PROPER WAAKYE STEW RECIPE - that distinctive Zongo style stew

Reminiscing about the amazing GHANA street food flavours inspired this slow cooked well spiced and flavour packed stew that’s usually served with Waakye.

Waakye is a popular Ghanaian street food dish made from Beans, Rice and Sorghum leaves which is packed with great antioxidants.

I always marvel at the creation of these incredible sauces and flavours by the respective Chefs. No stew is ever the same as each vendor has their own unique flavours. The Hausa tribe of GHANA are known for their slow cooked, well spiced flavour packed stew and I’m paying homage to them with this Fish stew. You can use any Meat of your choice for this recipe.

Please note I do not use stock cubes for my recipes, however you’re free to do so. 

Inspired by the flavours of thy Zongo (various suburbs of Ghana) stew , I present a proper Waakye stew using Ghee.

You can use any oil that you have available, particularly one that you have already used to fry the fish.

INGREDIENTS 

2 heaped tablespoonfuls of Organic Ghee (clarified Butter). You can use Groundnut oil instead.

4 large peeled and sliced Onions

1 teaspoonful of organic dried Rosemary

1 teaspoonful of a nutmeg based mixed spice

2 tablespoonfuls of Tomato purée or paste

1 teaspoonful of a clove based mixed spice

Half a teaspoon of milled white peppercorns 

1-2 Bayleaves

1kg of blended Tomato 

4-6 boiled Eggs

Salt to taste

METHOD 

Watch how to prepare this flavour packed all natural Fish stew below;

RECIPES TO TRY

How about this grilled Fish stew version?

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

THE CARROT GREEN PALAVA SAUCE OR EGUSI SOUP RECIPE

Carrot Greens (the leaves on the taproot of Carrots) are nutritious and can be used for various recipes including this West African classic Spinach Stew mixed with Melon seeds.

Carrot leaves are rich in Potassium, folate, Iron to mention but a few (full benefits in recipe video).

The taste can be compared to fresh Parsley and it’s imperative you use the Organic Carrot leaves. To make this recipe you’ll need the following ingredients;

INGREDIENTS 

350g of Carrot Greens / Kale / Spinach 

20ml of Zomi or Palm oil

3 large peeled and sliced Onions

1 diced large Tomato

200g of ground Melon seeds (Egusi)

150ml of water

1kg of smoked Basa fish / Cod / Hake/ Mackerel 

Salt to taste

SPICE BLEND

30g of Ginger

1 large Onion

3 cloves of Ginger

1 tablespoonful of Aniseed 

1 Habanero Chilli 

METHOD 

Watch how to prepare this healthy West African Carrot Green stew below;

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TO SERVE

How about a glass of the classic Ghanaian Hibiscus drink, ‘Sobolo’?

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

SOBOLO or ZOBO RECIPE- HOW TO CREATE DIFFERENT FLAVOURS

Description

‘Sobolo’ (a spice Hibiscus drink) affectionately referred to by most Ghanaians, is also known as Roselle juice, Bissap, Wonjo, Dabileni, Tsobo, Zobo in Nigeria, Sorrel in the Caribbean, Agua de Jamaica in Mexico.

Sobolo is made out of Hibiscus flowers a variety of the Roselle plant.

Recipe for Sobolo varies from country to tribes and individual preferences, hence one can be creative in its preparation. The Hibiscus flower has a tart cranberry like flavour and can be enjoyed both hot and cold.

INGREDIENTS 

HIBISCUS TEA

30g of Hibiscus leaves

20g of Orange peel

30g of Prekese (Tetrapleura Tetraptera)

5 pods of Grains of Selim (Etso/Hwentia)

3-4 dried Red Chillies (optional). Can be substituted with Ginger instead 

2 stalks of Lavender flowers (optional)

500ml of Water

Use Honey or your preferred sweetener to your personal sweetness level.

