Oh no god, this Green Pepper accompanies almost all Togolese dishes: Jollof, Pinon, Attièkè, Ablo … The Green Pepper is a little spicy. And if the Green Pepper is too spicy use a lot of onion. I prepare the Green Pepper outside because it’s hard to breathe during preparation. 4 cup green pepper
4 cup green pepper
4 Onions (3 puree + 1 cut)
1 cube
Salt to taste
1 cup of oil
Crush 3 onions and green pepper. – Do not use a lot of water because it will prolong cooking.
Cut the remaining onion
In a pot, bring the onion pureed to a boil. Simmer until all the water evaporates (about 20 mins)
Add the green pepper and let it simmer until all the water evaporates (about 20 mins)
Add the chopped onion, cube, salt and oil. Cook for 10 mins.
It is near; the chilli can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 months.
Ha – it depends on your fish. If you ever go on a fishing trip and you get on hand on son fresh fish, please add some salt and fry it. You don’t need anything extra. I grow up at Kpeme (on a Togolese coast), my dad is a boat pilot so he used to bring fresh fish at home all the time. I miss it so badly!!!
Well, if you can only get your hands on a frozen fish, you need to work a little more. You need to season before you fry it. I usually use garlic, ginger, Salt, Red sweet pepper, Cayenne pepper, and pepper. The All-purpose flour is to help the fish not stick to the pan. The fried fish with flour is beautiful golden crust and juicy flesh inside.
Clean one fish at a time. Keep the remaining fishes cold (in a cooler or a cold environment) if you are frying more than 1 fish.
Hold the fish firmly by the head and scrape the scales off the tail towards the gills with a butter knife or scaling tool.
Keep the blows of your knife short and fast. Avoid pressing too hard and slashing the fish, remember we are trying to remove the scales not cut into the fish.
Be careful and work around the fins because they can sting or pierce the skin.
Be sure to remove all scales from both sides, around the pectoral and dorsal fins, and up to the throat of the fish.
Rinse fish with high-pressure water to remove loose scales
You start the evisceration process by forcing the knife through the body part between the pelvic fins and to the base of the lower jaw and remove the guts. Clean the inside of the head of the fish.
Cut off the fins of the fish
Once the attachments are cut, you can remove the gills easily. Now wash the fish and rinse off all the blood and scale with cold water.
1 whole fish, white-fleshed, approx. 2–3 lbs.
⅓ Cup All-purpose flour
1 Tsp garlic
½ Tsp ginger
¼ teaspoon Salt
½ Red sweet pepper
½ tsp Cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for deep frying
Mix All-purpose flour, garlic, ginger, Salt, Red sweet pepper, Cayenne pepper, and pepper. Set aside.
Pat the fish dry with paper towels – If the fish is big, make a few slits on both sides – season the fish with the mixture. Shaking off excess flour is important for crispy skin because otherwise, the excess flour crisps but then falls off when flipped. Also, excess flour burns in the pan and you get black bits on the fish.
Set a deep-fry thermometer in a large, heavy pot. Add the oil and heat to 350°F. Add one or both fish (as many as you can fit without crowding), and fry, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, 4–6 minutes total. Do not move the fish until the underside is golden brown or the skin will stick to the pot.
Baked Not Fried! A Classic Russian Meat Pie Stuffed with Ground Beef. Classic Oven Baked Pirozhki (Пирожки в духовке с мясом)
Ingredients for dough using a bread maker
1 cup milk lukewarm
2 eggs set aside 1 yolk for egg wash with 1 teaspoon whipping cream
3 tablespoons oil – using 15ml measure – melted butter is better
3 1/3 cups of flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons yeast – slightly less than a packet
Ingredients for meat filling
500 g lean ground beef
1 onion chopped finely
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tablespoon ginger
1 cube
1/2 teaspoon salt as per your taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Mix all the ingredients for the dough together. Let it rise for 2 hours.
Mix together the ground meat, onion, parsley, garlic, ginger
In a frying pan, over medium high heat, the ground beef until cooked and evenly browned. Add cube, salt and pepper, taste and adjust if necessary and set aside to cool before adding to the dough.
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F
When the dough is ready, carefully place onto a very lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough into a long sausage shape. You want to cut into pieces that are approx. the size of a golf ball. Or you can pinch off golf ball pieces from the dough. You should get at least 24 pieces from this recipe. Cover pieces you aren’t working on with cling wrap so they don’t dry out.
Roll out the dough balls as thin as you can into the shape of an oval. Place about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the centre. Pinch both sides of the edges of the dough together, creating a seal all around. Don’t allow the filling to touch the edges or the seal will come apart.
Place the piroshki on parchment paper, or a lightly greased baking tray, upside down, so you cannot see the pinched seal, and flatten them a bit. Don’t allow them to touch each other, as they will stick together.
Make the egg wash by beating the egg yolk with 1 teaspoon of whipping cream and brush the piroshki with the egg wash before putting into the oven.
Place into the oven and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
Put all ingredients, except the last 2, in a large bowl.
Mix everything together using your hand to make sure that all is well incorporated. Set aside.
Cut 2 pieces foil foil about 12 inches long each. Take half of the meat and flatten it on the foil, covering about a half. Do not forget to leave some space at the ends, about 2 inches each side.
Place the sausages and hard boiled eggs on the middle of the flattened meat.
