Great Grilling: Recipes #58 (Grilled Tilipia) and #59 (Grilled Prawns/Shrimp), and a plea to African entrepreneurs

Grilling over wood or charcoal is a basic cooking technique in much of Sub-Saharan Africa, and Ghana is no exception.  Today's recipes features 2 favorites.

But first, an aside for all of you African culinary entrepreneurs, including farmers in or out-side of the U.S. seeking ideas for the next big thing: I spent a good part of yesterday trying unsuccessfully to locate several ingredients that are not available locally, and that stimulated me to offer some more ideas for new products ( I'd be happy to serve as a consultant):

1. A bottled dry spice mixture for authentic kelewele (just add fresh grated ginger and onion).

2. A frozen version of the complete kelewele spice mixture that could be defrosted and used directly with ripe plantains.

3. Kpakpo shito seeds: I've already had several offers from local organic farmers to grow them for me if I can find any that have been legally exported). Kpakpo shito refers to the small green roundish peppers located in the center of the photo to the left, which features peppers common in Ghana. This pepper's spicy yet sweet flavor is impossible to duplicate with the chiles readily available in the U.S. There is one online company that markets and lists these as a variety of capsicum chinense, but I'd rather trust a Ghanaian to know a proper kpakpo shito. BTW, this is the Ga name. I've also seen it called a "scented" or "krona pepper," or a variation of mako ("mako" means pepper in Twi and Fanti: opapomako or makohuam, or ghatadi in Ewe) Also, I'm looking for a traditional one that is not a hybrid. Please let me know how I can buy some to grow in the U.S. (and not just sneak possibly contaminated seeds into the U.S. without declaring them!)

4. Same thing for agushi (egusi) melon seeds. I substitute pumpkin seeds in North America when I cannot get to an African market, but wish we could grow our own.  As I've mentioned before, the book on the so-called Lost Crops of Africa, Volume II, has a wonderful section on  egusi/agushi (pp. 154-171). Also, see the most recent issue of John Hopkins Magazine for an update of the books and their impact.

5. Same thing for bambara beans (pp. 52-73).


Okay, now for the recipes:

Recipe #58: Ghana-style Grilled Tilapia

As I explained in "We Eat First With Our Eyes: On Ghanaian Cuisine," the most common fresh-water fish in Ghana is tilapia, and Ghanaians have also practiced small-scale fish farming for many decades, harvesting  fish from streams, rivers, lagoons and fish farms. Tilapia consumption has also been growing in popularity in the U.S.

Perhaps the favored way to eat grilled tilapia in Ghana is with banku (for more information and recipes, see 1 and 2), shito, and fresh pepper sauce (I'll post some recipes as soon as I recover from my grief at not having any kpakpo shito), as in this photo I snapped at the African Village restaurant at La Palm in Ghana. You'll notice that the head and tail are both left on the fish. As Barbara Baeta explains: "Ghanaians feel cheated if you don't leave the head on. . . We eat all bones--fish bones, chicken bones, meat bones. Maybe that's why we have such healthy teeth."



For 4 medium-sized tilapia

equipment you'll need:

• a grill and charcoal, obviously
• a fine grater [or grinding stone ;-)]
• a sharp knife
• a brush for basting
• a cutting board or plate
• a blender,  food processor,or grinding bowl (asanka) 
• a fish basket for turning the fish, if you have one (optional)

ingredients you'll need:

To season 4 medium tilapia (about half a pound each, or about 2 pounds total), mix together in a bowl:

• 2 Tablespoons grated shallots or onion
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil, like canola (plus you will need several more Tablespoons for basting)
• ~a teaspoon of salt (Note: people in Ghana will often use a crushed shrimp-flavored seasoning cube as in the photo on the left, but I omit this. I use a little extra seasoning salt and spice mixtur
  e (e.g., some dried ground crayfish and/or garlic, no-salt seasoning mixes).
• 1/2 teaspoon hot ground cayenne pepper or to taste
• about 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) of fresh chili pepper (kpakpo shito if available), ground. To reduce hotness, use a mild chili.
• ~ 1/2 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger

Either before you make the seasoning, or while you are preparing and seasoning the fish, light the charcoal (about 2 pounds) and allow it to burn down for about half an hour, fanning it if necessary.
To prepare the fish:

