MAKE YOUR OWN SUYA SPICE MIX

I spent last night, thinking of ways to make, the best dry, natural Suya spice mix and decided to get some spices in the morning. After spending an hour  carefully selecting the best of ingredients, I left the shop empty handed as I'd left my purse at home. On my drive back home (as I made the decision not to return) I decided on improvising with the limited ingredients I had. 

 

Suya spice mix is a Peanut based spice mix which is popular in West Africa and used for most barbecues. It's best used with Goat meat or Beef, however it works with poultry and Vegetables as well.

When the Suya spice mix is used to marinate Meat, then chargrilled , it gives the dish a nutty and smoky taste; coupled with the added crunch from the Onions and Green peppers when added. 

Suya spice mix is readily available in most African grocers and online. 

 Find more creative ways of using Suya based recipes, here on my blog.

 

 

Suya spice mix originates from the Hausa's in both Ghana and Nigeria (known as Yaji in Hausa. Suya spice mix recipe varies from person to person, as the original recipe is fiercely guarded. This is my version which I created with the limited ingredients I had. I now have 2 different textured Suya spice mix, one for marinating and grilling and the other as a topping. Be inspired and try adding different herbs to your mix. 

Suya

Ingredients;

300g of roasted Peanuts

20g of organic powered Ginger 

20g of garlic powder 

20g of onion powder

1 teaspoon of blended red chilli

1 tablespoon of smoked paprika 

5 strands of negro peppers

2 African nutmegs

1 tablespoon of carom seeds (optional)

1 Bouillon cube (optional)

Method;

Watch how to make Suya 

Using a pestle and a mortar grind the peanuts into a crumbly texture (as shown below) making sure it doesn't turn into a paste.

In a clean kitchen towel, add your smoothly crushed peanuts and cover completely. 

The next step is to extract as much oil from the peanuts. In a frying pan, warm the peanuts to release some of the oils (this should take about 5 minutes on a medium heat). Pour the warmed peanuts into a kitchen towel.

Place a heavy item on the peanuts for the oil extraction ( you can use a chopping board, a cast iron pan or a stone mortar). 

Remove the heavy item after a few hours. Transfer the peanuts to another clean kitchen towel. 

Cover the peanut crumble in the kitchen towel and place a heavy item of your choice on top. 

Leave this for about 3 hours and you'll have a drier peanut crumble. 

Set the peanut aside until later. 

I had to make my own ginger and onion powder for the mix, as I decided to improvise (after my shopping disappointment), however it's easier to get them from the shops. 

I loved the smell of ginger permeating the house and not so about the onions. 

If you wish to make your own powdered onion and ginger, use a mandolin cutter and thinly slice your ginger and onions. 

Use a kitchen towel to squeeze the moist from your onions. Preheat your oven to 110*c and cook for an hour. Remove from the oven, leave to completely cool down and then blend into a powder.

From the top left, Peanut, Dry onions, Dry ginger, Paprika, Red chillies, Grains of selim, African nutmeg and garlic powder 

Toast your Grains of Selim, African nutmegs and Carom seeds (optional) for about 2 minutes. Remove the seeds from the Grains of Selim and discard and reserve it's stalk.  

From the top left, Peanut, Dry onions, Dry ginger, Carom seeds, Paprika, Red chillies, Grains of selim, African nutmeg and Garlic powder 

Add everything apart from the peanuts into a blender and mix to a smooth powder. Add 200g of the peanut crumble and pulse till well combined. 

Divide your Suya spice mix in two and add the remaining 100g of peanut crumble to one part. The smooth Suya mix is idle for grilling etc and the other works perfectly as a topping. 

Reserve in an airtight container or mason jar and it should keep for 6 months. 

Suya is best with Meat, Chicken and Vegetables. A great marinade and rub for your barbecues and grills. 

 

There are recipes on this blog and YouTube channel, 'Ndudu by Fafa' ,where Suya has been used. 
Beef fried rice , Suya Fillet of Beef, Suya & Thyme Chicken Wings

Watch how I made Suya curry, on ITV, This Morning.

Be inspired to try the recipe and leave comments with your feedback.

All photos are by the owner of this blog. 

HAUSA KOKO RECIPE

 

Sugar? I declined the offer as the beautiful lady begun filling a small plastic bag with the silky and creamy porridge 'Hausa Koko'.  She span the tip of the bag and made a tight knot, as she placed the porridge and freshly fried Koose wrapped in paper into a carrier bag. She handed me over my purchases whilst asking the next customer, how much they wanted to purchase? 

This is a normal occurrence when purchasing 'Hausa Koko' in Ghana, as it's a communal affair. You'll find most mornings (just like in most cities), people rushing to work and their demand for a quicker service; hence when one requests a big order, it does cause irritation and there's no room for indecisiveness. 

