Category: Togolese cuisine

Togolese cuisine

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Powder Foufou recipe

Fufu (foofoo, fufuo, foufou or foutou)

The foufou (fufu or foutou) is usually obtained by pounding yam, cassava or boiled plantain. But I’m going to take a shortcut: the powdered foufou flour!

Fufu (Powder) is a white fermented carbohydrate food, produced from cassava, plantain, yam. Unlike the traditional product, which is in normally obtained in wet form and highly perishable, the mechanized product is presented in dried flour form. It’s a great substitute for the pounded fufu.

4 cups of fufu flour

6 cups of water, everything depends on the consistency you want

Boil 2 cups of water and add the mixture

Cook until the liquid turns into a paste.

Test: wet your hand and touch the dough … if it sticks to your fingers, cover and cook longer.

As soon as it is cooked remove from the heat and put in a ball.

Foufoui dessi or “sauce (white) of foufou”

1 chicken (1 onions, 6 cloves of garlic, 1 ginger teaspoon, 1 bouillon cube, 2 cloves, 2 allspice)

Smoked fish

Vegetables (okra, eggplant, tomatoes, green pepper)

Salt and pepper

Put in a large saucepan the chicken cut into pieces with enough water to cover the meat, the bouillon cube and the seasoning. Bring to a boil and keep on the heat for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on whether the chicken is more or less hard).

Cut the aubergines in 2, the tomato …

Add the eggplant and okra

Add 4 teaspoon of foufou

Once the meat, eggplant and okra cooked add the tomato, chilli,fish. Cook for 10 minutes and season to taste

Serve with foufou

Enjoy your meal !

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Recipe of braised Chimichurri Red snapper

Braised Chimichurri Red snapper

This colorful fresh, green and totally delicious chimichurri sauce doubles as a marinade and an accompaniment to steak, chicken and red snapper. This is a fun twist to braised red snapper. This recipe of braised red snapper is super tasty, traditional and incredibly easy to make. Chimichurri is garlicky sauce from Argentina. It’s flavorful and healthy!
The longer you season the meat, the tastier the red snapper. When stored properly in the refrigerator, the marinated fresh red snapper should be cooked within two days, up to three at most.

2 red snappers

½ cup finely chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano

4 garlic cloves, crushed

½ cup finely diced

1 small red chili pepper 

1 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup of oil 

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Marinate the red snapper and refrigerate and is best if used within 24-48 hours.

  

Prepare the grill (medium-high heat).

Grill the fish until just cooked through, about 10 minutes per side (depending on thickness and size of fish)

or Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake the red snapper until cooked through, about 45 minutes.

Serve hot

Tips:
It is a great idea to marinate the red snapper with the chimichurri the night before, or in the morning before you leave for work. Don’t know leave the marinated red snapper at room temperature for a long period of time. To cut down the clean use a re-sealable plastic bags, rather than in bowls or other containers. Also cover the marinated red snapper to avoid cross contamination. Never, use chimichurri marinade from raw red snapper as a sauce.

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Pork feet Stew

Pork feet Stew

1 kg of pork feet

½ tablespoon fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon paprika

Pepper

2 cubic broths (Maggi)

1/4 cup of oil

2 onions

2 fresh tomatoes

2 tablespoons concentrated tomato

A pinch of potash or baking soda

3 habanero pepper

Salt

Clean the meat, marinate the meat with 1 onion, ginger, garlic, pepper, cubes, paprika Cook over medium heat for 45 minutes

In a pot, heat and onion until the onion is tender.

Add the concentrated tomato and the puréed tomatoes, remaining in place until a red and heavy paste is obtained.

Add the meat broth and uncover the meat and simmer for 15 minutes until the meat is well cooked.

Have a good meal!

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Suya (Grilled Liver kebab)

Suya (Grilled Liver kebab)

1 kg Beef liver

¼ cup powdered peanuts

1/2 -1 tablespoon cayenne

1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon white pepper

1/2 – 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper optional

1 tablespoon chicken Bouillon

Salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil to drizzle on the meat

If you’re using wood skewer: Soak the skewers for at least 20 minutes totally submerged in water before using it to prevent burns.

Heat the oven to 450°F. Lightly spray or oil baking sheet or roasting pan to prevent the suya from sticking to the pan

In a medium bowl, mix peanut, garlic powder, onion power, smoked paprika, white pepper, cayenne pepper, hot ground pepper and bouillon/maggi. Place it on a plate , Set aside

Slice the liver into a diagonal medium thin shape,

Thread the steaks onto the skewers about 4 per skewer. Making sure the skewer is fully covered with slices of meat

Rub the steak skewer with spice mixture; on both sides. Line a roasting or baking sheet with foil paper. Place skewers on cookie sheet , then place on the roasting pan or baking sheet.

Drizzle with oil and bake on for about 12-15 minutes.

Optional -Towards the last 3 minutes of baking switch from baking to broiler setting. To get a nice crisp brown on the outside.

Serve warm

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Cameroonian banana and corn fritters

Cameroonian corn fritters

6 Ripe yellow bananas (300 gr)

125 gr of corn flour and 25 gr of wheat flour

10 grams of baker’s yeast

5g of salt

Peanut oil or frying

Crush peeled bananas with a fork or blender and add the flours.

Add yeast delayed in a little water at room temperature.

Add the salt.

mix well and leave to pose 1h to 1h30.

Heat the oil in a saucepan.

Using 2 teaspoons add a little dough to the frying bath. Let the donuts brown.

Drain on several layers of absorbent paper.

Enjoy

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Ham, liver and eggs fried rice

Ham, liver and eggs fried rice

2 tbsp olive oil

0.5kg beef liver

2 teaspoon fresh garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon ginger

Salt to taste

In a large skillet, warm the olive oil on medium heat.

Add liver, salt, garlic, and ginger

Cover and cook for 10 minutes, turning the liver over to brown on both sides.

Remove from the heat and set aside to rest for 5 minutes and cut in cubes

4 cup Long Grain cooked Rice

1 tsp. Kosher Salt

5 Large Eggs

1/2 cup chopped ham

¼ cup onion chopped , finely sliced

¼ cup bell pepper (red and green), finely sliced

2 tablespoon oil

1 cube

Beat the eggs with the ham in a medium bowl. 

In a large skillet, warm the oil on medium heat.

Add the onion and bell pepper, cook for 3 min.

Add the egg and cook the eggs while stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula until they’re cooked through. 

Add the cut liver, and cook for 2 mins

Add the cooked white rice, cube and salt

Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes, to warm through and to let the flavors come together.

Serves hot!

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Chicken Peanut Stew

The African Peanut butter stew is creamy, delicious and flavorful. The combination of chicken, tomatoes, spices and peanut butter comes together quickly and is very easy to make. In African, we eat peanut as snack and sometimes with porridge. However, I noticed in the US most people love peanut butter and jelly. If you are not allergic to peanut butter and love peanut butter and jelly: this Absolutely a “must-try”.

The peanut butter stew gives you the aromatic flavor of the peanut butter and the savory taste profile. The peanut butter found in US grocery store are full of sugar, therefore you can make your own sugar free peanut butter. You can do so in 5 minutes by placing roasted peanuts in a food processor and turning the food processor on until it becomes creamy and smooth. The peanuts go in stages from crumbs to a dry ball to a smooth and creamy “liquid” peanut butter. The peanut butter holds in the fridge for a couple of weeks

Peanut Stew

  • 1 cup Peanut butter paste
  • 1 onion
  • 2 fresh tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2~5 habanero peppers and Serrano pepper
  • 8 chicken legs or wings
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon ginger
  • 1 Teaspoon of Black Pepper
  • 1 Bouillon cube
  • Salt to taste

Boil the chicken with your favorite seasoning – I used garlic, ginger, cube, salt and pepper. Fry and set aside.

Blend tomatoes and onion. 

Add remaining onion, tomato and tomato paste to the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and let it simmer stirring frequently to prevent any burns- about 5 minutes.

Next, add the peanut butter, chicken (2 cups of water or chicken stock as needed), season with, chicken bouillon, salt and cayenne pepper. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes or more

Add the habanero peppers and Serrano pepper

Adjust the soup thickness with water/chicken stock if necessary and let simmer to desired thickness

The peanut butter can be served with white rice, Eba, Foufou and gari…

Notes:

  • For this tutorials I used chicken, but you can also use beef, pork, or smoked fish.
  • The Peanut butter in the US is either smooth or crunchy, and both can work depending on your taste
  • You can also add vegetable like potato cabbage, carrot, kale, spinach, mustard greens, or whatever hearty greens you prefer.
  • You can make it as spicy as you will like by add pureed pepper

Peanut butter is comprised of about 25% protein, making it an excellent plant-based protein source. However, it is low in the essential amino acid methionine. Peanuts are low in carbs and suitable for people with type 2 diabetes or those following a low-carb diet. Although peanut butter is high in many healthy vitamins and minerals, it also contains a substantial amount of calories.

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Okra Soup (FétriDessi)

Okra Soup
Okra Soup (FetriDessi) is one of the most popular and easy-to-prepare West African soups. The setup takes a lot of time. The okra needs to be washed and grated; the leaves (Gboma or Ogbono) needs to be washed and cut them roughly. Subsequently prepare the meat, smoked or dried fish and shellfish. Once the setup is finished, cooking is fast.
The Okra Soup can be prepared with mutton, beef, chicken or pork. Here is the step by step to cook the meat. For fish, we can use smoked Mackerel, fried tilapia, douevi … for crustaceans, we can use crab, octopus, crayfish, shrimp …
Okra is a rich source of dietary fiber, minerals and vitamins, as well as a low-calorie vegetable. Known in most West African countries as Okro and French speaking countries as gumbo. I used red oil for recipe. You can also cook the okra with tomato sauce or cook the okra dry.
Serve hot Okra soup with Makoume, Ewokoume, Ougali (Ugali), Ablo (ou Ablo simplified), Kenkey (ou Kenkey simplified), gari or rice.