•  Clean and wash the fish, and descale it if necessary. Leave on the heads, but remove the gill covering and hard fins. Please note that this, like pounding fufu, is not as easy as many Ghanaian women make it look. It requires a very sharp knife, patience, and care. Even so, I often end up defacing (can you deface a fish?) the fish head and removing the gills, fin, and numerous bones while I'm preparing an already scaled and gutted fish. Not to worry. It will still taste great.
• Cut 2 diagonal slits of each side of each of the fish.
• If you have "strong" hands, use them to stuff and rub the seasoning mixture all over the fish, rubbing it into the slits and also inside the fish. Otherwise, you may need to use a spoon or gloves. Do not discard the dregs left in the bowl.
• Leave the marinade on the fish for at least 5 to 15 minutes (5 minutes only for a milder flavor)
• Brush the grill with oil, and place it almost directly on top of the coals (about an inch above them). Baste the fish with a little oil to keep it soft and moist. After 3-5 minutes, turn over the fish and baste this side with a little oil as well.
• Add a couple of tablespoons of oil into the bowl that held the seasoning mixture. Using your hands or the brush, shake the oil over the fish (don not try to brush it on, however) until all the seasoning mixture is used, as you continue to turn the fish every few minutes. Depending on the thickness of the fish and the heat of the fire, it should cook in about 10 to 15 minutes. Be careful not to burn the tail of the fish (a little foil on it near the end of the grilling might be in order).

Voila! Ghana-style grilled fish.  Enjoy. In the interests of full disclosure, and because I think we can learn from our mistakes, let me confess that I was breaking in a new grill today and failed to properly oil it, so the skin on my tilapia stuck to the grill and burned (that's it next to the grilled fish on the plate below). Also, please notice that these recipes are quite flexible, as is much Ghanaian cooking: I could only find one large tilapia, weighing about 1.5 pounds, so I substituted that for 4 small ones, so I made 3 slits in it instead of only 2. Also, it had already lost most of its tail to the butcher.

Recipe #59: Ghana-style Grilled Prawns/Shrimp     

Many delicious crustaceans are found along West Africa's coast and in its rivers, including Ghana's. And grilling is a favored way of preparing them, as in this recipe which is reminiscent of southern Africa's peri-peri (or piri piri) prawns or shrimp.
One tends to see a lot of grilled prawns being sold along the roadside near the coast in Ghana. They may also be served in buffets with other dishes, or, as an upscale party appetizer.
The photo above was taken in Ghana, where fresh prawns  are abundant, but today I've had to substitute frozen tiger shrimp. In Ghana, one leaves the head and tail on, but unfortunately the only large shrimp I could find in State College have all been beheaded. This detracts from the fabulous presentation, but, as my husband is fond of saying "such is life."
Allow 2- 3 of these shrimp per serving (I'm cooking  6 today). As with the recipe above, remember to start the charcoal ahead of time (about  30-45 minutes before you need it) so it will be ready by the time you have the prawns/shrimp prepared for the grill. Also, if you are using wooden skewers, put them in water to soak for an hour or so before you use them on the grill.
  
To prepare about 2 pounds (or a kilo, which is 2.25 pounds) of large shrimp or prawns in a bowl prepare a mixture similar to the one used with the tilapia above, but with garlic and fish spice:
• 1/4 cup grated shallots or onion
• 1 heaping teaspoon fresh ground or grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon fresh garlic ground/grated/crushed
• 1 teaspoon salt or seasoning salt (or more to taste)
• 2 teaspoons of dried ground red pepper (more or less to taste)
• 1 heaping teaspoon fish spice (may include salt, pepper, celery, thyme, sage, etc.) {I like to use  a fish masala}
• 4 Tablespoons white vegetable oil (canola or similar) 

Prepare the shrimp by deveining them (that means make a cut along the back and remove the thick vein. I find I sometimes I need to devein the underside as well.) You may need to rinse them as you go along).  Leave the head on (if you can get shrimp or prawns with them still attached) and the tail.  Leave the last piece of shell next to the tail so that it stays attached. If the head falls off while grilling, it can simply be slipped back on. (Another way to prepare them is to butterfly some or all of them, which increases the surface coated by the spicy seasonings.)
You also need
• a lemon or two

Rinse, then cut the lemon(s) in half and squeeze the juice into a bowl (I use an asanka), straining out the seeds with your hands or a strainer. Add about 3 cups of water to the bowl. Put the shrimp/prawns into the water, mixing them well to coat all parts of them. Set them aside to drain (I use a paper towel.) Stir the marinade, then gently add the shrimp/prawns to it, making sure all parts of them are well coated. Leave them in the marinade about 10 minutes. Remove and place them on skewers, beginning at the tail and working up to the head (if there is one). This prevents the shrimp/prawns from curling up as they cook. Brush the grill well with oil and have it close to the coals. Drizzle a little oil over each skewer, turning it over so both sides are coated. Turn the skewers every couple of minutes so they do not burn. Add more oil if necessary.

