In Ghana it is used in serving Red Red(a popular Vegetarian dish made with Plantain and Beans), Rice, Waakye (made by cooking Black Eyed Beans and Rice together)etc and in Nigeria it is used in preparing Moin Moin (a spicy steamed Black Eyed Bean cake).
In recent times the use of the leaves in Ghana has declined due to the unhygienic ways they are kept by most street vendors.
The leaves are usually wiped with an unclean towel which forced most customers to opt for the plastic bag which has subsequently polluted the environment. This was rather unfortunate considering the leaves are biodegradable,offer a distinctive flavour to any dish
and are recyclable.
The leaves should be a clear choice as a the food wrapper and a campaign on how to keep it clean will encourage its patronage.
The leaves are so versatile and one could bake, grill and steam their meals in. I have a few recipes available and upcoming on how to use the leaves on my YouTube channel, ‘Ndudu by Fafa’.
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If most street food vendors are trained on how to keep the leaves clean, then customers confidence in requesting for the leaves as food wrappers will grow.
Tips:
Rinsing each leaf in salty water helps eradicate most bacteria.
Place leaves in an airtight container after washing to serve the general public.
You can refrigerate the leaves to keep its freshness for longer.
You can also dry the leaves and revive them later when you need it.
Use food gloves when serving food
Try recycling the leaves after use.
The leaves hold a distinctive flavour that permeates through any hot dish served in it.
The oils of the leaves have a woody lemongrass taste that works perfectly with Jasmine rice or any Rice.