Roll the foil so that the meat forms a cylinder or log, locking the sausage and egg in the center. Twist the ends of the foil to lock.
Cooking a turkey wings is no different from cooking chicken wings; they are all the same!!! Expect for the size. Because of that, the cooking time is longer but it all good!!! It’s more yummy. I am frying this but you can also bake it in the oven temperature at 350 F Four about an hour so.
African Fried Turkey Wings
1 onion
1 clove
1 allspice whole
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon ginger
1 cube
Salt to taste
5 turkey wings
Canola oil for frying
Mix together 1/2 onion, cloves, allspice, garlic and ginger.
Cut off wing tips, Discard wing tips and Cut each wing into halves. Rinse turkey wings
Add seasonings, 1/2 the onion chopped, cube and salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least for 4 hours.
Add about 1/2 liter to the wing and boil for 30 min.
Fry for 7-10 minutes till center is all cooked (outside will be dark, golden brown)
Lay paper towel on a plate to drain excess oil, transfer fried wings to plate
And you’re done!
1 onion
1 clove
1 allspice whole
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon ginger
1 cube
Salt to taste
5 turkey wings
Canola oil for frying
Mix together 1/2 onion, cloves, allspice, garlic and ginger.
Cut off wing tips, Discard wing tips and Cut each wing into halves. Rinse turkey wings
Add seasonings, 1/2 the onion chopped, cube and salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least for 4 hours.
Add about 1/2 liter to the wing and boil for 30 min.
Fry for 7-10 minutes till center is all cooked (outside will be dark, golden brown)
Lay paper towel on a plate to drain excess oil, transfer fried wings to plate
Transfer to a different plate to serve
And you’re done!
I mean done!! Get to munching!
konkada are a very delicious and crunchy street snack across Africa and in the western world. It’s actually peanuts coated with caramelized sugar. It might be called differently across different continents but it all boils down to the-same taste.
Candied Peanuts
2 cups Raw peanuts
1 cup Granulated sugar
1/3 cup Water
Vanilla extract (optional)
In a large heavy bottomed skillet, combine all 3 ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
Once up to a boil, continue to stir and cook over medium-high until the water evaporates and the sugar syrup seizes and crystallizes.
Continue stirring and the crystallized sugar will start to melt and caramelize. Stir this to coat the peanuts until all the sugar has caramelized and no more granulated sugar remains.
Remove from heat and immediately stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract if desired and then turn out onto a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
Sprinkle with cinnamon, cocoa powder, chili powder, sea salt, etc to flavor to your tastes. (optional)
Let cool completely and then break up nuts into individual pieces. Store in an airtight container. Makes 2 cups of candied peanuts. Enjoy!!
2 cups raw peanuts
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
optional – vanilla extract, cinnamon, cocoa powder, chili powder, sea salt, etc.
In a large heavy bottomed skillet, combine all 3 ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Once up to a boil, continue to stir and cook over medium-high until the water evaporates and the sugar syrup seizes and crystallizes. Continue stirring and the crystallized sugar will start to melt and caramelize. Stir this to coat the peanuts until all the sugar has caramelized and no more granulated sugar remains. Remove from heat and immediately stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract if desired and then turn out onto a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Sprinkle with cinnamon, cocoa powder, chili powder, sea salt, etc to flavor to your tastes. Let cool completely and then break up nuts into individual pieces. Store in an airtight container. Makes 2 cups of candied peanuts. Enjoy!!
I feel like Suya (also called Tchintchinga) is universal. Unless, you are allergic to peanut, why wouldn’t love Suya? I think the Suya stand can be reference as a West African fast food stand. Suya is a meat skewer seasoned with roasted peanut and other spices. The Suya is a staple food in West Africa that originated from the Ayoussa culture. The suya can be made with beef which is the most common, lamb, chicken and even Kidney, liver and tripe which is sold in newspapers.
It can also be served with Jollof rice, Fried plantains, Akpan, Fried yam. For this recipe I used thinly slice beef marinated with powdered roasted peanut, garlic, ginger, paprika, salt… vegetable oil and I served it with some French baguette. And it is a marriage made in heaven the combination of roasted beef, the peanut, the spices and the French baguette make the perfect sandwich.
I drive 3 hours round trip to get my French baguette from Cait and Abby’s in South Orange NJ. If you cannot get your hand on some fresh French baguette for this sandwich, you can substitute the French baguette with some toasted white or Panini bread. Bush the crispy bread with oil before adding the Suya. Furthermore you can dust the meat with the Suya spice. Unfortunately, because of my kids, I did not add any hot peppers (like cayenne pepper).
Suya sandwich
3 teaspoons finely ground roasted peanuts
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or 1 teaspoon red peppers or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 ⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 ⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 ⁄2 teaspoon onion powder
1 cube
1/2 kg beef (cut into bite-sized pieces (beef, chicken, etc.))
1 red onion (peeled and cut into chunks (optional))
1/4 cup oil
Stir the spices together , mixing well.
Slice the onion
Dip and roll the meat in the other bowl of the peanut-spice mix, making sure the meat is completely coated.
Place the meat on skewers
Brush with some oil and add more suya spice
Broil in a hot oven, or grill over hot coals, until meat is done.
Slice the bread in half
Add some oil, suya spice and the suya
Serve immediately with the reserved peanut-spice mix, for sprinkling or dipping as desired.
(Do not use the mix that came into contact with the raw meat.).
