Monday, March 31, 2008

Recipes



So I love to cook...And I'm getting better at it every day! Just ask my husband ;-) I googled food in Togo and came up with the following two recipes. Just an idea of what I have to look forward to...ahh!!

Akume with Ademe sauce Togolese flag
Ingredients for the Ademe Sauce
  • 8 ounces of ademe
  • 1 onion
  • 1 Magi cube
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 ounces of smelly salted fish
  • Half a pint of water
  • Palm oil (optional)
  • Half a pound of beef
  • 1 big smoked fish
  • A few crabs if you wish

Method of Preparation

  1. Pour water into a saucepan and boil.
  2. Add the ademe, smelly fish and chopped onion into the boiling water
  3. Add the smoked fish, meat, crab and Magi cube
  4. Add salt and pepper to taste, and palm oil if you wish.
  5. Cook for about 20-25 minutes

Ingredients for the Akume (Maize pâtes)

  • 1 pound of maize dough
  • 4 ounces of cassava dough
  • 1 pint of water
  • 1 teaspoon of salt.

Method of Preparation

  1. Mix everything together in a saucepan and put onto the stove.
  2. Stir gently with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes firm.
  3. A little boiling water can be added if necessary.

Fufu and groundnut soup
with chicken
Togolese flag
Ingredients for the Groundnut Soup
  • 1 chicken
  • 1 big onion
  • 2 fresh tomatoes
  • 1 small can of tomato puree
  • 1 Magi cube
  • 8 ounces of groundnut paste
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 pint of water

Method of Preparation

  1. Chop up the onion and place it into a saucepan full of water.
  2. Add the groundnut paste and the tomato puree, then cook over a gentle flame until the oil from the groundnut paste starts coming to the top.
  3. Put the chicken -- which should be already cut into pieces, fried and seasoned – into the saucepan.
  4. The tomatoes, salt and pepper should be mixed in.
  5. After stirring gently with a wooden spoon over a gentle flame, the groundnut soup will soon be ready and is guaranteed to taste delicious.

Ingredients for the Fufu

  • 1 pound of yams
  • Half a pint of water

Method of preparation

  1. Boil the yams until they are soft then place inside a wooden mortar.
  2. Pound the yam with a wooden pestle until it has the consistency of baker’s dough. While this is being done water should be sprinkled onto the yam at regular intervals. Water also needs to be applied to the end of the pestle in much the same way as a snooker player rubs chalk onto the end of their cue.
  3. When the fufu is ready (or you've pounded to the limits of your endurance!), dump about a cup of the mixture into a wet bowl and shake until it forms itself into a smooth ball. Serve on a large platter alongside a soup or stew.

N.B. Instead of chicken, you can use almost any other meat. In Togo you might use a bush rat although outside West Africa you might have problems finding them. Don’t be tempted to use European brown or black rats. They are not an adequate substitute – not even big, fat juicy ones!


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I grew up in Lome and I am looking for a recipe for the breakfast food they served, it was called garri(spelled very wrong I am sure) it is made with some sort of grain and beans...do you happen to know that one? Also, how are things over there? I have not been home in so long....would love to see recent pics of home!

Anonymous said...

these seem like really great recipes!:):):):):):)!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I needed togolese recipes for a french project. You've helped so much thank you! :)

Anonymous said...

I found your blog while researching Akume with ademe sauce. Do you still live in Lome? If so, I'd love to ask you about restaurants there.

Thanks,

Lisa