Fétri dessi (Okra Soup)

  • ½ lbs chopped goat
  • 1/4 lbs beef skin
  • To season the meat
  • 1/2 sliced onion
  • 1 tablespoon ginger
  • 2 tablespoon garlic
  • 1 cube
  • 1 Bay leave
  • Salt to taste
  • 2½ cups of freshly chopped Okra
  • 10 fresh shrimps
  • 2 fresh crabs
  • 1 piece of salted fish (Lanhounhoun)
  • 5 Douèvi
  • 2 chopped Habanero peppers
  • 1 cup of palm oil
  • 2 tsp dry grounded pepper or chili flakes
  • 2 cup meat stock
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 cube
  • Salt to taste
  1. Mix the meat and the spices and add enough water to cover the meat. Cook until the meat is tender. PS the beef skin may cook faster that the goat meat, remove it and set aside.
  2. Fry the goat meat
  3. Boil 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Add the baking soda.
  4. Then add the Okra, 1/2 onion + 1 piece of salted fish and the 1 cup meat stock.
  5. Mix together 1 cup meat stock with 1 tablespoon garlic, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 tablespoon paprika and 1 cube.
  6. Add the shrimp, crabs and the seasoning mixture.
  7. Add the hot pepper, Douèvi , beef skin and the goat meat and stir well.
  8. Let the soup cook uncovered for about 5-10minutes. Check for seasonings and add the palm oil.

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Grilled Lamb Kebabs & Semi Jollof

Grilled Lamb Kebabs & Semi Jollof

Grilled Lamb Kebabs

2 lbs. lamb chops

3 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon garlic

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne

2 tablespoon lemon Juice

1 teaspoon ground pepper

2 tablespoon parsley 

1 teaspoon salt

1 cube

If you are using a Wooden skewers, soaked in water 30+ minutes

Cut the meat into 1 inch cubes and place in a bowl.

Mix all the ingredients together and massage into the meat. Place the lamb/beef cubes onto the skewers.

Grill the skewers 15 minutes per side–turning once.

Preheat turbo oven to 392°F (200°C) Arrange the kebabs on the high grill rack and cook for 10-15 minutes, turning once after 3-5 minutes. Transfer oven cooked lamb kebabs to the round baking tray on the low grill rack.

2 colors jollof

750 gms basmati rice soaked for half an hour

1/2 cup oil

2 onions finely sliced

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

2 tomatoes finely blended

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp red chili powder

2 tsp coriander powder

1 cube

1 cup peas

salt to taste

To cook the rice perfectly, bring the water to a boil, add rice. When the water starts boiling again, cook for another 5 minutes. This absolutely depends upon the quality of the rice. When you press the rice between your fingers, it shouldn’t feel like a grain or feel cooked. It is somewhere in between. It is half grainy. Drain out the excess water immediately

Heat oil in a large pan and  add onions and fry till golden brown.

Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for another 30 secs. Add the red chili powder, coriander powder, salt, tomato and cube. Add 1/2 cup water and Cook for 5 mins.

Add rice and Do not mix. Add the sweet peas

Cover with foil and close the lid. The foil do not let the steam escape on low heat for 15 minutes. 

 

Serve the rice with the kebab

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Kom or Kenkey (Simplified)

Kom or Kenkey (Simplified) (Togo – Benin)

Kom

  • 3 cups corn flour
  • Warm water (105–115°F)
  • Dry corn husks
  1. Put corn flour into a bowl and add the warm water and stir until you get a smooth batter.
  2. Cover the bowl the bowl and set in a warm place for 4 days.
  3. When you are ready to use the dough start by scraping off and discarding any mold that might have formed. Add more water and let it settle and discard the excess of water.
  4. In large saucepan, add the mixture of corn flour on medium heat.
  5. Cook for 10 minutes and stir to prevent scorching – or until it comes together but not totally cooked.
  6. Remove the pan from the heat, stir and mix thoroughly.
  7. Divide the dough into large portions and put them onto corn husks.
  8. Shape the dough into balls.
  9. Wrap the corn husk around the ball tying it at the top.
  10. Pour hot water into a steamer pot and put a rack on top of it.
  11. Put the wrapped Kom on the rack and bring the water to a boil using high heat.
  12. Reduce to low heat and steam for around 60 minutes.
  13. kom is usually served with Ebesse fionfion, Yebessessi, sardine, and fish.