Celebrate with Cassava Cookies (Gari "biscuits")

Spring is coming! Last December I mentioned baking some classic cookies made from the West African cassava meal called "gari." It's now March, and I'm finally sharing the recipe--just in time for spring celebrations, or Easter,  or graduations, or a special teatime snack.

These crispy cookies are simple to make, and have an uncluttered, fresh, pure taste. The coconut and gari deliver a crunchy texture with a mild, pleasing flavor. Incidentally, I started to make them yesterday, cracking open a fresh coconut only to find it was spoiled, so had to return to the store today for some frozen unsweetened grated coconut. Apart from the time saved from not having to do all the work of opening and grating the coconut myself, the only difference was that the frozen one was more tightly packed, so I only needed about two/thirds of a cup of it (instead of about 3/4 cup) to make up my 2 ounces. 

Also, I used evaporated milk (as one would likely do in Ghana), and since I didn't have any margarine, substituted unsalted butter. For a vegan version, use margarine and substitute soy or almond milk.

Gari Biscuits (Cookies) 

Yield: 2 dozen

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fine sifted Ghana-style gari

1 teaspoon water

1/2 cup plus 1-2 tablespoons sifted unbleached wheat flour

1/3 cup sugar (or less, to taste)

1 teaspoon baking power

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 oz or about 3/4 cup medium freshly grated (or about 2/3 cup defrosted frozen  unsweetened coconut)

1 oz (2 Tablespoons) margarine (or butter)

2-3 Tablespoons of evaporated milk (or regular, soy, or almond milk)

Set the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit  (191 degrees Celsius, or 5 gas mark) to preheat.

Grease or oil a baking sheet.

1. If using fresh coconut,  crack open, prepare and grate the white meat (see blog posting). Set aside.
2. In a bowl, sprinkle a teaspoon of water over the gari, and mix it in well with your fingers  (see picture on right).
3. Add the remaining dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder) to the bowl, along with the coconut.
4. Using your fingers or knives, cut the margarine (or butter) into the mixture until it resembles cornmeal.

5. Stir in 2 Tablespoons of milk. If the mixture seems too dry to stick together, add up to one more tablespoon (a teaspoon at a time) until the batter will form small patties.
6. I made the cookies 3 different ways, :

first, I hand-formed 8 of them into small patties; secondly, I patted some of the dough onto a lightly floured board and cut 8 small circles using a small jar; thirdly, I formed 8 small balls, set them on the cookie sheet, and pressed them with a fork as one would for peanut butter cookies--first one way, then once again at right angles to the first)

Finally, I baked them in the preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes, until they turned very lightly golden. The tops are whiter, the bottoms browned. The longer you cook them, the crisper they become, which is the way we like them.


These are delicious, and one cannot help but reflect on the reality that if people in Ghana made them more often, they could cut their use of imported wheat flour basically in half. Plus they make use of locally available coconuts, rather than expensive imported flavorings.

Variations could include sprinkling the biscuits/cookies with coconut or gari, or adding other flavorings/spices (vanilla, lemon, etc.).
I'm sure these would keep well in a covered container or in the freezer, but they never last long enough at my house to try that. These cookies are festive for any occasion year round.

Washington Post Celebrates West African Cuisine (and travel updates)

February 29, 2012: Happy Leap Year's Day! I was pleased to read Tim Carman's food column today (on West African cuisine) in the online version of  The Washington Post. He had interviewed me at length for background, and I was thrilled that he shared about the search for a publisher for the regional Ghanaian cookbook Barbara Baeta and I are writing. Incidentally, while the bulk of The Washington Post makes its way to our little community, it does not include the Lifestyle/Food section, so consider this a plea for any of you who are in that area to pick up a copy for me and send it to me at BETUMI, P. O. Box 222, State College, PA 16804. Thank you, I'd be very grateful.

Now that I'm back from Nigeria, I head to Oregon for a few days next week, then will attend the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) conference in New York City at the end of March and beginning of April.

Later, in June, I'll be at the IFT (Institute of Food Technologists) annual conference in Nevada,  speaking on

Beyond Peppers, Peanuts, and Palmfruit: The Multilayered Tastes and Textures of African Cuisines 

The presentation  "will introduce sub-Saharan African flavor principles, ingredients, and cooking equipment and techniques, with special emphasis on western Africa. From the special texture created by the ridged grinding bowl called “asanka” in Ghana to the signature steamed bean pudding “moinmoin” of Nigeria, from  “Grains of Paradise” and fonio and other “Lost Crops of Africa,” and on to Africa’s love affair with New World crops (e.g., cassava, maize and peanuts), this session will celebrate the abundance and diversity of good tastes from Africa."

