1/2 -1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on your tolerance level
Mash plantains with a potato masher or spoon until puree or use a food processor to blend.
In a medium bowl add flour, baking powder, salt, garlic, paprika, ginger, cayenne pepper to the mashed plantains.
Adjust seasonings.
Let rest for 1 hour
Using your hands roll about a tablespoon of mixture in the palm of your hand into little bite size balls or use spoon to scoop it out.
Heat oil to 350 degrees in a skillet or saucepan. You may also use the oil test by dropping a 1-inch square of bread into the oil. If it takes 60 seconds to brown, then the oil is at around 350 degrees
Carefully place spoonful of the batter into the hot oil and fry for 3-4- minutes, or until the fritters are crisp and golden-brown (you may need to do this in batches).
Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
You may drain on paper napkin to remove any excess oil
Make a fountain with flour and yeast. Pour in the center the powdered sugar, the eggs, the nutmeg and the melted butter. Knead by hand to obtain a homogeneous paste.
Form a ball with the dough and Spread each slice finely on a floured work surface and cut.
Heat the oil in a large pan and put the pieces of batter. Drain the ear cups on paper towels, place them on a dish, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.
Season the chicken with half of the blended spices, add the cube and salt to taste. Add 1/2 sliced onion. Add water and cook until tender. Fry the chicken
Add the tomato puree, the tomato paste, ½ onion puree, the cube, the remaining blended spices, the cayenne, the carrots sliced in half and the cabbage slice, a pinch of baking soda and salt to taste.
Add 7 cups of the water to the tomato mixture add the watched rice and salt to taste. Cook the rice.
When all the water evaporates from the rice add the habanero pepper.
Serve the rice with the side of vegetable and the chicken.
Voila!!!
I noticed that other cultures serve their jollof with a side of salad, which is a good idea.
My grandmother’s Adémé is my favorite soup. I remember my grandmother harvesting the Adémé the day before and letting it see overnight. The next day, we had to remove the dark end of the stem and remove the leave from the big stems. Next my grandmother washes the leaves with a drop of bleach to make sure they are no earthworm on the leaves. She will cook down the Adémé leaves with a lot of love, in a very simple way with doevi and serve it with Ewokoume.
The Adémé is also called Jute leaves or Lalo cultivated in the Caribbea, in Africa and in the USA during the summer time. The leaves of Adémé are sold in the farms during the summer time. I did not get a chance to go to the farm this year; therefore I had to use the industrial precooked Adémé. To tell the truth, I real don’t mind.
The Adémé is not just the delicious but very rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C , Vitamin E. Furthermore the Adémé contains a high percentage of calcium, which contributes to strong teeth and bones. The Adémé is rich in fiber; therefore regularly intake of the leaves help to control blood pressure, cholesterol build-up, diabetes, and also prevents heart disease.
This Adémé déssi recipe is a West African (Togo, Benin, Ghana and Ivory Coast) recipe. The Adémé leaves are cooked in very little water and a generous amount of baking soda. The baking soda help keep the green color of the Adémé leaves and soften the leaves during the cooking process. Before, starting the cooking process, make sure to have all the ingredients ready because cooking the Adémé leaves too long can resolved in a dry, dark green and not slimy soup. Equally important, you should not cover the soup unless you want to cut the sliminess of the soup.
I have a tendency to overload my Adémé dessi with meat, fish and seafood. Some people do not use palm oil, but I cannot do without. In addition to the meat, vegetables like African eggplant and bell pepper can be added.
The Adémé is served with Akoume (like ewokoume. Makoume), Akpan, gari, or Ablo.
600 g of ademé leaves (fresh or frozen)
1 tablespoon of ginger
2 cloves garlic,
3 cooked crabs,
12 cooked shrimps,
1 smoked mackerel,
1 onion,
20 cl of palm oil
1 cube
Red and green pepper
Salt
Pepper
2 tbsp Potash or sodium bicarbonate
1 fish “lahoin” (dried and fermented fish)
The meat of your choice (seasoned, boiled, and fried)
Sort the leaves by removing the yellow or faded leaves, wash and drain in a colander and chop coarsely.
Put a little water in the bottom of a pot, and add the potash and as soon as the water begins to boil the leaves of ademe.
Add the fish “lahoin” and 1/2 onion
With the help of a spoon, break the leaves of Ademe.
Boil until the sauce is slimy (about 10 minutes).
Add chili, garlic, ginger, crab, shrimp, cube, meat and smoked fish
Add palm oil and salt and cook for another 10 minutes.
Potash or baking soda allows green vegetables to keep their color during cooking and soften
Sobolo is the Ghanaian name for a tea made out of rosella leaves, also referred to as Bissap, Zobo or Sorrel. Sobolo (Bissap, Zobo, Sorrel or hibiscus tea) is a cool drink found in most West African countries. It is a dark red-purple (ruby red) colored juice. It tastes sour, a bit grapey and a little bit like cranberry juice and can be cooked with ginger, mint leaves, pineapple, vanilla, tea grass or the aroma of choice. Like other teas, it can be consumer hot or cold depending on preference.
The Sobolo (Bissap, Zobo, Sorrel or hibiscus tea) is one of the superfoods that can help us live a healthier life. The health benefits of hibiscus tea include relief from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, digestive, immune system, and inflammatory problems. It helps to cure liver disease and reduces the risk of cancer. It can also speed up the metabolism and help in healthy, gradual weight loss. Hibiscus tea is rich in vitamin C, minerals and various antioxidants, while also helping in the treatment of hypertension and anxiety.
The hibiscus tea can also include relief from cramps and menstrual pain. It helps in restoring hormone balance as well, which can reduce other symptoms of menstruation like mood swings, depression, and overeating.
Ingredients
10 cup water
2 cup dried hibiscus flowers
1 pineapple
1 bunch fresh mint, washed thoroughly
1-2 cups sugar, or to taste
How to Make Hibiscus Tea?
Wash the pineapple, peel, core and slice
Bring 10 cups water, mint, hibiscus flowers and the pineapple skin to a boil in a medium stockpot.
Boil for10 – 15 minutes, or until the color becomes a deep, purplish red.
Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool.
As soon as the mixture is cool enough to handle, remove mint and discard.
Strain the bissap into a large bowl.
Add sugar (to taste).
Stir until sugar dissolves completely.
Bottle the bissap and chill thoroughly.
Serve over ice, garnished with a sprig of fresh mint and/or a squeeze of lime.
Stay tuned for decadent bissap cocktail recipes later this week!
