West African Food Chef – FAFA GILBERT

The Ghanaian Rice Porridge recipe

February 25, 2021by Fafa GilbertLeave a Comment

‘Rice Water’ as affectionately called in Ghana, is Rice Porridge which has a slight smoky taste to it when cooked on an open wood fire. It’s basically Rice cooked in water until it transforms into a mushy porridge like texture. It’s a popular breakfast choice in Ghana.

It’s a relatively easy, gluten free porridge to make where type of rice used isn’t specific to one, but what one has available.

The rice porridge can be enjoyed in its basic form, infused with Lemongrass, with milk or an optional fruit to enjoy.

Rice water can be enjoyed at breakfast and also comes in handy during the sudden hunger pangs one might experience some evenings.

My very first experience of cooking independently (I was about 8 years old) , was when I made Rice water for my Mum who was at the time ill.

It was a disaster as I used too much water, added uncooked rice and ended up with a mushy uncooked textured rice porridge.

Guess I’ve improved since.

My favourite flavouring to Rice Porridge is Lemongrass as it meant I needed just little Sugar for my porridge.

In comparison to Rice pudding, Rice Water/Porridge is lighter and has less calories.

INGREDIENTS

50g of white or brown rice

300ml of water

A pinch of salt

1 tablespoonful of Sugar

100ml of full fat milk

METHOD

Wash your rice and place a saucepan with the water on a medium heat.

Add the washed rice to the saucepan and cook gently for 20 minutes.

Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and add the Sugar and Milk.

Cook for another 3 minutes and serve immediately.

Watch how make this traditional Ghanaian Rice porridge below;

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Customers review, NDUDU BY FAFA RECIPES, Sauces & Marinades, Stews, YOUTUBE

The tastiest Corned Beef Pie (TURNOVER)

February 13, 2021February 13, 2021by Fafa GilbertLeave a Comment

Make this easy to follow Corned Beef Turnover recipe which is popularly referred to as Meat Pie in Ghana.

The recipe is inspired by the rich and flaky Ghanaian Meat Pie with a twist of flavour.

The Ghanaian Meat Pies in question are actually Turnovers if we have to go by the definition of a Pie.

Turnovers are known as pastries where the fillings are placed in the middle of each dough, folded, sealed and crimped whereby Pies are ingredients typically baked in a pastry dough casing.

But then I prefer to name mine Ghana Meat Pies ooh!

There are 3 main elements that makes a perfect rich Ghanaian Meat Pie, namely;

*the crust of the pasty when baked should have a slight crunch

* the pastry needs to be moist when baked

* the filling needs to be generous and equally moist

I have incorporated these 3 main elements and customised the recipe to help even a novice at cooking.

Typically you won’t find Caraway seeds in a Ghanaian Meat Pie (that’s a personal choice of mine which I highly recommend).

In the absence of Caraway seeds you can add Aniseed or omit it all together.

TIPS

When mixing the short crust pastry be gentle with it and avoid overworking the dough. This will prevent the activation of the Gluten in the flour.

Add your liquids a little bit at a time to prevent an extremely wet dough.

INGREDIENTS

300g of Self Raising Flour

25g of flour for dusting

150g of Cold Grated Butter

1 teaspoon of Salt

1 Egg Yolk

1 teaspoon of Caraway seeds (optional)

1 tablespoonful of Milk Powder or 60ml of Whole or Evaporated Milk

CORNED BEEF FILLING

1 Marks and Spencer’s tin of Prime Corned Beef

100g of slow cooked Baby Plum/Cherry or Sun-dried Tomatoes

3 large sliced Banana Shallots or 2 large Onions

Half a teaspoon of Red Chilli flakes

Half a teaspoon of coarse ground Aniseed or Fennel seeds

1 tablespoonful of Olive Oil

1 tablespoon of Butter

2 tablespoonful of Greek Yogurt

Half a teaspoon of freshly milled Black Peppercorns

Add Salt to taste (this can be omitted as Corned Beef generally is salty)

METHOD

Watch how to prepare this incredible Ghanaian inspired Corned Beef Pie (Turnover) recipe below;

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YOUTUBE

WAGASHI (THE WEST AFRICAN CHEESE RECIPE)

January 24, 2021January 25, 2021by Fafa GilbertLeave a Comment

The Fulani’s (from the Northern part of Ghana) first introduced Wagashi into Ghana.

