HOW TO MAKE THE TASTIEST GARI FORTOR RECIPE

Gari Fortor , a popular Ghanaian dish is basically Gari mixed with spiced oil (which is derived from the excess oil of  stew). It is served as an accompaniment to dishes such as Waakye or Rice and can be enjoyed on its own with your preferred protein.

Gari is made from grated Cassava/ Yuca/ Manioc , which is fermented and dry fried to a crispy coarse consistency. It’s similar to Couscous and it’s gluten free.

SMOKY SALSA STEW RECIPE 

However this recipe used a smoky spiced Salsa stew for that extra flavour. Chunks of Onions were included to give the Gari it’s much needed texture and sweetness.

As mentioned you can use Couscous if your don’t have Gari for this recipe.

I have a plethora of stews to choose from as a base for this recipe;

170g of smoky Salsa sauce or Jollof stew

250g of Gari

1 large sliced Onion

Your preferred herbs or Spring Onions

4 tablespoonfuls of your spiced oil (this is derived from the excess oil you get from your Jollof stew)

20ml of cold water

JOLLOF STEW RECIPE 

METHOD 

Watch how to prepare this simple but equally tasty Gari Fortor below;

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MORE GARI RECIPES

POSH GARI AND SHITO

Hmm! Gari and Shito (the popular Ghanaian Black Chilli sauce) has saved many a hungry stomachs particularly at boarding school.

Come to think of it, I might as well name these quick recipe series as the ‘Chop Box series’, share your thoughts.

GARI

Gari is a popular West African ingredient made from fermented, grated and roasted Cassava (Yuca). 

Gari can last up to 2 years in an airtight container and it’s still an essential ingredient in every Chop Box a student takes to boarding school. Read more about Gari

SHITO

Shito is a popular Ghanaian Black Chilli sauce that’s made from powdered Shrimps, Herrings, spices, Chillies, Onions, Tomatoes etc, which are slow cooked till you achieve the rich black colour. 

The sauce is devoid of any moisture when it turns black meaning it does last for at least a year. 

Watch how I make my aromatic Black Chilli sauce below and see why it’s had over 100,000 views on YouTube.

Paying homage to a time lost and essential part of most Ghanaian upbringing I have included 2 new ingredients to make this dish protein rich and twisted.

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS 

4 tablespoonfuls of Gari

3 tablespoonfuls of Water

1 teaspoonful of SHITO

20g of chopped Spring Onions (optional)

1-2 Eggs 

1 tablespoonful of oil to fry the Eggs

Salt to taste

METHOD 

Watch how to make this nostalgic and classic Ghanaian dish below;

Don’t forget to subscribe, try the recipe, leave comments with your feedback and share. All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.

Gari

GARI STIR FRY RECIPE

Where have you been hiding? It’s ‘Ndudu’ again ooh! So you know the Keta School Boys stir fry recipe I did yesterday 🤓

Hmm! I like trouble ooh 😩 Okay.. I just tossed some Gari into the mix and created this Gari Stir Fry. I’m out! I’ll see you in the video recipe , but before that you’ll need the following ingredients 

INGREDIENTS 

Half a cup of Gari

4 tablespoonfuls of Jollof stew

150g of the Keta School Boys stir fry

1-2 Eggs

1 teaspoonful of your preferred oil

JOLLOF STEW RECIPE 👇🏾

KETA SCHOOL BOYS STIR FRY RECIPE 👇🏾

PS: Salt has been omitted from this recipe as the dried Anchovies are salty.

METHOD 

Watch how to prepare this quick Gari stir fry recipe below;

Don’t forget to subscribe, try the recipe, leave comments with your feedback and share. All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.

GARI PIÑON and ADEME DETSI (TOGOLESE DISH)

Ademe , Jute or Molokhia leaves are very nutritious and have a high Iron content. It’s great for your digestive system and bloating due to the mucilaginous structure of the plant. 

During my childhood, Mum and I were at the market at dawn to get the freshest leaves from the market ladies. 

Mum advised Ademe was at its best when used immediately especially after it was plucked.

Mum always had specific ladies she bought specific ingredients from, with clear instructions and the Ademe had to be less than 12 hours old from picking when she purchased it.

 

My grocery shopping experience with Mum during my childhood has shaped my way of handpicking the best of ingredients. Mum insisted on the small like looking Ademe leaves (which I believe were the Organic ones) and were the tastiest. 

Immediately we got home, we had to pick the stalks from the leaves, which can be time consuming, considering how small they were. 

During the process of picking (which if you’re lucky involves a few people), we had our chats including how painstaking the process of cooking was, ensuring we kept the same pace and looking forward to the dish.

GARI PIÑON 

Gari is made out of  grated Cassava that's fermented and roasted. Gari has a Couscous consistency and most West Africans use it just as you would Couscous and more. 

'Gari Piñon', is basically Gari cooked in a hot and perfectly spiced Tomato broth. This is a popular dish in Togo, Benin and the Ewe's of Ghana. 

Gari Pinon has a soft and light texture which is packed with flavours and can be enjoyed with your favourite Meat, Fish or Poultry.

