It brought warmth in cold days and smiles on bitter nights. Luckily for me, my cuisine was as exciting as a snow day. But living with immigrant parents, as an immigrant myself, we ate what our ancestors ate. I craved the American diet of pizza and hamburgers. Growing up, I did not eat much Ghanaian food, or so I thought. I see pieces of my favorite childhood dishes in Indian, French and Italian restaurants. Our food is an experience and the foundation of many, what some would call, modern dishes today. I preferred to have the dish without meat during my college days when my mother would visit me and drop off a care package.Ī post shared by Seulful Pantry the misconceptions about African food, and African culture in general, are whispers and banter describing eating with your hands as savage behavior that is not proper or civilized - yet the sensory experience of allowing draw soup (Nigerian okra soup) to fall between your fingertips is what adds to the journey of the dish. Okra stew can also be enjoyed as a vegetarian dish, without the use of dried shrimp and poultry stock cubes. Similar to gumbo, okra stew can have all types of animal proteins: goat, chicken, fish, shellfish, cow and anything else you can think of. To create a more viscous stew, many aunts and mothers steam the okra with a preferred animal protein. The flavor can be enhanced with chicken bouillon cubes and dried shrimp seasoning. It starts with the Ghanaian mirepoix and then palm oil, ginger and peppers are added. It is created with scotch bonnet pepper, dried crayfish, finely chopped and blended okra, tomatoes, palm oil, and chopped onions and can be mixed with garden eggs (a type of eggplant found in Africa) and spinach. Nkruma froye is the traditional name for one of the more famous stews in Ghana. Okra at the Oculus Greenmarket outside ICE's New York campus. In North America, okra is a symbol of resiliency, a reminder of the Maafa or African Holocaust. No need for chemicals or additives okra is a traditional and ancient thickener with nutritional value. The word gumbo even comes from the Kibundu word quingombo. In the 21st century, people travel to New Orleans to try the nutty, toasty, intense flavor combinations in a traditional gumbo. It’s migrated from Africa's Ethiopian borders to the Bantu-Kikongo regions to Kumasi in Ghana and even as far as India and Brazil. The plant has grown on the African continent since 2,000 B.C. From Nigeria to Louisiana, okra is a vegetable that adds texture and depth to a dish. In this particular dish, nkruma froye (fetridetsi), or okro stew, we see the diasporic connections that refused to die off, regardless of how difficult circumstances were and are today.Ībelmoschus esculentus, okra or okro, as it is called in West African countries, have pods that are as mucilaginous (having a gluey consistency) as their history. Similar to Nigerian okra stew, grains of Selim, cumin and cloves are the aromatics that bring life to our dishes. You can read more stories here.Tomato, onion, garlic - the Ghanaian mirepoix is the foundation of most, if not all, Ghanaian soups and stews. This video and recipe was produced for CBC Alberta's Creator Network.įor more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians - from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community - check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. When finished, there should still be at least 2 cups of liquid left and your finished product is soupy. The fish is what you want to focus on cooking the most since most of the other ingredients are vegetables and you don't need to overcook them. You can tell if it's ready when the fish is well cooked and almost falling apart. Stir well.Ĭover with a lid and cook on low heat for 20 minutes. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.Īdd 3 cups of chopped okro, 2 cups of chopped spinach, 1 cup of tomato sauce, salt, and the remaining 2 cups of water. Uncover pot and add chopped habanero pepper, 1 Maggi cube, and 1 tablespoon ground crayfish. Once the tomato is cooked, follow these steps:Īdd ¼ cup diced onions and stir until they are brown and caramelized.Īdd 1 cup of water. If using canned tomato sauce, follow steps 2 to 4.Ĭhop up the following finely and set each one aside: The tomato sauce (if making it from fresh tomatoes):īoil tomatoes until water is almost completely evaporated, about 35-40 minutes. Put the pieces into a bowl and set them aside. While still using traditional ingredients, this recipe substitutes canola oil for palm oil.
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