Plantain chips

I love plantain chips no it's very serious, everytime someone is coming from Ghana I ask for plantain chips lol so the craving got real and I decided to do it myself. It's not like they sell in Ghana but it's pretty darn close lol!

Ingredients:

• 2 green or yellow plantain(depending on what you prefer)
• 1 tablespoon salt (less if you don't want it overly salty)
• Oil for frying 

Method 

1. Peel and wash plantains. Cut into very thin slices the shape is your choice but make sure you cut it as thin as possible(that gives you the crunchy-ness of plantain chips). You can also use a potato peeler to slice the plantain into thin slices. 
2. I soaked mine in salt water for 15 mins before frying(you can choose to skip this part and just add salt after frying), heat up oil on medium heat and fry until its golden yellow.(see pictures for guidance)..

Stages

Theedee's yummy plantain chips :-D

I used a potato peeler to achieve this style plantain chips

Chips

Have you attended any Ghanaian funeral and seen some chips with peanuts ? OR have you received a pastry bag from a Ghanaian event and it had chips, meat pie and scones or pound cake? Well these are the chips......I really don't know what else to call these but chips because that's exactly what they are lol. 

Ingredients:

• 5lbs flour (1 bag of flour)
• 2lbs butter (8 sticks)
• 2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons of salt(I use Lawry's seasoning salt simply because of the flavor it gives)
• 1 teaspoon of onion or garlic powder (optional,gives it flavor)
• 1 tablespoon of sugar (optional, I use it because it gives it a little sweet taste)
• Water to mix
• 1/2 a gallon of oil(for frying)

PS: I said garlic powder not salt because if you use garlic salt and the seasoning salt you would end up with an overly salty chips and that leaves a sour taste in your mouth, no one wants that lol. 

Method:

1. Using your hands, mix the butter and flour until you get a bread crumb like texture, add your salt,onion powder ,nutmeg and sugar
2. Using cold water, mix it until dough forms and make like in the picture below
3. Roll with a pin and cut them in preferred sizes, you can use a scissors or knife to cut them
4. On medium heat, fry them until they are golden brown

PS: when you cut them, set them aside in a tray with flour at the bottom and on top of it so they don't stick together. (Hopefully this makes sense,lol)

Step by step to the chips

All ready...:-D 

Ats)m) (Chin chin)

Ats)m) is the Ga name for these. I will find out the twi name for it (that is if there is one). The Nigerians call this chin chin. It can be crunchy or soft. I have both ingredients here so you can choose which ever one you prefer. :-)

Ingredients: Soft ats)m)

• 4 cups of flour 
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup of butter(2 sticks)
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg

Crunchy ats)m)

• 4 cups of flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg

Method:

1. Mix the sugar & milk and set aside 
2. Mix the flour,nutmeg, add in the butter and mix well till there are no lumps in the mixture(breadcrumb like texture).
3. Add in your milk mixture, mix well until dough is formed. 
4. Knead on a flour surface till dough is smooth
5. Roll with pin and cut into desired sizes
6. Fry on medium heat till its golden brown(with constant stirring it)

These are the soft chin chin(just like I like it)

Buns(Nigerians) or Sweet Bud(Ghanaians)

A not so oily (even though it's fried). Ps: if you want it sweeter you add more sugar to it.
Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup  of flour
• 2 tablespoons of evaporated milk
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 warm water
• Oil for frying

Method:

1. Sieve flour, add in sugar,salt, nutmeg and baking powder. Mix well
2. Add in your milk, slowly add in water till dough forms and becomes sticky
3. Make small balls out of the dough, set them aside, heat up your oil, then put in the balls
4. Fry for 10-15mins or till when its light brown/deep yellow.

Ps: Keep stirring until the buns come to the top of the oil. If there's a crack in your buns no worries because that's the classic crack that comes with it

Larger batch

This was rough and sweet lol.

Pound Cake (Ghana style)

I've always been the cooking type wasnt really into baking but I was bored on one Sunday & decided why not give that a try. So instead of buying the box mix to make it easier for me. I decided to ask my mom how she did her cakes back when we were in Ghana & I was surprised to see how simple it was

Ingredients:

• 2 cups butter (4 sticks,16oz)
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 teaspoons baking powder

Ps: As a preservative, so that the cake won't go bad(because of all the eggs you have in there), add 1/4 cup of brandy(any of your choice)to the cake.

Method:

1. Grease a cake pan of your choice
2. Preheat oven at 350 degrees F(177 degrees C)
3. Mix your dry ingredients, flour,baking powder and nutmeg.
4. Then in a separate bowl,cream your sugar and butter till is completely mixed, beat in eggs one at a time still stirring.
5. Add in your vanilla extract, then mix in your dry ingredients slowly, making sure that everything is fully mixed.
6. Pour into greased pan and bake for about an hour or when you stick a toothpick in and it comes out clean. (When you put the cake in the oven don't open it to check on it, let the cake rise well before you do so otherwise it would fall in and you would have a flat cake.....hopefully this makes sense...Lol)

Ps: If you are trying to have yours with the coloring that I have in some of the pictures below. Just take about 4 tablespoons from the batter, add the food color of choice(about 1/3 teaspoon....not too much color) then mix it well,then pour it in your greased pan with the rest of the batter. For the chocolate mix I used 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder in a small mixture of the batter. 