Gari can be enjoyed both in a savoury or sweet way. 

Watch how to prepare both dishes for a perfect lunch below;

Don’t forget to subscribe, try the recipe and leave comments with your feedback.

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

TASTIEST GARI PINON RECIPE

Gari is made out of  grated Cassava that's fermented and roasted. Gari has a Couscous consistency and most West Africans use it just as you would Couscous and more. 

Gari can be enjoyed both in a savoury or sweet way. 

'Gari Piñon', is basically Gari cooked in a hot and perfectly spiced Tomato broth. This is a popular dish in Togo, Benin and the Ewe's of Ghana. Gari Pinon has a soft and light texture which is packed with flavours and can be enjoyed with your favourite Meat, Fish or Poultry.

Whenever I try to recreate a recipe, I do so with the knowledge that food is Art. Backed with this view, I try to incorporate new textures, flavours and colours to achieve an artistic view. This reflects in the type of recipes I make and in the pictures I take. 

With this Gari Piñon recipe I used my Chicken stew recipe as the base for my broth and added finely diced Peppers for colour and added crunch. 

Watch how to make the Chicken stew below;

For this recipe you will need;

300g of Chicken stew. Use 200g for the broth and leave 100g with the Chicken. Best to shred the Chicken in the remaining stew for garnishing and serving. 

150g of Gari or try using CousCous.

150g of finely diced mixed Peppers. (Red, Green and Yellow).

1 finely diced medium Onion

Salt to taste

Watch how to create this recipe on my YouTube channel, ‘Ndudu by Fafa’, below;

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

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

GARI PIÑON SCOTCH EGG

You're mad, said my friend in a rather endearing tone, (when I told her I made Gari Piñon Scotch egg).'Yes, I'm mad for good food' was my response with my high pitched enthused voice, as I bit into each morsel. You can be creative with the recipe and include shredded Beef or Chicken into your Gari Piñon. 

This is a perfect starter for any dinner party, Easter lunch or enjoyed as a snack. 

Ingredients

400g of Gari Pinon

4 eggs

Water

Utensils

Saucepan

Cling film

Chopping board

Rolling pin. 

To start 

Fill a saucepan with water and place on a medium heat. Just when the water begins to boil, (using a spoon) lower each egg into the hot water. Boil the eggs for 1 minute and take it off the heat. 

Cover the saucepan with its lid for 6 minutes for a softer egg yolk or 10 minutes for a hard boiled egg.  

Peel your eggs and leave it aside until needed. 

Place 100g of the Gari Piñon in cling film. The cling film should be big enough to cover the Gari Piñon. Using a rolling pin , roll the Gari Piñon into a flat shape. 

Place an egg in the middle of the Gari Piñon, as shown above. 

 

Wrap the Gari Piñon around the egg with the help of the cling film, into a nice ball. 

Repeat the process until you've used up both the eggs and Gari Piñon. 

 

Serve the 'Gari Scotch egg' with Avocado slices, Sautéed Mushrooms or any protein of your choosing. 

Happy Easter everyone. 

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

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

How to bake the perfect whole Fish

GARI PIÑON RECIPE

'Gari Piñon', is basically Gari cooked in a hot stock and mixed with a spicy Tomato stew. This is a popular dish in both Togo and Benin, in West Africa. It was an absolute favourite in my household (thanks to Mum).

Traditionally Meat, Tomatoes, Onions , Stock cube and  Pepper are used in its preparation.

 

I decided to make this quick dish whilst   planting my new herbs in my garden (I'll talk about the herbs another time). 

If you follow me on Instagram you'ld have seen a video of me making this dish. 

 

Gari is to a West African as Couscous is to a Nothern African. Gari is made from fermented grated Cassava, which is then fried till dry. Gari is used in many ways  across West Africa including 'Gari Soakings', Gari Fortor' 'Eba' a perfect addittion to Red Red to mention but a few. 

I've adapted the recipe to my preference by using Fish, however you can use your preferred meat and it's stock in making the traditional version. If you're using meat you need to cook it till it's tender (best to use the tougher cuts of meat for this recipe).

 

It's imperative to use Tomato stew that was prepared over 24hrs ago. I find the flavours of the stew infuse better, a day after cooking. Try it! Try my Tomato stew recipe...

This is a cost effective and quick dish to make. Let's start cooking...

 

Ingredients 

200g of Gari

2 large chopped Red Onions

450g of Tomato stew

400g of grilled and flaked Sea bream/ Tilapia/ Red Snapper /Wild Seabass

200ml of Fish stock

20g of chopped Coriander 

Salt to taste

 

Method

Warm up 350g of the Tomato stew in a saucepan and add the chopped Onions and flaked Fish. 

Fry gently for 5 minutes and add the Gari.

Mix everything together till well combined. Add the fish stock and salt.

Continue to stir till well combined.

Cook gently for 5 minutes until you have a soft and pliable texture.

Take the Gari Piñon off the heat,  add the chopped Coriander and stir till well combined. 

