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The 2 West African dishes I make frequently are Ybutta and Akara. But they are not Ghanian necessarily. I think Ybutta is from Senegal and Akara is just West African in general.
Kate
AKARA (Black-eyed Pea Fritters with Hot Sauce)
Fritters: 1 1/4 c. dried black-eyed peas (about ¸ lb.) 1/4 c. coarsely chopped onions 1 T. coarsely chopped, scraped fresh gingerroot 1/2-3/4 c. water 1/4 t. ground hot red pepper (cayenne) 1 t. salt vegetable oil for deep frying
Place peas in deep bowl and pour in hot water to cover by at least 2". Let soak for about half an hour. Drain in colander and drop into a blender or food processor. Add onions, ginger, ¸ c. water, red pepper, and salt. Blend at high speed for 30 seconds, then turn off and scrape down sides. Blend again until mixture is a fairly smooth puree. (If blender clogs at any time, add up to 1/4 cup more water, a tablespoon at a time.) Transfer the puree to a bowl and beat with whisk or large spoon for 3-4 minutes until mixture is light and fluffy. Preheat oven to lowest setting. Line large baking sheet with paper towels and place in middle of oven. Pour vegetable oil into deep-fryer or large heavy saucepan to a depth of 2"-3" and heat oil until it reaches 375F on a deep-frying thermometer. To make each fritter, scoop up a tablespoon of puree, and with a second spoon push it off into the the oil. Deep-fry 6-8 fritters at a time, turning them frequently with slotted spoon, for about 45 minutes, or until the are golden brown on all sides. As they brown, transfer them to lined baking sheet and keep warm in oven. To serve arrange fritters attractively on a heated platter and present the sauce separately in a small bowl. Makes 2 dozen 1" fritters.
Sauce: 1 sm. onion, peeled and coarsely chopped 4 lg. cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped 1 med. firm ripe tomato, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped 2 fresh, hot chiles, each about 2" long, coarsely chopped (with seeds intact) 1 T. coarsely chopped, scraped fresh gingerroot 1 T. tomato paste 1 T. gr. dried shrimp t. gr. hot red pepper (cayenne) 1 t. salt 2 T. peanut or vegetable oil
Combine onion, garlic, tomato, chiles, ginger, tomato paste, gr. shrimp, red pepper, and salt in blender. Blend at high speed until completely pulverized. In 8"-10" skillet, hot oil over mod. heat until a light haze forms above it. Add pureed vegetables and seasoning and, stirring constantly, cook briskly for about 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is thick enough to hold it's shape.
Notes: Fritter batter can be made the day before and refrigerated overnight. If made in a blender it made need a lot more water that called for. I ended up adding another 3/4 cup of water just to get it liquid enough for the blender to grind it (although that did not seem to have any adverse affect on the texture of the batter. Perhaps next time I'll use a food processor, as it might be easier. Also most recipes for Akara call for scraping the skins off the peas. I don't do this. It doesn't make any difference and is so much less work. For the sauce, it's not really necessary to skin the tomato. I use a nice Roma tomato or 2 and just seed them and then chop. Again, it is probably easier to use a food processor than a blender as this is not a very liquid mixture and doesn't blend easily. You can also fry the fritters in a large skillet in about 1/2" of oil, rather than deep-frying them if that is more to your liking, but they may stick to the bottom if you don't use teflon.
YbuttA (Spicy Marinated Chicken in Onion Sauce)
4 large onions, sliced thinly 1/2 cup lime juice 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 3 1/2-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium carrot, chopped 1 medium rib celery, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced 1/2 cup chicken broth (either homemade or canned) hot cooked rice or couscous
Combine onions, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken; toss to coat well. Cover; refrigerate at least 3 hours and up to 6 hours. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Drain the marinade in a colander set over a large bowl. Reserve both the liquid and the onions. Heat olive oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven. Cook chicken in batches over medium-high heat, turning often, until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to plate and set aside. Add reserved marinated onions, carrot, celery, and jalapeno pepper to Dutch oven. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onions are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and reserved marinade liquid. Bring to a boil; return chicken to Dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until chicken shows no sign of pink at the bone when cut with the tip of a sharp knife, 35-50 minutes. Serve over hot cooked rice or couscous. Serves 4.
SENEGALESE CHICKEN YbuttA
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 4 large onions, thinly sliced salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1/8 teaspoon fresh habanero or other hot chile, minced, plus 1 habanero or other hot chile pricked with a fork 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon peanut oil 1 2 1/2-3 1/2 lb. chicken, cut in serving pieces 1/2 cup pimiento-stuffed olives 4 carrots, scraped and thinly sliced 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
In a large non-reactive bowl, prepare a marinade with the lemon juice, onions, salt, pepper, the 1/8 teaspoon minced chile, and 1/4 cup of the peanut oil. Place the chicken pieces in the marinade, making sure they are 8 hours in the refrigerator. Preheat the broiler. Remove the chicken pieces, reserving the marinade, and place them in a shallow roasting pan. Broil them until they are lightly browned on both sides. Remove the onions from the marinade. Cook them slowly in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a flameproof 3-quart cbutterole or Dutch oven until tender and translucent. Add the remaining marinade and heat through. When the liquid is thoroughly heated, add the broiled chicken pieces, the pricked chili, the olives, carrots, mustard, and ¸ cup water. Stir to mix well, then bring the ybutta slowly to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve hot over white rice. Makes 6 servings.
-- Kate Connally ãIf I were as old as I feel, Iâd be dead already.ä Goldfish: ãThe wholesome snack that smiles back, Until you bite their heads off.ä What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?