SPICY ORANGE SOBOLO

150g of Hibiscus flowers 

1kg of Pineapple skins

2 litres of Water

3 African Nutmeg (substitute with All Spice)

10 Grains of Selim stalks (Hwentia/Etso)

1 levelled tablespoonful of Cloves

50g of chopped fresh Ginger 

10 dried Red Chillies (reduce their amount to suit your palette)

1 tablespoonful of Alligator/ Guinea peppers (optional)

Orange and Pineapple syrup (yet again you can use any sweetener for this recipe)

1 teaspoonful of Salt 

AROMATIC SOBOLO RECIPE 

1kg of Pineapple skins

2 litres of Water

3 African Nutmeg (substitute with All Spice)

10 Grains of Selim stalks (Hwentia/Etso)

1 levelled tablespoonful of Cloves

50g of chopped fresh Ginger 

10 dried Red Chillies (reduce their amount to suit your palette)

3-4 Lemongrass stalks

1 tablespoonful of Vanilla Bean Extract

1 Cinnamon stalk

50g of Palm Sugar (Jaggery. You can use any sweetener to your personal preference.

1 teaspoonful of Salt

120g of Hibiscus flowers 

TO SERVE 

500g of Ice Cubes

Mint leaves 

Lavender flowers 

Orange peels 

METHOD 

Watch the amazing and different ways to add flavours to your Hibiscus/Sobolo/Zobo drink below; 

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

THE PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN RECIPE

In the 3rd episode of my Perfect Chicken recipes series, I share my hacks on how I achieve a moist and perfectly roasted Chicken. 

The first episode covered 'Washing your Chicken'; ‘How to Brine your Chicken’ for more flavour was covered in the second episode. Video links have left below for your convenience.

INGREDIENTS 

1.2kg of a whole Organic or Free Range Chicken

1 litre of lukewarm water

5-10 Organic Carrots (keep the leaves as they can be used for various recipes - coming soon)

2-3 tablespoonful of Honey

1 tablespoonful of whole AllSpice

1 teaspoonful of freshly milled Black Peppercorns 

4 Bay leaves 

30g of Tarragon (you can substitute it with a tablespoonful of Aniseed or 1 teaspoonful of Caraway seeds)

2 Sprigs of Lavender flowers (optional)

20 unpeeled Garlic Cloves

4 tablespoonful of Olive oil

30g of Butter

250ml of White Wine / Prosecco / Palm Wine

500ml of Chicken stock (I omitted this as I roasted my Chicken in a ClayPot, which traps in all the juices of the Chicken)

5 large peeled whole Shallots( in the absence of Shallots you can increase the amount of normal Onions you use)

2 large peeled whole Onions 

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR CHICKEN

SPICES & HERBS FOR THE BRINE

1 Habanero Chilli 

1 tablespoonful of whole AllSpice

1 tablespoonful of whole Black Peppercorns 

4 Bay leaves 

30g of Tarragon (you can substitute it with a tablespoonful of Aniseed or 1 teaspoonful of Caraway seeds)

HOW MAKE YOUR CHICKEN BRINE

NOTES

• Use the herbs and spices in the Brine when roasting your Chicken
• Cook the Chicken for 20 minutes (breast side up), then turn it over and roast for a further 30 minutes). 
• Your cooking time depends on the weight of your Chicken
• Use a thermometer to check the temperature of thickest part of the Chicken. Its should read a minimum of 75*c
• Serve your Chicken with any vegetables of your choosing
• Please don't forget to like the video and leave your comments below. 

METHOD

Watch how to prepare the perfectly moist Chicken below; 

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

CHICKEN BRINE RECIPE

‘Brining’ is a process of tenderising and adding flavours to your Meat, Poultry, Fish and Seafood.

This recipe centres on Chicken as a main ingredient.

I’m currently writing a piece about ‘Why you shouldn’t and How to wash your Chicken’. A culturally sensitive piece that requires an in-depth view.