In most places, you'll find customers enjoying their bowl of the porridge in a Calabash, as they bite into the fried spiced bean fritters, 'Koose' or 'Akara' that accompanies the porridge.

 

Most Ghanaian dishes are gluten free, alkaline and Hausa Koko is no exception. 

Hausa Koko is a popular Ghanaian, street food porridge made from Millet (Bajra seeds) and spices. As the name suggests, it's synonymous with the Hausa's of Ghana and it's readily available across the country. Achieving the perfect consistency, texture and creaminess of the porridge can be daunting and it puts people off from making it at home. This recipe will inspire you to make it at home. 

Traditionally, the porridge is made using indirect heat, available on my YouTube channel, 'Ndudu by Fafa'. The recipe omitted the African Nutmeg and included a few red chillies, as I used what I had available. 

Another recipe requires hot boiling water, been added to the smooth Millet paste and stired till thickened. I find that process delivers a somewhat raw taste to the porridge , which isn't pleasant. 

I prefer this recipe as it's quicker , takes the raw taste away and you achieve the silky, smooth and creamy consistency of Hausa Koko without the use of cream or milk.

 

Millet (Bajra seeds) are alkaline, which means it's easy to digest.  It hydrates your colon, it's gluten free, helps lower and  maintain a good cholesterol level (Vitamin B3) , a good source of protein to mention but a few. 

You can find Millet seeds from most African and Asian grocers across the U.K. 

 

The spices used for the porridge gives the porridge its distinctive flavour. The inclusion of the said spices adds warmth and an aromatic flavour to the dish. In the absence of Guinea Peppers, Grains of Selim and the African Nutmeg, use 1 red chilli, 10 Cloves and Ginger instead. Let's start cooking...

Ingredients 

200g of Millet soaked overnight 

20g of peeled Ginger

8 Cloves

1 teaspoonful of Black Peppercorns 

2 African Nutmegs

1 teaspoonful of Guinea Peppers or 2 small Red Chillies 

400ml of water

Half a teaspoon of salt

 

Method 

Wash the Millet under cold water in a colander and transfer it into a blender.

Add the Cloves, Ginger, Guinea peppers, African Nutmeg, Black Peppercorns and Water  to the Millet.  Blend everything into a silky smooth consistency.

Using a colander, strain the chaff out of the Millet smoothie into a bowl. Rinse the chaff with an extra 50ml of water into the bowl.

Leave the Millet juice to settle in the bowl for a minimum of an hour or preferably overnight for a slight fermentation. 

 

Carefully strain the water off the settled Millet juice into a saucepan, leaving the Millet paste aside. 

Bring the Millet water to a rigorous boil and set the heat to the lowest setting. 

Using a wooden spatula, stir the Millet water gently and add the Millet paste. Stir vigorously for 2 minutes and take the saucepan off the heat.

REPEATED TIP

The porridge traditionally is made using indirect heat, which you can find on my YouTube channel, 'Ndudu by Fafa'. 

Another recipe only requires hot boiling water added to the smooth Millet paste, which sometimes has a raw taste. 

I prefer this recipe as it's quicker and you achieve the silky, smooth and creamy nature of Hausa Koko. 

 

For a lighter consistency, add about 70ml of hot water and continue to stir further. 

Cover the saucepan with its lid to trap in the heat for about 5 minutes. Stir the porridge which should have thicken up by this stage and serve immediately with Koose or Pinkaso. 

 

Find more inspiring recipes 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. 

MINI RING DOUGHNUT RECIPE

Close your eyes! Think about that gratifying feeling you get when you sink your teeth into a hot sugar coated ring doughnuts, the softness, the lightness and a sip of a cold milk shake...Did I just describe an over indulgent episode . Open your eyes, head straight for the Kitchen and lets start cooking.

 

Ingredients 

250g of Plain flour

20g of butter

7g of yeast

2 tablespoonful of Sugar

1 teaspoon of Vanilla extract or Grated Nutmeg

75ml of warm Water / Milk

A pinch of salt

1 litre of Sunflower oil

For a richer texture you can use an egg (this is optional), however it's my preference.

Tip 

The doughnuts brown quickly when you use milk.

Sugar

Adding too much sugar prevents your dough to rise. If you want to add more Sugar, you need to double the amount of yeast.

 

Add the Salt, Flour, Yeast, grated Nutmeg, Butter and Egg to a mixing bowl.

By hand

With clean hands mix everything together and slowly add the warm water.

Keep mixing till well combined and form a ball with the dough.

