GRILLED OKRO RECIPE - A HEALTHY SNACK

Okra, Okro, Ladies Fingers or Gumbo is rich in Vitamin B, C, Folic acid, Pottasium and Calcium. It' has a high dietary fibre, fewer calories and it's readily available in most grocers and supermarkets. 

I first made this dish in 2014 and haven't looked back since. It's crunchy, smoky, delicious and acts as a healthy snack.

I usually add it to my Omelette or Salads and enjoy the crunch it offers.

This is an easy snack to make and works perfectly with a tangy sauce. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS 

200g of fresh Okra cut lengthwise 

4 tablespoonfuls of Olive oil

Salt to taste

SAUCE INGREDIENTS 

4 tablespoonfuls of Olive or Coconut oil

2 finely diced banana shallots or 1 large Onion

3 tablespoonful, of white wine vinegar. 

1 tablespoonful of Goats butter or any butter

Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

20g of chopped Greek basil / tarragon /mint / fresh fennel stalks

Salt and pepper to taste.

SAUCE METHOD 

In a saucepan, add the butter and Olive oil. Place the saucepan on a medium heat. Melt and heat the butter till it browns, but not burnt(Buerre noisette). Turn the heat to a lower setting and add the shallots.

Fry gently for 3 minutes (stirring frequently).

Add the Lemon zest and fry for another minute. 

Add the vinegar and increase the heat. Reduce the juice by a third, which should take about 3 minutes. 

Add the Greek basil / Tarragon or your preferred herbs, stir and remove from the heat.

Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

METHOD 

Watch how to prepare this incredible grilled and nutty Okra below;

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

YAM FUFU WITHOUT THE HASSLE (POUNDED YAM)

'Yam', is a tuberous root vegetable, which is synonymous but not exclusive to Africa. There are over 600 varieties, of which 95% are cultivated in Africa. 

In parts of America and Canada 'sweet potatoes' are referred to as 'Yams' , however that's not the case , as the similarity ends with both been a tuberous root vegetable and cooked the same way; they differ in taste and texture.

The most popular Yams in Africa, are the yellow and white ones, with my favourite being the yellow type , 'Pona' (as commonly known in Ghana).

Pounded Yam is a firm favourite of most Nigerians and it's  accompanied with Egusi (melon seeds) soup, whereby in Togo/Ghana, it's served with Chicken /Goat meat light soup. 

My first experience of eating Yam Fufu was in Togo as a child. The silky and smooth texture coupled with the aromatic Goat Meat light soup has inspired this recipe. 

'Ndudu by Fafa' is about creating new African flavours and exploring various spices of the world. 

INGREDIENTS 

350g of peeled and diced Yam

250ml of Water

Salt to taste.

TIP

The amount of water you use can increase by up to 100ml if you want a softer texture. Add the Water in bits till you have your desired consistency. The mixture should have a double cream consistency when you start cooking it.

Watch how to make this soft, silky and pliable Yam Fufu without the hassle 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. 

THE TASTIEST GRILLED SALMON WITH SHITO (GHANAIAN BLACK CHILLI SAUCE)

Cooking at times can be tiring, depending on how complicated the recipe is or can be. I tend to steer towards easy to follow recipes which are equally delicious and fun to re create. 
This recipe is inspired by the Ghanaian 'Shito Lo', which is char grilled Fish in a spicy marinade. 

The list of ingredients are readily available in most homes and you can omit the Lemon grass altogether. 

Watch how to make your own tasty Shito , (Ghanaian Black Chilli Sauce) on my YouTube channel, 'Ndudu by Fafa' below; 

Why not try this recipe and tell me about your experience. 

INGREDIENTS

1kg of descaled and gutted wild Salmon

3 tablespoonful of black Chilli sauce (Shito)

3 stalks of bashed Lemon grass

METHOD

Watch how I prepare this simple and equally tasty meal on my YouTube channel below; 

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

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

AHAYOE RECIPE (CANDIED PLANTAIN FROM TOGO)

'Ahayoe' is a popular snack from Togo, made from finely diced ripened Plantain and Onion.

