DECONSTRUCTED BAKED WAAKYE

Serves 8

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 1hr

Waakye

Ingredients; 

600g black-eyed beans soaked overnight 

800ml of water

300g of washed brown Ghanaian rice,

1 teaspoon of salt

600ml of coconut milk.

3 tablespoons of Coconut oil

3 tablespoonfuls, of blended green chillies and shallot paste (Blend 10 green chillies and 1 large shallot together). 

Method;

In a clay or casserole pot, add the soaked beans, 800ml of water and place on a medium heat. 

Cook the beans for 25 minutes and pre heat your oven to 200*c

Add the washed brown rice, coconut milk, coconut oil, chilli paste, salt and pepper. Mix everything together, cover with the lid and place in the pre heated oven for 25-35 minutes. 

Tip:

You can add Kaun (edible potash) to the beans for a quicker cooking time. 

Baked Lamb

Prep time: 25min

Cooking Time: 1hr 30 min

Ingredients

1kg shoulder or leg of arm, cut into chunks. 

3 cloves of Garlic

10 green chillies. 

2 Onions

30g of Ginger

Cumin seeds

Shrimp stock cube

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

Pre heat your oven to 200*c

Blend the Garlic, Ginger, Chillies, Onions, Cumin seeds and shrimp stock together to as paste. 

In a bowl, marinade the Lamb with the spice mix for at least an hour. 

Transfer the Lamb to a clay pot or casserole dish, cover with its lid and bake for about an hour and a half. Separate the meat and stock and set aside. 

Waakye Stew

Prep time: 25min

Cooking Time: 42 min 

Ingredients

1kg of blended tomatoes 

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

Blend 1 shallot and 10 green chillies together

Blend 1 shallot, 2 cloves of garlic and 30g of Ginger together

2 large sliced Onions

1 large sliced onion set aside

150ml of Groundnut / Sunflower / Coconut oil

1 optional shrimp stock cube

20g of chopped coriander

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

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

Add the sliced onions and fry for 4 - 5 minutes.  

Add 3 tablespoons of the green chilli paste and the Ginger mix together. 

Fry for about 5-6minutes, until it turns into a marmalade texture. 

Add the tomato purée and cook till it turns into a paste. This should take about 5-6 minutes. 

Add the blended tomatoes and shrimp stock. Stir till well combined; reduce the heat to a low setting and cook for 25 minutes, by which time the sauce has reduced by half. 

Add the Lamb stock and cook for a further 2 minutes. Turn the heat off; add the sliced onions and coriander. Stir and set aside. 

Tip:

Cook for a further 15 minutes, constantly stirring, if you want a darker and richer sauce. 

Fried Fish

Prep time: 20 min

Cooking Time: 18 minutes

Ingredients; 

8 mediums sized (Sea Bream/Red Snapper/Sea Bass) cleaned, gutted and cut in half, by your fishmonger. 

Flour

1 litre of Sunflower oil

Salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste

Method

Tip: For a crispy skinned, fried fish, wipe the fish with a kitchen paper towel (to get rid of any moisture), add salt to the skin and leave to rest for 5 minutes before frying. The use of flour also helps with achieving a crispy-fired fish. 

Add the oil to a frying pan or wok and place on a medium heat. 

Add the flour, salt and black pepper to a bowl and set aside. 

Test the oil is hot, by adding a tiny cube of bread; if the bread sizzles, the oil is ready. 

Toss each fish in flour, till it's completely covered (shake off any excess flour) and carefully drop it into the hot oil. (Please take all necessary precautions, when dealing with hot oil). 

Fry on each side for 3 minutes and remove it from the oil. Place the fish on a Kitchen blotting paper (to absorb any excess oil). 

Tip

Ensure the oil is hot at (180*c or 350 degrees Fahrenheit) for a crispy, perfectly fried fish. If the oil is too hot the fish will burn and if it's not hot enough it will absorb the oil. 

Basil oil

Ingredients;

300g of fresh basil

Half a teaspoon of Sauvignon Blanc vinegar or malt vinegar. 

Half a teaspoon of salt

500ml of olive oil, (please don't use extra virgin olive oil) as it has a stronger taste and might over power the basil. 

Method 

Wash your Basil under cold water. 

Boil your kettle with water and pour the hot water in a bowl. 

Dip the basil with stalks into the hot water for 30 seconds. 

Remove the basil from the hot water and quickly dip it into ice-cold water for about 2 minutes. 

Squeeze the water from the basil and place it in a blender. 

