Peanut/Groundnut soup (Nkante nkwan)

 This is the soup that MOST people eat with their rice balls (omutuo), but it also goes well with fufu,rice and yam.....I love it with anything basically because it is yummy!! lol

Video -Groundnut soup

Ingredients:

• 1 12oz bottle of peanut butter 
• 1 lb of goat meat or chicken or fish (your preference)
• 2 onions
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper (depending on how hot you want it)
• 1 tablespoon of ginger
• 1 can small tomato paste
• Spices (lawry's seasoning salt, adobo,ground black pepper)

Method:

1. Wash your choice meat very well, removing every fat from it. Season with seasoning salt, powdered ginger and black pepper. Let it steam for about 20minutes
2. In a different sauce pan mix water and peanut butter till a smooth paste, chop onions, pepper (scotch bonnet) and a tablespoon of tomato paste. Put the peanut mix on a medium high,stir occasionally until it thickens. There will be some oil on the surface of it
3. Blend your onions, tomatoes, ginger and pepper. After pour it on the meat, then add the cooked peanut paste and the rest of the tomato paste. Add enough water till it's watery (You are making soup so it shouldn't be too thick)
4. Add the spices (season to your taste)
5. Allow it to simmer for 30- 40minutes

Ps: If you prefer fish instead of meat you can buy any fish you want (ideally tilapia), wash it,season with your choice of spices and bake it till its really dry and put it in the soup. :)

Before "frying" the peanut butter, has the onions,1 teaspoon tomato paste and scotch bonnet pepper

After steaming for a while, you see how its thickening up,this shows  that the peanut mix is ready for the soup

Goat meat ready to be steamed for the soup. Seasoned with chopped onions,black pepper,lawry's seasoning salt and ginger powder 

Goat meat after steaming

For those who prefer fish instead of meat or chicken. This is tilapia that I baked in the oven till it was very dry. And the others are dried fish directly from the market in Ghana. 

Soup with goat meat

This was with chicken and of course some rice balls (omutuo)

Scones (rock/rough buns)

I must confess I didn't know the real name for these until I started learning how to cook. I always called them rock/rough buns like they did in Ghana. LOL. Very simple but yet yummy scones. Can be great for tea for breakfast or just a snack.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of flour
• 5 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1 cup of milk 
• 3/4 cup of butter (1 stick and a half)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup of dried fruits like raisins could be added if you want it different from the plain old scones

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C)
2. Grease your muffin pan or baking sheet
3. Combine flour,butter,nutmeg,salt and baking powder. Mix it well it you have a bread crumb like texture, then add your sugar
4. In a separate bowl mix your milk and egg, and slowly stir it in the flour mix until its moistened. 



Bread crumb like texture



After adding the liquid ingredients, ready for the oven

5. Put a tablespoon or 1/4 cup full in the muffin pans OR turn out dough on to a very light flour surface, knead very briefly. Roll out the dough into 1/2 inch thick round and cut into 8 piece, place each piece on the baking sheet and bake for about 15-20 minutes

Before coating with milk

In the oven almost ready

I just made medium sized balls and baked it in a greased pan

These are not so rough buns but close lol

Kontomire stew (Spinach)

Kontomire(Spinach) stew is one of the healthiest stew depending on how much oil you use (LOL). Very tasty. Goes well with boiled plantain (green or yellow), boiled yam and white rice.

Ingredients:

• 2 16oz Spinach ( frozen,chopped or fresh spinach) 
• 4 tomatoes
• 2 and half onions
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper (jamaican hot pepper: you can use more depending on how hot you want it)
• 1/2 teaspoon of ginger
• Koobi (salted fish: this is optional you don't have to use it, but I use it because it tends to give the stew a different flavor)
• 1 can of mackerel
• 1/4 cup of vegetable or palm oil
• Spices: Maggi, adobo, seasoning salt, black pepper (any spices you want)

Method: 

1. Blend the 2 onions, tomatoes, pepper and ginger
2. In a sauce pan fry your koobi (salted fish) first, then add your sliced onions. Stir for a while, let it simmer for 2 mins
3. Add your blended ingredients and spices , and let the stew cook for about 5-10minutes
4. Add your spinach now, stir and let it simmer for about 5mins then add your mackerel and spices

PS: You can add goat meat, fish in addition to the mackerel. Any choice of meat you want can go with this stew. 

They are usually bigger than this 

I used eggs to this because I didn't have any agushi at home. 

Served with boiled yams and egg(requested) clearly there was too much palm oil(oops) 

With boiled yellow plantain

Jerk chicken

Summer is almost here(Woohoo) this chicken would be great for a nice barbecue outside. I can't wait to start grilling out again(LOL). This is a spicy but yet delicious chicken. The first time I ate this my lips were crying for mercy lol. But I still loved it!

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs of chicken
• 6 scotch bonnet(hot Jamaican pepper, jalapeño can be used as substitute)
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 3 onions
• 2 tablespoons thyme
• 2 tablespoons ground all spice
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons black pepper
• 2 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon(optional)
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg(optional)
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 lime (juiced)

Method:

1. Wash chicken and chop in about 4 or 5 pieces and rub the lime all over it
2. Blend all ingredients with the exception of the chicken
3. Rub all ingredients on chicken & allow it to marinate overnight
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C)
5. Take some marinade out(this will be used for the coating of chicken as it's baking/grilling)
6. Bake  for an hour with constant turning & coating with your left over marinade until there is no more left over marinade
7. Serve with any dish of your choice. Goes with just about anything

Preparing the jerk chicken. It isn't so pretty but tastes so good lol

Half of the batch that was made