The mixture is fried till you either have a crunchy CoCo Pop type of texture or remove it immediately it starts to brown for a softer version.

This recipe makes for a crunchy version and is a firm favourite of mine. 

This dish is also popular amongst the Ewe’s of Ghana and it’s a must try. 

It’s imperative to rid of the excess oil by using a colander and transferring into a mould tin to shape it perfectly.

To make this dish you’ll need the following;

2 ripened Plantain 

1 medium Onion

1 litre of Oil

Half a teaspoon of Salt

METHOD

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

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

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

FUFU & LIGHT SOUP

 Enjoy this fresh Fufu in a pot with light soup (spicy tomato soup) 

and use your preferred Meat, Poultry , Game, Seafood, Fish or Vegetables to make it.

Light soup

Ingredients;

Serves 6

1.5 kg of mutton cut into sizeable chunks (ask your butcher to cut into your preferred chunks)

3 large tomatoes

25g cleaned ginger cut into chunks

2 large onions

2 cloves of peeled garlic

20g of de stalked kpakpo shito Ghanaian chillies ( Pettie Belle) 

1 teaspoon of carom seeds (optional)

80g of tomato paste

3 litres of Chicken stock (your preferred stock) or Water  

Alternatively you can use 2 Bouillon cube

Salt

Method;

Wash and clean your mutton and place in a bowl.

In a blender add the ginger, 1 chopped onion, garlic, carom seeds and 10g of Kpakpo shito

Add a little water and blend to a smooth paste. 

Add the paste to the mutton

Mix the paste well into the mutton and refrigerate overnight or at least for 2hrs . 

Remove your mutton from the fridge and place in a saucepan or clay pot. 

Place your saucepan on a medium heat and steam your meat in it's juices, (add a little water if needed).

Cook slowly for about 30 minutes and add your tomato paste. 

If you're using Bouillon cube;

 Crumble your preferred cube into the sauce at this stage. 

Mix till well combined and cook for a further 5 minutes, making sure you stir constantly. 

Add your  fresh tomatoes and 1 whole onion and cook for a further 3 minutes. 

Add 1.5 litres of your preferred stock  or water and cook for a further 15 minutes

The tomatoes and onion should be cooked through now. 

Remove the tomatoes and onion and place in a blender. 

Add the remaining stock/ water to the blender. 

Blend to a smooth consistency. 

Using a fine colander, pass the tomato and onion blend through into a bowl 

Add your strained juice to the mutton and cook for a further 20-25 minutes. 

Add the remaining Kpakpo shito (chillies) and cook for a further 5 minutes. 

Taste the mutton to make sure it's tender. 

Add salt to taste and enjoy. 

FUFU

Ingredients:

300g of  peeled un-ripened Plantain cut into cubes.

460g of peeled  Cassava, scraped, de-stringed and cut into cubes. 

500ml of water for a soft Fufu or 400ml for a firmer Fufu.

Method 

Tip:

It's important, you use a very good blender. I used Vitamix (which blends everything into a silky smooth paste). 

Transfer the Cassava and Plantain into your blender and add 450ml of water. 

Blend into a silky smooth paste. 

Transfer the contents into a saucepan and place on a medium heat. 

Tip:

It's very important you stir the mixture consistently, to avoid any lumps. 

Using a wooden spatula, keep stirring till you have a smooth, thick steamed paste. This should take about 8-10min. 

Warning!

Please don't be tempted to leave it alone when you're in the process of thickening the batter. This is to avoid having lumps in your 'Fufu'. 

Add the remaining 50ml of water to the Fufu, cover the saucepan with it's lid, reduce the heat to a lower setting and steam for 8-10min

Watch the recipe on my 

YouTube page and don't forget to subscribe and share. 

Information: 

Steaming the Fufu, cooks the mixture further and eliminates the raw taste.

Increase the heat to a medium fire and stir the mixture till well combined. 

Tip:

Please don't be alarmed, if your Fufu looks too soft at this stage,  it gets firmer once it's cooled down. 

