A Taste of Ghana- 5 Courses
In our 1st series of #FoodFriday we are taking a flight to Ghana...sort of. More like a road trip to the Bull City. That's Durham, in case you ain't know. On Sunday Feb 25th, 2018 Royalcations will be live streaming from The Palace International at a special Ghanaian 5-Course Dinner pop-up, "A Taste of Ghana". This is groundbreaking because West African restaurants are not very prominent in the U.S, and more like a unicorn in the south. This event will not only highlight the Gold Coast's cuisine but it will also be filled with stories and sounds from across Ghana.
MEET CHEF SAMANTHA KOTEY
Samantha Kotey is a lawyer, food enthusiast, and budding chef. Born and raised in Houston, Texas and the daughter of two Ghanaian immigrants.
What inspired the Attorney to be a Chef?
"Growing up with a Ghanaian mother who proudly subscribed to traditional West African social mores meant that food was at the forefront of my life from a very young age. My heritage, coupled with being raised in what was once the "fattest city in America," laid the foundation for my obsession with food. Kornbread & Kontomire (K&K) is the amalgamation of two of the foremost representations of who I am - Ghana and Houston, and food - the love of my life. At its core, the ethos of Kornbread and Kontomire is to highlight the flavors of Ghanaian/West African cuisine fused with Houston/Southern cuisine. African food is often viewed as intimidating when in actuality, many Southern dishes that are dubbed comfort foods, are directly influenced by African flavor. My hope is that K&K bridges the gap between the two, and serves as a platform to showcase how magical West African food truly is."
THE MENU
Ghana Salad
Don't let the word salad in it's title fool you. Ghana salad can't be described as healthy but luckily, it isn't an everyday meal and is mostly served at events and large gatherings. It's hearty, rich, and probably has more ancillary ingredients than it does vegetables. Ghana salad is a clear example of the influence of colonization in Ghanaian cuisine, in that it incorporates both Heinz Salad Cream and Baked Beans in the recipe.
Ampesi and Light Soup
A spicy tomato-based broth that can be made with a variety of meats. Traditionally, light soup is eaten on Saturdays in Ghanaian households and is served with fufu (a sticky mash made of boiled plantains and cassava). To add balance to the spicy broth, this light soup is served with Ampesi. A meal of either boiled plantain, yam, cocoyam, or cassava. The origin of Ampesi can be traced to the people of the Brong Ahafo region in Ghana.
Koose and Kontomire
Koose (black-eyed pea fritter) is a very popular West African dish served in various countries across the region but in Ghana, is synonymous with the Hausa tribe, located in the country's Northern region. In Ghana, koose is most often served with Hausa koko, a spicy breakfast porridge made of millet. To make the meal more dinner friendly, we are serving our koose in the form of a cake accompanied by kontomire stew. Kontomire translates to cocoyam or cassava leaves. In Ghana, it is either served raw, prepared in an asanka (mortar and pestle) or cooked in palm oil with melon seeds, and is commonly referred to as Palava Sauce. Legend has it that Palava Sauce originated on the coast of Ghana, which is inhabited by the Fante tribe, during a meeting about trade with European colonizers.
Angwa Mo
The Ghanaian version of fried rice - loosely translated, angwa mo means oil rice. In Ghana, you can find the rice cooked with salted/cured beef that brings an umami flavor to the dish as well as browned onions, a bit of garlic, and spicy chili pepper. We've omitted the meat in our version for a vegetarian-friendly side dish because a Ghanaian event without rice is blasphemous.
Strawberry Fool and Ayigbe Biscuit
Clearly not Ghanaian at all, once again, the long-lasting effects of British influence are evident in this dessert. Strawberry fool is essentially strawberries, sweet wine, and whipped cream served in the form of a parfait. The term "fool" comes from the British, and translates to a fruit puree folded into a custard or whipped cream. Ayigbe biscuits, however, are 100% Ghanaian. They hail from Agbozume in Ghana's Volta region and combine coconut and cassava flour to make a hard shortbread-like cookie.
Malta
Malta, made with fermented hops, is best described as the non-alcoholic version of Guinness with a flavor similar to molasses.
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