PORK RIBS & PINEAPPLE SAGE

Ingredients 

600g rack of Pork ribs

50g of fresh Ginger

5 Juniper berries

4 Pineapple Sage leaves

20g of fresh Thyme

2 large peeled & chopped shallots

1 clove of garlic

1 Jalapeño pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a blender add the Ginger, Garlic,Jalapeño pepper, Shallots, Thyme, Sage and a Juniper berries. 

Blend till you have a smooth paste. Add little water , if required for an easy blend and set aside. 

Rub the rack of ribs with the spice mix. Marinade first least 24hrs or for best results overnight in the fridge. 

Preheat your oven to 180*c. Bake for 45 minutes. 

Serve with your favourite salads, Chips or rice. This was served with Kelewele (a spicy , fried ripened Plantain cubes), a popular Ghanaian snack. 

Enjoy! 

All photos and recipe are by the owner of the blog. 

COCONUT RICE (ANGWA MO)

Hello everyone, 

I hope you enjoyed this episode of the popular Ghanaian inspired Coconut rice with the spicy tomato sauce and fried fish. I particularly enjoyed preparing this dish and serving 'Uncle Ato' his portion. 

Coconut rice in Ghana is mostly paired with an omelette and it's the quick, fix dish when one is tired. Enjoy this old school recipe. 

Serves 6

Ingredients; 

Rice:

2 cups of Jasmine rice / Long grain rice/ Basmati rice/Brown rice 

1 cup of water / Vegetable stock/ 

Alternatively use 1 cup of Coconut milk and half a cup of coconut juice. 

1 finely diced shallots

4 tablespoons of Coconut oil

Salt to taste

Half a teaspoon of blended green chilli and onions. 

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

Fish

6  medium sized Sea Breams/ Red Snapper or your preferred fish (Gutted, cleaned and divided in two, by your fish monger )

100g of flour

1 teaspoon of freshly milled black pepper

Salt to taste

1 sprig of Rosemary 

700ml Sunflower oil

Tomato sauce

125g of Tomato purée mixed with 150ml of water to a smooth paste. 

700g of fresh sun ripened Tomato cut into chunks 

3 large Red peppers cut into chunks (optional)

20g of roughly chopped peeled Ginger

10 fresh red chillies

10g of crushed Guinean pepper or Grains of Paradise. 

3 large Red Onions

2 large white onions. 

150ml of Groundnut oil

1 Shrimp stock cube

Salt and pepper to taste.

Watch the video on how to make the perfect tomato sauce. 

Method;

Sauce:

Add the oil to a saucepan and place on a medium heat. 

Blend the onions, Grains of Paradise, Ginger and chillies into a paste. 

Add the 'Onion blend' to the oil and fry till the volume reduces in half. 

Add the tomato purée and cook till it turns into a paste. This should take about  12-15 minutes. 

Blend the tomatoes and pepper till smooth. 

Add the tomatoes to the saucepan and stir till well mixed. 

Reduce the heat to a low setting, add the shrimp stock and cook for 25 minutes. 

Add the chunks of cut onions and cook for a further 2 minutes. Take your sauce off the heat and use when needed.  

Rice;

Wash the rice till the water runs clear and soak for about 5 minutes

Whilst the rice is soaking, melt the coconut oil in a saucepan, on a medium heat

Add the shallots and cumin seeds. Fry for 2 minutes till the onions starts to brown (Careful not to burn them)

Drain the water, off the soaked rice 

Add the rice to the oil and fry for 3 minutes. 

Tip: 

To intensify the coconut flavour of the rice, why not try using coconut milk instead of water or stock? 

Add your preferred stock/ water / Coconut milk & juice. 

Stir and increase the heat. 

Once the rice starts to boil, decrease the heat to a low setting. 

Cover with a scrunched baking paper and the lid. 

Cook the rice for 20-28 minutes or until fluffy

Fish

Tip:

Wipe the fish with a kitchen towel to get rid of any excess water. (Crispy skin secret)

Salt the fish and bring to room temperature.

Add the oil to a frying pan or wok

Place the oil on a medium heat for 3-4 minutes. 

Add the sprig of Rosemary and fry till crispy. Set aside for later. 

In a bowl add the flour, black pepper,  your preferred optional herb or spice (Rosemary, thyme, Sage) and mix well. 

Toss the fish in the flour, dust off any excess flour and gently lower the fish into the oil (All necessary precautions should be taken, when dealing with hot oil). Repeat this process until all the fish is fried. 

Tip;

Don't overload the wok or frying pan with the fish, as this will decrease the temperature of the oil, guaranteeing you a 'soggy fried fish'. 

Fry the fish for 3 minutes on each side and place on a blotting sheet  (to get rid of any excess oil)

Ato Brown (Director, ABNTV)

To serve: 

Best served with a crunchy mixed green salad and a chilled beer. 