I'm also on the books to teach a new course in the African Studies Department at Penn State for the fall semester: Food Culture in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

I'll keep you posted on these and other activities. Meanwhile, I'm still filing away a massive amount of papers from the last few months, but haven't forgotten my promise to post the recipe for the cassava biscuits/cookies I made last December. It will be coming soon.

Oatmeal fufu from Nigeria

Hello friends and colleagues.

I arrived back in the U.S. last week and have been slowly catching up on my sleep and my correspondence. Last night I attempted a dish I first tasted in Abuja a couple of weeks ago: "oatmeal." 

Not your every day breakfast cereal, though. It was interesting to see William Penn's face greeting me on boxes of Quaker Oats in the grocery shops in Abuja, but even more interesting to know that Nigerians have appropriated the oats to make a contemporary version of a starchy accompaniment to soup, similar to fufu.

I was first treated to this dish in the home of Godwin and Felicia Chukwu. When I asked for the name, I was told, simply "oatmeal." "No other Nigerian name?" I asked and was assured there is not.

Unfortunately, I had no time for Felicia to demonstrate its preparation to me, but she did show me the heavy duty grinder she uses to grind the oats to flour, and she explained the basic process: bring water to a boil, gradually stir in the oats and mix well for a couple of minutes, then spoon into a serving bowl. She assured me I could just as easily use an electric blender to make the flour, as you see I did.

I believe she also said no added salt, and I remember Godwin mentioned to keep a little boiling water on the side to add if the oatmeal gets too dry.

It's eaten with "any soup," and we had it with a delicious Nigerian soup in Abuja.

Last night I made a Ghanaian "light soup" with beef and okra and shrimp, and whipped up some "oatmeal" to go with it. I remember Felicia used "instant" oatmeal, but I had old fashioned rolled oats here in Pennsylvania. At any rate, my first effort was semi-successful: I remember the version in Abuja as being lighter and somehow fluffier, while also dense. I think I may not have ground the flour fine enough, and I may have added too much water as well. I used 2 cups of oatmeal and probably 1 cup of boiling water. Anyone out there who can fine-tune this recipe, please let us know.

Happy Valentine's Day in Abuja

February 14, 2012: It's now my 6th and final intensive week teaching at the African University of Science and Technology here in Abuja, Nigeria. However, since today is Valentine's Day, it only seemed right to celebrate, so I broke out my last chocolate bar, whipped up some peanut (or groundnut) "cakes" aka, peanut brittle, some "atwemo" (twisted cakes), and popped some corn. That, along with tea and  coffee in the faculty lounge (with the room decorated with some lovely bougainvillea from the campus) made for a pleasant mini celebration as our very international staff gathered together during the morning break. 

Hmmmm, am I really ready to head back to ice and snow in central Pennsylvania?

Additions to the Africa Cookbook Collection from Benin and Ghana

I have been in Abuja for a week now, and was delighted that one of my colleagues at the African University of Science and Technology, Prof. Degla from Benin, remembered his 2010 promise to bring me a copy of a cookbook from Benin: Nazaire Hounto-Ada's Mon Livre de Cuisine, a 56-page booklet showcasing (in French) 100 Beninoise recipes. I'm looking forward to exploring this West African cuisine in more detail.

Also, I was in Ghana just after the launching of a long-anticipated book by Florence Aleeno Sai, a respected culinary professional of Ghana with a long history in the field of consumer affairs, nutrition, home economics and home science. Her 129-page hardback book is tastefully (!) designed and fully illustrated with color photos throughout. It is a treasured acquisition, and I thank my son-in-law Koranteng Ofosu-Amaah and his mother Elizabeth Ohene for graciously obtaining a copy for me. More information can soon be found at www.auntymamascookbook.ghanabiz.com.gh. I have had some preliminary discussions regarding becoming the North American distributor of this landmark book, currently available only in Ghana. I'll keep you informed if and when this happens.

Best Wishes for 2012

Dear friends and colleagues:  It has been a busy couple of months and I have not found a way to share it with you on this blog as I would have liked to. Unfortunately, the next 2 months will be just as hectic. I am now sitting at the airport in Washington DC en route to Ghana for a week, then on to Abuja to teach 2 intensive  courses through most of February. 

When I return, rest assured I'll be posting again (such as the recipe for these coconut-gari cookies [biscuits] that I served to a class at PSU in early December.)  The picture above includes a picture of the cookies in a snack sons Sam and Ernest enjoyed while visiting over the holidays. Note the ofam (plantain loaf) in the foreground (very popular with the Penn State students). 

We also had a great time in December at The Textile Museum (see below) discussing (and sampling) Central African food and culture. The palm wine was a big hit.

 

Wishing you all a  happy, healthy, prosperous 2012. May it be filled with good (African) food, good friends, and good memories.