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Posted on June 5, 2019July 31, 2019 by admin — 1 Comment

Haitian pork griot recipe

For this recipe of pork griot and Jollof rice, I combined my West African culture and Haitian experience. Pork griot is one of Haiti’s favorite’s dishes. To make the griot, big and fatty chunks of pork shoulder are marinated with limes juice, garlic, ginger, fresh thyme, onion, bouillon powder and salt, then boiled and finally fried until golden and crisp. Traditionally, the pork griot is served with Pikliz, which is a mixture of cabbage, carrot and chili pepper pickled. The acidity of Pikliz balances out the richness of the griot, but for this recipe I chose to serve it with some Jollof rice.

This is the image of Haitian pork griot — Haitian pork griot

How to make the a tasty a crispy pork griot ?

Do you know that Pork is the world’s most popular type of meat? Yes, it is. Though not exactly a health food, moderate consumption of properly prepared pork can be an acceptable part of a healthy diet. For the griot, I love to season the pork overnight to guarantee a tasty and tangy taste. Once the pork has being marinated overnight, it is browned, the chunk of pork should be separated from the broth and cooled. Lastly, the marinated – browned – cooled pork is fried in hot oil to obtain the griot.

What is Jollof rice for the griot?

The jollof is a pot of rice loaded with tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, scotch bonnet peppers, salt, spices and vegetable oil and more flavor than you’ll know what to do with. Furthermore, vegetables, meat or meats and different types of local spices can be added to personalize it. The secret to a good jollof rice is the flavor build in the tomato broth and oil coupled with the perfect ratio of rice. As far as I can remember, jollof rice is served at every west African party. The jollof rice originated from Senegal and is a popular dish served in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, Togo, and Sierra Leone. The recipe varies lightly from one country to the next. The two main version are Ghanaian Jollof Vs Nigerian Jollof.

Ingredients for Griot

1.5 kg pork (shoulder Cut in bite size)
1-3 limes (juice) about 2 Tablespoons
5 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoon ginger
3 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 medium onion sliced
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
2 Teaspoons salt or more

How to make the Haitian pork griot?

Marinate the pork with lime juice, salt, chicken bouillon, garlic, ginger, onions, thyme, scotch bonnet pepper (optional).

Let it rest in the fridge for about 2 hours or preferably overnight.

In a saucepan on medium heat, bring to a boil and simmer until tender for about an hour or more.

When pork is tender remove from liquid and any bits of spices, herbs of the pork. Set aside pork.

Fry the pork at 350F (180C) until the pork is crispy.

Using a sieve drain pork liquid, reserve the liquid and discard the rest of the herbs and spices. (I use ice to cool down the mixture and remove the excess oil)

Place pork liquid in a small saucepan on medium add 1 teaspoon tomato paste, 1 cup tomato, 1/4 cup oil, sliced onion and bring to a boil.

Add the rice (2 cups water for 1 cups jasmine rice). Salt to taste. Add the cut vegetables (carrots and bell pepper).

Stir in rice and boil over medium-high heat until the water evaporates

Be sure the lid fits tightly on the pot. Turn down the heat to its lowest setting. Let the rice simmer for about 18 minutes, then remove from heat and allow the rice to steam in the pot for another 5 minutes.

This is the image of Haitian pork griot with Jollof — Haitian pork griot with jollof

Serve the rice with the griot.

Notes:

Cleaning the pork with vinegar or lemon juice is a test to see if the meat is still good. If the pork smells “off” even after its vinegar or lemon juice bath, chances are it’s not okay to cook.
The vinegar or lemon juice tenderizes the pork, cuts down on cooking time, and lets you store pork for a little longer in the fridge if you end up not cooking it the day you prep it.
The FDA currently does recommend against rinsing meat, however, in the African/Caribbean, there’s a common practice of rinsing off the meat and fish with a mild acid like lemon or lime juice or vinegar prior to cooking.
Before everyone owned a refrigerator, cooks would apply an acidic solution because they believed it killed any bacteria on the bird and to impart a little extra flavor. Currently, many folks use this same technique to get rid of any odors and add flavor to the meat.

Posted on November 30, 2018December 14, 2018 by admin — 3 Comments

Introduction to Ivoirian Cuisine

Introduction to Ivoirian Cuisine

Ivoirian cuisine is a cuisine which originated from Ivory Coast and influence West African and international cuisine a great deal. Ivory Coast is a country located in West Africa, which borders Guinea and Liberia to the west, Burkina Faso and Mali to the north, Ghana to the east, and Atlantic Ocean to the south. In my opinion the more popular Ivoirian cuisine dishes are Attieke (cassava semolina), Alloco, and Kedjenou.

The Attieke (Attiéké or Akyeke) is the national dish of Ivory Coast. Attieke is made of fermented grated cassava with the consistency of couscous. The Attieke is sold as Garba or with palm oil, Alloco, braised chicken, braised fish, snail stew… There is also a variety of Attieke called Agbodjama which has a bigger size that the average couscous. On the other hand, the small size superfine Attieke is called Ayité. In the capital of Ivory Coast, Abidjan, Fast food places sell the attieke as Garba which is basically Attieke served with chopped onion, habanero pepper and fried tuna.

Alloco (aloko or aloco) is seasoned fried ripe plantain served as street food in Allocodrome. Alloco is also serve in Togo (Amanda), Benin and Nigeria (dodo), Ghana (Kelewele) or Congo (Makemba). The Alloco can be served with fried fish, egg, suya, braised fish or braised chicken. Furthermore the Alloco can be served with tomato stew or puree of red peppers. To obtain the Alloco the ripe plantain (soft to touch) is sliced and fried with either palm oil or peanut oil until browned. While Apkessi is boiled plantain (or yam) accompany of the same sides.

