Lifestyle: How to make your holiday banku and tilapia

Its a holiday and you are probably thinking of making something special for the family at home. Well, being proudly Ghanaian,one other good option besides Fufu and light soup is Banku and grilled tilapia.

This dish is a Ghanaian delicacy made from corn and cassava dough. The Banku is served with Grilled tilapia and stew or you can have it with hot pepper.

This may not be one of your usual easy recipes but trust me its worth the try. I’m sure you’ll agree with me when you sit behind the dish to relish the unique taste. So let’s get started!

INGREDIENTS

Corn dough

Cassava dough [manioc paste]

Water

Salt

Fresh tilapia (Usually its already dressed so ypu dont have to removes scales, fins and intestines)

Salt

Garlic

pepper (unriped)

Ginger

Fresh tomatoes

Fresh onions

Fresh, dried and powdered chilli

Cooking oil of your choice

Salt

Stock cube

PREPARATION

BANKU
Put equal amounts of corn and cassava dough into a pan
Add water and mix together into a consistent paste as thick as porridge
Add salt to taste and put on fire
Use a flat, wooden thick ladle to stir till it becomes a thick pulp
Cover it till it is very steamy, that makes it cook well in the core or inside of the banku. Turn the pulp over and over again with the ladle to allow even distribution of heat into it.
If it is too hard or thick for you add a little water and stir till you have the preferred texture
When colour changes from white to light cream it is almost ready to dish
Mould into sizable balls (Like dumplings) with a little bowl and set aside
tilati

Wash your fresh tilapia very well
wash it again in salted water
Marinade it with grinded ginger, garlic, pepper (unriped) adobo,
leace it for about 20 mins
Arrange fish on a grill pan and grill in an oven, etc… under moderate heat for 30-45 mins depending on the sizes of your tilapia
Check to ensure it tastes just as you like it. you can add some more marinade to tilapia each time you turn it in the oven till its well cooked. set aside.

To make stew

Blend large ,onion, small clove of garlic, 2 handfuls of dried chilli and set aside
Pour some cooking oil into a sauce pan and set it on fire
Pour grinded misture into oil
Stir and add stock cube and add little salt to your taste
Stir till it turns from red to light brown.
Set aside
Now grind together fresh tomatoes, fresh chilli, onion and add a pinch of salk and set aside.
Serve baku with tilapia and some sauce and freshly grinded pepper and you are good to go! Happy Independence day!