Ghanaian Dishes

 HOMELY WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

(where a scale is not available)

 LIGHT INGREDIENTS

Flour, Cornflour, Custard Powder, Bread-Crumbs, Grated Coconut 

(1)     1 heaped tablespoon        1   oz.

(2)     1 heaped dessertspoon   ½  ‘’

(3)     1 heaped tablespoon        ¼  ‘’

(4)     2  heaped tablespoon bread-crumbs 1  ‘’        

(5)     1 ½ heaped tablespoon grated coconut 1  ‘’

(6)     1 Cig. tin flour ¼ lb .

HEAVY INGREDIENTS

 Sugar, Rice Groundnuts, Beans.

 (1)     1 cig. tin rice    ½ lb

(2)     1  cig. Groundnuts ½ lb

(3)     1 cig.  Beans ½ lb

(4)     4 cubes sugar 1 oz.

(5)     1 Tablespoon butter or lard 1 oz.

 LIQUIDS

 (1)     1 Beer bottle 4 cups or approx.  1 1/4pts.

(2)     1 Gill 1 cup or approx.      ¼ pt.

(3)     2 Cups-    approx.               ½ pt.

 CHAPTER ONE

SOUPS

 Popular Ghanaian Soups

  Note: Rules for making soup used in this section

 ·        Use everything perfectly fresh and as little fat as possible.

·        Boil gently all the time.

·        Cook ingredients well.

·        Season before serving.

 NKATENKWAN

Roast and peel the groundnuts and pound them till they look like melted chocolate. If chicken is used, prepare it and put it on to boil with the water, then add the ground pepper, sliced onions and washed whole tomatoes which when tender remove and grind and add again to the soup. Allow to boil for half an hour. Add salt to taste.

-Serve hot with Fufu.

Note: If fish is used instead of chicken allow the water to boil before adding.

 ABENKWAN

 Wash the nuts in cold water. Put them in a pot, add cold water and pepper and boil until they become soft and crack. Prepare fish, onions and other vegetables. Cover with cold water, add salt and put on the fire to simmer. Take nuts, etc, off the fire and pound in a basin. Mix with warm water and squeeze the fibres out with the hand. Repeat until the pulp is extracted from the fibres. Strain the liquid through a sieve into the soup pot. Put it on the fire and let it boil. Add onions, tomatoes, fish, garden eggs, okros and ground pepper. Allow the soup to simmer to the desired thickness. Skim off the oil from the top, if too much. –Serve with cassava, Fufu or Kenkey.

 GARDEN EGG SOUP (Nkita) 

 Boil the garden eggs, mutton and pepper together. When tender remove from the fire and peel the garden eggs, and remove the stalks or heads of the pepper. Grind the pepper and garden eggs each separately. Put a saucepan full of water on the fire. Add the sliced onions and the washed whole tomatoes. Remove the heads and scales from the fish and wash carefully. Wash the salted beef, boiled mutton and add to the water on the fire. Wash them carefully several times to remove all slime, and add to the other ingredients in the saucepan. When the water boils and the tomatoes become tender take them out and grind them. Clean the crabs, remove the eyes. Add the crabs. Let the whole boil for a few minutes and then add the pepper, garden eggs and tomatoes. Allow the soup to boil for 45 minutes. Serve hot with Fufu. 

OKRO SOUP

 (Okro Soup)

If fish is to be used, place it in a saucepan with water, sliced onions, okros, garden eggs, salt and pepper. Peel the tomatoes and add to the soup. When the okros and garden eggs are soft remove them from pan, cool slightly. Remove the seeds and then pound into a smooth paste. Mix this paste with a little of the soup, then return it to the pan. Boil for three or four minutes and the soup is then ready to be served.

 Note: if meat, mutton or fowl is used, fry with onions for 3 or 4 minutes, then add to the other ingredients. 

AKATEWA SOUP

 Peel and roast the Akatewa, then pound and grind until they look like a thick cream. If chicken is used, prepare and put it on and boil with water, then add the ground pepper, onions and tomatoes. When the tomatoes are soft take them out and grind, then return them to the soup. Mix the Akatewa with a little water and stir into the soup. Allow to boil for half an hour and add salt to taste.

-Serve hot with Fufu.