Add the oil, vinegar and salt 

Blend into a smooth mixture. 

Using a muslin cloth and a smooth colander, placed over a bowl, pour the basil mixture into the muslin covered colander. 

Leave it to gently strain (it can take up to 12 hrs) and discard the chaff. 

Pour your basil scented oil in a mason jar and refrigerate. 

Scented Gari Fortor

Ingredients 

200g of Gari

75 ml of cold water

50ml of the basil oil

Salt and pepper to taste.

Method

In a bowl, add the Gari, salt, water and mix well. Add the basil oil, pepper and mix till well combined. 

Spaghetti (Talia)& Boiled Egg

Ingredients

100g of spaghetti

1 teaspoonful of salt

400ml of water

Method

Depending on the type of Spaghetti you purchase (dry or fresh), follow the instructions on the package. 

Place your egg in a saucepan, cover with water and cook for 3-5 minutes (depending on how you like your eggs cooked). The lesser time of cooking produces a runnier the yolk. 

Once your spaghetti is cooked, add a tablespoon of your Waakye stew and egg.  Mix till well combined and you're ready to serve. 

To serve; 

Serve in a banana leaf / plate or slate as below.

Enjoy!

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

BUKA JOLLOF RICE WITH LAMB KLEFTICO

Enjoying a lovely cup of Robois tea, listening to jazz fm , and thinking of what to make for lunch. The idea of creating a new recipe, by experimenting gets me excited. A quick dash to my fridge and larder helped my decision on making Buka Jollof rice with Lamb Kleftiko.

 Buka is a slow cooking rich tomato, Palm oil and pepper stew, synonymous with Nigerians.

My previous post has the recipe for Buka stew, which is the base for this recipe.

The secret to a perfect Jollof rice is to use less water, cook gently on a low heat and allow the rice to cook in it's own steam, something a clay pot with  it's lid offers. Alternatively you can bake it in a casserole dish or use any sauce pan, kitchen foil and a tight lid to seal the steam.

Kleftiko, (stolen Lamb) is a Greek way of slow cooking lamb in herbs in a sealed earthenware pot. This process allows the lamb to cook in it's own juices with an end result of moist, tender and tasty lamb. A casserole dish with foil and it's lid will also work for the lamb. 

Ingredients 

Serves 6

Jollof rice 

3 ladles of Buka stew

2 cups of long grain rice or basmati rice washed and soaked for 15 minutes. I like to soak my rice as this takes some of the starch away ( a secret process to get fluffy and separated rice) and cuts your cooking time in half.

1 cup of chicken, vegetarian  or beef stock.

Salt to taste

Ingredients

Serves 6

Lamb Kleftiko 

1kg of diced leg of lamb (get your butcher to cut into your preferred cubed size)

20g of ginger

1 teaspoon of oregano and thyme

2 medium sized onions

1 clove of garlic\

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 whole habanero chilli

1 vegetable or Ham stock cube.

Salt and pepper to taste

Method (Jollof rice)

Place a clay pot on a medium heat and add the Buka stew.

Once warmed through add the washed and soaked rice and mix well. 

Cook the rice and sauce for about 10 minutes making sure you stir to avoid any burns. Once the rice is coated in the Buka stew, add your preferred stock. 

Stir and cover with the pot's lid or if using a saucepan cover with the foil and lid. 

Turn the heat down and cook gently for half an hour. 

Remove from the heat and leave the rice to steam in it's own juices for a further 10 minutes.

Your Jollof rice will be fluffy and El dente ( having a slight bite), and ready to serve. 

Method(Lamb Kleftiko)

In a blender add the ginger, garlic, chilli, oregano, thyme and your preferred stock cube. Add a little of water and blend to a thick paste. 

Add the mixture and lemon juice to the lamb and mix well.

Marinade the lamb in the fridge for a minimum of 4hrs or preferably overnight. 

Add a tablespoon of olive oil in your clay pot, place on a high heat and brown your lamb for about 5 minutes, turning frequently

Preheat your oven to 180*c 

Place your clay pot of lamb in the oven and cook for 40 minutes. 

Once cooked remove from the oven and leave it to rest for 5 minutes. 

Separate the lamb from it's juices to a bowl. Add the lamb juices to the Jollof rice and mix well. 

Then add the lamb pieces and mix well. Pour the rice in a serving bowl with your preferred salad. 

Watch with amusement as everyone will be rushing to get their fair portion of meat and  rice. Enjoy!

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