They should cook in about 5-8 minutes, depending on the size of the prawns.

These grilled shrimp/prawns can be eaten with plain boiled (or coconut) rice, a standard tomato gravy (a basic staple of Ghanaian cuisine), vegetables, yakayake (another recipe to post later), yam, abolo (yet another recipe coming) or served as an appetizer.
Here are the shrimp I grilled today:

Now it's time to eat.

Suya comes to Berkeley

Last week before leaving Berkeley, California, we stopped in at a modest but welcome new addition to the culinary scene, called "Suya." (Located at 2130 Oxford St, between Allston Way and the West Entrance to U.C. Berkeley. They're open every day but Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.) The Nigerian owner explained that when he came to the U.S. he always longed for a place to get the popular street/party/kebab-style food in Nigeria called "suya." (pronounced "sooya"). He and his wife decided to make it happen. We should all be grateful to them.

The restaurant is tiny (read "intimate"), and focuses its attention on grilling beef, tilapia, or chicken spiced to order with either the distinctive, vibrant rub called  "yagi"  (aka "suya powder") or Caribbean jerk seasoning--they even set out samples for passers by to taste, and though I sampled the jerked version, my heart belongs to suya (Ghana's chichinga).  While there are actually 3 or 4 types of suya (tsire, for which I've posted a recipe, kilishi,  balangu and dambu) most people use "suya" to refer to the most popular type, "tsire suya." The spices are exciting and distinctive (especially the powdered peanuts), the cooking lowfat and healthy, and there's no substitute for that freshly grilled taste of vegetables (corn, plantains, zucchini, peppers, etc.). Our grilled ripe plantains disappeared before I could even photograph them! The eating area is quite compact, the service friendly, and there is the advantage that you can watch the chefs grill your meal.

I'm generally not a big fan of tilapia, and I've never had fish suya before, but I found the spices gave it a delightful flavor. If you're in the Bay Area, do stop by and check Suya out.

In my next posting I'll blog about the refreshing Nigerian nonalcoholic drink I had there--a West African challenge to sangria: the Chapman! Who would have thought of adding cucumbers to a cocktail? Hint: note the bright red color of the drink in one of the photos below.

Goodbye snow, hello fruit; plus musings on customer service

This week finds me in Ghana checking up on my son DK as he recovers from typhoid (in Tema) and greeting my niece's newborn son (in the Eastern Region). Already the snow and ice of central Pennsylvania are ebbing from memory like a bad dream.

Coconuts are readily available here, along with pineapples (they call the wonderful sugar loaf pineapple the "Cape Coast" type), sour sops (custard apples), avocados and large mangoes (not the smaller traditional type yet). We've been feasting on them, along with oranges, tangerines, watermelon, and bananas. Yesterday I chopped up some mango and pineapple, threw the pieces into a blender, then strained some of the pulp out to make a nectar. Creamy and refreshing. DK said adding watermelon juice would have thinned it without any need to strain it. Today I mixed in orange juice with some of the nectar for breakfast. Yum.

It's also a treat to have fresh African yams. Speaking of yams: a few nights ago DK and one of his co-TEDFellows (Nina Dudnik of SeedingLabs) plus Sharon B. Stringer, my  friend  from Pennsylvania newly arrived to teach at Legon on a Fulbright, went out to dinner at a lovely seaside restaurant in Jamestown. Nina was leaving for Boston the next day and wanted to try some yam chips and pepper sauce, which she duly requested. She made sure the server understood she didn't want potato chips ("I can get those in the U.S. I want real yam chips and pepper sauce"). I ordered palaver sauce and boiled yam, and DK had banku and tilapia. However, when the food arrived and Nina began eating (it was dark by the time we got there and visibility was very poor), she discovered they'd served her potato "chips" (French fries) and ketchup! And her fried "chips" were obviously imported frozen ones that were tasteless and spongy.

