• A preference for “chewiness” of food is also common, whether that be in meat in a stew or on a stick (chichinga), or roasted chicken. My nephews from Ghana still cannot eat fryer chickens from the U.S. because they feel their soft, mushy meat has neither taste nor substance.
• Eating is a quite sensual experience. There is often a love of viscous textures, such as provided by okra or baobab and some leaves like jute (ayoyo). This affinity may be related to the idea that foods are made more palatable by a slippery coating. Oil is especially prized for the way it coats food. Ghana shares this affinity with much of West Africa, and it is indirectly alluded to in Nigerian Chinua Achebe’s famous sentence in Things Fall Apart, “Proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten.” In a similar way, fufu (a heavy, elastic dumpling) is coated with soup and swallowed without chewing. The peristaltic movement in the throat is similar to that of swallowing an oyster whole. The texture of the fufu is also in a sense felt and “tasted” with the fingers before it even enters the mouth.
Flavors
• Flavor principles include an affinity for salt, including smoked and salted fish, for spicy flavors (especially from fresh and dried chili peppers and fresh ginger); for bitter and sour flavors, such as is found in some greens and fermented foods; and for what has come to be known as “umami,” found in Ghana’s trademark dried ground shrimp/crayfish, as well as other smoked/dried fish.
• One reason for the popularity of Chinese cooking and soy sauce in Ghana may be the similarity in flavor principles, including the use of ginger and chili peppers, the adoption of seasoning cubes (with MSG), and dried/smoked fish. “Rice and stew” is a classic Ghanaian combination, making it easy to adopt much Asian cooking.
• A flavor that is conspicuously absent in Ghanaian main dish cooking is “sweet.” While sugar or honey may be added to beverages and breakfast porridges and is found in desserts like fools, puddings, cakes, and frozen treats, it is rarely included in main or side dishes, with the exception perhaps of the sweetness imparted by ripe plantains. Even white sweet potatoes, with their lower sugar content, are preferred over the orange ones popular in the United States. Many Ghanaians coming to the United States for the first time find North American food excessively sweet.
Cooking Methods
• While Ghanaians adore Chinese cooking and stir-fries, a major difference is that many dishes in Ghana are time-consuming to prepare and require long, slow cooking times. Cowpeas, free-range meat, and poultry especially tend to need tenderizing by slow simmering. Including a little smoked fish in a bean stew requires time for the flavors to meld after the beans are cooked. Many Ghanaian recipes are slow-cooker friendly and a good fit with the growing “slow foods” movement. However, a few simple tricks can help to greatly reduce the time spent over the stove.
• Busy Ghanaian housewives have always found ways to speed up cooking time. “Gari,” a West African convenience food made from fermented, dried, roasted cassava is a regular kitchen staple. A simple “light soup” (nkrakra or nkrankra) made with fish is also quick to prepare, as are stews made using canned sardines or corned beef.
• In addition to slow simmering on a stove, Ghanaians rely on both shallow-fat and deep-fat frying, generally with a vegetable oil (as in frying ripe plantains for the spicy coated cubes called kelewele, or kose/akara, black-eyed pea fritters, or yam “chips”).
• Steaming, especially in banana or plantain leaves, is popular.
• Grilling, roasting, boiling, and baking all take their place in the repertoire of Ghanaian cooks. Grilling meat, fish, and vegetables in the traditional setting requires a time investment to prepare charcoal or wood fires, but in North America the process of grilling may be greatly simplified.
Seasoning Techniques
Meats, poultry, and fish are generally seasoned before cooking, whether they are to be grilled, baked, or used in soups or stews. The seasoning may be stuffed into slits, rubbed over the item, or the item may be steamed in a little water before continuing on to make a soup or stew or sauce. Steaming is done partly to seal the juices into the meat and flavor it, and partly because meat from free-range cattle and poultry tends to be tough and needs to be cooked for a longer time.
The seasonings most often used in Ghana include salt, garlic, ginger, onion, and chili pepper. More recently seasoning cubes or seasoned salt have displaced some fabulous indigenous spices and traditional seasonings. Grinding on a grinding stone is a common traditional technique for preparing the ginger and garlic, but North Americans can grate the ginger and crush the garlic. Onions are often simply sliced, and seasoning cubes are crushed between the fingers. Seasoning cubes are more common in West Africa than granules, for they are more portable and can be sold individually. Hot dried chili powder is sprinkled over the item being seasoned and/or fresh chili peppers may be simply sliced and sprinkled over it or added whole and removed during cooking once the desired heat is reached. Poultry or fish may be cleansed with lemon or lime juice and a little water before being seasoned. Many, but not all, Ghanaians like spicy foods. It is fine to tone down the heat if a milder experience is preferred.
Basic Seasoning Mixture for meat and poultry
This recipe is a basic seasoning that can be used on almost anything. The amounts of ingredients are flexible and forgiving, and can be adjusted according to your preferences. This preparation works for both stews and soups, depending on the recipe. It makes enough for 2 pounds of meat or poultry.
Ingredients
2 heaping teaspoons crushed garlic
½ to 1 cup chopped onion
1 or 2 small chicken, beef, or shrimp-flavored seasoning cubes, crumbled (optional)
½ teaspoon salt or seasoned salt (or to taste)
½ teaspoon dried ground red pepper (or to taste)
A little fresh red chili pepper (your choice; see heat chart, page 37), sliced (including seeds, unless a less spicy flavor is preferred); or ¼ teaspoon or more dried ground red pepper
Directions
In a bowl, sprinkle all the ingredients over the meat or chicken, and toss well. Put the meat or chicken into a pot with ½ cup of water or stock, cover tightly, and steam on medium heat for 15 minutes.
Variations:
In place of seasoning cubes, increase the salt/seasoned salt and substitute a little dried ground shrimp and spices like thyme or basil or black or white pepper, or use stock in place of the water.
Basic Seasoning Mixture for fish
To make above seasoning mixture for use with grilled fish, grate rather than chop the onion and mix the prepared ingredients together in a bowl with a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Cut slits into the sides of a whole, cleaned fish, and stuff the seasoning into the slits and rub on the outside of the fish. (For example, see the recipe for Grilled Tilapia on page 134.)
Tankora Powder
Tankora powder is a West African rub for meats, poultry, etc. that is most famously used for West African kebabs. Like curry powders, it’s a blend of several dried, powdered ingredients. There are many versions, but most commonly they contain dried ground red pepper, ginger, some kind of black or white pepper, salt, peanut