 Note. If fish is used instead of chicken allow the water to boil before, adding the fish. 

TOMATO SOUP

 Pluck and clean the chicken and cut into pieces. Put into saucepan with sufficient cold water to cover. Add salt and tomatoes (whole). Boil pepper separately and when tender grind and add to the soup. Boil for half an hour. –Serve with rice, fufu or kenkey.

 Note. Beef, mutton and stale fish may be used instead of chicken.

 NKAKRA  (Plain Soup)

• Wash and cut meat into small pieces, add water and put on to simmer.

• Wash garden eggs and pepper, add to meat and boil slowly until the vegetables are tender.

• Add chopped onions, tomatoes, salt and fish.

• Remove and grind cooked vegetables, and return to soup.

• Allow soup to simmer until the meat is tender.

• Serve hot with cassava, yam or plantain Fufu.

 THICKENED PLAIN SOUP 

Prepare as for plain soup (Nkakra)

Thicken with slice of yam, or some yam, or cassava fufu; or if fufu or yam or cocoyam has been prepared, thicken soup with the boiled liquid from the yam or cocoyam. 

FISH SOUP

• Prepare fish, add water and simmer.

• When fish is nearly ready, prepare and add vegetables.

• When soft mash vegetables, and return to the soup.

• Make a smooth paste with the corn dough and add to the soup. Season well.

• Serve hot with cassava Fufu.

NSESAAWA NKWAN

·        Clean and prepare fish. Put on to cook in sea water.

·        Chop onions and peppers finely, and add to fish.

·        Serve hot with kenkey or banku.

DRIED OKRO SOUP

 ·        Wash and cut meat, tomatoes and onions.

·        Put all in the pot; and dry ingredients and water to cover.

·        Simmer for 1-1 ½ hours.

·        Serve with salem or fufu.

 Note:         Dried baobab leaf and salem soups are cooked in the same way. 

NTOHURO

 ·        Soak leaves in salted water and wash well.

·        Put water in a pot and boil leaves.

·        Scald, kill and take out snails. Wash well, using lime in water. Add to soup and simmer snails till tender.

·        Chop onions and add with tomatoes to soup

·        Remove and mash tomatoes, then leaves, and return to soup.

·        Prepare, wash and add mushrooms.

·        Season well and cook gently for 30-40 minutes.

·        Serve hot with Fufu. 

PALM-NUT SOUP WITH RIPE PLANTAINS

INSTEAD OF TOMATOES 

Add half of an over-ripe plantain to the boiling palm nuts.

When cooked, pound plantain and nuts together.

Strain and use for soup making (see Abenkwan)

 NKATSEBENKWAN 

·        Omitting the groundnuts prepare as for palm-nut soup and cook for two hours.

·        Grind groundnuts into a paste, mix smoothly with some soup and add.

·        Boil for one hour more.

·        Serve hot with fufu, banku or kenkey.

 ASE NKWAN

Method I 

• Prepare as for Groundnut Soup (Recipe 5).

• Grind beans, mix with a little soup, strain and add

• Allow to cook gently for 15-20 minutes, and season well

• Serve hot with cocoyam or cassava fufu.

 Method II

•  Wash the beans and soak them overnight

• Pour away the water and rinse the beans

•  Wash the bones thoroughly but quickly

• Prepare the onions and cut into small pieces

• Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the beans and onions and toss them in the oil till it is absorbed

• Add the water and bones and heat to boiling-point

• Simmer the soup for 2 ½ - 3 hours or until the beans or peas are very soft. Stir frequently

• When the beans are almost soft enough, remove the bones

• Then wash the tomatoes, garden eggs and pepper and drop them into boiling water. Take care not to add too many vegetables at a time and so stop the water boiling

• Boil them for not more than five minutes. Remove the skins and stalks as necessary and grind the vegetables. Add the vegetables to the soup immediately they are ground

• And the salt

• Serve hot as soon as the beans or peas are soft and completely broken up

PITO YEAST SOUP

• Wash and cut meat and tomatoes, etc.

• Mix the yeast with the water

• Pour into a pot and add all ingredients

• Simmer for 1-1 ½ hours

• Serve with fufu.

 Note: this soup can be thickened with dried okro or dried baobab leaves.