lifestyle

This is a classic and simple dish of fried plantains with fried fish from Liberia. Typically it’s served with Liberian pepper sauce (see previous recipe for how to prepare this). Prep time: 20 minutes/Cook time: 20 minutes/Serves: 6 (+20 minutes marinating) Ingredients:4 whole fish (tilapia/red snapper), cleaned and scaled4 Ripe Plantains2 tsp Adobo seasoning1 tsp […]

kelewele.png Kelewele is a traditional Liberian dish of over-ripe plantains, chillies and ginger cooked in a red palm oil base. It can be served as a snack, a dessert or as an accompaniment. Prep time: 15 minutes/Cook time: 10 minutes/Serves: 4-6 Ingredients:3 over-ripe plantains, peeled and chopped3 habanero chilliesthumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and choppedred

This is the Gambian version of West African fish-based pepper soup. Here the fish is prepared in a tomato and onion base, with plenty of habanero chillies. Prep time: 20 minutes/Cook time: 40 minutes/Serves: 6 (+20 minutes marinating) Ingredients:3 fish (tilapia are good), cleaned and scaled and with fins trimmed1 lemon5 habanero chillies6 tomatoes1 bunch

Oleleh is the Sierra Leonean equivalent of Nigerian moi moi, a savoury black eyed bean pudding typically served as an accompaniment, though the beans can also include other ingredients such as fish and hard-boiled eggs making it a meal in and of itself. Oleleh is also a dish that’s made in the Gambia. Prep time

Oleleh is the Gambian equivalent of Nigerian moi moi, a savoury black eyed bean pudding typically served as an accompaniment. This is a rich version made with chilli, tinned mackerel, aubergine (eggplant), bell peppers and onion with red palm oil, making it a meal in and of itself. Though it can also be served as

Also known as Afra, this is a Gambian classic of fried or barbecue meat with stock cube that’s served with onions, mustard and bread. This can be made with goat, lamb or beef. For smokiness I usually use smoked paprika, but you could use dried and smoked fish, pounded to a powder. Ensure that the

These are the Gambian version of the pastie/empanadas that are made throughout Anglophone West Africa. I’ve presented the deep fried Sierra Leonean version already, and this is the Gambian equivalent. Prep time: 20 minutes/Cook time: 40 minutes/Makes: 12 Ingredients:500g (1 lb) Lean minced (ground) beef6 spring onions (Scallions), chopped1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped1/2 green

This is another classic dish from the Gambia, this time made with peanuts and rice. Churra Gerteh can be served for breakfast, lunch or even as a dessert. Prep time: 15 minutes/Cook time: 30 minutes/Serves: 8 Ingredients:2 cups of raw peanuts (with skin)2 1/2 cups of glutinous (ie sushi) rice400g (14 oz) tin Evaporated MilkSugar,

Sierra Leonean rice bread is made from cream of rice. Cream of rice is a type of cereal that is made from finely-ground white rice. If you want to make your own, you don’t have to buy it, simply blend rice into a fine flour before use. note that 2 cups of whole rice yield

Pemahun is a one-pot Sierra Leonean dish of Steamed Rice and Sweet Potato Leaves mixed with Okra and Garden Eggs. Traditionally, to chop, the leaves are wrapped tightly, held in the fist and the knife is used to make thin slices between the flat plane of the thumb and forefinger. The shredded leaves are bunched

Chalé is a basic everyday sauce from Ghanaian that, once made, can very easily be turned into a meal. Quick, simple and punchy, this recipe is perfect to make in large quantities for big batch cooking. Here I give you the basic recipe for chalé and show you how to very simply turn it into

This is the national dish of Mali. The name literally means ‘Meat in Peanut Sauce’ and is one of the classic peanut sauce dishes of West Africa. Traditionally, goat meat or chicken would be used (but you can use pretty much any meat). Prep time: 15 minutes/Cook time: 70 minutes/Serves: 8 Ingredients:2 tbsp oil1kg (2