Category: West African Cuisine

Spinach Stew

Spinach
Spinach Stew

Spinach stew is a Ghanaian favorite stew which is usually served with rice, yams and plantains.

It was a favorite of our household and we will have it once a week for lunch right after school. What I didn’t like about it was that I’ll stain my shirts and get myself in trouble. My wife told me when we first met that her favorite food was plantains and spinach stew. So one day I cooked it and  invited her over for lunch. She admitted later that the stew wasn’t that great, but I more than made up for it later :).

The picture above shows plantain and spinach stew with a few slices of avocados.

Spinach
5 from 11 votes
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Spinach stew

This is a favorite stew of many Ghanaians, which is made out of Spinach, onions, fresh tomatoes, ginger, garlic, oil, salt, habanero peppers, other spices. It served with rice, yams, plantains, etc.

Course Main Course
Cuisine West African
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 5 People
Author fnonterah2018

Ingredients

  • 1 Bulb Onion
  • 1 Clove Garlic
  • 4 Habanero Peppers You don't have to use as many.
  • 1 Pound Fresh Spinach
  • 3 Fresh Tomatoes
  • 1/4 Ginger root
  • 1 Tsp Salt Or salt to taste
  • 4 Tbsp Canola oil You can use Olive oil too

Instructions

  1. Start off by chopping up the spinach, tomatoes and onions and set aside

  2. Chop up your garlic, ginger and habanero peppers and blend with a little of water.

  3. Pour oil in a pre-heated pan and fry your onions for about 5 minutes.

  4. Add in the blended produce and tomatoes and let cook for another 5 minutes.

  5. Now you can add your spinach, lower the heat to medium and let simmer for about 45 minutes. Because the spinach and tomatoes have a lot of fluid in them and you don't want your stew to soggy. So after about an hour of cooking your world famous spinach stew is ready to be served.

Boflot (Puff-Puff)

 

Boflot (Puff-Puff)
5 from 6 votes
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Boflot

Its a popular West-African street food similar to donuts in other parts of the world. It's called Boflot in Ghana, Puff-Puff in Nigeria and Sierra Leone. 

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine West African
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 5 People
Calories 180 kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 CUPS Unbleached Flour
  • 2 Tbsp Dry Yeast
  • 2 Cups Lukewarm Water
  • 1 Cup Honey / Sugar I use honey
  • 1 Tbsp Salt
  • 1 Tsp Nutmeg

Instructions

  1. Boil two cups of water for a few minutes or until lukewarm and add the salt and a tbsp of honey then add the yeast. Let it sit between 5-10 minutes or until it reacts, it should grow in volume and become foamy.

  2. Pour the the flour in a big bowl and add the nutmeg.
  3.  Mix the flour and the yeast mix together and let it rise for about 45 minutes.
  4. Scoop them up with an ice cream scoop or roll them into a ball shape.

  5. Deep fry them about 5-10 minutes. Time to enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Earlier this year I learned how to make one of my favorite snacks growing up in Ghana called Boflot. I remember I used to have it for breakfast with some Koko (Corn porridge). or with a glass of hot chocolate preferably Milo. You can get them when you're downtown Accra and you need a quick snack to stave off your hunger. They can also be eaten as an appetizer before your main course at an African restaurant.

Its also made in Nigeria and Sierra Leone where its called Puff-puff. Its a little similar to donuts and actually there are a few British I know who call it donuts. 



Jollof Rice

 

5 from 7 votes
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Jollof Rice

Jollof Rice is a highly popular West African rice dish that is made out of rice, tomatoes/ tomato sauce, spices/herbs.

Course Side Dish
Cuisine West African
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings 4 People
Calories 280 kcal

Ingredients

  • 3/4 Cup Cup Canola Oil
  • 4 Habanero Peppers You can use fewer or more depending on your tolerance level
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 1.5 Cups Cups Tomato Paste You can also use fresh tomatoes or tomato sauce
  • 2 Cups Water
  • 1 Cube Cube Bouillon
  • 1 Tbsp Seaoned Salt
  • 5 Cups Basmati Rice
  • 5 Cups Chicken Stock / Broth You can add more if you like your rice softer or stickier
  • 1/4 Pound Ginger Blended
  • 1 Bulb Onion

Instructions

  1. First of all, warm up your oil in a saucepan for five minutes
  2. Add the onions and let it cook for about 5 minutes
  3. Add the blended garlic and ginger
  4. Add the tomato paste and 2 cups of water. Stir for a few minutes until the sauce is nice and smooth and let it simmer for about 15- 20 minutes.

  5. You can now include the Basmati Rice and let it cook for another 30 minutes. Cover the rice mix with a foil wrap with the saucepan lid over it. The foil traps the steam and allows it to cook a well and faster. Stir the mix every 5 - 10 minutes until cooked. Your world famous Jollof rice is ready!

Recipe Notes

Jollof Rice is a very popular West African dish that has sometimes sparked friendly arguments as to who makes the best Jollof Rice. Jollof rice originated from the Wolof, an ethnic group in parts of Senegal, the Gambia and Mauritania all on the West coast of Africa.
Sometime last week a popular food website posted a very diluted version of Jollof Rice which they claimed was Ghana Jollof which really angered a lot of Ghanaians and other West Africans. But my wife and I agreed that  getting angry wasn't the solution to combat that atrocity 🙂 but rather we needed to create a video showing a better version of Ghana Jollof Rice. So here you are and have a great week!

5 from 7 votes
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Jollof Rice

Jollof Rice is a highly popular West African rice dish that is made out of rice, tomatoes/ tomato sauce, spices/herbs.

Course Side Dish
Cuisine West African
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 275 kcal
Author fnonterah2018

Recipe Notes

Jollof Rice is a very popular West African dish that has sometimes sparked friendly arguments as to who makes the best Jollof Rice. Jollof rice originated from the Wolof, an ethnic group in parts of Senegal, the Gambia and Mauritania all on the West coast of Africa.
Sometime last week a popular food website posted a very diluted version of Jollof Rice which they claimed was Ghana Jollof which really angered a lot of Ghanaians and other West Africans. But my wife and I agreed that  getting angry wasn't the solution to combat that atrocity 🙂 but rather we needed to create a video showing a better version of Ghana Jollof Rice. So here you are and have a great week!



Kaklo (ripe plantain spicy cakes)

 

5 from 4 votes
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Kaklo (ripe plantain spicy cakes)

Extremely ripe plantains mashed and deep fried into spicy cakes.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine West African
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 People
Author fnonterah2018

Ingredients

  • 5 Ripe Plantains
  • 2 Cups Canola Oil (For deep fry)
  • 1/2 Cup Corn Flour
  • 1 Tbsp Salt
  • 1 Tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 Clove Garlic
  • 1 Bulb Onion
  • 1/2 Pound Ginger Root
  • 1/2 Cup Water

Instructions

  1. Cut up the ripe plantains into little pieces
  2. Put in a blender together with all the other ingredients and blend until its a smooth puree
  3. With an ice cream scoop, fill up the scoop with the mix; you can also make the balls with your palm
  4. Deep fry them for about 10 minutes or until its like the above shown picture. And your Kaklo is ready to be devoured!

Recipe Notes

This week's recipe is so dear to my heart because it has always been one of my favorite meals.
I always looked forward to lunch on Fridays as a kid. Because I knew I was going to be eating either fried plantains or Kaklo with beans stew.

 

Kaklo
5 from 4 votes
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KAKLO (Ripe plantain spicy cakes)

Extremely ripe plantains mashed and deep fried into spicy cakes.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine West African
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 People
Calories 350 kcal

Recipe Notes

This week's recipe is so dear to my heart because it has always been one of my favorite meals.
I always looked forward to lunch on Fridays as a kid. Because I knew I was going to be eating either fried plantains or Kaklo with beans stew.

Shitto (Hot Sauce)

 

Shitto
4.84 from 6 votes
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Shitto

A hot and spicy hot sauce made in Ghana, and other part of West Africa. 

Cuisine West African
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 4 People

Ingredients

  • 1 Pound Powdered Shrimp
  • 1 Pound Powdered Bony Fish Or Anchovies
  • 1 Tbsp Powdered Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 Bulb Onions Blended
  • 1/4 Pound Ginger root Blended
  • 1 Cube Maggie
  • 1 Cup Canola Oil
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 1 14 oz Tomato Paste
  • 3 Habanero Pepper

Instructions

  1. Start by frying the blended onions for 5 minutes.
  2. Add your blended ginger and let it cook for another 5 minutes.
  3. Add bony fish and shrimp powder and stir in the Maggie cube.
  4. Lower the stove and let it simmer for another 20-30 minutes and add your can of tomato paste.
  5. After about 7 minutes your world famous shitto is ready.

Recipe Notes

I know, the name is quite close to a certain bad word we all know, and actually a British TV network run a story on it in hilarious fashion.  However those who've tasted it know what the deal is, no other hot sauce in the world comes close.

Growing up, Shitto was a delicacy and we had it a few times a year. We would eat it with rice, Waakye, Kenkey, Banku; and can also be used as a dip for fries, spring rolls, dumplings, etc.