YAM FISH PIE

Yam is a popular tuber used in most African and Caribbean dishes. There are over 600 varieties of Yam (supposedly 95% of them are grown in Africa) and generally they have a tough brown outer later with a white or pale yellow flesh. Yams are used the same way you would potatoes and it's used in this recipe for a fish pie.

Ingredients

Serves 6

Yam Mash

300g of Yam peeled and cut into chunks 

2 tablespoons of butter

100 ml of double cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Yam

Sautéed Leek & mushrooms 

1 large finely chopped leek

1 shallot cut length ways

50g of Oyster/ Chestnut mushrooms ( optional)

Shallot and Mustard sauce

1 finely diced shallot

2 tablespoons of English mustard 

1 tablespoon of whole grain mustard

1 teaspoon of malt vinegar 

500g of mixed fish (Smoked Haddock, Cod and Salmon)

Most supermarkets stock the mixed fish.

Method 

Place your washed sliced Yam in a saucepan and add water. The water should cover the Yam completely and bring it to the boil on a medium heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes, (insert a fork to the Yam, if it permeates without any resistance, it's done).

Sliced Yam

Drain the water from the Yam (using a colander) and leave to dry for 2 minutes. 

Pass your steamed Yam through a ricer into a bowl. 

Add the butter and cream and mix well, 

Season with salt and pepper. 

Place a frying pan on a medium heat, add the olive oil and chopped leeks

Sauté the leeks for about about a minute and add the sliced shallots. Cook for another minute, add the mushrooms (optional) and cook for another minute. 

Set aside until ready to use. 

Add the sliced shallots to the frying pan previously used. 

Sauté the shallots for 2 minutes on a medium heat and remove from the heat. 

Add the sautéed onions to your Béchamel sauce (Click here for recipe) on a medium heat.

Add the English mustard and whole grain mustard to the Béchamel sauce. 

Mix well and cook for 2 minutes. Take the sauce off the heat and add the vinegar. Quickly mix everything together and leave on the side.

To assemble

Preheat your oven to 180*c.

In a casserole bowl or a clay bowl, layer the following; 

Add your sautéed leeks, your assortment of fish and your mustard sauce.

Using a piping bag or spatula, pipe your mashed Yam over the filling making sure you cover it entirely. 

Using a fork, draw lines lightly on the surface, making sure not to break the seal, as above.

Place your pie in the oven and cook for 18-25 minutes or until the surface is golden. 

Remove from the oven and leave to rest for about 5 minutes. 

Serve hot with your favourite steamed vegetables. Enjoy!

All photos are by the owner of this blog. 

PLANTAIN & SUYA CRUMBLE

In the coming weeks, find inspiring Christmas recipes on my blog with the 'Ndudu twist'. 

Ingredients are carefully selected to ensure they're readily available to everyone and alternatives are offered. 

Let's start with this easy but equally impressive nibble. 

Thinking about ways to incorporate similar but unusual flavours to traditional recipes enabled me to create this recipe. 

This recipe is inspired by 'Kelewele' (a spicy fried, cubed ripened Plantain) which is a popular street food in Ghana. 

Click here for the Kelewele recipe. 

KELEWELE

Kelewele is served with peanuts , hence the idea of making a Suya crumble(made from peanuts and African spices) to accompany the Plantain would be a match made in heaven. 

Enjoy this nutty, sweet, spicy snack and don't forget to comment and leave a feedback.  

Ingredients: 

2 large ripened , peeled Plantain cut in half and into long strips. 

100ml of Coconut oil

Herby Suya mix

15g of finely chopped fresh Oregano or your favourite herb. 

30g of finely diced spring onions 

10g of finely diced fresh Parsley 

50g of Suya mix

20g of crushed roasted peanuts

Salt and pepper to taste 

Alternatives;

 Mint, Lemon rind, Coriander or Basil

Method;

Add the Coconut oil to a frying pan, place on a medium heat for 3-4 minutes. 

Add the Plantain strips, fry for 2 minutes on each side and set aside.

Mix all the Suya ingredients (to create a herby Suya mix) together into a crumble texture and set aside.  

Toss the hot Plantain in the Suya mix and serve immediately. 