Amazing. It seems obvious that freshly  made yam chips with fresh pepper sauce are far superior to imported "obroni aduane." Nina did not say anything then, but when the server returned to collect the plates, she told her of the problem and the server was apologetic. Meanwhile, from my boiled yam it was clear there was plenty of yam available.

If we file that experience under "customer service," here's another one. In the U.S., the mantra is "the customer is always right." In Ghana, that is reversed to "the management is always right" and "If in doubt, ignore the problem until it goes away." 

Earlier the same day as the potato chip (French fry) fiasco, I  experienced another version of this way of thinking. As many people know, the serving sizes in Ghana tend to be several times the sizes in the U.S. DK and I went to a small restaurant he frequently eats at. He wanted jollof rice with chicken and I wasn't very hungry so we decided to order a takeout version and share it. However, when we asked  to put one order in 2 "take away" boxes, we completely upset the balance of the universe. The server insisted she could not do that, even though we offered to pay for 2 boxes. Here's the math: the jollof rice was 4 cedis, plus 1 cedi for the takeout container, or 5 cedis total. The server went away from our table and never returned. The customers who arrived after us were served and we were still sitting there. When DK finally went to ask the owner what was going on, it appeared they were prepared to just ignore us for the rest of the day. Then they said it would cost 2 cedis for an extra container, and when he objected, they said it would cost 10 cedis for one serving of jollof rice in 2 containers. Ghanaian mathematics! 

At that point we left and bought some roasted plantains and groundnuts (peanuts) at the roadside instead. Apparently the restaurant was short on "take away" boxes and the employes were afraid the owner would give them a hard time if they let us use two for one portion of food. This beautifully illustrates how powerless servers often feel, and their inability to deviate even slightly from a rigid set of rules.

TEDGlobal: I mentioned TEDFellows above. I was a TEDFellow invited toTEDGLOBAL in Tanzania in 2007, and my son DK  to TEDGlobal in Oxford in 2010. If you want to change the world and are already working to do so, check it out. Applications are now being accepted until 11 March 2011. For more information:

Individuals can apply online at 

www.ted.com/fellows/apply (short: http://on.ted.com/8qco)
Press release: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ted-opens-application-process-for-fellows-program-114141589.html

Recipe #70: Agusi Frowee (melon seed) Stew with Fish

I have referred several times in the past to nutritious, delicious agushi (aka agusi, agushie, egusi) seeds.Today's recipe is a classic stew that combines the seeds with fish. There are, of course, other versions using meat or poultry, but this is my favorite.

I'm posting 2 versions of the same recipe: one is a richer, more nuanced, and expensive version. It uses salted cod, smoked fish, real agusi seeds, fresh tomatoes and peppers and palm oil; the other, is faster, cheaper, and lighter and uses canned tomatoes, canned fish, dried pepper, pumpkin seeds, and peanut (or canola) oil. Take your pick, or combine elements of each in your preferred version. The green seeds in the photo below are the pumpkin seeds, the white ones the agushi seeds

Let's begin with the slightly more complicated, fancier one.

Recipe #70: Agusi Frowee (melon seed) Stew with Fish

Version 1: Assemble ingredients

• 4 oz agushi seeds (about a cup), ground or unground
• 7-8 ounces of smoked fish (I'm using smoked whiting today), after bones and skin are removed
• 2 good-sized ripe tomatoes (plus a Tablespoon of tomato paste if you like)
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) of palm oil (dzomi if available)
• a small piece of salted cod (about an inch cube, about 1/3 of an ounce), or koobi (salted tilapia)
• 1 large onion (about a cup, chopped)
• fresh red pepper to taste

Prepare the ingredients:

1.  If the agushi is not ground, grind it in a blender. Mix it with a cup of water and set aside until later.
2. To remove some of the salt, I rinse and soak the salted fish in hot water while I prepare the other ingredients.
3. If the fish has bones and skin remove them and discard.
4. Peel and chop the onion.
5. Prepare the pepper and garlic (I grind mine together in a blender with about a Tablespoon of water). You will need to judge your preference for heat. You can always adjust the heat later by adding more ground dried red pepper later.
6. Chop the tomatoes (if you want to be extra fancy, peel and seed them first--drop in scalding water, then cold, to remove the peelings, and grind them in a blender). Mix in a Tablespoon of tomato paste if you like.
7. Heat a heavy frying pan on the stove top, add the oil and chopped onions, stir well, then add the salted fish.
8. Fry together on medium heat for several minutes, then add the pepper and garlic and cook a couple more minutes, then add the tomatoes and tomato paste.
9. Stir in the smoked fish.
10. Stir the agushi to see that all of the lumps are gone.
11. Stir the agushi-water mixture into the stew, lower the heat, then cover and allow it to simmer, without stirring, for half an hour.
12. The cooked agushi will look a little like scrambled eggs.
13. If you're like me, go ahead and skim off any oil that has risen to the top (or just stir it back into the stew) and check the seasonings. Add some dried red pepper if it isn't spicy enough for you. I cannot imagine it needing more salt, but add some if you must.

