|
Recipes
Classics from the West African Cuisine
Find here, some of the
most popular and famous dishes from the western part of the African continent!
These make an excellent introduction to one of the world's less known classic
cuisines:
To start with, you really should try the two
classics of West Africa, namely Chicken
Yassa and Jollof Rice. These two dishes are most common in Senegambia, but
are served all over West Africa. They are very tasteful dishes and highly
recommended! Both dishes are also quite easy to prepare if you want to
experiment a little with this very creative and fascinating cookery.
Further, you will be delighted by two more favourites, namely Groundnut
Soup and Yam Fu Fu, also classical West African
dishes.
Chicken
Yassa
8 tbsp lemon juice
8 tbsp malt vinegar or cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp of (Dijon) mustard
1 small cabbage - cut into chunks
2-3 carrots - cut into chunks
4 cloves of minced garlic
4 or 5 onions, sliced
1/2 cup groundnut/vegetable oil
1 chicken, cut into serving-pieces
1 sprig thyme
1 green chili, seeded and finely chopped
1 or 2 cups of chicken stock/Maggi cubes
salt and pepper (cayenne, red or black) according to taste
rice or couscous
Mix a marinade containing lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, onion and spices. Place
the chicken in a shallow dish and pour over the marinade.
Leave the dish in refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
Remove chicken from the marinade and fry the chicken for a few minutes on each
side until browned. Add the marinated onions to the chicken and fry for a couple
of minutes, - then add the rest of the marinade and the stock cabbage and carrots. Bring
to a slow boil. Cover the pan and use moderate heat for about 30-40 minutes.
Simmer gently until chicken is done. Serve hot with rice or couscous.
Jollof
Rice
Oil for frying (palm or
regular vegetable oil)
1 chicken
1 or 2 finely chopped onions
salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper according to taste
Flavorings:
chopped chili pepper
2 or 3 crushed cloves of garlic
bay leaf
curry powder
2 cups of chicken or beef stock or Maggi cubes
3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
bell pepper or sweet green pepper, chopped
green peas or string beans
(carrots/cabbage chopped)
four cups rice
4 tbsp can tomato paste
2 tbsp dried shrimp or crayfish
Garnishes:
fresh parsley and cilantro, chopped
lettuce, shredded
Heat oil and brown chicken.
Remove the meat and add the onions, the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic,
bay leaf and curry in the oil. Fry for a moment and add vegetables. Fry the mixture until the onions
become tender. Add the stock and the chicken and boil for about 20 minutes. Then add the dried shrimps/crayfish and the
chili and bring to boil and simmer
for 5 minutes.
Put the rice in a separate
saucepan. Add water and tomato paste. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes until
the rice is done (add warm water or broth if necessary). Adjust seasonings.
Serve with garnishes according to taste.
Groundnut
Soup
4 tbsp unsweetened peanut
butter
3 cups of chicken broth or chicken stock
1 onion, chopped
one or two tomatoes, chopped
one yam, boiled and mashed
one clove of garlic, crushed
salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper
one hot chili pepper
one or two slices of fresh ginger
Combine all ingredients except
peanut butter. Simmer over medium heat until everything is tender. Add the
peanut butter and simmer for a few minutes more. Stir often to prevent the nut
mixture sticking. Simmer until the soup is thick and smooth.
Yam
Fu Fu
two to three pounds of white
yams
one teaspoon butter
salt, black or white pepper
Cook yams until they are soft.
Remove peels from yams. Add butter, salt and pepper. Put everything in a bowl
and mash. Shape the fu fu into balls and serve immediately with meat stew or any
dish with a sauce.
Do you have some more
recipes you think we should add?
Write us at elin.nordhagen@afrol.com!
|