Wagashi / Wara/ Woagachi is enjoyed in Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Côte D’Ivoire etc

The Cheese is made from Cows milk and it’s naturally delicate in taste when Salt is not added.

Traditionally hot fresh Milk is mixed with the pounded leaves of an Apple of Sodom Plant and Salt to make Wagashi.

The inclusion of the Apple Sodom Plant turns the Milk into Curd, which is then drained using a cheese cloth. The drained curd solidifies which then makes Wagashi.

In the absence of the Apple of Sodom plant, I’ve used distilled White Vinegar which mimics the traditional recipe to a ‘T’.

If you’ve tasted Halloumi before then you’ll love this as they share a similar taste.

INGREDIENTS

2.2 litres / 4 pints of Organic Whole Milk

118ml of distilled White Vinegar

2 tablespoonful of Salt

200ml of Vegetable oil for frying

TO SERVE

Serve the fried Wagashi with the West African Suya spice blend which will be available soon on BuyNdudu.

Watch how to make this incredible fried Cheese below;

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QUICK AND EASY CHICKEN STIR FRY RECIPE

January 7, 2021by Fafa Gilbert1 Comment

Imagine bitting into this bowl of goodness within 15 minutes. Please note you can use any Vegetables of your choosing for this recipe.

Let’s go…

You’ll need ;

INGREDIENTS

2 large thinly sliced Chicken Breasts

2 tablespoonful of Sesame Oil

4 tablespoonful of Groundnut or Peanut Oil

1 tablespoonful of grated Ginger

1 large crushed clove of Garlic

2 tablespoonfuls of Hoisin Sauce

2 tablespoonfuls of Oyster Sauce

3 tablespoonfuls of Dark Soy sauce

Half a teaspoon of freshly milled Black Peppercorns

2 julienne cut Carrots

1 sliced Green, Red and Yellow Bell Peppers

50g of thinly sliced Purple Cabbage

1 large sliced Banana shallot or any Onion you have available

2 thinly sliced mild Red Chillies

30g of chopped Spring Onions

1 tablespoonful of Corn Starch

7-10 fresh Basil leaves

1 teaspoon of Pink Himalayan Salt

TO SERVE

Serve with a bowl of steamed Rice or Noodles. Personally I prefer it on its own.

METHOD

Watch how to make this incredible Chicken stir fry below;

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

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LACTOSE FREE CREAMY TOMATO SOUP RECIPE

January 7, 2021by Fafa GilbertLeave a Comment

On a cold winter day, enjoying a bowl of homemade, hot and creamy Tomato soup (which is lactose free) with a slice or two of baguette can lift your gloomy mood. How about making this nutrient dense, all natural flavour packed soup recipe. All you’ll need are;

INGREDIENTS

SLOW ROASTED TOMATOES

1kg of Tomatoes

1 large diced Onion / Banana Shallots

2 cloves of Garlic

4 tablespoonful of Olive oil

Half a teaspoon of Salt

Quarter of a teaspoon of milled BlackPeppercorns

THE SOUP

2 grilled Scallops/ Shrimp powder (Optional)

1 teaspoon of smoked Paprika

1 deseeded and chopped Chilli or a quarter of a teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper

1 chopped Celery stalk

20g of Cashew Nuts

750ml of Water/ Vegetable / Chicken stock

1 tsp of smoked Paprika

TO SERVE

Serve with sun dried Tomatoes marinated in Olive oil and drizzle with a little of Garlic oil. Serve also with a slice or two of your favourite rustic bread.

METHOD

Watch how to prepare this incredible soup recipe below;