Tag: West African
Kale and Whitefish
Kale and Whitefish
Greens are an important part of Nigerian cuisine. Efo riro is a classic dish of kale stewed in a spicy tomato/red pepper sauce with pieces of whitefish. You will want to use a firm fleshed fish, so I recommend tilapia, swai, catfish, or snapper. This dish is even hearty enough that it could be eaten vegan without the fish or dried shrimp. Efo riro is best served with boiled yams or steamed basmati rice.
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 3 roma tomatoes chopped
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 habanero
- 2 tbsp dried bitter leaf
- 1 1/2 lbs white fish fillets tilapia, swai, catfish, or snapper
- 1 tbsp creole seasoning
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 maggi bouillon cube
- 3 tbsp dried shrimp
- 4 tsp powdered locust bean
- 2 bunches kale rib removed; washed; chopped into 2” pieces
Instructions
- Place the onion, tomatoes, red bell pepper, garlic, and habanero in a blender.
- Purée until smooth. Set aside.
- Rehydrate the dried bitter leaf in a bowl of water for 10 minutes. Squeeze out the water and chop. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season your fish with creole seasoning. Place on a rack on a baking sheet lined in in foil.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Cut into 2” pieces. Set aside.
- Heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the tomato paste, turmeric, thyme, and garam masala for 1 minute.
- Pour in the reserved purée, bitter leaf, powdered locust bean, dried shrimp, and maggi bouillon cube. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium low. Slowly incorporate a handful of kale in at a time.
- Once all the kale is mixed in, simmer for 5 minutes without stirring.
- Add in the chunks of fish. Cook for 3 minutes.
Sweet Potato Shrimp Fritters
Sweet Potato Shrimp Fritters
So why is there what looks to be a Vietnamese recipe in Senegal? Like Vietnam, Senegal was colonized by France. Many Senegalese fought for France in Vietnam during the Indochina war; many bringing back Vietnamese wives to Senegal. With the connection through France, Senegal saw an increase of Vietnamese, developing a fusion of Senegalese and Vietnamese cuisine. Today, it is common to see spring rolls and shrimp cakes on Senegalese menus.
Ingredients
- 8 oz shrimp peeled and deveined; finely chopped
- 8 oz sweet potato grated
- 2 green onions chopped
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup flour plus more
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- vegetable oil for frying
Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp water
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 red bird’s eye chili finely chopped
- 1 large garlic clove finely chopped
Instructions
- Combine all of the dipping sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Mix together the shrimp, sweet potato, green onion, fish sauce, salt, and pepper.
- Mix in the flour, egg, and baking powder until a batter is formed. If the batter is too wet, add in an extra tbsp of flour.
- Heat up a 1/4” of cooking oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Drop a 1/4” cup of the batter in clumps into the oil. Slightly flatten with the back of a spoon.
- Fry the fritters for 4-5 minutes a side until crispy, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
- Drain the grease on a rack.
Tatales (Plantain Pancakes)
Tatales (Plantain Pancakes)
Tatales are a classic Ghanaian dish of plantain pancakes. It is best to use overly ripened plantains. If you happen to have some that aren’t ripe, you’ll need to boil them first to soften them up before mashing. When mashing the plantains, they don’t need to be smushed until smooth. Lumps are a good thing in this situation. Once all the ingredients are mixed together, fry the batter in pancake form for 5 minutes a side. Serve the pancakes with beans.
Servings: 2
Equipment
- bean or potato masher
Ingredients
- 2 plantains ripe
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 green onion chopped
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp ginger minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- Peel and cut plantains into small cubes.
- Mash the plantains with a bean masher.
- Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
- Heat up cooking oil on a griddle over medium high heat. Portion out the batter into 4 equal amounts. Drop each amount onto the griddle.
- Fry for 5 minutes a side.