Kedjenou is a very simple spicy and popular stew that is slow-cooked in a sealed clay pot or pressure cooker (in modern cuisine) over fire. I love Kedjenou because it is a one pot recipe. The recipe consist of meat (chicken, guinea hen, goat) seasoned with garlic, ginger, pepper and vegetables (tomato, onion and habanero pepper) slowly cooked. The seal pot allows the meat to cook in its own juices, which tenderizes the meat and concentrates the flavors of the ingredients. A variety of Kedjenou is Biékosseu, is a fish stew cooked in banana leaves, that originated from Akyé (Attié) also adopted in Ghana. The stew can be accompanied with Foutou (Also called foufou and fufu), boiled yam or Attieke.

Aller-Retour is a fried though stuffed with fish or ground meat in the shape of mini corndogs that originated from Ivory Coast. Equally delicious is another varity of Aller-Retour, Jaune-jaune, that has a yellow color and is accompanied by vermicelli. The “Aller-retour” is the perfect aperitif. This fried dough is succulent and irresistible donuts stuffed with tuna. The tuna can be replaced with meat or any other fish they will remain very pleasant to taste. “Aller-retour” means Round Trip. The name comes from the fact that when you eat the “Aller-retour”, it’s so good that you always come back looking for more!

The Ivoirian Fast food restaurants also sell skewers similar to Suya in Nigeria or Tchintchinga in Togo. Another variation of the skewer are Choukouya (l’étouffé de mouton) is barbecue lamb, mutton or beef, seasoned, braised and served with a side of crushed dried pepper.

Bread-skewers also called “Pain-chien” is one of the most popular streets foods of Abidjan! Every neighborhood, every area of the city knows its favorite seller. The fresh and crisp bread spread with ketchup, mayonnaise garnish salad and onion. Additionally, the classic kebabs (Suya), skewers of kidneys and liver can be used as meat.

Crécré (or kléklé) is an Ivoirian snack made all-purpose flour, sugar, yeast, vanilla, and salt, shaped like “Klui Klui” fried in oil.

Dêguê (degué) is a dessert served in Ivory Coast that originated from native to Mali. It is also served throughout the rest of West Africa. The dêguê is made with millet (or millet), yogurt, milk and sugar. The dèguê resembles couscous. The millet has a particular flavor and texture.

Gaou (niébé or akara is also in West Africa) It is a cookie made from beans, onion and salt, and fried in oil. In Ivory Coast, the Gaou is a very common street food; it is served with chili powder or spicy tomato sauce. It also called Kosai (Nigeria) or Koose (Ghana).

Gbofloto (Gbofroto, Botokoin, Puff puff, Mikate, bofrot, BHB, kala or togbei) is a dough based snack that is sold as street food in West Africa similar to donut. The Gbofloto is made with flour, yeast, sugar, salt and fried in vegetable oil until golden. A variety includes eggs and butter is optional. After frying, puff puffs can be rolled in sugar.

Agba-klaklo (called Agbeli-klaklo in Togo and ewe Ghana) are crispy fried seasoned cassava and served with slices of coconuts.

Akassa (called makoume in Togo and benin and Banku in Ghana) is fufu made with fermented corn. Equally delicious is the cassava version, Placali. Placali is a fermented cassava paste of Ivorian origin usually tasted with seed sauce, okra or kpala.

Klaklo / Krakro is a banana puff puff.

Pili-pili (Pateé or pastel) are small empanadas stuffed with ground meat cooked with vegatables.

Peanut Stew (Mafé) is a soup made from peanuts. It is a staple of Ivorian cuisine. It is often eaten with fufu (pounded yam) fufu, banku or kenkey.

Sauce Claire is a simple Ivorian tomato and eggplant stew served with foutou.

Riz gras (Jollof rice) derived from Thieboudienne and is a meat and rice based dish in West Africa. Riz gras is prepared with significant amounts of meat and vegetables. Additional ingredients used include eggplant, bell peppers, carrots, cabbage, onion, garlic, meat or vegetable stock, oil and salt.

Leaves Stew

Okra stew

kplala (ou kwlala)

Boule boule-coco: beignets au coco râpé

Posted on August 19, 2018November 29, 2018 by admin — Leave a comment

Suya Sandwich

Bread-skewers or Suya Sandwich

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.).

Posted on April 7, 2018April 7, 2018 by admin — Leave a comment

African Green Pepper Sauce

African Green Pepper Sauce

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.

Posted on April 7, 2018November 11, 2018 by admin — 1 Comment

How to clean fish and fry whole fish

How to clean fish and fry fish

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.

Transfer the fish to a paper-towel-lined platter and serve with Waakye, Akpan, Ablo, Jollof rice, French fries, spaghetti, Banku, Kenkey, Fried yam…

Posted on July 26, 2013April 6, 2018 by admin — Leave a comment

African Fried chicken

African Fried chicken

If your mother in law is in the same zip code, follow this recipe to the T! this is very close to the traditional recipe.usually a motor is use to grind the spices but, you can pay me to do manual labor!!! A blender work just fine.Back to the recipe, if you want your mother in law to love and respect you don’t skip a step. This fry chicken can accompany Jollof rice , tomato sauce, Ablo or in soups. You can blend the spices, keep it in the fridge and use it on other meats (goat, beef and chicken)