This stew goes well with rice, ampesi (plain boiled starchy vegetables like yam, potatoes, plantains, banku, or kenkey. (Note: You can search Betumiblog for recipes for banku and kenkey).

Here is the second, lighter, cheaper, and faster version:

Version 2

Assemble the ingredients:

• In place of the smoked fish, substitute a 15 oz can of mackerel
• In place of the agushi substitute raw pumpkin seeds
• In place of the fresh tomatoes, substitute tomato puree (a cup), OR 2 or 3 Tablespoons of tomato paste mixed with a little water OR a small can of tomato sauce
• simply slice, rather than chop, the onions
• Do not bother soaking the salt fish
• In place of the palm oil, substitute any white oil like canola or peanut of safflower (I avoid olive oil because of its distinctive flavor) and reduce the amount to 1/4 cup (2 oz)
• In place of the fresh hot peppers, substitute dried ground red pepper to taste (about 3/4 teaspoon to begin)
• Omit the garlic

Follow the same basic steps as above, omitting any steps unnecessary due to using already processed ingredients:  grind the pumpkin seeds,  mix with a cup of water in a small bowl, chop the onion, open the can of mackerel. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat and add the onion and salt fish. Cook a few minutes, then add the tomato puree (or paste, sauce), cook a couple more minutes, then add the canned fish and dried red pepper. Stir the water-pumpkin seed mixture into the stew, lower heat and cover and allow to simmer for 30 minutes without stirring.

My nephews Sam (left) and Ernest (right) stopped by at the beginning of this 4th of July holiday weekend, and sampled both versions. I topped some leftover coconut rice with the stew, and steamed a little fresh spinach on the side.

Sam added salt to the first version; Ernest found it a little too salty. Ernest added red pepper flakes to his; Sam found it spicy enough.

Both found either acceptable, but preferred the richer version (as do I).  Sam said of the second one "This is lighter. Americans will love it."

Recipes #61 Fish Cakes and #62 Fish Balls

 Are you hungry for a delicious snack or looking for some great, elegant (but easy-to-make) party appetizers? Or something different to make for a breakfast or brunch? Consider whipping up some Ghana-style fish balls or  fish cakes.

Recipe #61 Fish Cakes

To make about 16 fish cakes (8 servings), you'll need 

• about 1 1/2 pounds of fresh fish, such as red snapper, grouper, halibut, or any fleshy fish, to yield about 2 cups of flaked cooked fish. Any leftover cooked fish will work (I used part of the grilled tilapia I cooked the day before, and some perch fillets). In a pinch, canned tuna would work.
• 1/4 cup (preferably white) bread crumbs, or cooked mashed African yam
• 1 egg (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground dried red pepper or to taste
  
• 1 teaspoon fish spice (I used an Indian fish masala)
• 1/4 cup of finely grated or minced onion (optional, I omitted this)
  
• 1/4 cup of water
• vegetable oil for frying (like canola), not palm oil
• waxed paper (optional)

1. Wash the fish, season it if desired  and bake it in a moderate oven ( 350º F) for half an hour or until it flakes easily. Make sure to grease the bottom of the pan lightly to keep it from sticking. Remove and allow it to cool enough to handle it.

2. Remove the skin and carefully remove all the bones and discard them. Put the fish into a bowl and flake and mash it with a fork or your fingers or a wire whisk until it looks like bread crumbs.

3. Prepare the starch that will serve as a binder: if bread crumbs, put a couple of pieces of preferably slightly stale bread in a blender and pulse briefly. If you are using African yam (please, NOT sweet potatoes), peel and chop it and cook in boiling salted water, drain, and mash). I had the ends of some lovely San Francisco sour dough French bread that I used.

4. Add the pepper, fish spice, salt, water, and egg (if you are using it) and mix thoroughly.

5. I put a piece of waxed paper onto my work surface, and put on it about  2 T of the mixture (use more or less, according to the size you wish). Then, using a table knife, flatten it into a patty about a half an inch thick, and use the blade of the knife to shape the 4 sides of the patty.