I have shared an overview of this in the video below;

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In the second episode of my ‘Chicken series’, I talk about Brining of your Chicken where you’ll need the following ingredients;

1.2kg of a whole Organic or Free Range Chicken

1 litre of lukewarm water

1 Habanero Chilli 

1 tablespoonful of whole AllSpice

1 tablespoonful of whole Black Peppercorns 

4 Bay leaves 

200g of Kosher Salt

200g of Sugar

30g of Tarragon (you can substitute it with a tablespoonful of Aniseed or 1 teaspoonful of Caraway seeds)

The above ingredients were carefully selected to represent both the African and Caribbean heritage with a touch of a ‘diasporan’ diversity.

METHOD 

Watch how to prepare this African and Caribbean inspired Chicken Brine below;

How about lessons on how to use spices? Full recipe link below 👇🏾

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

GLUTEN FREE PEANUT PORRIDGE RECIPE

During a conversation with a sister friend of mine, she indicated she’d just made a bowl of Peanut Butter porridge. She enthused about how delicious it was and her favourite ‘go to’,  Autumn porridge.

Interestingly enough, most of my recipe creations rely heavily on these type of conversations as I pick up on the warm, fuzzy feeling some dishes emanates.

TOM BROWN RECIPE 

Secondly Tom Brown (a Ghanaian Roasted Corn porridge) happens to be a favourite of another great friend of mine. In paying homage to great friends I decided to combine their two favourite dishes together for this recipe.

I have used Peanut flour for this recipe as it has less fat content , however you can use fresh Peanuts or Peanut butter  instead.

The Jamaican Peanut Porridge uses fresh Peanuts for this recipe.

HEALTH BENEFITS 

Peanut flour contains 40-50% of protein as most of its fat is extracted.

Peanut flour contains;

Folate, which helps convert carbohydrates into energy, produce both red and white blood cells, DNA and RNA. It’s also known as Vitamin B-9 and perfect for pregnant women.

Zinc promotes a healthy immune system, reduces the duration and severity of Colds and helps reduce diarrhoea 

Potassium & Magnesium which helps maintain normal blood pressure 

Fiber which helps prevent constipation, a healthy weight and lowering your risk of diabetes 

Phosphorus helps filter waste and repairs tissues and cells in your body. It’s also keeps your bones strong and healthy.

Please note high or low levels of Phosphorus in your body can cause medical complications 

Niacin - A Vitamin prescribed for its heart protecting qualities 

Peanut flour contains Arginine which helps open up blood vessels to improve blood flow

The above reasons influenced my choice of using Peanut flour for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS 

150g of Roasted Corn flour

150g of Peanut flour or 2 tablespoonfuls of Peanut Butter 

350ml of Water

Quarter of a teaspoon of Cinnamon powder or 1 Cinnamon stalk

A pinch of freshly grated Nutmeg

100ml of Coconut milk or your preferred milk

Salt and Sugar to taste

METHOD 

Watch how to prepare this healthy and filling Peanut porridge below;

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RECIPES TO TRY

GRILLED FIG RECIPE

A visit to my local grocer yielded amazing results as I bought Black Grapes, Heirloom Tomatoes, Watermelon, Yam, Plantain, Mushrooms, Padron Peppers and of course a box of Figs.

The Grocer echoed Figs were in season and I had to try a box (which he sold for £3.00).

BENEFITS 

*Great antioxidant 

*High in soluble fibre which keeps you fuller for longer

* Natural laxative 

*Rich in Potassium which lowers blood pressure 

*Contains prebiotics which promotes good bacteria in the gut

*Good source of calcium 

INGREDIENTS 

6 quartered whole Figs

6 slices of Salami/ Prosciutto 

6 diced Mozzarella / Goats cheese

2 tablespoonfuls of Honey

A pinch of Lavender flowers (optional)

A pinch of Aniseed 

Mint flowers (optional)

2 tablespoonfuls of Garlic infused Olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

METHOD 

Watch how to prepare this quick and equally tasty Grilled Fig recipe below;

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RECIPES TO TRY👇🏾

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