Perfect with Apple juice, Palm wine or Cider. 

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.  

MASA (Rice Crumpet)

Masa is an African crumpet originating from the Hausa tribe. Masa is  made from rice, which is fermented and fried. 

I first tasted Masa during my childhood when we hosted a family from the Hausa tribe. I loved the sweet and sour taste of this crumpet. I spoke to my Mum who gave me a sketchy recipe and my hairdresser (Hajia Fulera) for an authentic recipe. 

I have a Masa recipe already on my blog, where I added Yoghurt and the batter was lighter. 

This recipe is perfect for your Hors d'oeuvre or canapés. 

Personally, I think African ingredients are under rated as most African dishes are Gluten free , fresh, natural and nutritious. This morning, my mission was to incorporate a bit of Africa to my breakfast, so instead of normal pancakes I made 'Masa'. 

A lot of work, creativity, passion and research goes into perfecting a recipe, verifying the recipe and writing about it, as such, I love to hear your feedback.

  Ensure you try the recipe, share the page and leave a comment about your experience. This helps educating the world about African cuisines. 

Serves 4

Ingredients 

150g of uncooked rice soaked overnight or 150g of rice flour.

150g of cooked rice 

1 tablespoon of Sugar

1 teaspoon of dry yeast

Half a teaspoon of salt

120ml of lukewarm water

Half a teaspoon of bicarbonate soda or Kaun (edible potash)

Mushroom mix

Tip;

You can use any mushroom that's available. 

100g Enoki mushrooms

80g of Shimeji mushrooms

1 finely diced Banana shallots

2 finely sliced Garlic

1 deseeded and finely diced green chilli

Half a teaspoon of olive oil 

10g of fresh Thyme (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste. 

Egg filling

3 hard boiled diced eggs

1 teaspoon of English mustard

1 tablespoon of grated fresh Turmeric or half a teaspoon of dry Turmeric

1 teaspoon of grated Ginger

1 tablespoon of olive oil 

1 teaspoon of rice wine vinegar (you can use malt or white vinegar). Alternatively use 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. 

1 teaspoon of honey 

1 teaspoon of chopped chives or finely diced spring onions 

Salt and pepper to taste

Method;

Mix the lukewarm water in a cup with the yeast, sugar and Edible potash (Kaun) or use bicarbonate soda . 

Leave in a warm place for 12-15 minutes ( until it's frothy ). The timing might take longer during this cold period. 

Tip;

I warm my oven up and open the door. I leave the yeast mixture on top of the door for 15 minutes. 

In a blender add the cooked rice, uncooked rice and the yeast mixture. Blend till you have a thick silky smooth paste. 

Tip

It's imperative to use a very good blender (Vitamix) for the silky smooth texture. 

Alternatively use rice flour.

Leave the paste in a warm place for fermentation. The paste will rise with loads of bubbles.

Let the paste rise for about 10-13hrs and collapse. 

Once it's collapsed, you can add an optional (extra teaspoon of sugar) and stir. 

Place a frying pan on a medium heat. Spray with oil, scoop a tablespoon of the batter (form a nice disc) and fry for 1 minute on each side . 

Tip;

Let the batter brown perfectly before you turn it over. The batter is ready to turn when it comes off easily from the frying pan. 

Alternatively, scoop a ladle of batter to the frying pan for a large pancake size. 

Repeat this process until all the batter is fried and set aside. 

Mushroom mix

Using the same frying pan, add the teaspoon of Olive oil . 

Add the diced shallots and diced green chilli. Fry for 2 minutes on a medium heat. 

Add the Garlic and fry for 30 seconds (avoid burning the garlic)

Add the mushroom, toss the mixture together and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. The mushrooms will soften within 3 minutes. 

Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside. 

Egg filling

In a bowl add the grated Turmeric (dry turmeric), grated Ginger, Mustard, Vinegar, Honey, Olive oil, Salt and Pepper. 

Mix everything till well combined. Add the diced eggs , mushroom mix, chives and mix well. 

To serve

Top each Masa with a tablespoonful of the egg mixture and serve. 

Alternatively , serve in a large plate for as a sharing platter. 

Serve with a chilled smoothie of Pineapple and Ginger. 

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