6. While these can be deep-fried, I prefer to use a large heavy frying pan to shallow fry them in about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of oil at a medium high temperature, frying one side until brown, then gently turning them over with a slotted spoon or turner, and draining them on paper towels. If you prefer deep-frying, heat several cups of oil in a deep fryer or deep pan on the stove to about 375º F. Make sure never to fill the oil over half full since it could bubble over when adding the fish.

7. Serving suggestions: Serve with hot pepper sauce or shito or even ketchup. These patties can also be made larger and served as a main dish with sautéed onion rings and eaten with yam, rice and Ghana-style gravy, or even as a first course with cucumber, tomato, onion, lettuce and vinaigrette dressing.

Recipe #62  Fish Balls

This  recipe is very similar to #61. The ingredients require a couple of additional things:

• about 1 1/2 pounds of fresh fish, such as red snapper, grouper, halibut, or any fleshy fish, to yield about 2 cups of flaked cooked fish. Any leftover cooked fish will work,  including canned tuna
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• for 1 cup of white cream sauce

             1 cup milk

             1 Tablespoon corn starch

             2 Tablespoons margarine or butter

             salt and pepper to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon red or black pepper)

• vegetable oil for frying (like canola), not palm oil
• waxed paper (optional)

1. Follow steps 1 and 2 as for Recipe #61.
2. Prepare bread crumbs as in Recipe #61. Put them in a small shallow bowl.
3. Break the egg into a small bowl and mix it with a fork.
4. Prepare the cream sauce: Mix together the milk and corn starch in a small pan, stir it until smooth and add the salt, pepper, and butter or margarine. Heat on the stove top over  medium heat, stirring constantly. When it comes to a simmer, simmer for 1 minute to thicken it, then remove it from the stove and add  it to the fish. Note: I found that I needed to add a little extra fish for mine to hold together, so you might want to begin with 3/4 cup of white sauce and then add the rest if you determine it will not make the balls too soft to hold their shape.
5. Put a sheet of waxed paper on you work surface.
6. Shape about 2 Tablespoons of the fish mixture into a ball in you hands, dip it into the beaten egg, and roll it in the bread crumbs. Continue until all of the mixture is used up. 
7.  These balls are best deep-fried as explained in recipe #61 ("heat several cups of oil in a deep fryer or deep pan on the stove to about 375º F. Make sure never to fill the oil over half full since it could bubble over when adding the fish."). Drain them on paper towels after cooking.

Serving suggestions:  These balls have a milder, moister flavor than the cakes, and make delicious appetizers. They can be served the same way as fish cakes. At Flair catering, they are sometimes served in gravies, with or without curry powder, and gently set into the pot just before serving and shaken to coat them.

NOTE: While I prefer these freshly prepared (I feasted on them yesterday with some of the fresh pepper sauces!), they can also be kept warm in an oven, or reheated quickly in a microwave or oven just before serving.

.

Touch of Africa; Spring Class on African Food and Culture

It's been hectic for me lately. Last Saturday night was Penn State's annual Touch of Africa celebration sponsored by the African Students' Association. As usual, it was a sold-out event (500 tickets) and a cultural extravaganza that gave the students and the community an opportunity to taste unfamiliar foods and experience the music, fashion, story-telling and energy of Africa, largely normally unavailable to central Pennsylvanians. I was brought in late in the game to oversee the preparation of the food with the The Penn Stater's professional cooking staff and some student volunteers. I don't generally do quantity cooking, so it was a challenge, but the team managed to pull it off with help from The Penn Stater's chef Ken Stout and his staff. A few (very few--I was too busy to take pictures) photos from the event are up on my BETUMI account on flickr. The menu included several West African dishes, representing the heavily West African ASA membership (efo stew with greens and beef and smoked fish and smoked ground shrimp and palm oil), egusi (a.k.a agushi, a fabulous melon seed and one of the so-called "lost crops of Africa") soup, puff puff (a Nigerian doughnut), chicken jollof rice, fried ripe plantains, hot and mild versions of Ghanaian-style tomato gravy, and bissap (hibiscus chilled tea with lemon grass and pineapple juice), as well as North African-style couscous, East African coconut basmati rice and Somali sombosas, roasted chicken, tilapia with sauce, and all-Africa tropical fruit salad with flaked coconut.