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

FRESH FUFU (without pounding)

Over a year ago, I was gifted Cassava and Plantain by my sweet Aunt. My excitement of receiving these African ingredients was short lived, as all I wanted was Fufu.

Fufu and Lamb light soup

You might wonder , why it was a problem and not proceed to boil the Plantain and Cassava, pound them separately and then together to achieve the traditional soft Fufu from Ghana (a traditional Ashanti dish). 

Cassava and Plantain

My dilemma, was I had no pestle or mortar as I reside in the UK, hence the possibility of borrowing the utensils from a neighbour wasn't an option. 

I craved the taste of freshly pounded Fufu and the powdered Fufu mix I had, didn't fit into my crave of 'Fresh Fufu'. 

My inspiration came from the powdered Fufu and Kokonte ( Cassava flour steamed into a dumpling ). 

Cassava

My understanding and interpretation of my inspiration was rather simple.  If the  Cassava, Cocoyam and Plantain could be processed naturally into flour and mimic the texture of Fufu, it might work if steamed and cooked, like one would Banku.

Un-ripened Plantain and Cassava
I love experimenting with ingredients and I was excited about this prospect.

This recipe was featured on my cookery show 'Ndudu by Fafa' on ABNTV, Sky 235 or Freeview 252. 

Serves 4

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. 

Blended Fufu mix

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

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. 

This recipe works with Cocoyam and Yam. Enjoy fresh Fufu without the hassle of pounding. 

'Ndudu by Fafa', always pushing the boundaries with African cuisines. 

Watch the video on my YouTube page 

Try the recipe, #NopoundingFufu on Instagram to be featured, share the recipe, don't forget to leave a comment and subscribe.

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

NUTTY GRANOLA RECIPE

At the end of each month, I go through my larder and create something from the  leftovers.If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know, I frown on wasting food and always find a way to revamp my leftovers.  

On this occasion I had different, half used nuts and thought of making Granola with my usual 'Ndudu Twist'. 

I wanted to achieve a refreshing and seemingly, lightly spiced Granola, hence the decision to include the rind of a lemon and Ginger powder.

This recipe is incredibly nutty, however you can reduce the nuts, (use whatever nuts you prefer)and add coconut shavings or dried fruits, if you so wish. This recipe is adaptable, hence get your creative juices going and make your own version.

I've chosen to add egg whites to this recipe, as it enables the Granola to have it's distinctive light clusters. If you're not a fan of eggs, why not use the juice of a fruit, an Apple purée or Tiger nut milk, maybe? (Imagining the flavour with the Tiger nut milk now)...hmm, moving on swiftly..

If it's difficult to get maple syrup, why not use honey ,the juice of Sugar cane or freshly blended sweet Pineapple as alternatives. 

Ingredients 

300g Whole rolled Jumbo Oats

70g of Sunflower seeds

70g Pumpkin seeds

100g of Cashew nuts

80g of Almonds

30g peeled Pistachios

80g of Pecan nuts

80g Chopped Brazillian nuts

120g of Maple syrup

40g of coconut oil

1 peeled rind of a Lemon (optional)

2 large beaten and frothy egg white

1 tablespoon of ground Ginger (Optional)

Half a teaspoon of  salt

Method;

Preheat your oven to 140*c

Add the oats to a baking tray or a deep rectangular dish. 

Mix the Sunflower and Pumpkin seeds

Add the seeds to the tray. 

Ginger Powder 

Sprinkle the mixture with the Ginger powder

Peel the rind of a Lemon (this is optional)

Add the lemon peel to the mixture

From bottom left, Almonds, Brazilian Nuts, Pecans  & Cashew Nuts

Add the nuts to the mixture

Melt the coconut oil and add to the mix

Maple Syrup

 

Add the syrup to the mix

Add the frothy egg white and salt

Mix till well combined. 

  Suddenly found some leftover Pistachios, hence I've sprinkled a few over the mix. Mix everything together. 

Using the back of a spoon, pat the surface with some pressure to pack the mixture tight. This will also help with the 'cluster' formation of the Granola.

 Place the Granola in the preheated oven and  

bake for 20 minutes. 

Remove the Granola from the oven and turn the  gently, using a wooden spatula (careful not to break the clusters) and place it back in the oven.

Tip;

Turning the mixture encourages an even bake and crunch. 

Bake for another 20 minutes and remove the Granola from the oven. Leave till it cools down completely. 

Transfer into an airtight container and this will last for a month (I doubt it'll last that long, as you'll be helping yourself to seconds each time) 

Best served with your preferred cold milk or as a topping for your Yoghurt and Ice cream.

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

Seek permission before you use any of my pictures & recipes. 

Always reference back to my page (when permission is granted).