GHANAIAN GARDEN EGGS STEW RECIPE

Garden Eggs (Egg Plant or Aubergines) are rich in Pottasium Thiamin, Vitamin B1 and a good source of fiber to mention but a few. Garden Eggs do have a slight bitter taste and pairs well with boiled Yam, Plantain , Rice etc. It is a popular vegetable in West Africa including Ghana, Nigeria and at times are eaten raw. I try to use Garden Eggs as of the as I can and include it in most of my recipes, particularly when I prepare soup. This recipe is inspired by my Mum, using clear, unscented oil, Tomatoes, Fish and spices. You can be creative and use any Meat, Poultry or Seafood that you prefer, it's a must try.  

INGREDIENTS 

400g of Garden eggs

20ml of Rapeseed / Groundnut oil/ Sunflower oil

1 large sliced Onion 

30g of Tomato purée 

1 Habanero chilli 

1 stock cube

Blended 5 large Tomatoes

1 tablespoonful of a blend of Ginger, Onion, Garlic and Aniseed 

2 tinned Pink Salmon or any Fish of your choice 

2 chopped Green chillies

Salt to taste

METHOD 

Watch how to make this classic Ghanaian stew on my YouTube channel, ‘Ndudu by Fafa’ below;

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All photos, recipes 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. 

PLANTAIN SORBET RECIPE

Plantains are rich in Potassium which regulates our bodies sodium intake and also helps regulate blood pressure in the body, due to the presence of Magnesium. Plantain contains a high dosage of Vitamin A, which helps boost your immune system, skin and cell growth.

It also aids regular digestive functions due to its high fibre content and it's rich in Vitamin C, which fights against free radicals damage to your body. 

Plantain also contains a few B Vitamins particularly B6 which promotes a healthy brain function. 

Basically, what I'm saying is Plantain is healthy and should be incorporated in our daily diet.

PLANTAIN & PASSION FRUIT SORBET VIDEO

This recipe was created to encourage the various uses of our ingredients, other than their classic uses. I'll explain myself before the creases in your frown deepens. 

Growing up in Ghana, food wastage was definitely a big 'no, no'; hence  an over ripened Plantain was either used to prepare Tatale, Krakro or Kaklo etc.

I've always followed this ethos , however I wanted to make something different, something sweet and equally inspiring.

Puddings aren't a big deal in our diet and if one must, its usually the Ghanaian Pound cake, Rock buns, Peanut or Coconut brittle and fruit salads.

The naturally sweet flavour of the over ripened Plantain lends its sweetness to this dish, hence you can omit adding sugar altogether. The Plantain also gives the Sorbet a creamy texture, whilst the Passion fruit lends its tanginess to the Sorbet. 

This is a healthy snack to enjoy (provided you exclude the Sugar) and it's perfect for both children and adults.

Lets start cooking....

 

To start you'll need, 

Ingredients 

1 large over ripened Plantain

3 large ripened Passion fruit
200ml of water

Juice of half a Lime or Lemon

Optional (1 tablespoon of Sugar)

TO BAKE

Preheat the oven to 200*c

Wrap the unpeeled Plantain in kitchen foil and bake for 15-20 minutes or until you insert a skewer which comes out clean. 

Take all necessary precautions when taking the Plantain out of the oven as it will be hot.

TO STEAM

Cut the unpeeled Plantain into 4 large rings. 

Place the Plantain in a steamer and steam for 15-20 minutes. Once cooked, peel the skin off and transfer the flesh into a bowl. Follow the process below;

TO MICROWAVE
Peel the over ripened Plantain into a bowl with a lid. Add 3 tablespoonful of water and microwave for about 3-4 minutes.

The water will help create a steam which will cook the Plantain. I prefer this process, when I want to make this quickly.


PLANTAIN SORBET VIDEO RECIPE
Watch how make this recipe by clicking the video below;

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METHOD

Scoop the baked Plantain into a bowl and set aside. to cool down. 

Cut the Passion fruit in two. 

Place a colander over a bowl and scoop the seeds and juice of the Passion fruit into the colander. 

Once done use the back of a spoon to press the juice out. Pour the water over the seeds to extract any juice left in the seeds. 

If you're using Sugar, add it at this point. 

Transfer the juice and baked Plantain into a blender and blend to a silky smooth consistency. 

Add the juice of the Lime and stir till well combined.

Using your Freezer

Transfer the smoothie into a bowl with a lid and freeze for 4 hours. 

Each hour use a fork to stir the mixture to prevent crystals from forming (this will help you gain a smooth Sorbet). The process of stirring every hour is to mimic the churn of an Ice cream maker.

Ice cream Maker

If you're lucky enough to own an Ice cream maker , pour the smoothie into your maker and follow the instructions to churn your Sorbet.

BLENDER

Place the frozen Plantain mixture into a blender. Blend till smooth (this will get rid of any ice crystals).

Serve immediately.

Enjoy your Sorbet with a sprinkle of crunchy nuts for that added texture. 

You saw the recipe here first, remember that and share. 

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

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

KOOSE OR AKARA RECIPE

I'm in love with Emerald Tomatoes

I have to write about an ingredient, a rather controversial fruit, I met yesterday at Tesco's called 'Emerald Tomato'.

She looks like an unripenned tomato but has a soft feel to touch. Emerald Tomato is  described as sweet and purposefully grown to keep her unripenned look. 

I decided to make a simple green inspired salad. 

Emerald Tomatoes

A simple salsa of emerald tomato with sweet onions and a drizzle of an African homemade anchovies oil and black pepper. The tomato is crunchy and sweet

 I decided to use the rest of the tomatoes for a warm salad for brunch today.

Ingredients

 6 sliced Emerald Tomatoes

 A bag of Rocket

1 medium size sliced sweet onions

 1 medium size diced Avocado into chunks

Sliced 1 whole Courgettes into disc shapes

 225g of Halloumi (Cut into chunks)

 100g of cooked Bambara beans (optional)

Marinade

2 tablespoonful of olive oil

Smoky sea salt

2 pinches of freshly toasted ground black pepper

Method

Cut your courgettes into little disc shapes 

In a separate bowl mix together  the olive oil, salt and black pepper.

Add the courgettes and Halloumi to the marinade

Using a  hot griddle pan, grill the courgettes and Halloumi for a 

minute on each side.

In a bowl, add the rocket, onions, tomatoes, avocado, courgettes, bambara beans and halloumi. Drizzle the remaining marinade  over the salad and serve immediately.

A crunchy green salad with grilled Halloumi, Courgettes and Bambara beans.