Sore Shields of The African Market and I coordinated a silent auction to raise money for 2 charities in Africa, and Kunmi Oluleye of Flavors of Africa generously donated copies of her cooking dvd of Nigerian, Kenyan, and South African cooking (first in a series of 17 planned). Thank you to everyone who helped and bid on the items.

Now, I need to get ready to teach a five-week African cooking (and culture) course beginning March 18. . . Never a dull moment.

Flair Cooks for Obamas in Ghana

I telephoned my colleague Barbara Baeta of Flair Catering in Ghana (and my collaborator on our upcoming Ghanaian cookbook, the recipes of which are appearing in development on Betumiblog regularly) to find out if she could help me discover what the Obama family was served during their stay in Accra in July. It turns out the one State meal catered for them was breakfast, and her own Flair Catering was selected to provide that meal (for 600 people)! She's sending me the menu tomorrow (Thursday), so check back to find out what was served. Barbara was quick to point out that she knows what Flair served, but not what the Obamas themselves actually ate.

She compared the security there in 2009 to that when she cooked for President Jimmy Carter (pre 9/11)--then it was much looser, and she was able to chat with the President; this time, though she was a few yards away from President Obama, and saw his wife come down, she was unable to meet them and security soon hustled everyone away. Plus, there were meetings going on upstairs, where Flair also set up a buffet table, but she doesn't know if President Obama actually tried any of the food or not. A combination of Ghanaian and European food was served.

Barbara commented to me that some of the culinary reporting was inaccurate. Among other things, they got her name wrong and called her "Henrietta." Also, while kenkey was part of the buffet, tilapia was not ("I wasn't going to take a chance on all those bones."). Instead, she said, they prepared grouper fillets. I hope she'll be able to get some pictures of the tables, too. She said everything looked lovely, but security was so tight there was no way for her to photograph anything herself. For some photographs I took at Flair's 40th birthday party in 2008, go to BETUMI's flickr account.

Recipe #9: Okra/Eggplant/Fish Stew

Banku is often eaten with a stew made from okra and/or garden eggs (a kind of eggplant, which is what is often substituted in the U.S.), and smoked and fresh fish. I especially love smoked mackerel, but my husband was recently placed on a low-sodium (salt) diet, so we had to omit that and go with fresh salmon instead. I confess I missed the lovely flavor smoked fish adds. We tried to compensate for that by serving it with a little bottled chili sauce since I did not have any "black pepper" (shito) on hand.

The ingredients I used included: a medium eggplant (to get several cups, peeled and chopped), a large really fresh tomato (or 2), or substitute canned if you must, a large onion, chopped, a jalapeno pepper (or a hotter variety, more, etc., to taste), about 1 1/2 dozen fresh okra, (or frozen), 4 salmon fillets, 2 large garlic cloves, a couple of tablespoons of red palm oil (or other vegetable oil), a little fresh, peeled ginger (to taste, try starting with an inch or so), and some salt.

Salmon would not be a traditional fish (whereas tilapia, tuna, or red snapper would), but I've often had salmon served in West African restaurants in the U.S., and it works fine, especially the wild type, which are meatier.

First wash and prepare the eggplant. Peel it and chop it into cubes, then put it in a saucepan and cover the eggplant with water. Cover the pan, bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer it while you prepare the okra. If using fresh okra, rinse it, then trim both ends. According to your preference, you can 1) simply slice the okra into rounds, 2) chop it finely, 3) remove the seeds and slice it horizontally, 4) leave it whole. I generally chop it finely, unless I'm in a hurry, when I just slice it. When using frozen okra, I often leave it whole so it doesn't completely lose its body.

The stew can also be made with only one of the vegetables--either the okra, or the eggplant, but we like them combined, as they often are in Ghana. When the eggplant is soft, remove it with a slotted spoon and puree it in a blender or food processor. Set it aside.

Similarly, peel and coarsely chop the ginger and garlic and tomato and puree them with a little water in the same blender container. No need to rinse it first.

Peel and chop or slice the onion. In a large, heavy pot or pan heat a couple of tablespoons of oil (I used a seasoned red palm oil from Ghana called "zomi") and fry the chopped onion on a medium heat for a few minutes, then add the pureed pepper and tomato and garlic and ginger (if you're a perfectionist like me, you can strain out the seeds, or seed the peppers and/or tomatoes before putting them in the blender). Add the eggplant and fish, turning the fillets to coat them with the spices and vegetables, then add the okra and salt (to taste) and stir. If it's not spicy enough, add a little dried red chili pepper. Add a little water if the sauce seems too thick, cover it and lower the heat and simmer until the fish and okra are cooked. This stew also goes well with plain rice, and should serve 4 people. If you want more tomato flavor, add a spoonful of tomato paste.

