During Winter I crave for comforting warm meals that feeds thy soul hence this incredible gluten and lactose free Custard made out of TigerNuts.
TigerNuts are edible tubers and not Nuts, hence the Milk is perfect for those with nut allergies.
The recipe covers how to extract the Milk from the TigerNuts , how to sweeten your milk with or without Sugar and concludes with the TigerNut custard recipe. The health benefits are also discussed hence a must watch.
Disclaimer: Please ensure you seek medical advice if you’re on medications and have any underlying illness before consuming the TigerNut
Please note excessive consumption of the TigerNut can cause diarrhoea.
INGREDIENTS
300g of TigerNuts
2 tablespoonful of Corn Starch
1 Egg Yolk
500ml of TigerNut Milk
150ml of Water
3 or more Dates (for a Sugar Free option)
2 tablespoonful of Brown Sugar
A pinch of grated Nutmeg
Salt to taste
METHOD
Watch how to prepare this incredible gluten and lactose free custard below;
Please don’t forget to share, subscribe, try the recipe, leave comments with your feedback and share.
All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.
Imagine biting into a crunchy and equally moist fried Chicken that has been slow cooked in a perfectly seasoned Tomato stew. Now imagine enjoying that with a hot ball of soft and pliable Kenkey (hmmmm😘).
In the second episode of the 3 part series of ‘How to create new flavours’, I have incorporated my perfectly spiced and infused aromatic Lamb shanks in this stew.
Personally this Lamb shank stew is the most challenging and equally fulfilling recipe I’ve created from scratch.
The first of its kind where I have balanced both a sour , aromatic and smoky flavour together. The challenge is in using the right ingredients for their natural flavours and quantity to achieve the perfect taste this stew required.
The main ingredient and challenge was including the Black Lime in a Tomato stew which increased the level of acidity already present (honestly I haven’t used the Black Lime before). You need to watch the recipe video to see how I ‘conquered’ the acidity and created a naturally flavour packed stew.
BLACK LIME
Black/Dried Lime is literally Lime dried in the sun which has lost all its water content.
The flavour has a slightly smoky taste inclusive of the natural Lime flavour, which is used in most Middle Eastern dishes. It’s readily available in specialist independent grocers, online and Waitrose. I can’t wait to create more recipes using the Black Lime.
INGREDIENTS
1kg of Lamb shanks/ Goat Meat/ Beef Short Ribs
250g of Passata (Spiced and cooked down Tomato sauce)
The last time I enjoyed Water Leaves stew was over 20 years ago. During my childhood, Mum and I had the Water Leaves stew at least once a week with either boiled Yam, Plantain or Rice.
Originally from West Africa, Water leaves are rich in Vitamin E, C , Omega 3 fatty acids, low in calories, high in fibre and are great antioxidants (to mention but a few).
I promised myself to source and cook dishes I had during my childhood, when I visited Ghana.
The main reason for visiting Ghana was to reconnect and create new memories with Mum.
Naturally, I handed my list of ingredients to Mum as we headed to Mallam Atta Market to source the ingredients. Mallam Atta Market has always been my favourite Market to source fresh ingredients and I’m particularly fond of the market ladies; I find them warm, welcoming and helpful.
This recipe is inspired by my how my Mum prepared this stew during my childhood. You can cut the leaves into pieces or use them whole as per your choosing.
Please leave comments below if you know where one can get fresh Water Leaves from in the diaspora.
INGREDIENTS
450g of Water leaves
30ml of Zomi or Palm oil
1 large Onion
1 Habanero chilli
2 tablespoonful of Shrimp powder
Half a teaspoon of ground African Nutmeg (Optional)
2 tablespoonful of blended Ginger, Onion and Aniseed
250g of blended fresh Tomatoes
500g of smoked or grilled Mackerel
150g of blended Melon seeds (Egusi/Agushi)
Salt to taste
METHOD
Watch how to prepare this delicious and creative recipe on my YouTube channel, ‘Ndudu by Fafa’ below;
Don’t forget to subscribe, like the videos, comment and share.
All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.
All I could think of were the dishes I wanted to cook, when the Captain announced we’ve arrived at Accra Kotoka International Airport.
The usual heat that embraces everyone when they get off the plane kissed my face. I run into the arms of my Mum and cousin as we chatted and drove home.
The next morning I was greeted by the crow of the neighbours Cockerel as I stretched and walked lazily into my Mums room. I decided to make Mum breakfast and settled on a savoury and spicy French toast.
We planned our day which included visiting the Market for fresh groceries and I had to grab some fresh Blue Crabs.
Blue Crabs are my absolute favourite crustacean as I grew up eating them but scared of them when they were alive. Mum giggled and challenged me to touch one whilst it was alive. That was not going to happen since I still carried that fear but enjoyed eating them. She placed them in the freezer when we got home (as it was the humane way to kill them)and for me to use later.
Mum was taken aback briefly , when I described what I would prepare, however she supported my choice❤️.
I quickly went downstairs and decided to use the coal pot to prepare this dish.
INGREDIENTS
15 Blue Crabs
40ml of water
4 Lemongrass stalks
20g of fresh Basil
Coconut oil
1 large sliced Onion
CURRY MARINADE
30g of smoked, dried Red Chillies
1 tablespoonful of Shrimp powder
4 Cloves of Garlic
15g of Ginger
1 teaspoonful of Aniseed
Method
Watch how to prepare this creative and equally delicious recipe on my YouTube channel ‘Ndudu by Fafa’ below;
Don’t forget to subscribe, like the video and share with your family and friends.
All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.
Yaji spice (which is used in making the ever popular Suya) is a peanut base dry mixed rub from West Africa (Ghana and Nigeria). It’s best used for marinating Meat, Fish, Vegetables or Poultry for the grill in making your personalised Suya.
Inspired by the Nigerian sandwich I created these bread swirls.
Imagine freshly baked Butter or Agege bread with Avocado butter, grilled Suya and Onion slices for a sandwich. You can turn this dream into a reality ooh!
Thank me later for the inspiration 😘.
Yaji (Suya) spices are readily available in most African shops and online, however you can make your own as shown below;
INGREDIENTS
1.5 teaspoonful of Salt
330g of Bread flour
7g of Yeast
1 tablespoonful of Sugar
2 tablespoonful of natural Yoghurt (optional )
Half a teaspoon of Vitamin C powder
30ml of Olive oil or 30g of butter
75ml of lukewarm water
30ml of Olive oil for rolling the dough.
60ml of water for the Oven.
SPICES
30g of Yaji (Suya) spice mix
10g of Cumin seeds (optional)
10g of Caraway seeds (optional)
Optional Onion or Garlic flour
METHOD
Watch how to prepare this recipe below on my YouTube channel, ‘Ndudu by Fafa’.
Don’t forget to subscribe, like the video and share. Try the recipe and leave comments with your feedback 😘
All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.
No sooner had I posted the picture of the Gari Fortor on my social media, did comments of 'when will the recipe be up on YouTube'? I had to quickly edit the video and uploaded it last night.
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. It's one popular staple in West Africa due to its quick nature of preparation.
Gari fortor is basically Gari mixed with a flavour packed Tomato based sauce and served alongside Waakye or on its own with ones favourite protein.
Watch how to cook the perfect Waakye on my YouTube channel
HOW TO COOK THE PERFECT WAAKYE
This is a quick recipe to make and the flavour comes from the sauce. It's imperative the sauce is packed with flavours.
Watch how to make the smoky Salsa sauce , which was used for this recipe;
Ingredients
170g of the smoky Salsa sauce
1 large Onion
4 tablespoonful of cold Water
1 tablespoon of Vegetable oil or flavoured oil from the Smoky Salsa sauce
250g of Gari
Method:
Watch how to make this decadent and equally delicious Gari Fortor below;
Don't forget to like the video if you enjoyed it, try the recipe and leave a comment with your feedback. I'll be equally grateful if you can share the video amongst your friends and family.
All photos, videos and recipes are by the owner of this blog.
Over ripened Plantains are usually used to make Tatale (spicy and savoury pancake),a savoury Plantain cake known as Ofam in Ghana and Kaklo a savoury Plantain doughnut. I decided to create something sweet this time, since most Ghanaian recipes lack variant pudding choices. Anyway, since this was an experiment (that worked), I decided to microwave it instead of baking, as I wanted to get the right texture and then proceed to bake. However the texture was perfect and I decided to share the recipe. I hope you enjoy the recipe. I'll love to hear your comments, as it encourages me and helps me develop. Don't forget to share and subscribe.
Ingredients
80g of melted butter
80g of Self raising flour (preferably the self raising sponge flour, which is finer in texture and available in Sainsburys)
I tablespoonful of Sugar (optional)
Juice of 1 Passion fruit or 20ml of milk
1 free range or Organic Eggs
1 over ripened Plantain
1 teaspoon of Vanilla extract or half a teaspoon of grated Nutmeg
Salt to taste
Method
Preheat your Oven to 180*c
Place the egg, over ripened Plantain and Vanilla extract or Nutmeg in a bowl.
Using a hand blender, blend everything into a smooth consistency.
Add the Sugar, Salt , Milk or Passion fruit juice and blend together.
Blend till smooth and add the self raising sponge flour.
Gently mix the flour into the mixture til well combined.
Microwave
Grease a mug and fill it half way with the sponge mixture. Microwave for 1.5-2 minutes, until puffed up and cooked through when you insert a skewer.
Tip
Microwaving the mixture for a few seconds more could dry the cake, hence microwave it for 30 seconds at a time till cooked
Oven
Preheat your oven to 180*c
Butter your 8x3cm muffin and pour in the cake mixture. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Insert a skewer in the middle of the cake and if it comes out clean its cooked.
Enjoy this recipe warm with a scoop of Vanilla ice cream. Find more more inspiring recipes, like this Guinea Fowl fried rice on my YouTube channel, 'Ndudu by Fafa'. Don't forget to subscribe, try the recipe, leave a comment and share.
All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog.
Homemade, shortcrust pastry is not as scary as you think, to make. Most people shy away from making their own and settle for a shop bought option. Try practising this easy to follow recipe and be creative by adding different herbs and spices. Be warned, you might just keep making your own pastry , after trying this recipe. Try the recipe, leave a comment, share with friends and family and don't forget to subscribe.
Ingredients;
Serves 8
Short crust pastry
500g of plain flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
2 large, beaten free range or organic eggs. I prefer using duck eggs for my pastry (as it makes for a lighter pastry).
250g of cubed cold butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of Thyme (Optional)
Try adding spices or herbs to the mix, for added flavour.
Sift the flour, black pepper and baking powder into a bowl.
Add the salt, cubed butter and rub between your fingers till you have a breadcrumb consistency.
Alternatively add the flour , pepper, baking powder, salt and butter to a food processor and pulse to a breadcrumb consistency. This should take less than a minute.
Add the beaten eggs to the flour to form a dough.
Please don't overwork the dough. You want it crumbly, crunchy and moist, when cooked.
As you'll notice above, the dough is crumbly and not overworked.
In the name of not overworking the dough, I cover the dough with a cling film . I scoop the contents into the cling film and roll it into a ball.
Wrap the dough in a cling film and place it in the fridge for about 45min.
'Moinmoin' is a spiced steamed bean pudding , which is synonymous with most Nigerians.
Traditionally Moinmoin is steamed in the leaves of Thaumatococcus Daniellii (an amazing fruit that turns anything sour; sweet), which lends its unique taste to the dish. The leaves are known as Waakye leaves in Ghana or Uma in Nigeria.
The process of making Moinmoin can be time consuming, as you need to soak the beans and take the skins off.
My first experience of making Moinmoin was a painful and rewarding journey. I soaked the beans overnight and painstakingly peeled the skin off each bean.
It was a time consuming experience and one I didn't ever wish to repeat.
I remember relating this experience to my Mum, and all I could hear was the echo of her laughter, quickly followed by her stern instruction of 'grab a pen and paper'.
Mum carefully explained how I needed to roughly blend the soaked beans, transfer it into a bigger bowl and add water, which will separate the skins from the beans. This quickened the peeling and eventually the cooking process.
I tried my Mums method and understood her chuckle at my expense. I've since enjoyed preparing Moinmoin using my Mums method, till I received a parcel from the Real African Food Company in 2016.
The parcel was a sample of their Moinmoin mix and a request for my honest feedback.
I gave my honest feedback on taste, texture and packaging and was so proud to see the end results. I received a few boxes in the post and knew the painstaking, peeling shenanigans of Moinmoin was over.
If you've been following me for a while, you'll notice I love twisting 'food', hence I decided to play with flavours and textures of the Moinmoin mix.
You know what? Let's make Moinmoin Scones as one does for an African inspired 'Afternoon Tea'.
Let me explain the reasoning behind the flavours. The Moinmoin mix has an earthy taste with accents of Paprika which works well with the Cheese and aromatic taste of the Rosemary.
The Moinmoin mix is gluten free as it's made from ground beans and it's a great addition to your picnics. The Moinmoin Scones can be refrigerated and used within a week. You can warm it up again in the oven either by wrapping it in foil or steam it in the oven (check method later in the recipe).
Traditionally when making Scones, one is advised against working the dough to activate the gluten in the flour. With this recipe this isn't a problem as the beans flour doesn't contain gluten.
To make this you need;
Ingredients
200g of Moinmoin mix
140g of grated Cheddar cheese
30g of grated cold butter
20g of finely chopped fresh Rosemary
1 levelled tablespoon of Baking powder
50ml of Milk or Water
1 beaten free range or organic egg
Salt to taste
To start
Pour the Moinmoin mix , salt and baking powder into a bowl. Mix everything together.
Add the grated butter and cheese
Now add the chopped fresh Rosemary
Mix everything together till you have a breadcrumb consistency, as shown below
I've used less butter for the recipe as the cheese also contains fat.
Add the milk and egg to the mixture. Using a fork mix everything together gently till well combined.
Cover the bowl with a cling film and refrigerate the mixture for about 10-15 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 180*c
When ready to cook, flour the surface of a chopping board (using the beans flour for a gluten free option)and roll the mixture out.
Tip
You can use plain flour for the surface, if you don't have any gluten allergy.
Using a round cutter, cut the Moinmoin mixture into sizeable portions.
Grease a baking tray or use a great proof paper to line your tray.
Place the tray in the middle of the oven.
Place a separate tray filled with 100ml of water at the bottom of the oven.
This will steam and bake the Scones at the same time, ensuring an even cook and a surface crust.
Bake for 25 minutes and remove from the oven.
You can enjoy the Scones either hot or cold.
This recipe works perfectly as a snack , starter or add a meaty sauce for a main dish.
All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog. Find more inspiring recipes on my YouTube channel, 'Ndudu by Fafa', like this party Jollof rice recipe. Don't forget to subscribe and share.
Tilapia is a fresh water fish, hence you find them in lakes, ponds, shallow streams etc. Mackerel, Tilapia, Herrings and Tunas are readily available in Ghana, however Tilapia is a personal favourite and for most. It's a meaty fish that grills, roasts, steams,bakes and smokes perfectly.
Tilapia when salted is known as 'Koobi', (the Ghanaian salted fish) and it's delicious when added to stews and soups. The many uses of Tilapia makes it a popular and diverse fish. Freshly caught Tilapia, marinated in spices and chargrilled is the best you could ever have.
When next in Ghana, visit the market and buy freshly caught Tilapias from the beautiful and hardworking ladies. Char grill using this recipe and thank me later.
For this recipe, I've named it 'Sukoni' infused , because I used aniseed ,(Sukoni, means Aniseed in my tribal dialect), however you can use cumin as I did in my cookery show.
Be creative and try using Cardamom, 'sparingly', as it can overpower the flavour of the fish.
Most of my recipes do suggest alternatives, however if you need
further suggestions, leave a comment below.
Tilapia
Ingredients
4 medium sized Tilapias (cleaned and gutted by your fishmonger)
50g peeled ginger cut into chunks
1 large white onion, peeled and cut into chunks
4 tablespoonfuls of olive oil / Coconut oil
1 tablespoonful of vinegar
3 green chillies
1 large clove of garlic
1 teaspoon in aniseed / cumin / anjwan seeds.
50g of Coriander (optional)
Half a teaspoon of salt
Method;
Blend the ginger, garlic, onion, aniseed, chillies and coriander into a rough paste.
Transfer the spice mixture to a bowl
Add the vinegar and olive oil and mix well.
Add half a shrimp stock cube (if you're using) and salt to taste. Please use salt sparingly, especially if you're using a stock cube.
Cumin seeds
Pre heat your grill to 180*c
Use a knife to slice the skin of the fish. (Be careful not to cut through)
Pour the marinade over the fish and rub it through every crevices.
Marinate for at least an hour in the fridge.
Remove from the fridge and leave it out for 15 minutes. This brings the fish to room temperature and encourages it to cook evenly.
This will guarantee you a nice and moist fish.
Place the fish in an oven proof dish and into the middle part of the oven.
Grill on each side for 7 minutes. If you're using a charcoal grill, oil your griddle (to avoid the fish sticking into the griddle) or better still wrap it in Banana leaves and chargrill for 6 minutes on each side.