The process of making the pound cake. (I don't have a cake mixer yet so it was all by hand...lol)

Finally got a cake mixer (as a graduation gift...yay) so everything was a bit easier

I used green,purple and pink food coloring for this trial cake. Loved how it came out

Wanted a vanilla and strawberry flavor so I used this with a little bit of batter from the original

Something blue lol

How it looked like lol (Something blue)

Something blue is ready lol

The end result. (Sorry I don't have a before picture for the chocolate one, but I will update as time goes on)

For some interesting reason the cake looks like red,yellow and green after it was done haha. (But I had some left over batter so I made cupcakes with them)

With a little of chocolate in the middle

Plain old pound cake with a dash of vanilla & strawberry flavors

Baking for christmas 

Very colorful lol

Ghana colors, representing my motherland!!! 

Soft and yummy 

With a little chocolate hidden inside

Bofrot/Boflot/Bofloat = Ball Float

Oh man one of my favorite snacks,well according to one of the friends of Theedee's cuisine page on fb(Maha-Marissa) these are called ball float (like balls floating in oil) but somehow Ghanaians we ended up with bofrot or bofloat (Gotta love Ghanaians lol). I had a craving for these just like they sell on the streets in Accra but I couldn't find none in New York so what does a foodie like me do I go on a search for the recipe. And waa-la I found it from my Auntie Mary of course lol.They taste close to exactly what I was craving for.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour 
• 2 teaspoons of yeast
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1/3 cup  of lukewarm water
• 2 tablespoons of milk
• Oil for frying

Method:

1. Stir yeast in 1/4 cup of warm water. Stir in 1 teaspoon of sugar and set aside for 10mins. If the mixture doubles in volume the yeast is active
2. Mix your flour,butter,sugar,nutmeg and stir in the yeast. Slowly add in your milk and water. 
3. Sprinkle some flour on a clean surface and knead your mixture till its very smooth and doesn't stick to the surface (this is the longest process for this whole recipe,usually takes about 10-15mins because you want the dough to be very smooth). 
4. Cut pieces of the dough and mold it into small balls, place on a baking sheet(sprinkle some flour on the sheet)
5. Cover with napkin or towel and allow the dough to rise(usually takes 30mins to an hour to rise, it also depends on how warm the kitchen is, the heat enables it to rise faster)
6. Fry until golden brown. (When the oil is extremely hot it doesn't take a long time for it to brown so keep stirring and keep paying attention to it)

Dissolving yeast

Milk and water mixture

Flour-ed baking sheet to place the ball float

Step by step after kneading

A perfectly risen bofrot. I was so happy when I saw this. Haha. 

Another perfectly risen ball float lol

Step by step frying stages, as you can see the ball floats were browning very quickly but don't take them out just yet because you want the insides to be well done. 

In the process

Ball floating in oil I loved how this turned out :-D 

Hot and tasty! Haha. :-)

This is how the inside of the ball float should look. If the dough is still stretchy that means its not ready

Too good. Ps: someone placed an order for this lol,...wasn't for the house

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

Meat pie

Meat pie is one kind of pastries that you would find at almost every party or occasion in Ghana. I love it. You can add meat,tuna or corned beef in it and it tastes just as yummy


Fill in ingredients:

• For the tuna fill in: all you need is about 4 tins of tuna. 1 onion(finely chopped). salt and black or white pepper to taste. Mix together and just add to pie
• For the corned beef fill in: 2 or 3 tins of corned beef. 1 onion (finely chopped) pepper to taste because most corned beef are already salty. Mix together, add to pie

• Minced meat(Ground beef)
• 1 teaspoon of grated ginger
• 1 or 2 Onions
• A little tiny bit of jalepeno pepper
• 1 table spoon of tomato paste
• 1 stalk of scallions [Not for blending.]

Method for the fill in:

1. Steam the minced meat.
2. While that's steaming, blend the onions,ginger and pepper with 1/3 cup of water.
3. Pour the oil out of the minced meat. Allow the meat to cool down.
4. Put the blended ingredients in a cooking pot, with a tablespoon of oil, allow it to boil for a while. Then mix in the tomato paste. Let it cook for about 15mins [with constant stirring]
5. Mix in the meat[you can add corned beef because the minced meat shrinks & doesn't look a lot and also because the corned beef gives it a different taste.]
6. Mix in the chopped scallions & onions.
7. Season with black pepper & seasoning salt.
8. Allow it to cook for awhile. Taste and season to your taste.  Then let it cool for awhile before adding it to the pie.
9. Brush the pie with eggs before putting it in the oven 

Ingredients for dough:

• 2 lbs butter or margarine [8 sticks for those in the U.S]
• 5 lbs flour [1 bag]
• 2 tablespoons nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons salt.
• Cold water to mix into dough.
• Eggs or evaporated milk (this is for coating the pie)

Method for the dough: 

1. Preheat oven at 375 degrees F(190 degrees C)
2. Mix flour,butter, nutmeg & salt.
3. Add the water slowly while mixing with fingertips till dough forms.
4. If the dough is mixed well it wouldn't stick to surface when trying to roll.
5. Roll till you get about 2in (5mm) thickness
6. Use a small circular bowl or if you have a meat pie cutter you can use that to make round cuts
7. Remove any excess dough on the edges, add your fillin to the center,add  enough fill in that you would be able to close it.
8. Fold one part of the dough to meet the other. Use water on the inside edges of the pie and then use a fork to close edges closely together (Ps: The water is to make sure the pie stays closed)
9. Put into greased pan.

Can make it in any shape you want it. The different shapes represented the kind of meat in there.