More African food videos

Here are links to several more free online videos related to African cuisine (what did we ever do before You Tube?)

Dona D’Cruz interviews Marcus Samuelsson, author of The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa, which features some Senegalese food at the end of the interview (e.g., fried ripe plantain, couscous, yassa, and thiebou dienne.)

In a February 19, 2007 blog posting I shared some photos from Penn State University's Touch of Africa dinner and cultural show (more photos are available at Betumi's flickr account). The students at Oklahoma State University did me one better, and videotaped the food preparation action behind the scenes for their 2007 Africa Night.

In the February 13, 2007 blog posting I mentioned two cooking videos by Nigerian Ngozika on BlackTVonline.com. She has another one on preparing jollof rice, fried plantain (dodo), and fish stew. While I find her videos fun to watch, given time constraints she rushes through things. For example, she has already prepared the gravy for the stew and the jollof rice, and even peeled and sliced the plantain ahead of time. Though she mentions ingredients, she does not give quantities or explain preparation techniques enough for newcomers to the cuisine to successfully follow her directions. Still, having said that, I'm very glad she is out there popularizing Nigerian cuisine.

The North African cooking pot with a conical lid is called a tagine, which is also the name of a type of Moroccan stew cooked in it. Traditionally made from clay, modern versions are made with metal bottoms that can be placed directly on a stove top. Tagine: the Movie, illustrates how to use a modern tagine to make a typical Moroccan beef and vegetable stew. As in other YouTube videos, the lack of details frustrates the would-be cook. What WAS in that mysterious broth added to the tagine? Also, did they really eat it without any couscous in sight?

There is an intriguing demonstration of preparing Congolese satori, "a famous dish of the Lokele fishermen of Kisangani," made in the demo from tilapia fillets. Be sure to read the full description of the ingredients before watching the video.

Finally, there are several clips of people eating at African restaurants at the You Tube site. A typical one includes a send-off party for students at Drelyse African Restaurant in Columbus, Ohio (USA) where the students give a little cultural advice to the Americans.

Lunch for 1,000+ at 70th birthday party

While en route to TED GLOBAL I stopped in Accra briefly for the fabulous 70th birthday celebration for Barbara Baeta (a.k.a. "Auntie Sika"). I've posted a few photos at flickr (betumi account). Suffice it to say here that it was amazing. At the Ridge Church service before the luncheon I was moved to tears as her family from the Volta Region spontaneously erupted into dancing and singing, and finally I felt free enough to join in with the others. She is truly beloved by those who know her. Soon I'll post a video clip I took during an interview a few days later in her home (on my return to the U.S. after TEDGLOBAL) when over some of the special birthday cake she'd saved me she shared a few memories of her 50 years as a professional in the food service industry in Ghana (especially of having coffee with Jimmy Carter and the time Queen Elizabeth II used Barbara's room as a dressing room.) For today I just want to mention the wonderful menu served to over 1,000 invited guests at the Trade Fair Center. There were 8 varieties of beers, from Star to Castle Milk Stout, a wide selection of wines from France, South Africa, Spain and Chile, a wide range of soft drinks from Flair Fruit Punch, Bissap and mineral water to Sprite, Coke, Malta Guinness, and Fanta. The salad bar featured over a dozen types of dishes of largely Western sources, from salami cups, stuffed celery with cheese, salad nicoise, potato salad with smoked chicken, smoked salmon, etc., etc. But the Main Buffet was my favorite: diced fish with prawns in tomato sauce; tilapia with atieke; grilled ginger chicken; lamb fricassee; Togolese meat stew; pink, saffron, vermicelli, braised and wild rice; couscous; gali (gari) foto; kakro and bambara beans; yam croquettes; light okro soup with yakayake; heavy fetrimi, akple and abolo.

My greatest sadness was that I had to grab my food before the serving officially began and gulp it down so that I could catch a flight to Tanzania. To my dismay I missed the luscious dessert table altogether, especially the tiger nut pudding, which is one of my favorites. Oh well, my greatest comfort is that I should be back in Ghana for 6 months beginning in January 2008.