Entry #4 Top 3 recipes from Western Africa

 For the new, my name is Josephine, A girl who loves writing and cooking, also tasting different kinds of food from different kinds of countries. In today's blog, I will be talking about top #3 foods and their recipes from western Africa that I think you can also try and taste them. These recipes, the first time I tried them, were when I was little and now, I still eat them at my house because I learned to cook them from my mother. These recipes work very well. I hope you can try too.

1. Jollof rice

Jollof, or jollof rice, is a rice dish from West Africa. The dish is typically made with long-grain rice, tomatoes, chilies, onions, spices, and sometimes other vegetables and/or meat in a single pot, although its ingredients and preparation methods vary across different regions. The dish's origins are traced to Senegal.  Regional variations are a source of competition between the countries of West Africa, and in particular Nigeria and Ghana, over whose version is the best; in the 2010s this developed into a friendly rivalry known as the "Jollof Wars".  In French-speaking West Africa, a variation of the dish is known as riz au gras.

Main Ingredients of Jollof Rice.

  2 cups Parboiled Long Grain Rice

     1 medium onion

     1 Red Bell pepper

     3 Roma Tomatoes

      2 tablespoons Tomato Paste

     ½ – 1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper / Habanero Pepper

     2 cloves Garlic

    1 inch piece ginger

3-4 cubes Maggi seasoning

3-4 tablespoons Palm Oil or Canola Oil

¾ cup frozen Green Peas

                                                             2. Thieboudienne

thieboudienne literally translated means the rice of fish in the Wolof language in Senegal. The name hardly does the dish justice.  Thieboudienne is considered to be the national dish of Senegal and for good reason, it is bursting with layers of excellent flavor.  Just one of the reasons Senegalese cuisines is known around the world as delicious.  By the way, you pronounce Thieboudienne like this (ceebu Jen)

Thieboudienne is origin from Senegal.

Ingredients

3 cups of rice (broken rice)

4 large pieces of fish (of your own choice)

3 fresh tomatoes, mashed

3 tablespoons of tomato paste

1 bunch of parsley, crushed

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into medium pieces

2 potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 small eggplants, facultatif

1 small cabbage, cut into 4 pieces

200ml peanut oil

2 bouillon cube or Maggi cube

4 bay leaves

4 peppers,1 tablespoon of black pepper

salt

6 small okra

1 tablespoon of Yété , optional

1 tablespoons nététou (if available)

1.5l hot water

This traditional dish is made from rice, fish, and tomato sauce and is flavored with spiced onions, carrots, cabbage, cassava, and peanut oil. Interestingly, a dish from the American deep south called Savannah red rice is very similar – many believe it was taken to the new world from here and adapted by the Creole people.

                                                     3. suya

Suya is a traditional smoked spiced meat skewer which originates from Nigeria and is a popular food item across West Africa. Suya is a large part of Hausa culture and food and is traditionally prepared and made by Hausa men, thus called 'Mai nama'.Suya is generally made with skewered beef, ram, or chicken. Organ meats such as kidney, liver and tripe are also used.[2] The thinly sliced meat is marinated in various spices, which include traditional Hausa dehydrated peanut cookie called 'kwuli kwuli', salt, vegetable oil and other spices and flavorings, and then barbecued. There are many variations of Suya in traditional Hausa cooking (such as Balangu, Kilishi etc..), but the most popular being suya.

It is often accompanied by sliced raw tomatoes and onions, a preparation made from dried and powdered chilli, and sometimes masa (rice cake). It can also be served with jollof rice, fried plantains, or other sides. The recipe can vary significantly from region to region and depending on personal preference. Mainly consumed by Muslim populations, the meat used is generally halal. Kilishi can be considered a dried variant of suya.

Suya is widely available in Nigeria and several other African countries, where it can be purchased on the street or in open-air restaurants, with or without skewers, usually wrapped in newspaper or aluminum foil.

These dishes showcase the vibrant culinary heritage of West Africa, where flavors, ingredients, and techniques come together to create unforgettable meals. Bon appétit!