Pour the Fufu into a bowl, smear the surface with a teaspoon  of water ( to prevent any film forming on the surface and leave to cool down completely. 

Once cooled, shape into your preferred ball and serve with your favourite soup. 

Guinea Fowl in thyme and sesame

Ingredients: 

Butter milk

2 tablespoon of sesame oil

1 tablespoon of fish sauce

half a teaspoon of cumin powder

1 tablespoon of fresh ground ginger

1 tablespoon of fresh ground garlic

Bunch of thyme

freshly ground black pepper

Salt to taste

300ml of stock

3kg of guinea fowl

Method: 

Mix in a bowl the sesame oil, butter milk, fish sauce, cumin powder
ground ginger, garlic, thyme, freshly ground black pepper and salt
Spatchcock the guinea fowl (details of how to spatchcock poultry will be available on my blog soon)

Pour the marinade over the Guinea Fowl and use your hand to massage the it in. 

Marinade the guinea fowl for at least 4 hrs in a fridge.

In a preheated oven of 180*c place your guinea fowl in a roasting tin (cover with a foil)

Place your guinea fowl in the oven for 20minutes
Then add 300ml of stock

Place your guinea fowl back in the oven for a further 20min
Take the guinea fowl out of the oven and leave to rest for at least 5minutes before serving.

Best served with steamed cabbage & Beurre noisette (browned butter)

Dinner is served!!!

Handcut Yam Chips and Mackerel Mousse.

Ingredients 

500g of Yam peeled and cut length ways into segments

Pinch of salt

1 litre Vegetable oil

Mackerel mousse

500g of smoked Mackerel 

1 teaspoon of grated ginger

1 tablespoon of extra virgin oil

1 teaspoon of freshly ground black peppercorn

Finely diced 30g of spring onions or sweet onions 

2 tablespoon of Yoghurt

1 teaspoon of lime / lemon juice

1 teaspoon of Horseradish 

2 de-seeded green chillies, finely diced

Pinch of salt to taste. 

Method;

Pour the oil into a saucepan and place on a medium heat 

Wash your hand cut Yams and discard the water

Sprinkle a pinch of salt on the Yam and mix

Test the oil is hot by adding a slice of Garlic (or anything that can fry and add flavour to the oil). If the garlic sizzles you know you have a hot oil . (Please treat hot oil with utmost care, preferably handle with a glove) 

Add the hand cut Yams to the oil and fry for about 4 minutes. 

After 4 minutes lower the heat under the Yam and add 160ml of water. ( please do this gently and with care) Once the water hits the oil there will be loads of bubbles caused by the reaction of water and hot oil. When the initial bubble has settled down to manageable reaction increase the heat to it's initial 'medium heat'.

Adding water to the Yam, gives the Chip a soft, moist and crumbly inner part with a crunchy exterior. 

Watch as the water disappears from the oil, the chips forming a crispy exterior when touched with a slotted spoon ( this should take about 4 minutes).

Once the water has disappeared , the chips will be crunchy, remove from the oil with a slotted spoon to a clean kitchen napkin or paper to blot off excess oil. 

Make the Mackerel Mousse whilst the Yam is cooking

Take the skin, bones and head off the Mackerel ( if using a whole smoked fish with it's head on) or  better still you can use a pre dressed Mackerel (available in most supermarkets in the UK)

In a seperate bowl add the olive oil, horseradish, yoghurt, black pepper and ginger; mix it together to form a dressing. 

You can blitz your Mackerel in a food processor ( I prefer to use the back of a fork to mash the fish into a rough paste in a bowl) 

I like my mousse to have a crunch and a bite. 

Add the mashed Mackerel to your dressing and stir till well mixed and a fluffy. 

Add your onions, lime/lemon juice and chillies. 

Please taste before adding the salt. I recommend just a pinch as the lime juice and natural yoghurt add a salty taste to the mouse. 

Spoon a portion of mousse into a bowl / plate garnish with strips of red peppers (optional) , drizzle with a little olive oil and serve immediately with your hot 'Handcut Yam chips'. 

Enjoy

All photos are by the author of this blog.