Ghanaian Kitchen

A typical traditional kitchen contains an open fire or a so called coal pot, a clay oven and a large cooking pot as food is always cooked in large quantities in expectancy of unexpected guests. The food is prepared from freshly bought items as traditionally Ghanaians do not use frozen and canned foods or TV dinners. One goes to the market to buy food stuffs or to the farm to harvest almost every day, especially in the rural areas, where they do not have a fridge or freezer. Ghanaian Cuisine is very healthy due to this fact as there are no preservatives and other foreign substances included in their food.

Cooking is learnt at an early age and varies throughout the country as each ethnic group has its own style of preparing a particular dish. Traditionally there are no written recipes and children learn from their mothers and grandmothers who cook by instinct and by watching the change in texture of the food.

Unlike European Cuisine which comes in two three or more courses, the Ghanaian kitchen is quite uncomplicated by serving only one course. This is normally a spicy soup or stew served with rice, yam, fufu etc. There is no side helping of salad, vegetables nor dessert, as that is not part of the Ghanaian kitchen. The soups are made mostly from palm nuts, groundnuts, tomatoes, aubergine and onions with either meat or fish. A thick tomato sauce forms the basis for most stews and sauces.

Fufu is the national favorite. It is made out of cassava and plantain which are boiled and pounded into a smooth pulp similar to a dumpling using a large wooden mortar and pestle. Fufu is eaten with one of the various spicy soups. Another all time favorite is Kenkey which is prepared from fermented maize and cooked in banana leaves. It is eaten with soup or stew or freshly ground pepper and fried fish.
 

Here are a few recipes for you to try:

Groundnut Soup

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs
2 medium onions
1 tin chopped tomatoes or
4 medium sized fresh chopped tomatoes
4 table spoons of smooth unsalted peanut butter
4 cups chicken stock
2 table spoons oil
salt and chilli to taste

Method

Finely chop one onion and fry until soft in a large sauce pan Blend second onion with tomatoes and add to the fried onion and continue cooking for 10 minutes Add chicken thighs and stock and bring to the boil Add salt and chilli to taste and cover to simmer for about 40 minutes until chicken is tender Add peanut butter and simmer for 30 minutes until oil appears on top of the soup.

Serve with boiled rice Traditionally Groundnut soup is served with Rice Balls, Fufu or Yam The soup can be prepared with Fish or Beef Meat if so desired.

 

  

Spicy Chicken Stew

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs
1 medium onion
1 tin chopped tomatoes or
4 medium size fresh tomatoes chopped
1 cup chicken stock
crushed clove of garlic
2 tablespoons oil
1 table spoon tomato puree
salt and mild chilli powder to taste


Method

Finely chop the onion and fry in oil until soft. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and crushed garlic clove and cook over medium heat until deep red in colour. Add salt and chilli to taste. Add chicken thighs and chicken stock and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 40 minutes until chicken is tender. Traditionally the stew is ready when the meat is tender and the oil has risen to the surface of the stew.

Serve with boiled rice.
 

 

Jollof Rice

Ingredients
 
4 chicken thighs
2 onions
1 clove garlic
1 tin chopped onions or
4 medium size fresh tomatoes chopped
1 cup chicken stock
2 table spoons oil
1 stock cube
4 cups rice
salt and chilli to taste


Method

Steam the chicken with one diced onion, crushed garlic, stock cube and salt for 5 minutes Add 2 cups of water and cook for 20 minutes Remove chicken and keep stock aside Fry chicken until golden brown and set aside Dice second onion and fry until soft Add chopped tomatoes and fry for further 10 minutes Wash the rice and add to the onions and tomatoes Add chicken stock and more water if needed Add fried chicken cover and cook on low heat until rice is soft and water has been absorbed.

You can add vegetables to the rice whiles cooking if you wish Jollof Rice can be prepared with Beef, Meat or Fish or Vegetables only.

 

  

Aubergine Stew

Ingredients

2 medium aubergine
1 large onion
1 tin chopped tomatoes or
4 medium size fresh tomatoes chopped
250g smoked fish
small piece of flaked cod
1 stock cube
salt and chilli to taste

 

Method

Boil aubergines until soft Remove skin and mash with fork Blend tomatoes and onion and cook over low heat about 10 minutes Add mashed aubergine, stock cube, salt and chilli to taste Flake the smoked fish and add to stew Add flaked cod and cook for 10 minutes.

Serve with boiled rice or boiled potatoes Traditionally this stew is prepared with garden eggs which are similar to aubergine but are much smaller and palm oil.

 

Nkontomere - Spinach Stew

Ingredients

1 packet fresh  spinach
1 tin chopped tomatoes or
4 medium size fresh tomatoes
2 onions
1 stock cube
2 table spoon oil
250 g smoked fish
salt and chilli to taste


Method Chop spinach and set aside Blend tomatoes and set aside Chop onion and fry until soft add blended tomatoes, chopped spinach and stock cube, cook over low heat for about 10 minutes Flake the smoked fish and add Simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes until oil appears on the surface.

Serve with boiled rice.

Traditionally this is prepared with palm oil and the leaves of the coco yam plant and is eaten with yam or kenkey - kenkey is made from fermented maize and cooked in plantain leaves.

 

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