Since living in Ghana I have become addicted to ripe plantains cooked in many different ways. They make a healthful (cooked) snack naturally low in sodium, but high in potassium, vitamins B6, C, and fiber, and are heartier than bananas. When ripe plantains are plentiful in Ghana, roadside vendors sell grilled slices along with small wrapped packages of shelled roasted peanuts with their skins still on. The combination provides a complete inexpensive but satisfying meal that goes by the popular nickname “Kofi Brokeman” (in other words, Kofi is “broke”—has no money).
Ingredients
1 ripe plantain per person
Roasted peanuts (opposite page)
Directions
1. Build a fire in a charcoal grill or fire up a gas grill. Brush oil on the grill rack to keep the plantain from sticking. (Alternatively, use “no stick” aluminum foil and put the peeled and sliced plantain directly on that.)
2. Cut the ends off the plantain, make a shallow cut just through the peel from end to end on one side, peel it and remove any stringy fibers. Cut the plantain on the diagonal into a few slices.
3. Spread out the coals, and place the rack a few inches above the charcoal. Grill the plantain pieces until they are brown and cooked on each side (about 5 to 10 minutes per side). Be careful the slices do not burn. If they darken too quickly, raise the rack or move slices to the outside of the grill away from the direct heat.
To serve: These are best eaten warm off the grill with a few handfuls of dry roasted unsalted peanuts.
In Ghana, if someone is eating Kofi Brokeman on a bus or in a public place near you, they will likely gesture politely to you and say “You are invited” (i.e., you are invited to join me), an ingrained hospitality gesture of Ghanaians.
Roasted Peanuts
Makes 8 (¼ cup) servings
Market women in Ghana roast shelled peanuts with skins on in large pans filled with sand so the nuts heat and cook evenly. In the 1970s, they were served unsalted and tended to be small Spanish-type peanuts. Nowadays larger Virginia peanuts are common as well.
Raw shelled (or unshelled) peanuts may be found in international (especially Asian) markets or health food stores in the U.S. Whether serving peanuts as a snack or using them in cooking, roasting raw peanuts is not complicated.
Ingredients
2 cups raw peanuts, shelled, with or without skins
Salt (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to about 325 degrees F.
2. Line a cookie sheet (or similar pan) with foil (optional), and spread 2 cups of peanuts in a single layer. Place the pan in the preheated oven and roast the peanuts for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and shake the pan gently and return it to the oven to roast for another 3 to 5 minutes. Remove again and allow the peanuts to cool until you can taste them. (The skins will have turned dark and they will continue to cook after removing them, so make sure they are not overly brown.) Taste and if more cooking time is needed, shake the pan again and roast for a few more minutes.
3. After they are cooked and cooled, remove the skins by rubbing the peanuts between your palms. (I take my pan outside and fan it so the skins blow away.) Salt, if desired, while still warm. Cool and store in a covered container.
To serve: These are often served in Ghana along with Grilled Ripe Plantains (opposite page) to make Kofi Brokeman.
Boiled Peanuts
Makes 6 to 8 servings
In Ghana, as in many parts of the Southern U.S. and Asia, raw peanuts are enjoyed as a snack when boiled. Raw peanuts are called “green” when they are freshly dug up and contain moisture. In Ghana, people buy large quantities of the raw, dried peanuts still in their shells. The dried peanuts are soaked in water overnight, then boiled covered in salted water for several hours until the peanuts are soft. This is a great snack for eating outdoors. In the U.S., raw peanuts are commonly sold already shelled, and are available at health food stores or Asian markets.
Ingredients
2 cups shelled raw peanuts
1 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Rinse the peanuts and soak in a bowl of water overnight.
2. Bring about 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Drain the peanuts and add to the boiling water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt (or more).
3. Lower the heat to medium and cook the peanuts in the salted water until they are soft like beans. This may take anywhere from 1 hour to 4 hours depending on how fresh the peanuts are. Add more water as they cook, if needed. Drain the water off, and serve.
To serve: These may be eaten alone, but in Ghana boiled peanuts/groundnuts are sometimes served with boiled corn or cassava.
Peanut Balls
Kuli-Kuli
Makes 16 small balls
Ingredients
¾ cup peanut flour
8 tablespoons hot water
Salt to taste (optional)
Peanut oil for frying
Directions
1. Gradually add the hot water to the peanut flour to achieve the correct consistency for forming the dough into balls, adding more water or flour as needed. Mold the dough into small balls. (It helps to lightly flour one’s hands with a little peanut flour before shaping the dough.)
2. Deep-fry the balls in hot peanut oil for a few minutes until they are crisp and brown on the outside. Drain in a colander or on paper towels.
Note: Do not try to use already prepared peanut butter to make these—the balls will simply disintegrate when you try to deep-fry them.
I observed some amazingly strong, skilled women in Bawku in Northern Ghana make kuli-kuli. After roasting, removing the skins, and grinding a metal drum full of peanuts, they removed the excess peanut oil by kneading the paste. They made this look easy, but it requires tremendous hand strength. After squeezing the mixture tightly into balls, they deep-fried them to remove more oil. Finally, they pounded the balls with a pestle in a wooden mortar to make another paste that was seasoned with salt and rolled into ropes thinner than pencils that were then joined together to form irregular circles, and deep-fried again. These final shapes are called “kuli-kuli,” though there are other versions, such as balls, with the same name. After years of laboriously duplicating the process (I actually put the ground peanuts between two cutting boards on the floor and stomped on them to extract the extra oil), a hugely labor-saving product has entered the U.S. market: “peanut flour” (e.g., Protein Plus).
Spicy Coated Peanuts
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Coating ingredients with a batter before deep-frying them is a common cooking technique in Ghana. In the U.S. we are most likely to coat peanuts with something sweet (as in the recipe for Peanut Toffee, page 212), but this savory snack/appetizer recipe is guaranteed to wake up those party peanuts! To locate raw unsalted peanuts with their skins on try an Asian market or health food store.
These are a perfect snack to eat while sipping ice-cold Star or Club beers, fruit juices, bissap (aka sobolo), ginger beer, or iced tea. In winter in North America they also go well with a hot drink like mulled wine, spiced cider, coffee, or tea. The hot oil somehow steams the peanuts so they’re still chewy, but the crispy, spicy coating gives them a kick. Eat them soon after making them.
Ingredients
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