Customers requested that we serve a special, family-style dinner of Ghanaian food in BGCafé, so we reached out to National Representative, Eben Lartey, and his wife Rahel for recipes. They generously shared the following menu. Enjoy creating this dinner for family and friends; take photos to share with all of us in BGCafé.
Red Red
Ingredients:
2 Medium Sized Fresh Fish (Snapper/ Red Fish)
Palm Oil 250ml (red oil)
3 Onions Sliced
1 Stinking Fish
4 Cloves of Garlic
Scotch bonnet pepper
6 Medium-sized tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Stock Cube
Ginger grated
Salt
Ripe plantain
Beans
Instructions:
1. Add a little salt to the grated ginger and rub on and inside the cleaned fish and leave to marinade.
2. Put oil in a pot on the fire. Add stinking fish and some onions and let sauté for about three to five minutes making sure the stinking fish breaks down into little pieces.
3. Add tomato paste and stir to incorporate. Cook for about 5 mins.
4. Blend some onions, pepper, and garlic and add to cook for about 7 mins. The sauce will reduce and its consistency will thicken a bit. Add Stock Cube and a little water about half a cup and allow to cook for a couple of mins.
5. Add fish and remaining onions, add more pepper for a more spicy sauce. Cook till fish is done 5 to 10 mins max. Stir occasionally or fish will break into pieces.
Jollof Rice
Ingredients:
1 lb Beef
6 cups Rice (not margarine cups)
1 cup Vegetable oil
1 bulb of Garlic
Scotch Bonnet pepper
6 Medium Sized tomatoes
2 small sachets of tomato paste
Beef Stock Cube
1 small sachet curry powder
Salt*
4 large onions
1 large carrot diced
2 bell peppers diced
*Salt and pepper should always be added to your taste.
Instructions:
1. Dice beef into manageable sizes. Blend 2 onions, the garlic, and enough pepper to taste. Pour half of mixture on beef add the stock cube and put on fire. Allow beef to cook in its own juices until suitably tender. Intermittently add small amounts of water to prevent all the water from evaporating and burning.
2. Set the stock/ broth generated aside. Heat oil and fry beef. Using the same oil sauté 1 onion and tomato paste for 3 to 5 mins. Add the remainder of the blended garlic mixture. Blend tomatoes also and add, allow to cook for about 10 to 15 mins until stew is partially cooked.
3. Add stock set aside and pour in rice. Top up with water to cover about an inch of the rice. Stir occasionally to incorporate.
4. When the rice is almost done cooking 15 to 20 mins. At this point almost all the water would’ve evaporated and the sauce will have adhered to the rice. Add beef and diced veggies and Cover pot with napkin and then lid to trap steam which will cook the jollof to required doneness.
Beef Kabobs
Best served with extra suya powder if available, some sliced cucumber, onions and tomatoes, and a cold bottle of your favourite brew.
Ingredients:
1lb beef thinly sliced and cut to about 1.5 inches
Bamboo skewers/ stainless steel skewers
Onions and sweet pepper cut to roughly square inch pieces.
Suya powder*
Half a cup of Soy sauce
A cup of Vegetable oil
Salt
Instructions:
1. Intermittently thread beef, onions and sweet pepper in desired order on the skewers.
2. Suya powder is already spicy so just add salt to taste if you find it lacking
3. Rub skewered items with suya powder
4. Blend oil and soy sauce to incorporate
5. Brush beef lightly with this mixture
6. Place skewers on a hot grill and turn often to prevent burning or charring.
7. Brush oil mixture as well to prevent dryness
8. 5 to 15 mins is enough depending on doneness you prefer.
*If suya powder is unavailable, marinade the sliced and cut beef in a blended mixture of:
Chilli flakes
5 cloves garlic
Half of a medium-sized onion
1 Beef stock cube
Salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons cumin
3-4 cloves of garlic
Taste mixture before adding salt. Add Salt and pepper always to taste.
Marinade for at least 30 mins then skewer.
Follow the same steps as previously stated above.
Grilled Ripe Plantain Slices with Peanuts
Ingredients:
4 Fingers of ripe/ yellow plantains
Instructions:
1. Wash plantains
2. Peel plantain by cutting off ends and running a knife along it.
3. Cut plantains into slices of desired sizes or whole if desired.
4. Place slices on hot grill or inside an hot oven to cook
5. Tend and turn regularly on the grill to prevent burning. If using oven, temperature should be between 375 and 400°f (190 & 200°c)
6. Cook time varies between 15 to 30 mins depending on size of slice.
