, did I notice this African inspired packaging. I told my butcher to hold his thoughts as I quickly picked a pack of the Malawian rice and queried him about it. This was my first time of hearing about this rice. My butcher assured me of its aromatic flavour as I quickly paid for the rice.

It did cost me £4.00 for 1kg.  I knew this was expensive as I could get 10kg of Basmati rice for about £13.

My drive home had me thinking, why that price tag? I guessed it had to do with the cost of importing it here.

Upon open the bag, I noticed the aromatic smell and I fell in love there and then. The price tag didn’t matter, it’s much better than Thai Fragrant rice. I decided to make the simple Ghanaian rice porridge. The aroma that filled my Kitchen was a fusion between caramel and baking fresh bread. 

I’ve found my perfect short grain rice👌🏾

Naturally, I searched for the product online and purchased a few at a cheaper price.

I decided to use the Kilombero rice for this Ghana Jollof as I wanted my Jollof to be aromatic.

I’ve used the short grain type of this rice for the recipe, which has a higher starch content. The starch content gives you a soft pliable rice when cooked. 

Let’s start cooking 

INGREDIENTS 

350g of Kilombero rice

500ml of Vegetable stock or Water

1 tablespoon of a Ginger, Onion and Carom seed blend

280g of Tomato stew (Recipe on my YouTube channel)

1 teaspoonful of Salt to taste

METHOD 

Watch how to prepare this aromatic Ghana Jollof rice with Malawian rice below;

Don’t forget to subscribe, like the video, try the recipe, leave comments with your feedback and share with family and friends. 

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

EWA AGOYIN RECIPE (BLACK EYED BEANS WITH BLACK CHILLI SAUCE)

This dish is inspired by the famous 'Ewa Agoyin'. The dish originates from the 'Agoyin' people of Cotonou, Benin. It's also a popular dish amongst the Togolese and the Ewes of Ghana. 

As Benin borders Nigeria, Nigerians have subsequently adopted the dish as its a firm favourite. 

Traditionally the sauce is made with bleached Palm oil, however I've replaced it with Coconut oil for that 'Ndudu twist'.

 The black Chilli sauce is inspired by the Ghanaian 'Shito', hence this recipe is filled with inspiration. You can also add shrimp stock, however I omitted it from this recipe and increased the amount of shrimp powder I used. You can also use cray fish powder as a substitute for the shrimp powder. Try this recipe and thank me later 😜

 

Ingredients 

Beans

200g of black eyed beans soaked overnight 

1.5 litres of water

3 ripened peeled Plantains

300ml of Sunflower oil

Salt to taste

 

Black Chilli sauce 

150ml of melted cold pressed Organic Coconut oil

300g of shallots or Onions

30g of Ginger powder 

20g of fresh Ginger

2 cloves of Garlic 

1 tablespoonful of Aniseed

150g of Chilli flakes

250g of Shrimp powder 

1 shrimp stock(optional)

Salt to taste 

Watch how to prepare the best tasting Shito below;

Method 

Start by rinsing your soaked beans with cold water and place it in a saucepan.

Fill the saucepan with 1.5 litres of water and place on a medium heat for an hour (until the water runs almost dry). Soaking your beans cuts the cooking time in half. The beans are ready when they're soft to touch and the water runs almost dry. 

Using a masher, roughly mash the beans to a textured mixture and set aside. 

Watch how to boil your beans on my YouTube channel,'Ndudu by Fafa' and don't forget to subscribe and share. 

Time Management 

Whilst cooking the beans, place a saucepan on a medium heat and add the Coconut oil for about a minute.

Blend the Ginger, Aniseed , Garlic and Onions into a smooth paste and add to the melted Coconut oil. Cook this gently for 5-6 minutes,continuously stirring the mixture (to prevent the bottom from catching).

Fry gently till the oil separates from the Ginger mix and you have a thick marmalade texture. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and stir till well combined. 

(Please note I use less salt, but you can increase the quantity to your preference).

Add the Chilli flakes and powdered Ginger and fry gently for  5 minutes. 

(This will allow the flavours to infuse) .

Add the powdered shrimp and mix till well combined. 

At this stage you can add the optional Shrimp cube (I omitted it from this recipe).

Fry the mixture constantly till it's dark in colour and if it requires any extra oil, just add a tablespoonful of Coconut oil. This darkening process shouldn't take no more than 12-15 minutes. Once you achieve the dark colour, take the sauce off the heat to cool down and fry your Plantain 

You can reserve any leftover black Chilli sauce in an airtight glass container.

PLANTAIN 

Peel the skin off the Plantain and cut into your preferred shape. 

