‘The Banana has to be green and hard’ as I listened to the instructions from Tina. With raised brows I emphasised Tina’s statement, as we both burst into laughter. I was rather intrigued by Tina’s suggestion of Green Bananas, after following my ‘Fresh Fufu in a pot’ recipe.
You can watch my informal conversation with Tina below on my YouTube channel, ‘Ndudu by Fafa’;
INGREDIENTS
5 Green Bananas
150ml of water
Salt to taste
METHOD
Inspired by my fresh Fufu in a pot recipe, where you can enjoy the traditional Ghanaian Fufu recipe without the hassle of pounding is this Green Banana Fufu.
Watch how to prepare this creative Green Banana Fufu recipe on my YouTube channel, ‘Ndudu by Fafa’ below;
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All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.
Chinchinga (Goat meat Khebab) is one of the popular street food in Ghana, especially at the beach or evenings in most street corners. Chinchinga is made with either Beef or Goat meat marinated in the famous Suya spice and char-grilled. MAKE YOUR OWN SUYA SPICE MIX
Enjoy making your own Suya spice and proceed to make this famous and flavour packed Ghanaian Khebab. Chinchinga is best enjoyed with a chilled glass of Beer or a bowl of Salad. Be creative and try the Chinchinga with this refreshing Cucumber salad below;
Ingredients:
Suya spice mix
350g of Sirloin steak
1 large Onion
1 large Green pepper
10 ml of Vegetable oil
Method: Watch how to prepare this authentic Ghanaian Khebab and thank me later.
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'Efie Akuko 'which translates to home reared organic Chicken in the Akan language from Ghana, was a norm in most households during my childhood. Chickens were home reared, corn fed, roamed freely which offered most households freshly laid organic eggs and meat. As part of the cooking lessons (one was given under the tutelage of their mothers), included the dreaded killing and dressing of a Chicken. You might be spared 'killing' the Chicken, but not the plucking off the feathers, dissecting and dressing of the Chicken. Mum under her strict direction taught me how to remove the bile from the Chicken without breaking it. She echoed 'the Chicken will taste sour if the bile bursts'. With careful hands and a knife I removed the bile and portioned the Chicken into chunks. I doubt if this skill and knowledge of dressing a Chicken still happens in Ghana, (as most people either buy frozen or already dressed Chicken). On a recent trip to Ghana, I came across a gentleman selling live Chickens who also 'prepared' it for you. I was excited about my purchase as I was spared the awful process of killing and preparing the Chicken.
There are two types reared Chicken, namely the layers and broilers. The 'layers' in its befitting description lay eggs and when they don't (referred to as 'spent hens')are used for their meat. Broilers are reared mainly for their meat, hence they are tender and best for roasting or barbecuing The 'spent hen' was used for this recipe, which gives this dish a unique and flavour packed soup.
Ingredients
1.2kg of Organic Chicken
30g of Ginger
1 Habanero Chilli
1 teaspoon of Aniseed
2 large Onions
1.5 litres of Water or Chicken stock
40g of Tomato paste or purée
2 large fresh Tomatoes
6 halved Garden eggs (Optional)
10 Kpakposhito or Pettie belle chillies
20g of fresh Ghanaian Basil (Koklo Fotie or Akuko Mesa)
One of Ghana’s best kept secret is this authentic complex flavoured soup, which combines 3 distinct flavours together perfectly. The soup (which is synonymous to the Kwahu tribe of the Eastern part of Ghana) has a perfect infusion of bitterness, sweetness and smokiness due to the inclusion of Lima beans (Adua), Tomatoes, Onions and Smoked Fish.
Best way to describe the soup is for you to prepare and taste it.
It’s a must try.
This soup can be enjoyed with any carbohydrates of your choosing, however I enjoyed mine with Green Banana Fufu (thanks to Tina Atiemo) for the suggestion 😘.
If you would like me to share the Green Banana Fufu recipe, please leave comments below 😘
INGREDIENTS
50g of Lima Beans or Butter Beans (locally known as Adua)
6 medium sized Garden Eggs
2 large Onions
3 large smoked Tilapia or any Smoked Fish of your choosing
300g of steamed Beef (optional)
10-15 Green Chillies (the amount of Chillies you use should be to your personal preference)
3 medium sized Tomatoes
80g of Tomato paste or purée
3 litres of water
10 Basil leaves (Akuko Mesa, Koklo Gbe)
METHOD
Watch how to prepare this complex flavour packed soup below on my YouTube channel, ‘Ndudu by Fafa’.
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All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.
Dzowoe, Dzowey, Zowey or Adaarkwa is a spicy and sweet snack made from Peanuts or Groundnuts. It’s a popular snack across Ghana, Togo, Nigeria and Benin.