Transfer the dough to a clean, floured surface and knead it with the heel of your palm (always pushing the dough away from you) for about 20 minutes. You need to achieve a glossy, smooth and shiny dough. This process is to activate the gluten in the flour, soften the dough and enable you to achieve a light and fluffy doughnut. 

This process will make you burn a few calories as you'll be using your biceps. Great way to reward yourself after the hard work 😓 

Using a Mixer

If you're like me and can't be bothered with exercising your biceps, then use a mixer.

Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, attach the bread hook and knead the dough for about 8-10minutes or until the dough has a glossy shine. 

 

Once your dough has its shine, cover it with cling film and leave it to rise in a warm place for an hour. 

Once risen transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll into a 2cm thickness.

 

Cut 16 small discs out of the dough using a small cutter.

Using a wooden skewer, make an incision in the middle of each disc. Insert your floured little finger into each hole and swing your wrist at 360 degrees. This will expand the hole further (what a description 🙈) I hope you get the gist of my instructions.

 

Repeat the process till all the discs have holes as shown below. Place each ring doughnuts on a floured flat baking tray.

 

Cover the ring doughnuts with an oiled cling film and leave it to rise for a second time for an hour.

 

The ring doughnuts should double up in size now.

Place a Wok with a litre of Sunflower oil on a medium heat.

Tip 

Please ensure your oil is hot enough to fry but not scorching to burn the doughnuts quickly. This should take about 4 minutes on a medium heat. 

Add the doughnuts to the oil (careful not to burn yourself). 

Using a long wooden skewer constantly turn the doughnuts for an even cook.

 

Once browned (this process takes about 5 minutes) use a slotted ladle and remove the doughnuts into a colander. Place the colander over a bowl for any excess oil to drip into. Alternatively transfer onto a blotting paper to absorb any excess oil.

If you prefer a spiced sugar encrusted ring doughnuts, mix 100g of brown sugar and a levelled teaspoon of cinnamon powder together. Drop  the hot ring doughnuts into the spiced sugar and toss till well covered. 

Alternatively, serve the ring doughnuts with your favourite Marmalade, Jam or Lemon curd. 

Serve immediately with your favourite beverage as you enjoy the views of your garden or sink into reading a good book. 

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

Find more inspiring recipes on my YouTube channel, 'Ndudu by Fafa'. Don't forget to share and subscribe.

BAMFO BISI (A SWEETENED FRIED CORN GHANAIAN SNACK)

Ghanaian snacks are a simple affair, in the sense that they require limited and readily available ingredients. Popular snacks include Dzowey, Nkatie cake, Kubey cake, Ayigbe biscuits, to mention but a few.

I'm taking a trip down memory lane to give you this simple and delicious recipe of Bamfo Bissi. It's a gluten free snack made from milled Corn, Sugar and Nutmeg , which is then fried and served with roasted Peanuts or Groundnuts. 

I prefer to serve the Peanuts on the side as I find the Peanuts do burn a bit when inserted into the snack. 

The snack has a crunchy exterior and soft in the middle when freshly fried, however it hardens up when cold. Be prepared to exercise your jaws , if you have it cold. 

Bamfo Bissi is mainly filled with carbohydrates and gives you instant energy, when required. I prefer to have this snack when it's warm with a dipping Peanut / Groundnut sauce. I made a Baobab and Peanut sauce the other day , which paired perfectly with this snack coupled with it's high nutritional content of Vitamin C. 

Enough talking let's start cooking..

 

Ingredients 

200g of milled corn flour

25g of Caster Sugar

Pinch of Nutmeg 

100ml of water

500ml of Sunflower oil

80g of Roasted peeled Peanuts 

Method 

Mix the water and 100g of the milled corn flour in a saucepan and place on a medium heat.

Mix the corn flour and water together till you form a hard smooth paste. It's the same process of making a choux pastry but will corn flour. This should take about 8-10 minutes.

In a bowl, mix the remaining 100g of Corn flour, Sugar and Nutmeg together.

Transfer the hot dough  into the dry Corn mixture  and mix everything till well combined.

With clean hands, scoop a handful of the Corn dough mixture and roll it in between your Palm to form an oblong shape. 

Insert a few Peanuts into each shaped Corn dough and set aside or alternatively fry it in its plain form and serve the Peanuts on the side.

Pour the Sunflower oil into a Wok or Saucepan and place it on a medium heat.

Test the oil is hot by dropping a little corn dough into the oil. If it sizzles, your oil is ready.

(Please take all necessary precautions when dealing with hot oil).

Fry each corn doughnut till it's golden brown and drain off any excess oil on a blotted Kitchen paper.

 

Serve immediately with roasted Peanuts and a glass of cold Watermelon juice.

Find more inspiring recipes, like how to cook the perfect Waakye on my YouTube channel,

'Ndudu by Fafa' and don't forget to subscribe.

