HOW TO MAKE AN AUTHENTIC PEANUT ABOM RECIPE (NKATIE ABOM)

 After making the Spinach Abom recipe, I decided to try my hands in the Peanut version. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS 

1 large charred Tomato 

2 medium sized Shallots or Onions

1 Habanero Chilli or 10 Pettie Belle Chillies (Kpakposhito) or any Chilli you have available 

50g of roasted Peanuts or  2 tablespoonfuls of Peanut butter / Groundnut paste

100g of boiled Salted Fish (to get rid of the excess Salt)

4 tablespoonfuls of spiced Palm Oil (Zomi)

1 tin Sardine in oil (optional)

2 boiled Eggs (optional)

4 chopped Green chilled for garnishing (optional)

Salt to taste

SPINACH ABOM RECIPE 

TO SERVE

Best served with boiled Green or Ripened Plantain, Cocoyam or Yam.

METHOD 

Watch how to prepare this authentic Ghanaian Peanut stew below;

Don’t forget to subscribe, try the recipe, like the video, leave a comment with your thoughts and share. 

Watch all the various Abom recipes below;

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

THE PERFECT GROUNDNUT SOUP RECIPE (NKATIE KWAN)

I urge every Ghanaian to promote Ghana positively to the rest of the world and support more local businesses. Whilst you're deliberating on how to show your support, why not enjoy this classic Ghanaian recipe.  In paying homage to a classic Ghanaian Sunday lunch, enjoy this Groundnut soup recipe with either 'Omo Tuo' (steamed rice balls), boiled Yam, Cocoyam, Plantain or Fufu. 

 

Groundnut soup is one of the best tasting Ghanaian dishes and its versatility with what one accompanies it with, makes it a firm favourite in most Ghanaian homes.

I've used a mixture of Peanut and Almond butter to make this dish before and it was incredible. I'll share that recipe soon.

I've also noticed the addition of cooked black eyed beans,boiled eggs, various vegetables etc been served alongside the dish. Inspired by adding a touch of colour I served mine with steamed Okra. 

The Groundnut or Peanut butter soup can be made with Chicken, Lamb, Mutton, Goat, Beef, Fish or Vegetables. Be creative and enjoy this recipe. 

 Nigerians refer to the rice balls as 'Tuwon Shinkafa' and the similarities of ingredients for both countries(Ghana & Nigeria) fills me with intrigue, even though different methods of cooking are involved.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Spiced Groundnut paste

400g of Peanut butter / Groundnut paste

1 large fresh Tomatoes

1 medium onion

20g of peeled Ginger

600ml of water / stock

Soup

2 litres of Chicken stock

1 Habanero chilli or Scotch Bonnet

1 large red Onion

2 medium tomatoes

2 tablespoons of Tomato purée 

12 steamed Okra (heads and tails cut off)

Chicken

1.4 kg of Chicken, cut into sizeable chunks. 

30g of freshly peeled Ginger

2 cloves of Garlic

1 large onion

3 Green Chillies 

100ml of water

1 Habanero chilli / Scotch Bonnet.

Rice

350g of ground rice or rice flour 

150g of rice

800ml of water

1 teaspoon of salt

Method: 

Spicy Peanut butter paste;

In a blender add the Peanut paste, Ginger, Onion, Tomatoes and stock or water. 

Blend everything together till smooth. Transfer the contents to a saucepan and place on a medium heat. 

Cook gently for 30 - 45  minutes, stirring frequently or till you have a thick and oily paste. (see below)

Chicken

Blend together the Ginger, Onion, Garlic and Green chillies together. 

Marinade the Chicken with the Ginger and chilli mix for at least an hour. 

Transfer the marinated Chicken into a saucepan and place on a medium heat.

 Add the whole Scotch Bonnet and steam the Chicken in its own juices for 10 minutes, on a low heat. 

Add 100 ml of water and cook for a further 5 minutes and set aside. 

Soup

Add 1 litre of Chicken stock to the spicy peanut paste and mix till well combined. 

Using a fine strainer, pass the spicy peanut mixture through into a saucepan and place on a medium heat. 

Add the tomato paste and mix well. 

Add the 2 medium tomatoes , Scotch bonnet and red onion. 

Cook gently on a medium heat for 30 minutes or until the onion and tomatoes are soft. 

Remove the tomatoes, onion, chilli and place in a blender 

Add the remaining litre of Chicken stock and blend to a smooth consistency. 

Pass the tomato mixture through the fine strainer into the Peanut soup. 

Cook the soup gently (still on a medium heat) for 10 minutes. 

Add the steamed Chicken to the soup and cook further for 10-15 minutes. 

 Tip:

The soup is done when the peanut oil settles on the surface

Rice:

Mix the rice , salt and water in a saucepan and place on a medium heat. 

Place the lid over the saucepan and steam the rice for 25 minutes, on a medium heat. 

Tip:

The texture of the rice ball should be moist and firm. 

Using a wooden spoon, stir the rice mixture to release the starch of the rice. 

The rice is done once it's soft to taste. 

Scoop a ladle of the rice into a bowl and shape into a ball. (See above).                

   

To serve

Scoop 3 ladles of the peanut butter soup into a bowl, add a rice ball or Fufu, some chicken pieces and the optional steamed Okra. 

Best served with a chilled beer or Riesling wine. 

Find more inspiring recipes, like this grilled Peri Peri Chicken on my YouTube channel, 'Ndudu by Fafa' and don't forget to subscribe and share. 

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

BAKED LAMB SHANKS IN PEANUT SAUCE

This recipe was created by accident (even though the inspiration came from the Ghanaian  Groundnut soup) and I'm excited to share it. 

It started off with a blend of Ginger, Aniseed and Pimenton , which was used to marinade the Lamb Shanks overnight. 

There are days when I just don't feel like cooking (which means I find an easy dish to make, even if it's time consuming). The idea of a one pot dish was appealing, as it meant there would be less washing and I could relax.

I realised I had run out of stock (I prefer to make my own) and I had to think of a substitute. I found half a bottle of Peanut butter and the idea of the sauce was created. 

I served this dish with Jasmine rice , which was the best decision ever. Hmm 😋😋

Enjoy!

Serves 4

Preparation time  10 minutes

Cooking time       2hrs 20 min

Ingredients 

4 Lamb shanks

30g Ginger 

150g of Groundnut or Peanut paste

3 large shallots/Red/White onions (I omitted this, as I'm following a FODMAP diet).

1 teaspoon of aniseed 

1 teaspoon of Pimenton (smoked Paprika) 

1 tablespoon of crayfish powder

4 chopped spring Onions

1 habanero chilli

1 large Tomato

30g of roughly chopped Parsley. 

1 tablespoon of Coconut oil

250g of Jasmine rice

280ml of water

Salt to taste

Method 

Blend the Ginger, 2 Shallots , Pimenton and Aniseed into a smooth paste.

Rub the spice blend over the Lamb shanks , place in a bowl with a lid and marinade overnight in the fridge.

Pre heat your oven to 180*c, remove the Lamb from the fridge and bring to room temperature.

 Pour the contents into a deep clay pot or casserole dish and place in the oven. Increase the heat to 200*c and bake for 20 minutes. 

Add the Peanut butter, the remaining shallot/Onion and Tomato to a blender. Add 1 litre of water and blend to silky smooth consistency. 

Take the Lamb out of the oven and pour the blended spiced Peanut mix into the dish. 

Cover your Claypot or Casserole dish and place it back in the oven. 

Reduce the heat to 180*c and bake for 1hr. 

Using an Oven glove, take the Lamb out of the oven,add the crayfish powder, stir and place it back in the oven.  

Tip

(This ensures the Lamb absorbs the sauce and its moist, when cooked). 

 Cook the Lamb for another hour. 

20 minutes before the Lamb is cooked, start preparing the rice (see below).

Jasmine Rice

Wash the rice till the water runs clear. 

Melt the Coconut oil in a saucepan on a medium heat. 

Add the washed rice, fry and stir constantly for about 3 minutes 

Add the water and stir.

Let the rice boil, 

Turn the heat to the lowest setting, 

Cover with a scrunched up baking or greaseproof paper (this will trap the steam). Cover with the lid and leave the rice to cook for 18-20mins

Remove the Lamb from the oven carefully (with an oven glove)and add the chopped spring Onions and Parsley. Stir and leave to rest for about 10 minutes. 

Check the rice as it should be cooked by now. 

To serve

Scoop a portion of the Jasmine rice into a deep bowl, add the sauce to the side, sit a Lamb shank on the sauce and sprinkle with your preferred herbs.

 Best served with homemade Lemonade or a dry white wine. 

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

PEANUT BUTTER SOUP

On the 'Ndudu by Fafa' cookery show on ABNTV, Sky 235 this week, I paid homage to a classic Ghanaian Sunday lunch 'Omo Tuo', which is 'Rice balls' usually served with Peanut butter soup 'Nkatie Kwan', Palmnut soup or a mixture of both. 

I've also noticed the addition of cooked black eyed beans, served alongside the dish, as I serve mine with steamed Okra. 

The peanut butter soup can be made with Chicken, Lamb, Goat, Beef, Fish or Vegetables. 

On set

 Nigerians refer to the rice balls as 'Tuwon Shinkafa' and the similarities of ingredients for both countries(Ghana & Nigeria) fills me with intrigue, even though different methods of cooking are involved. 

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Spiced Peanut paste

400g of Peanut butter / Groundnut paste

1 large fresh Tomatoes

1 medium onion

20g of peeled Ginger

600ml of water / stock

Soup

2 litres of Chicken stock

1 Habanero chilli or Scotch Bonnet

1 large red Onion

2 medium tomatoes

2 tablespoons of Tomato purée 

12 steamed Okra (heads and tails cut off)

Chicken

1.4 kg of Chicken, cut into sizeable chunks. 

30g of freshly peeled Ginger

2 cloves of Garlic

1 large onion

3 Green Chillies 

100ml of water

1 Habanero chilli / Scotch Bonnet.

Rice

350g of ground rice or rice flour 

150g of rice

800ml of water

1 teaspoon of salt

Method: 

Spicy Peanut butter paste;

In a blender add the Peanut paste, Ginger, Onion, Tomatoes and stock or water. 

Blend everything together till smooth. Transfer the contents to a saucepan and place on a medium heat. 

Cook gently for 30 - 45  minutes, stirring frequently or till you have a thick and oily paste. (see below)

Chicken

Blend together the Ginger, Onion, Garlic and Green chillies together. 

Marinade the Chicken with the Ginger and chilli mix for at least an hour. 

Transfer the marinated Chicken into a saucepan and place on a medium heat.

 Add the whole Scotch Bonnet and steam the Chicken in its own juices for 10 minutes, on a low heat. 

Add 100 ml of water and cook for a further 5 minutes and set aside. 

Soup

Add 1 litre of Chicken stock to the spicy peanut paste and mix till well combined. 

Using a fine strainer, pass the spicy peanut mixture through into a saucepan and place on a medium heat. 

Add the tomato paste and mix well. 

Add the 2 medium tomatoes , Scotch bonnet and red onion. 

Cook gently on a medium heat for 30 minutes or until the onion and tomatoes are soft. 

Remove the tomatoes, onion, chilli and place in a blender 

Add the remaining litre of Chicken stock and blend to a smooth consistency. 

Pass the tomato mixture through the fine strainer into the Peanut soup. 

Cook the soup gently (still on a medium heat) for 10 minutes. 

Add the steamed Chicken to the soup and cook further for 10-15 minutes. 

 Tip:

The soup is done when the peanut oil settles on the surface

Rice:

Mix the rice , salt and water in a saucepan and place on a medium heat. 

Place the lid over the saucepan and steam the rice for 25 minutes, on a medium heat. 

Tip:

The texture of the rice ball should be moist and firm. 

Using a wooden spoon, stir the rice mixture to release the starch of the rice. 

The rice is done once it's soft to taste. 

Scoop a ladle of the rice into a bowl and shape into a ball. (See above)

                            

   

To serve

Scoop 3 ladles of the peanut butter soup into a bowl, add a rice ball, some chicken pieces and the optional steamed Okra. 

Best served with a chilled beer or Riesling wine. 

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