In this episode, I talk with cookbook author Zoe Adjonyoh about her book Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen, and the role of fish and seafood in West African cuisine. This is a cuisine you’ll want to get to know.
African Recipes
Africa is a very large and diverse place, with countless cuisines. Here you will find a selection of African recipes ranging all over the continent, from North to South, and many places in between.
I have traveled in East and southern Africa and have worked as a chef at an Ethiopian restaurant here in the United States, so you will mostly see recipes from there, although I love the food from Ghana and Senegal, so there is a smattering of recipes from there, too.
Some of my favorites are Venison Stew Tunisian, Coconut Curry Chicken from Kenya, and Ethiopian Tibs, a sort of hybrid stew and stir fry.
Bamia: Egyptian Okra and Meat Stew
An Egyptian and eastern Mediterranean style okra stew with meat and tomatoes. Bamia, or okra, has been eaten in Egypt since antiquity. I use venison as the meat here.
Okra Stew
A West African inspired okra stew recipe with tomatoes that’s great served on its own, or as a thick sauce over fish or game.
Venison Stew Tunisian Style
A North African-inspired venison stew with potatoes, onions, harissa and bay leaves. A good change of pace from the same ole same ole…
Ghanaian Palava Sauce
A thick stew of meat – venison here – and greens, tomato, chile and squash seeds, palaver is a popular dish in Ghana.
Butternut Squash Curry
This squash curry from Ethiopia shares many of the same elements as an Indian curry, but with a slightly different mix of spices.
Coconut Curry Chicken
This recipe is from East Africa, where it is called kuku wa nazi in Swahili. I used pheasant here, which is more like an African chicken.
Ghanaian Red Red
Red red is a signature dish in Ghana, hinging on cowpeas, tomatoes and red palm oil. I used red cowpeas and some ham to bulk it up.