Place the diced Plantain in a bowl and add salt to taste.

Place a frying pan on a medium heat and add the sunflower oil or your preferred oil. Heat the oil for 3 minutes.

Gently add the Plantain and fry for 2 minutes on each side. 

Watch how to fry ripened plantain on my YouTube channel, 'Ndudu by Fafa' and don't forget to subscribe and share. 

To serve

Scoop a portion of your mashed cooked beans into a plate , top it up with your black Chilli sauce and fried Plantain. For a fancy dressing use any available bowl to shape your beans.

 Best to enjoy with chilled Pint of Beer or Cider and for non alcoholic drinkers enjoy with a glass of Cranberry or Pineapple juice.
Watch how to make this recipe on my YouTube channel below;

Find more inspiring recipes on my YouTube channel, 'Ndudu by Fafa' and don't forget to subscribe and share.

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

SPINACH & SEAFOOD SOUP RECIPE (ABUNUBUNU)

‘Abunubunu’ is a popular Ghanaian soup made from Cocoyam leaves, Seafood, Snails or Mushrooms. The soup is usually served with Fufu (pounded Cassava and Plantain).

This is a healthy dish packed with nutrients and it’s easy to emulate. I’ve used the remaining of my Fish mix, Salmon Fillets, Prawns and Octopus for this dish, which gives this recipe a refreshing and smoky taste. 

I hope you’re inspired to try the recipe and leave comments with your feedback.

Ingredients 

300g of blanched Spinach

300g of Fish mix

150g of Octopus 

2 Salmon Fillets

1 tablespoonful of Shrimp powder 

Half a teaspoon of DawaDawa

1 sliced large Onion

6 Green Chillies

1 litre of Fish stock

Salt to taste 

Method 

Watch how to prepare this delicious Spinach soup below;

Don’t forget to subscribe, share and try the recipe.

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

TASTIEST FISH CAKE RECIPE

Fish cakes are always a firm favourite in my household and a great way to use up leftovers. This recipe is particularly great during this time of the year , especially when you're watching the pennies. Be creative and try using smoked Mackerel,Ginger instead of Horseradish or Crab meat. Packed with flavour, you might be addicted to this easy to follow recipe. You've been warned!

Ingredients:

400g of Potato or Yam mash

20g of chopped Parsley or Coriander

1 diced medium Onion

1 teaspoonful of Horseradish or grated Ginger

1 tablespoonful of Organic and cold pressed Coconut oil

Salt to taste

Method:

Watch how to make this below;

Don't forget to subscribe, try the recipe, leave a comment with your feedback and share with family and friends. 

All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of the blog.

ZAATAR BREAD SWIRL RECIPE

Zaatar spice mix, is one of my favourite Middle Eastern flavour, due to the herby and tangy nature of the spice mix. I've used the spice mix in grilling Chicken, which was a great hit with everyone that tried it. Over the years I’ve used ZA’ATAR for various recipes including grilled Chicken with Honey. ZA’ATAR spices are readily available online. The recipe has been filmed including a step by step guide on my YouTube channel, ‘Ndudu by Fafa’. Do check it out, like the video, try the recipe, leave a comment with your feedback, subscribe and share ❤️

Ingredients

310g of Bread Flour

3 tablespoonfuls of Zaatar spice mix

1 tablespoon of dry Yeast

1 teaspoon of Salt

1 teaspoon of Sugar

150g of Natural Yoghurt

15ml of Extra Virgin Olive oil

65ml of Lukewarm water

Method

Watch how to prepare this amazing Bread swirls on my YouTube channel, ‘Ndudu by Fafa’ below;

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

BABA GHANOUSH (SMOKY AUBERGINE DIP) RECIPE

Baba Ghanoush, is a smoky dip made from Aubergine that's char grilled and enjoyed in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Baba Ghanoush, (a Levantine dish) is one of my favourite dips. Smear some of this dip into your bread when making a sandwich, instead of using butter. You'll thank me later.

This is the perfect recipe, which has the right balance of nuttiness and smokiness. The inclusion of Lemon juice, gives the dip a refreshing taste.

This dip is similar to the Ghanaian Abom using Garden Eggs.

Ingredients

3 cloves of Garlic

2 Tablespoonful of Tahini paste or 50g of toasted Sesame seeds

1 teaspoon of natural Yoghurt

Juice of half a Lemon or Lime

A pinch of Cayenne Pepper

10g of chopped fresh Mint or Coriander

Half a teaspoon of Salt

Method

Watch how to make this delicious vegetarian dip below; 

Don't forget to subscribe, try the recipe, share with your family and friends and leave a comment with your feedback