Serve immediately with steamed Vegetables and the remaining stew.

 

Enjoy!

All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog. 
Find more inspiring recipes on my Youtube channel 'Ndudu by Fafa'.

GARI ME ANYDAY

'Gari' is a popular West African food which is made out of cassava. It's used the same way, one would couscous and its a staple in most homes.

The process of Gari making includes peeling of the cassava(as shown below) and grating it into a mushy consistency . 

The grated cassava is then placed in a Jute/ Mesh sack, weighted down and left for 3-7 days to ferment(where extraction of its juices and cynide characteristics takes place). 

Grated Cassava

By the 3rd day, most of the juices are  extracted, leaving a somewhat dry coarse texture. 

The Gari is then sieved to get rid of any odd bits and fried till dry (in a huge clay or metal pot). It's usually fried  with Palm oil, for a yellowish colour or without for a pale cream colour.

Uses of Gari/ Cassava (Yuca) 

If you attended boarding school (especially in Ghana) one had 'Gari', the survival ingredient in their 'Chop box'.

 The best boarding school recipes included a sweet variation of mixing the Gari  with milk, water, sugar and peanuts, (popularly known as 'Soakings' in Ghana).

Another popular recipe is where the Gari is sprinkled with water and served  with Shito (the Ghanaian Black Chilli sauce).

Shito

'Shito' is a black pepper sauce made from chillies, dried shrimp or crayfish powder and dried herring powder, which is synanimous with Ghanaians.

Agbeli Kaklo

'Agbeli Kaklo' is a savoury snack made from grated Cassava and onions, which is then deep fried. Its best eaten with slivers of Coconut. 

I love adding the 'Ndudu twist' to traditional African dishes, hence I created a softer and crunchy version of Yuca balls with an Apple sauce and chilli flakes. 

RED RED

Gari is also served with beans stew (popularly known as Red Red). Recipe for the Red Red is available on my blog. 

Waakye

Another popular recipe for Gari is 'Gari Fortor', where the Gari is mixed with a spicy tomato based sauce and served alongside the ever popular 'Waakye' (the Ghanaian rice and beans). 

Attieke

Gari is also used to make the ever popular Attieke, where the Gari is mixed with Olive oil and water. Be inspired to add different ingredients (eg Feta cheese, Wagashi (the West African cheese) Apricots, nuts etc to your Gari for that 'Ndudu' twist. 

I used Gari for my West African interpretation of scotch egg by wrapping it around a soft boiled duck egg. 

The most popular use of Gari is for 'Eba' (mixed with hot water and salt and cooked into a dumpling) which best accompanies sauces and soups like Spinach sauce, Okra soup, Melon seed sauce etc. 

I've only just mentioned a few ways that Gari is eaten. Leave comments below on how you enjoy your Gari. 

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

ATTIÉKÉ (GARI)

 This recipe is to inspire, hence if you don't have some of the ingredients mentioned (herbs)etc, try and use what you have available. Leave your comments or questions below. 

On today's menu, we had the Attiéké with grilled Tilapia. Enjoy and leave your comments or questions below. 

Ingredients

Oil Infusion

450ml of olive oil

3 cloves of garlic

180g of washed ‘Keta School boys’ (African Anchovies).

50g of fresh mint

2 whole green chilies (Optional)

Zest of 1 lemon (Optional)

Attiéké

2 cups of Gari 

1 medium chopped red onions

1 green chili, finely chopped.

50g of chopped mint

20g of Oregano

Grilled Okra (Optional) Click below for recipe

http://ndudu-by-fafa.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/tangy-grilled-okra.html

100g of soaked green raisins / Apricots

2 large yellow / red tomatoes (Optional)

50g of chopped spring onions

70ml of water or vegetable stock.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Shitake Mushrooms

Sautéed Mushrooms

100g of diced Mushrooms

1 finely diced shallot

Half a teaspoon of thyme

1 tablespoon of vinegar

1 tablespoon of the infused 'Keta School boys' oil

Method;

Keta School Boys

Oil Infusion

Place a saucepan on a very low heat and add the olive oil.

Add the ‘Keta school boys’ to the oil and cook for 4 minutes.

Add the Chili, zest of Lemon, Garlic, Mint or your preferred herb (Rosemary, Thyme or tarragon) to the oil and stir.

Cook for a further 2 minutes and take off the heat.

Leave the oil to cool down and infuse for at least an hour. Best to infuse the oil for at least 24hrs before using.

Soak the green raisins in lukewarm water for 

6 minutes

Mushrooms

In a frying pan, add 1 tablespoon of the infused olive oil on a low heat.

Add the shallots and fry gently for about 5 minutes, add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Increase the heat and add 1 tablespoon of vinegar and cook till the vinegar evaporates (this will take about 2 minutes).

Pour the Gari into a bowl, add the water/stock and mix well.

Add 5 tablespoonfuls of the infused oil, green raisins, red onions, shallot & mushroom mix, spring onions, mint ,yellow tomatoes or just use any left over vegetables. 

Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and serve

Attiéké with grilled Tilapia

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