Ewes
Ewes inhabit Southern Eastern part of Ghana, Southern Benin, South West of Nigeria and Southern Togo currently. The journey of Ewes to their current settlements is one that fills you intrigue and one that will make you appreciate their resilient nature. The Ewes are traced to the original settlement in the Oyo state of Western Nigeria and later to Notsie, Togo in the 17th century. Due to the harsh treatment of the Ewes, (with the help of the women weakening the walls , by the use of water) the Ewes were able to run free from their tyrant King Agorkoli. Due to this forced migration the Ewes settled across the coastal regions of Benin, Togo and the South East of Ghana.
When I decided to research the origins of Dzowoe, I was plied with conflicting and convincing stories and came to the conclusion of the Ewe Land been the originators of Dzowoe. I was particularly intrigued but not surprised when I heard Nigeria had a similar snack called ‘Donkwa’ by the Hausas in the Northen part of Nigeria.
Last year, I asked where Zowey originated from and the varied responses, including a few coupled with stories, gave a resounding response to the Ewes and Hausa’s of Ghana. Some of the responses included
Yawa Tsagli had this to say;
‘So my dad has answered. He’s my historian when it comes to our tribe
Dzowoe is purely an Ewe diet. Dzowoe was one of the few preparations our ancestors prepared as one of the seasoned food for warriors in battles who would not have time to prepare food.
Mariam Bugri-Caren said;
Growing up in tamale we always called it Dakuwa pronounced as it’s spelt Da-ku-wa. I struggled to find it in Accra but it was a common snack in tamale alongside kuli-kuli (a deep fried rolled peanut butter ring or stick- very crispy and a bit spicy but yummy)
Francesca Bakare said;
It is hausa, I grew up in the north and we sometimes use tigernuts to make it as well. The Hausa groundnuts pyramids were a wonderful sight until a couple of decades past and they had a lot of recipes using g/nuts in them. I believe in West Africa anywhere you see dakuwa you will find it has a Hausa settlement or tribe. In west Africa there are more things that connects us than separate us.
Been schooled about the Ewe language by Torgbui Yegblemenawo Kumahor 1.
The Name! “Dzowoe”; Thats again “Dzowor”, meaning: fire powder = spicy powder, since its pasty rather than powdery, The “r” in wor has to be replaced by “e” for fine tuning. #Anlo finetuning strategies. Nevertheless, its culture, its African and it has crossed borders.
RESEARCH
However upon further research it turns out it’s also popular in Togo, Nigeria and Benin. It’s fair to then say ‘Zowey, Dzowoe, Dzowey, Adaakwa, Dakuwa, Donkwa etc is a West African snack first and foremost, which has been adopted by other cultures due to the migration.
Migration of tribes across the continent has influenced similar cooking methods, using of similar ingredients and the culture of most tribes. I love to know the history of most of our dishes as it gives one an indepth knowledge into our heritage. If you know more about the history of this snack, please share by leaving comments below.
CONCLUSION
This recipe makes for a mildly spiced Dzowoe or Zowey. However you can increase the amount of spices to your preferred heat level. I’ve also reduced the amount of Sugar required but , yet again you can increase the quantity to your preference.
Zowey is a gluten free snack packed with Peanuts, spices and Sugar. It’s incredibly easy to make and must be avoided if you’ve got nut allergies.
Ingredients
150g of Groundnut paste
150g of toasted corn flour (Tom Brown flour)
1 tablespoon of Cayenne pepper or 1 teaspoon of Chilli powder
1 tablespoonful of Ginger powder
Half a teaspoon of salt (optional)
Half a teaspoon of clove powder
1 tablespoonful of Sugar
METHOD
Watch the full video including the method to make this incredible snack. Don’t forget to subscribe and share. Find more inspiring recipes on my YouTube channel, ‘Ndudu by Fafa’.
Yam Porridge (MPOTO-MPOTO) or Yam Pottage is a tasty one pot dish (popular in both Ghana and Nigeria), made with either Yam, Cocoyam, Plantain, Hannah Sweet Potatoes or Japanese Sweet Potatoes. I have made different creative versions of this recipe, however I kept to the authentic recipe this time.
An authentic Yam Porridge recipe is smoky in flavour (derived from the inclusion of smoked Fish) and has a distinctive mustard colour due to the inclusion of Palm oil or Zomi.
Please ensure your Palm oil is sustainably produced and it is best to use Zomi for this recipe.
Zomi is Palm oil infused with secret spices which adds a fragrant nutty taste to the dish.
Let’s start
INGREDIENTS
2 large smoked Fish
1 large Onion
5 Green chillies
400g of peeled and cubed Yam pieces
700ml of Water
Salt to taste
GARNISH
6 whole Green chillies
1 sliced Onion
Watch how I made this authentic recipe on my YouTube channel, ‘Ndudu by Fafa’ below,
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