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

THE GHANAIAN OMELETTE (CHIIBOM)

As most Ghanaian Omelette goes, it's always a decadent and colourful affair.

Omelette is enjoyed at breakfast or a late night snack (especially for the club goers in Ghana) and enjoyed as a sandwich. 

Omelette sandwich does come in handy as the greasy option after a drunken night. It's fair to say , Omelette is to Ghana as Khebab is to the UK on club nights. It's easy to make and equally tasty.

 

The popular reference to 'Chiibom' (yet again spelt phonetically ) means all fried together. You can be creative with the type of vegetables you include from grated Carrots, steamed Cabbage, Mushrooms etc 

 

This recipe serves 2 very hungry people or 3. Best to divide the recipe in two, for two individual portions.

For the list of Ingredients, you'll need;

6 free range or Organic eggs

30g of Chopped Spring Onions 

1 small thinly sliced white Onion

1 medium diced Tomatoes

1 finely chopped Green chilli

1 levelled teaspoon of salt 

3 tablespoonful of Sunflower oil.

Method 

Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the salt and whisk till well combined.

 

Add the Spring Onions, White Onions, Chillies, Tomatoes or your preferred vegetables and mix well

 

Place a frying pan on a medium heat and add the oil.

Heat the oil up for 45 seconds and add the omelette mix.

 

Fry for 3 minutes on each side or when it starts to brown and the edges starts to rise. Turn the Omelette with a spatula or to show off, skilfully flip the Omelette by lifting the frying pan and flicking your wrist 180 degrees to one side.

 

Once you've cooked the Omelette to perfection cover with your plate as shown below and turn over with the frying pan facing up.

 

Serve immediately with either Tea Bread  or Sugar bread for breakfast or as a snack. 

 

Better still enjoy it with Angwa Mo for lunch. 

 

All recipes and photos are by owner of this blog. 

Find more inspiring recipes, like this Omelette stew with boiled Yam, on my YouTube channel 'Ndudu by Fafa'. Don't forget to subscribe and share.

PUY LENTILS & RED SNAPPER

'Puy Lentils', are from the French city of Le Puy-en-Velay,and they're the only lentils that hold their shape after cooking. They have a peppery taste and when combined with goats butter, it adds a nutty taste. Most Puy lentils are readily available as pre cooked packets, however try your local grocer for an uncooked one. They're easy to cook and taste much better when cooked from scratch. This is a quick and easy to follow recipe. Try the recipe, leave a comment , subscribe and share. This recipe will be available on my YouTube channel 'Ndudu by Fafa'.

Ingredients 

250g of Puy lentils

600ml of water

25g butter

Red Snapper

2 tablespoonfuls of olive oil 

15g of roughly chopped fresh rosemary

1 diced green chilli

15g of julienne ginger (sliced into thin long strips)

2 large sliced onions

2 roughly chopped large tomatoes 

2 medium Red Snappers (ask your fishmonger to gut and clean the fish)

Mushroom sauce

1 teaspoon of butter

1 tablespoon of olive oil

150ml of white wine

1 finely sliced banana shallot

50g of washed & chopped Shitake mushrooms 

10g of fresh thyme

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method;

Puy Lentils 

Place a saucepan with 600ml of water on a medium heat. 

Add the Puy Lentils and cook for 15-20 minutes or until soft with a bit of a bite. 

Once cooked, add the butter and stir.

Red Snapper 

Preheat your grill to 200*c

Score the fish into a diamond shape, by slashing it diagonally (in opposite directions).

Place the fish in a roasting dish

Sprinkle  the chopped rosemary, olive oil and ginger over the fish. 

Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Rub the fish with the rosemary and ginger mixture.

Add the tomatoes, chillies and onions to the roasting dish. (The tomatoes will lend their juice and taste to the sauce)

Sit the fish on top of the mixture and place under the grill for 15-18 minutes  

Take the fish out of the grill and leave to rest for 3 minutes 

Mushroom sauce

In a frying pan, melt the butter and add the olive oil (this will prevent the butter from burning)

Add the sliced shallots and fry on a gentle heat for 2 minutes.

Add the mushroom and stir till well mixed.

Fry for another 2 minutes and increase the heat

Add the wine ( taking care not to splash on you).

Cook for 2 minutes and turn the heat down. 

Add the thyme and stir. 

Add salt and pepper to taste and stir.

Remove from the heat and set aside for later.

To serve

Scoop a ladle of the Puy Lentils to a pasta bowl and drizzle some of the fish juices over it.

Top it with a portion of the the mushroom sauce and a portion of fish. 

Sprinkle with either parsley or Greek basil

Best served with White Rioja . Enjoy!

All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog